Chapter Forty-Five
C onner came in the front door and headed into the living room where Keira, Daniel, Layla, and Logan sat. He stopped at the doorway and stuck his nose in the air and sniffed. “What’s that awesome smell?”
Keira looked up, “It’s spaghetti.”
“I thought we just had Italian the other night?”
“Well, Mister,” Layla said as she sat up straight. “I made dinner tonight, and if you don’t like it, you can go to McDonald’s down the street.”
Conner held his hands up. “No, it’s great. I’ll eat whatever you put in front of me.”
Daniel snorted from the sofa. “And who invited you?”
Keira jabbed her elbow into his stomach. “Don’t be mean to Conner. He’s welcome anytime.”
Blane hurried through the door. “What did I miss?” he asked as he looked around the room at the different facial expressions.
Conner moved to a chair facing the sofa and sat. “We were just talking about dinner.”
Blane smelled the air. “What are we having?”
Everyone laughed, except Daniel, who just rolled his eyes.
“Spaghetti,” Layla said. When he opened his mouth, she interrupted him. “If you say you just had Italian, I’m going to throw a shoe at you, and I’ll tell you the same thing I told Conner. If you don’t like what I make, go to McDonald’s.”
Disgust crossed Blane’s face. “Not McDonald’s. I’m good with whatever you make.”
“Can we get to the case?” Daniel asked, clearly disgruntled.
Folders were opened, and questions were asked for several minutes.
“Did he say why he was stalking her?” Daniel asked Conner and Blane impatiently.
Conner and Blane looked at each other. Conner cleared his throat. “He dated Tammy before you did. In fact, he claimed she dumped him for you. He decided to get some payback by messing with Tammy’s mind and was thrilled when it put a wedge between you. After Tammy left town, things went back to normal until Keira moved to town and she started dating you.”
Daniel lowered his head. “Dammit.”
Keira tightened her grip on his hand. “It’s not your fault.”
“I feel like it is.” He looked at Conner. “I’d like her phone number. I’d like to talk to her and apologize.”
Only Layla caught the uneasy expression that raced across Keira’s face.
Conner continued, “Adam stated he asked Keira out, and she told him she was dating you. That brought his hatred back. He didn’t get why all the women went to you. He claims he was going to do to Keira what he did to Tammy. But he didn’t plan on Keira standing her ground as she did, so he kept doing things with a little more malice to shake her up.”
“What did he have to gain from attacking her?” Layla asked, confused.
“He wanted to scare her enough to get a little unhinged. He’d heard what Daniel said about drama and how he hated it, so he was going to cause as much drama as he could. He didn’t expect the knife. He was going to scare her and then leave, but it got out of hand.”
“What a fucking idiot,” Logan said.
“Yeah, and he knows it. He’s going away for a while on assault and stalking charges.”
Keira leaned her head against Daniel’s chest. “So, he destroyed his life because of jealousy.”
Conner nodded. “Pretty much.”
Layla stood and headed toward the kitchen. “Whoever wants to stay for dinner, it’ll be on the table in five minutes.”
“I’ll come help,” Keira said as she pushed herself off the sofa.
A little before ten, everyone filed out of Daniel’s house, which pleased her because she wanted some alone time with Daniel.
After Daniel closed and locked the door, he turned to her.
“Why don’t you head up. I’m going to check the windows and doors, and then I’ll be up.” Daniel watched her walk up the steps, concerned. She started getting quiet at dinner. She tried to hide it with fake smiles and laughs, but he caught on pretty quickly, and he could tell Layla had too, from the worried look on her face.
She was coming out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her. “Shower’s yours,” she said as she passed him.
Daniel watched her leave. What the hell was going on with her? Did she want to leave? Had she had enough, or was she blaming him for this whole fiasco? He couldn’t blame her for feeling resentful. He blamed himself, but it wasn’t going to make him give her up.
He quickly undressed and jumped in the shower, rushing to get to her. He’d find out what was bothering her before the night was over.
Daniel walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his lean hips, to see Keira sitting on the side of the bed, rubbing lotion into her arms and legs. At his dresser, he dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of boxers.
Daniel lay down on the other side of the bed and pulled the covers up to his waist. “Come here,” he said with his hand out.
Keira crawled over the mattress to snuggle up against his side. She laid her head on his shoulder and put her arm over his chest as Daniel pulled the blanket up over her.
Daniel held her close to his side, enjoying the peace it brought him for a moment. “Keira, you’ve been quiet tonight.”
Keira tilted her head up to see his face. “I’m sorry.”
Daniel tightened his hold for a quick hug. “Don’t be sorry. I want to know if you can talk about it?”
She stayed silent for so long he thought she was either asleep or didn’t want to talk.
“One thing I was thinking about is your ex.”
“What about her?”
“I know you’re going to get in touch with her, and I just wondered if you had any feelings left for her?”
