Chapter 23
23
Daniel
F iancé?
Fiancé ?
The man had the gall to call himself Aria’s fiancé when she clearly didn’t agree with the sentiment.
And yet, she hadn’t argued. She’d simply stood there like she expected Daniel to take it. He was burned out. The amount of strength it had taken him to keep his hands at his sides rather than charging forward and wringing the smug jerk’s scrawny neck had taken a toll on him.
Of course he would never admit it—and definitely not to Aria. She would drop him so fast that his head would spin.
Or had she already dropped him?
At this point, he couldn’t get a read on her other than the fact that she’d been stressed out. She kept her emotions in check enough that she hadn’t given him anything to work with—not until she got mad at him for intervening.
Just the sight of that man’s hands around Aria’s waist had triggered Daniel in a way that made him question his own sanity. She was his girlfriend. They were together no matter what the guy wanted to believe.
If Cayden thought they were a couple, then what on earth did he think she’d been doing for the last several months?
Something wasn’t adding up.
Daniel let his thoughts spiral out of control as he watched Aria slip off to the house. He should go after her. At least that was what his heart was telling him. She needed him. Whether she liked it or not, she needed him to keep her safe and secure. The more she pushed him away, the more fear grew inside her. He knew her well enough to understand that deep in his soul.
Who was this Cayden? Clearly, he came from money. His clothes, appearance, and the car he drove said plenty to that fact. But not even the nicest appearance could hide the fact that the guy was a bully.
Daniel had dealt with guys like him when he’d fought off his own monsters.
Right now, he needed to regroup and figure out how to help Aria.
Obviously, she didn’t want anything to do with this guy.
Right?
Right.
Daniel shook his head to clear it of all the insecurities he was currently reeling from. If Aria had wanted to be with the guy, she would have said as much when the guy was here. She wouldn’t have pushed him away.
They needed to go out. They needed to forget about what was going on with this Cayden jerk and have some fun.
Daniel nodded to himself and charged toward the house just as the door slammed shut. It took a few minutes to cross the yard, and when he reached the house, he rapped his knuckles on the wood with confidence he wasn’t sure he had.
He expected one of the Palmers to answer the door to tell him that Aria didn’t want anything to do with him. But surprisingly, she was the one who stood before him, her face flushed and her eyes full of emotion. No tears had been spilled yet. Thank goodness. Because if that guy had made her cry, Daniel wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep ahold of the thread of control he currently had in his grasp.
“Come out with me,” he said.
Her brows tilted up, masking the hurt and anger that had been there seconds before. “You’re kidding, right?”
He shook his head, tempted to pull her into his arms and soothe her with words he didn’t have. “I’m being serious. There’s a lot going on right now and I’m not sure why.”
“Don’t you want answers? Not… a date?”
Daniel lifted a shoulder, biting back a response that would confirm her thoughts. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
Still a look of shock remained on her face.
He forced a crooked smile. “I’m not going to let an argument come between us. You’re stressed. I’m stressed. Maybe what we need is to press the restart button.”
Her lips parted out of surprise.
“Come dancing with me,” he urged. “Just you and me. I saw how much you enjoyed the country club that one night. And maybe this time, I can be the one taking you around the dance floor.”
Aria’s tense shoulders relaxed, if only slightly. She nibbled on her lip and glanced away. This was the Aria he had come to love. The one who didn’t care if he saw her more vulnerable side—or perhaps the Aria who was willing to share that side of herself with him despite her fears.
Daniel stepped closer and took her hand in his, kissing it softly. “Dance with me.”
Aria’s body pressed against his own as they swayed to another slow song. Her resolve had crumbled. Daniel couldn’t believe he’d gotten her to put aside her frustration and defensiveness to come out with him after everything that had happened since he’d caught her talking to Cayden in town.
Here, with her arms around his neck and his around her waist, the world had finally righted itself. He couldn’t believe that he’d let his irritation rule his emotions before. Aria was worth too much for him to lose her over a petty squabble. As long as she didn’t leave him, he knew he’d be okay.
I love you .
The words were on the tip of his tongue. If all the time he had with her was this moment, he would die happy.
Then again, that train of thought wasn’t exactly true. Right here, right now, he could die happy. But as long as his heart was still beating, he’d need her by his side. He didn’t know when that realization had finally taken root. Perhaps it had been a culmination of all their quiet moments.
He loved her. He would always love her. Aria had to know. He opened his mouth to tell her just that when she pulled back.
