Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
T he next morning, Danielle lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling above her. She was stretched out under the blankets, the cool breeze of the fan blowing on her.
And she was thinking about Zach.
No matter how much she tried to push the images of him last night from her mind, she couldn’t. He was stuck in there, flipping through her mind like a song she couldn’t forget. He was so engrained in every part of her, that just a few days around him, and it was like nothing had ever changed.
Except that they had. She’d changed. He’d changed. And Jesse’s presence changed everything.
She curled to her side and hugged one of her many blankets. It was Saturday—her one day to sleep in.
There was a soft knock on her bedroom door, which caused her to sit up. “Come in,” she said.
The door opened and Sunny stood in the doorway with a way too big smile on her face. Danielle studied her.
“What’s up with you?” Danielle asked, the feeling of worry and suspicion brewing inside of her.
Sunny just shrugged as she walked across Danielle’s bedroom and threw open the blinds. “Oh, nothing. Get up, we are going out.”
Danielle groaned as the bright sun assaulted her eyes. She flopped back onto her bed and pulled the covers up over her face. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said, her voice muffled by the material.
Her blanket was pulled from her body and dumped on the floor. Sunny stood next to it with a triumphant look on her face. “Not today. You’re going to get dressed. You’re going to look pretty. And we are going out.”
Danielle covered her face with her hands until she realized that it was futile to argue with this tiny blonde girl. So she groaned—shooting a very annoyed look Sunny’s direction—and climbed off her bed and into the bathroom.
Which was a mistake because one look at the drywall patch, and the image of Zach that she’d been trying keep pushed to the back of her mind floated its way to the surface.
Once in the shower, she washed as fast as she could. Maybe going out would be a good thing. Since Zach’s presence could be felt in just about every room in her tiny apartment, some fresh—and hot—Georgia air might actually do her some good.
She wrapped a towel around her body and slipped from the bathroom. Once in her room, she dressed in a pair of cut off shorts and a lacy tank. After brushing her hair and applying some product into it, she glanced in the mirror. It felt good to go relaxed today. Most days, she was in the office or on assignment. But today, she could just be Danielle, and it felt great.
After grabbing her strappy sandals from her closet, she made her way into the living room where Sunny was pouring Jesse a bowl of cereal. She glanced up at Danielle and gave her an approving look.
Danielle shook her head as she grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured a cup of coffee. “So, what’s the plan?” she asked as she held her mug of coffee and blew on the steam.
Sunny pressed her finger to her lips.
“She’s not saying. Won’t even tell me,” Jesse said through cereal and milk.
“Not with your mouth full,” Danielle said, motioning toward her mouth.
Jesse just shrugged and turned his attention back to his book that he had sprawled across the table. Danielle turned her attention back over to Sunny who was looking quite amused with herself as she studied her phone. Feeling a tad annoyed, Danielle finished her coffee and then rinsed out her mug.
Ten minutes later, Sunny announced that it was time to go and ushered everyone from the apartment. They made their way downstairs and out onto the sidewalk.
There was a black Lincoln parked next to the curb and Danielle knew, with the sinking feeling in her gut, that this relaxing Saturday afternoon excursion was no longer going to be that.
“Sunny?” she asked, dragging out every syllable.
Sunny waved her away and ushered Jesse to the car. “You’ll be fine. He’s just loaning us his car.”
Danielle folded her arms as she studied Sunny. But, when they both got into the car, she realized that they were going to go with or without her. Sighing, she marched over to the passenger door and pulled it open. Paul was sitting in the driver’s seat, smiling over at her.
“How’s it going?” he asked, once she slammed her door and buckled.
“I’m being held hostage,” she sighed.
Paul glanced around the interior of the car. “This is the nicest hostile encounter I’ve ever seen,” he said, giving her a wink and then pulling out onto the main road.
Danielle settled back in her seat and sighed. This was happening. She might as well get on board with it. After all, wasn’t that something she always told Jesse? That it was his job to make a situation better instead of waiting for everyone to do that for him?
So she forced down all of the frustration that had crept up into her chest and shot Paul a smile. “I’m guessing there’s no way you can tell me where we are going?”
Paul pretended to lock his lips and throw the key. “Sorry. I’m sworn to secrecy.”
Danielle sighed as she glanced out the window to watch the shops and people whip by. Sunny was in the back texting and Jesse had his nose buried in a book. Neither of them looked as panicked as she felt. Perhaps she was making a bigger deal out of this than necessary.
Fifteen minutes later, Paul pulled to the front gates of the traveling carnival that had set up on the fair grounds in Atlanta. The large Ferris wheel and rollercoasters could be seen from miles away.
Danielle glanced back at Sunny who looked pretty proud of herself. She was smiling ear to ear as she pulled open the door and stepped out.
“Good thinking, Sun,” Danielle said as she did the same.
The three of them stood right in front of the ticket booth as Paul gave them a quick wave and pulled away.
“I’m glad you guys made it,” Zach’s deep voice said from behind them.
Both dread and an obnoxious thrill ran through Danielle at the same time as she turned to see Zach standing there. He had four tickets in his hand and an unsure smile across his lips.
“Oh, Zach. What a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know you frequented the carnival,” Sunny said, giving Danielle a very fake surprised look.
Zach looked at her skeptically. “Um, yeah.” Then he turned with a resigned sigh to Danielle. “She didn’t tell you I was coming, did she.” The way he said it made it sound more like a fact than a question. He raised his eyebrows. “Is this okay?” he asked.
