CHAPTER 19 DANNY
I pull into my mother’s driveway nearly five hours later, and this place has always felt like home.
I let out a breath as I cut the engine, but I don’t move quite yet.
Alexis glances over at me. “You okay?”
I nod slowly, my eyes fixed on the garage door in front of us.
“More than okay, I think. It feels good to be here. Like we’ll have an added layer of protection being close to my mom, being here in San Diego.
Being in the opposite end of the state from where your dad just took off on a wild goose chase. ”
And with any luck, we’ll have an added layer of protection because of the secret I’ve been keeping.
This isn’t the house I grew up in, but I did grow up about thirty miles from here in Carlsbad.
Every weekend, I’d hit the beach with my friends, and we managed to find whatever trouble we could.
I remember a lot of bonfires, late night swimming, and hook-ups with tourists.
Oh, those poor, unsuspecting tourists. It was one hell of a good time.
My mom wanted out of Carlsbad once I graduated high school, and she bought a little place in San Diego near Pacific Beach. She has city and water views since she’s tucked in the slope of Mt. Soledad, and it’s always a breath of fresh sea air to come visit her and stay here for a few nights.
But I won’t be staying here tonight. Instead, we’re stopping in to say hi, and she’s going to fill us in on all the planning she’s gotten done since we were last here, including giving us the address for the rental where we’ll be getting married in less than forty-eight hours.
I’m ready. For all of it—but mostly to become the husband of the woman by my side.
Husband.
The word excites me rather than scares me.
“Ready?” I ask, and Alexis nods. We head up to the door, and I knock. My mom tosses it open a minute later, and she rushes into my arms.
“Thank God you’re here, baby,” she says. “It’s so good to see you.”
She squeezes me hard the way only a mother can, and it already feels safe and warm here.
She grabs Alexis into a hug next, and I can tell she feels that same sense of safety.
“I have a surprise for you both,” she says, and she looks a little nervous. But then she looks at me and nods, and I know it’s done. “Come on in.”
We follow her in, and she closes the door behind us then leads us through the entry and to the kitchen.
And there he is.
“Gregory?” Alexis breathes. Her wide eyes dart to me, and Gregory stands.
“Ma’am,” he says with a nod.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to walk you down the aisle,” he says quietly.
Alexis bursts into tears as she rushes into his arms, and my chest tightens. I could not be more grateful that she has him, and I’m so, so glad we figured out a way to get him here.
“I’m so happy you’re here!” she squeals, brushing away tears as she pulls out of the hug. “But how? Aren’t you supposed to be searching northern California with my dad and Brooks?”
“I told him I’d stay in San Diego and keep watch from here, and then he fired me,” Gregory admits.
Whoa. That was not part of the plan.
“He can’t do that.” Her tone is adamant. “I hired you, and you’re on my payroll. You’re officially un-fired.”
“We’ll deal with the fallout after Christmas, but I appreciate that, Ms. Bodega. More than you know.” He glances at my mom, and I get the very real sense that there’s more to the story. Maybe we’ll find out later, or maybe we won’t.
“Alexis, come with me,” my mom says. “The flowers arrived a little while ago and you have to see them. They’re just gorgeous!” She leads Alexis into one of the guest rooms, and I have a moment alone with Gregory.
“Does her dad suspect anything?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Thank you for having your mother get in touch with me. I’m happy to be part of the day.”
“When I asked Alexis who she’d want there, she mentioned you. You mean a lot to her, and you mean a lot to me, too. You’re the only person in her inner circle she can trust,” I admit to him.
“Until she met you.”
I press my lips together and nod, surprised at the strong level of emotion coursing through me at his words. “Thank you.” We share an awkward moment of quiet, and then I ask, “So, uh…you and my mom, huh?”
He barely reacts, but that’s pretty in line with who the guy is. He doesn’t say a word. Not even a no comment.
I chuckle. “She’ll blab to me later. Just take care of her, okay?”
He nods once. “Will do.”
I’m not sure what that means, and I hope to God it isn’t something sexual, but…well, fuck it. We all deserve a good railing, am I right?
My mom and Alexis return a few minutes later, and my mom gives me the address of the rental along with all the information we need to get in.
Gregory and I carry the flowers, my clothes, and some bags of food to the SUV I’m driving under Cooper’s name, and then we bid my mom and Gregory goodbye as we take off for our rental house.
The house she booked for us is on Mission Beach, and it fits all of the requests we had. Plenty of bedrooms for all of our guests to stay with us, a rooftop deck, and a dream of a chef's kitchen, at least according to the listing.
It's so strange to think that we're checking into this place unmarried, but we're leaving it married in a few days.
The fear of what lurks behind those days is very real and tangible, but I refuse to let it mark this moment in any way.
These next couple of days are going to be all about us and the love we've grown over the course of our relationship.
I pull into the tiny driveway and we both eagerly hop out of the car as soon as I cut the engine. She is as excited as I am, and nothing feels better than being on the same page.
She's right behind me as I pull the door code up on my phone and type it in, and before I open the door all the way, I turn around and drop a quick kiss on her lips.
“To the next part of our journey,” I say, and she smiles as I open the door all the way.
We step in and it's even better than I could have imagined. It's a three story home right on the beach with views for days out all of the windows.
We explore the first floor which is comprised of a kitchen, the family room, an office, and a bedroom.
The second level has a couple more guest rooms and the third level is the primary suite.
Finally, we take the stairs all the way up to the rooftop deck, where we find the place where we will be married.
“This is absolutely breathtaking,” Alexis says as she draws in a deep breath.
I slide an arm around her waist. It truly is breathtaking—the views, the layout of the deck, the décor, the landscaping, the woman beside me.
I draw in a deep breath, too, as I try to figure out how in the hell I got so goddamn lucky.
I have to remind myself that this is real.
I have to remind myself to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But the moment we stop waiting, the moment when we start to feel comfortable…that’s when shit’s going to hit the fan.