Chapter 10 Danny
DANNY
I’m halfway to my truck when I hear her.
“Hey!” Kylie’s voice echoes through the empty lot. “Don’t pretend you don’t hear me. I’m pregnant, not stupid.”
I stop, slowly turning around. I’ve already got the smirk on before I face her. “Didn’t think I needed a hall pass to leave.”
She stops a foot away, her arms crossed, ready to read me the riot act. “Cut the act, Romeo. Tell me what I walked in on this morning?”
I raise my hands. “Just a little fun with the mistletoe.”
“Don’t play dumb.” Her eyes narrow. “Something was going on between you and my sister. I walked in, and the air was practically sweating.”
I snort. “Dramatic, even for you.”
She takes a step closer, staring me in my eyes. “You were about to kiss her.”
I don’t say anything. What’s the point?
“Are you trying to get her back?” she pushes.
I shrug. “Would it be the worst idea I've ever had?”
“No,” she fires back like she’s been holding it in but then tilts her head. “But it would be the most dangerous.”
I let out a breath and lean against the side of the truck. It’s cool and steadies me. “I’m not trying to be a dick here, Kylie.”
She doesn’t blink. “Then, what are you doing? You’re either in or out. She doesn’t do well with this in-between stuff. The stuff that isn’t planned or–”
“That's where you’re wrong. It’s where she thrives!
The moments that just happen are when she's the most alive. I see it. She loves to correct me and make me walk the line, but when I push her out of her comfort zone, she's loving and soft. She melts into me, letting me guide her. She’s trusting. And she doesn’t look at me like I’m such a fuck up. ”
That gets her attention. “You’re not a fuck up. What are you talking about?”
I shake my head and sag against the truck. “I’m happy here, Ky. I love this small town, I love to teach, and I love to go to Big Chowder for drinks.” I let out a breath. “And I loved coming home to Sadie in my bed. Wash, rinse, repeat. Simple and easy.”
“Then what are you doing?” she asks, her voice sharp but not cruel. “You poke at her, tease her, and then drop these little breadcrumbs. Like you want her to remember what it felt like to love you. Is that what this is?”
I shake my head, my voice quieter now. “It’s not about me remembering.
It’s about her remembering.” I start talking, letting it all out.
“She plans every minute of the day, down to the very second. I can’t do that, but she was helping me.
I was better with my teaching plans because she helped me get on a schedule with them.
But I was helping her, too. She used to laugh at my dumb jokes instead of rolling her eyes.
She was wild, even if it was just for five seconds at a time.
She used to say yes to me without needing a spreadsheet. ”
Kylie looks at me. “And you think that has something to do with you being a fuck up?”
“With her, I wasn’t such a fuck up because it felt like I was actually helping! She was living, Ky. I just want her to remember that version of herself. Even if she doesn’t want me anymore.”
She watches me before asking, “You’re doing all this just so she can find herself again?”
I nod. “I’m doing this because I still love her. I never stopped, actually. And I’m okay if she never says it back as long as she’s happy. Not just checklist-happy.”
Kylie holds her breath, no doubt replaying my admission in her head, before letting out a long sigh. “You’re an idiot.”
“Fair.”
“But maybe not the worst kind.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Are you giving me your blessing?”
“Don’t push her too hard,” she says, turning to go. “She wants to trust you, and I think she still does.”
I nod. “Noted.”
She takes a few steps, then pauses and glances over her shoulder. “Also, for the record? If something goes awry again, clipboards hurt when they’re airborne.”
A laugh escapes me. “Noted twice.”
But even after she walks off, I stay, leaning against the truck. Because for all the things I said out loud, there’s one I didn’t. I want her to be happy. But deep down? I want her to be happy with me.