Daniel smiled gently and felt her relax a bit. “Absolutely not. No other woman compares to you and never will.”
She nodded. “Then, I started thinking about how much I have to do, and it seemed overwhelming, but I just keep telling myself to take one thing at a time. I wish I’d get my energy back quicker.”
He slid his hand up and down her back. “What things need to be done because you have to know I’m going to help? In fact, I know a lot of people who want to help.”
“I know. I’m so lucky, but everyone has such busy lives, I hate to ask for too much help. I have to clean the house, pack my things again, find an apartment, buy the clothes and other things he destroyed.” She felt his body stiffen and misread his body language. “I know it’s a lot, isn’t it?” She looked up at him when he didn’t speak for several moments. “What’s wrong?”
Daniel tried to keep his anger in check, but still a growl tore from his mouth. “There are so many things wrong right now. I can’t tell you.”
Keira propped herself up on an elbow. A chill raced down her spine at the angry, cold look on his face. Keira started to move away from him. “Listen, Daniel, maybe it would be better if I go.”
She gasped when he carefully flipped her over on her back and then held her pinned to the mattress with his body.
“First of all, Keira, I don’t know where you got the idea that you were ever leaving this house. We talked about it, remember? I thought it was already decided.”
“Daniel, I just think it’s too early in our relationship to think about living together.”
His eyes bore into hers as fear swept through him. “Do you love me?”
“Yes. Very much. But that doesn’t...”
“I love you.”
Tears burned her eyes. Keira sighed and laid a hand on his cheek.
Daniel swept his thumb over one of her silky cheeks. “What’s holding us back from living together and eventually getting married?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for.”
Daniel studied her for a moment. He was momentarily afraid that what he was about to do might freak her out and make her want to run from him. “Stay right here,” he said as he pushed himself off of her and walked to his dresser and back.
She sat up, apprehensively, when he sat down on the edge of the bed next to her hip, facing her.
“Keira, from the moment I saw you, I knew you were born to be mine, and nothing since then has changed my mind. We’ve been through more than most couples go through in a year or more together. I love you more than I ever thought I could love another person.” Daniel opened his hand.
Keira gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth at the small blue velvet box lying in the palm of his hand. “Daniel...”
“Just hush for a second. We love each other, and we’re old enough to know what we want and how love really feels. I don’t ever want to lose you.” Her silence had his nerves skittering. He waited for several heart-stopping moments. “Unless you don’t feel as strongly for me as I do you?”
Her shocked eyes snapped to his face. “Oh, God, no. I absolutely feel the same way. It scares me sometimes how much I love you.”
Daniel drew a relieved breath into his lungs.
He watched tears fill her eyes as the lid of the box lifted. She loved everything about the ring. On a thick silver band was a beautiful two-carat oval diamond. It was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen.
“Keira Walker, will you marry me?”
The look in his eyes pierced her soul. “Yes,” she burst out. Tears ran down her face as he slid the ring on her finger.
He pulled her onto his lap as his head dropped down to take her lips. He thrust his tongue into her mouth like he was starving for her. He twisted them until once again, he had her pinned beneath him. “I want to set a date for this coming spring.”
Her laugh stopped suddenly. “But that’s only a few months away.”
Daniel bent and gave her biting kisses on her neck and shoulders, making her squirm and giggle. “You’re right, that’s too long. Let’s fly to Vegas.”
Keira sputtered out a chortle. “No, I meant that’s not enough time to plan a wedding.”
Daniel lifted his head, pushed her hair back from her forehead, and narrowed his eyes as his body filled with sexual tension. “With your sister’s help, you can. Why hold off, Keira?”
Keira lifted her hand to his face and let her fingertips glide over his raspy five-o’clock shadow. “It’s not that I want to hold off, but it might do us some good to have a long engagement.”
“Good for whom?” Daniel asked, laughing. “I want you as my wife, Keira. I know we’ve not known each other for a long time, but we have been through more than most couples have. I’ll do whatever I can to help, but I want us to be married as soon as possible.” Had he ever seen a more beautiful woman? “I thought I was being generous, giving you three months to plan a wedding?”
Keira snorted. “Generous? Really?” She rolled her eyes when he nodded. “How about we plan on Aug—”
“ Keira ! June at the latest.”
“August would give me a few more months.”
Daniel gritted his teeth. “Yes, months that we’re not married. I say the first Saturday in June.”
“But...” she began.
“No buts.”
She looked intently at him. She licked her lips. “Okay, the first Saturday in June it is.”
Daniel blew out the breath he’d been holding and lowered his mouth again. “Good choice, Baby,” he said before he kissed her.
Keira laughed against his lips. “Did I really have another choice?”
Daniel lay her on her back and loomed over her, one of his hands pressed against her stomach. “Sure, you did,” he said and left it at that.