Danielle chewed her lip. She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him that waking up to her son gone had been one of the scariest moments of her life. But, he looked sorry and maybe he really was.
She sighed and nodded. Zach gave her a soft smile as he handed one of the tickets over to her. Danielle took it and watched as he handed the other ones out to Jesse and Sunny. They walked through the gates after handing over the tickets to the ticket agent and then stood in a group just inside. Danielle wasn’t sure what they were going to do or even what to say to Zach.
Sunny turned and grabbed onto Jesse’s arm. “I’ll take him around. I’m sure you guys don’t want to ride the rides he does.”
Danielle parted her lips to speak, but Sunny just giggled and pulled Jesse into the throng of people. As soon as they disappeared, Danielle suddenly realized how alone she and Zach were. Not sure what to do, she peeked up at him to find him studying the ticket in his hand. It seemed as if he too, wasn’t sure what to do or say.
Realizing that she couldn’t spend the rest of the day in a strange and strained state with Zach, Danielle drew in a breath and let it out slowly as she turned to smile at him. “I’m sorry,” she said.
Zach glanced over at her. “What?”
She swallowed as she tucked an escaping curl behind her ear. “I’m sorry. For last night. You didn’t deserve how I treated you.”
Zach squinted as he studied the people passing by. “You don’t need to apologize—I need to apologize. I shouldn’t have taken Jesse like that. I should have left a note.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t thinking.”
Danielle nervously rung her hands. The floodgates inside of her were cracking. It was as if the stress of seeing Zach mixed with the stress of being a single mom was taking its toll. “I guess I’m not used to giving up control when it comes to Zach. I’ve spent as long as I could remember taking care of him. He’s my world.”
Zach’s eyes roved over to her face and her whole body flushed from the intensity of it. She saw his hands twitch as he stepped forward toward her. “It’s got to be hard,” he said. The tone of his voice sent shivers down her spine.
Not sure how she would sound if she spoke, she just nodded.
“He’s a good kid. That loser doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”
It took Danielle a moment to register who he was talking about. Isaac. Only, Isaac wasn’t a loser. At least, not when it came to his son. Loving her? Yes. Loving his son? No. She was sure that even though things were going south for their relationship, if Isaac had found out about Jesse, he would have stepped up. Taken care of his own child.
But there was no way she could say those things to Zach. This was a secret she had to hold dear. The Stedmans didn’t like her and if they found out about their grandson, they just might make a play for custody. That would be just about the worst thing ever. Jesse was her whole life.
“Thanks,” she said, honing in on a funnel cake stand and making her way over to it.
Just as she placed her order, Zach approached from the side and laid down a twenty to pay.
“Let me,” he said.
Irritation boiled over inside of her. She turned to meet his gaze full on. “I can take care of myself,” she said.
Zach held up his hands. “I know that.”
She pushed his twenty back over to him and began to fiddle with her purse.
“But it’s okay to let someone else take care of you once in a while,” he said, lifting up the twenty and handing it to the teenage girl standing in the window, her eyes shifting back and forth between them.
Danielle scrambled to take it away from her, but one look from Zach, and the girl disappeared. Frustrated, she turned, ready for a fight.
“I could have paid for that.”
The girl returned with Zach’s change and handed it over. Zach just glanced down at Danielle as he took the money. There was a slight irritation in the way he looked at her. But he didn’t respond. Instead, he just slipped the money into his pocket and stepped back.
Once the funnel cake was delivered to her, she took it and walked over to Zach, ready to give him a piece of her mind.
“Why do you fight it?” he asked, just as she walked up.
Startled by his question, she stared at him, trying to get her bearings. “Fight what?”
“Fight everyone who wants to help you…care about you.” His voice dropped low and she had to lean forward to hear him.
His words sunk into her mind as she tried to figure out how to respond. She was closed off for so many reasons. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell him. How much she wanted to trust him with her past.
She pulled a chunk of funnel cake off and shoved it into her mouth. Maybe if she was eating, he wouldn’t expect any answers. But, when she finished chewing, the same incredulous expression remained on his face.
“I’ve spent my whole life protecting myself. People just leave,” she whispered as emotion choked her throat. There was so much truth to the words she was saying that it hurt to speak them out loud.
She’d gone from living a happy life with a boyfriend and a future to being pregnant and alone. Having to brave her new world by herself.
Zach stepped forward and looked gently down at her. His warmth cascaded over her as he leaned closer. “I would have never left you had I known where you went.” He tipped his face closer, as if he wanted those words to be heard by her and only her.
Her eyes widened at the intensity of his stare and the depth to his tone. Her heart hammered in her chest as she found herself tipping her face toward his, bringing her lips closer to his.
Even though they weren’t touching, it was as if they were. He was so close and yet, so far. A desire to bring herself closer to him grew in her stomach. Closer to him physically as well as letting him into her heart.
Just as she was sure she was going to lean forward and forget her resolve to keep Zach at a distance, her mind caught up with her body and she stepped away from him.
Not wanting to look at his face, she finished off her funnel cake as fast as she could and then dumped the paper plate into the garbage. She waited until the last moment before she turned her attention back to Zach and caught him staring at her. He snapped his attention up as he pushed his hand through his hair.
She wondered what he’d been thinking. Could he hear her pounding heart? Did he know what he was doing to her?
“Let’s go find Jesse,” she said as she stepped toward the crowd, not waiting to see if Zach was following her. Right now, she needed as much distance put between them as she could possibly get. If she didn’t, she feared what she might do, and worried that if she did what her heart seemed to be begging her to do, she just might not ever recover.