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“Call you if I need anything. I’ve got it Dean. I love you.”
“Love you too Sis, take it easy. You’re getting far too skinny.”
“Never, you can’t be too rich or too thin,” she teased hanging up.
Dani prayed he’d listen to her and stay away. As much as she wanted him back, he’d upset everything right now and that would spell trouble for them all. She’d dug herself so far down into a hole no amount of apologies would get her back out.
Reluctantly she climbed out of the tub and got dressed. She wasn’t about to spend the entire evening in bed, and she needed food. Voices came to her as she reached the bottom of the stairs and she braced herself for the inevitable smothering she was about to receive.
“What the hell were you thinking Luke? YouknowDani doesn’t like violence after what that monster did to her and yet right there in front of her you go after your brother and end up hitting her!” Wren stated angrily.
“Wren, it was an accident,” she said pausing at the doorway as the three people inside the room turned to look at her.
“Dani,” Joan cried rushing over to her and guiding her towards the couch. “Oh darling, that looks terrible. Luke…”
“I’m fine Joan. Luke already had the doctor out here and I’m fine other than a slight and I meanslightheadache.”
“It’s not fine Dani, none of this is,” Joan stated gently cupping her face. “Dani darling, why didn’t you tell us about the baby?”
“It hurt too much, and I didn’t want to force you to deal with that. We’d barely known before it happened.”
“Is this why you’ve been dragging her all over creation Luke?” Wren asked.
“Dad…”
“It’s okay, Luke,” she said not wanting to drag this out. “For the last six months, I guess you can say I’ve been depressed. Luke saw it and was trying everything to pull me out of it. I just needed to work through it.”
“Why didn’t you say anything? We would have helped,” Joan told her.
“That’s why she didn’t say anything Mom; you and Dad can be a bit stifling, and we wanted to deal with it by ourselves. I admit that I went a little overboard trying to make Dani happy again, but I didn’t want to remember coming home and finding her curled up in a ball.”
“Luke, don’t,” she stated shaking her head.
“No, they need to know Dani. It was my fault.”
“What are you saying?” Wren demanded.
“Dani called me that afternoon saying she wasn’t feeling well. It was Brad and John’s day off but instead of coming home and checking on her, I went to my meeting. When I did get here, she was curled up in a ball just inside the front door, if I had just come home…”
“Now you know why we’ve been a bit tense lately, Luke blames himself for not coming home and it happening, and for me being depressed,” she explained moving over to Luke. “We’re fine though, at least now,” she added as he pulled her into a light hug.
“Other than Dani being too thin still,” he said running a hand up and down her bare shoulder.
“Luke stop,” she said knowing he was taking it too far.
“No, Dani, it’s true, you lost a bit of that sparkle, and I went overboard trying to pull it out of you. In doing so, I drug you all over creation so much that you didn’t eat half the time but that ends now. No more business trips, no more jetting off to the unknown until you’re better.”
“I’m not sick Luke, yes, I will admit I’ve lost some weight but the as doctor said earlier, I’m completely healthy okay. If I promise to try and remember to eat, will you promise to stop glaring at every single man who looks my way?” she asked turning towards him and putting her hands around his waist.
“Never, but I will try and not be so short tempered. I never meant to hurt you baby,” he said truthfully as he dipped his mouth to hers for a tender kiss.
“I know and I’m sure Ty will apologize when he sees you next but I’m asking you Luke, please stop this with him. He’s just having a bit of fun. He would never try and tear us apart if he knows we’re happy.”
“My brother has told me more than once that he’s in love with you Dani and it irks me sometimes to see you so happy with him compared to me. He can make you smile and that’s supposed to be my job.”
“You do; it’s simply different with Ty. Yes, he makes me laugh and smile but it’s not the way you do. Luke, if I don’t always smile at you that way it’s because I’m saving it for later. I hate it when those stupid gossip rags report that we left after thirty minutes of a party, and they ask why. You know why we leave those parties. Most of the time it’s because you do make me smile and a million other things.”
“Mmm,” he hummed against her lips hearing her admit that. “Alright I willtryand not beat my brother to a pulp when he looks at you anymore.”
“Good because you’re the only man I come home with and that means you’re the real winner no matter who can make me laugh,” she said before he kissed her deeply.
“Now that’s what I like to see,” Wren stated with a chuckle.
“I think that’s our cue to leave Wren,” Joan added pulling him up. They stopped beside them forcing them apart as they hugged her. “I’m going to stop by tomorrow, don’t tell me not to because I won’t listen. Luke got his stubbornness from me. Dani darling, I’m so sorry about the baby and that it came out the way it did.”
“Me too Joan.” Dani sighed kissing both her and Wren’s cheeks before they left. Luke led her to the kitchen and fixed her a light meal, something he hadn’t done since she’d gotten out of the hospital after Chance had beaten her and she prayed they’d find a way through this entire mess. Maybe she should simply up and go, but then her heart would break, and she wasn’t ready for that.