“I’m sorry. But I have to use the restroom.” She smiled up at him, placing her palm against his cheek. “To be continued.”
He chuckled. “I’ll get us some drinks.”
She nodded and away she went. He watched until she disappeared into the crowd of people. They could get through anything as long as he had the patience and she had the stubbornness to do so.
As promised, he headed for the drink area. He ordered two sodas and paid the bartender. After looking around, he moved toward a table on the side of the room. With the drinks situated and his jacket strung over the back of his chair, he took a seat.
This was exactly what they’d needed—time to decompress after the tight spot that Cayden had put Aria in. He tapped his fingers on his knees as he waited. One song shifted into two, then three. He glanced at the clock. Aria shouldn’t be taking this long unless she had some internal distress.
Standing, he made a move to head for the bathroom when he caught sight of her.
And she wasn’t alone.
Cayden’s arm was around her waist in a possessive way. He held her left hand in his and was burying his nose in her hair. They swayed back and forth for a few moments before Cayden lifted his gaze and their eyes locked.
The man smirked, and Daniel saw red.
Marching toward them, he yanked Cayden away from Aria. She cried out—or gasped. He couldn’t be sure if the reaction was from her or someone else. It didn’t matter. Because he was intent on shoving Cayden against the brick wall.
Placing his forearm against Cayden’s neck, he pushed hard until the man clawed at the obstruction to his throat. His feet dangled an inch off the floor and he wheezed something unintelligible.
“You are not to touch her,” Daniel ground out.
Despite the man’s face turning red, he still smirked at Daniel as if he knew something Daniel didn’t.
Daniel shoved harder. “You hear me? You’re not going to talk to her, call her, ask to see her ever again.” He emphasized the last two words. “You’re going to leave this town and never come back.” He was vaguely aware of hands grabbing at him, but he was stronger than whoever it was.
Cayden chuckled, but due to Daniel’s arm placement, it was more of a cough.
“Daniel! Let him go!” Aria’s voice finally filtered through the fog in his mind. A crowd surrounded them and Aria’s hands were wrapped tightly around his upper arm. She tugged and pulled until he glanced toward her.
Eyes flashing with fury, Aria yanked once more, and Daniel released the scum who had attempted to steal her from him.
Cayden coughed again, his hands pawing at his throat as he sucked in gulp after gulp of air. He shot a sinister look in Daniel’s direction but didn’t bother snarling at him like Daniel had expected.
Turning to Aria, Daniel lowered his voice, “The man doesn’t deserve to walk away from this. At least I’m giving him that much.”
She shook her head, her expression hard. “You can’t act that way. It’s not right.”
His brows furrowed. “What? You’re kidding, right? He’s the reason you’ve been in a sour mood the last couple of days. He needs to learn to leave you alone.”
“You got it all wrong, man,” Cayden said, attempting another chuckle. “She’s with me. You’re the one making her miserable.”
The man’s words shouldn’t have struck him as hard as they did. Daniel whipped his eyes to Aria, searching, asking, demanding an explanation.
She only looked away.
“Aria, talk to me,” he pleaded.
Cayden laughed again. “Get the hint?—”
He growled and took a step toward the miscreant, but Aria’s hand grabbed his and pulled him aside. Almost immediately, she released him. Then she lifted her sad gaze to meet his.
Aria’s jaw trembled but only briefly. She lifted her chin and spoke calmly. “Cayden can give me things I deserve.”
Daniel’s head reared back. “What are you saying?”
“He comes from money. He can take care of me. We have… a history.”
He was going to be sick. This couldn’t be happening. It was some kind of cruel joke. Daniel reached for her, but she avoided him by taking a step back. He stumbled, staring at her like she’d slapped him. She might as well have.
“He… loves me,” she whispered. He nearly didn’t hear it.
Daniel took another step toward her, and this time she didn’t move. He reached up and brushed at a tear that had escaped and dragged down her cheek. She jerked away from his touch, and he dropped his hand. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re lying.”
She shook her head. “I’m not.”
He risked a glance at Cayden, noting the smug look on the man’s face. This was all wrong. Daniel might not understand what was going on, but he could tell that much. He brushed past Aria, ignoring her calling his name as he put his face right in front of Cayden’s. “If you hurt her,” he growled, “if you lay a finger on her, you won’t live long enough to be sorry.” He gave the man a shove for good measure, knocking him against the wall once more before charging toward the door.