Chapter 31 Penelope
Chapter thirty-one
Penelope
Taking care of everything I knew I needed to finish took a few days longer than I expected.
A week without Danny and Daniel was painful, but I knew she was in good hands, and I knew they could use that one-on-one time together to start to make up for the four years Daniel missed.
They FaceTime’d me every night, but Daniel always left the room after handing Danny the phone.
It was bittersweet, but I knew what needed to happen.
I climb the handful of stairs to The Envelope’s door, smoothing a hand down my dress - my designer dress - before pulling the heavy wooden door and letting myself in.
I smile at the woman behind the counter and give her my name.
Luckily, I’m still on the guest list.
It’s early still, but I know Daniel will be here. Serenity, Cassidy and I made sure Danny was sleeping over with Serenity and Cammy, and Cassidy put pressure on Daniel to work tonight. I needed a chance to talk with him one on one to explain what I’d done.
And sure enough, when I push into The Green Room, Daniel’s there, chatting with a few other customers.
I wait, my hands clasped. I hope tonight goes well, but honestly, it could all blow up in my face. All I can do is have faith in him, and in us, and pray that I’m not too late.
His eyes flit up to mine for a moment before returning to the woman in front of him, only for him to do a double take. His smile falters as he struggles to maintain the polite conversation, but that double take was enough to make my chest ache with pride.
I walk over to the bar and slide onto one of the stools. I can wait for him to finish working.
I ask the man behind the counter for a glass of white wine, but before he can pour it, a warm body sits on the stool next to mine.
“You look stunning,” Daniel says, his voice low and only for me. I can feel the nerves radiating off of him. The only reason he hasn’t touched me or kissed me yet is because he’s not sure if he’s allowed. So, I put him out of his misery.
I rest my hand on his thigh and kiss his lush mouth. I melt into the kiss.
“God, I missed you,” I say, pulling back and grinning when I see my lipstick has smudged on his lips. His eyes are still closed and his body is still, as if he can’t believe I’ve kissed him. I wipe his lips with my thumb but end up smearing more of it than actually cleaning it.
I chuckle at him, but then decide I like the look on him. Let every other woman in here know he’s taken.
When his eyes open again, his brow is pinched with uncertainty.
“We need to talk,” I say, squeezing his hand so he knows it’s nothing bad.
“Uh, yeah, sure. Do you want to talk here? Or in my office?”
“Your office, I think.”
I stand and lace my fingers in his and drag him down the hallway to his office.
Once inside, I shut the door behind us and push him to sit on the couch before sitting on his lap the way I know he likes.
Hesitantly, he wraps his arms around my waist.
“Firstly, I need to apologize for how long it took me to figure out what I wanted. That wasn’t fair to you or to Danny. And for that I’m sorry.”
He starts to shake his head to argue with me, but I put a finger to his mouth to stop him.
“I took a few days to do some soul searching and coming to terms with a few things. I spent another few days getting things in order. Then I took another couple of days to figure out what I had to do to prove to you that I’m all in.
I’m done with Gen and my stepsisters. They were never my family, but it took you showing me what family really meant for me to see that.
I’ve paid off their mortgage and replaced the back deck with the money you gave me, and did some shopping. ” I blush hard at this confession.
I may have taken the idea of being Daniel’s too far, but when I thought about the type of woman that deserved him, it was a type of woman who takes care of herself - who took pride in her appearance.
So, I got the contact for Declan’s personal stylist and treated myself to a day at the salon, doing my hair and nails.
It was only a couple hundred dollars, which is nothing compared to Daniel’s fortune, but I think it was more to practice not balking at spending money on something I otherwise would have thought frivolous.
I run my hand through his dark hair as his hands squeeze me to him tighter.
“And... if you’ll have me... I packed all of our things. I’d like to move in with you.” His slow smile begins to spread. “But, I can move in with Cara if that’s moving too fast,” I’m quick to add.
Daniel shoots to his feet, dragging me with him and spinning me in his arms. He buries his head against my neck and breathes me in.
“Really? You’re mine? For real?”
I smile at his simple, boyish declaration.
“Yeah, baby. For real for real.” I know we’ve said ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m yours’ but now I really mean it.
I’m all in. I’m ready to commit fully to this family.
To our family. Paying off both of Gen’s mortgages seems like more than fair enough payment for leaving.
I feel like I’ve done more than my part for that family, and if they need money, they can get jobs.
If they don’t know how to cook or clean, me doing it for them isn’t going to help.
At some point, they’re going to have to start living modestly, like most of the population.
“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to hear you say those words. I would have waited forever, but every day you weren’t with me was torture.”
“I know,” I say, running my hand absentmindedly down his shirt. “But hey, I thought of a way we could celebrate.”
Daniel cocks his head at me, curiously.
I lean up on my toes to whisper in his ear. “I want to watch them watch you,” I say. Daniel chokes on some spit and coughs.
I laugh.
Unbelievable relief blankets my shoulders, and it feels like something’s shifted into place.
This is right. Being with Daniel is right.
It’s time I started living my life for me, and not the promise I made.
I wanted to keep the family together. I tried.
But when the other members of the “family” don’t care, I can’t force a family where there isn’t one to begin with.
We were never a family. Not in the way that I understand it now.
Families care about each other, cherish each other, sacrifices for each other. It’s unconditional love. It’s patience. It’s thoughtfulness.
Daniel is my family. Danny is my family.
The White Envelope is my family now.
And it feels like it was always meant to be.