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Chapter 9 - Danny: Jump Him
“I needed this, thank you, Danny.” Lily sighed into her chair as the nail tech got to work on her feet. It was a spa day, and the girls and I were being treated like queens for the day. The only person missing was Jade who had a court and wasn’t able to join us.
“Yep, me and my damn cow feet are appreciative,” Maddy popped a cherry into her mouth and chomped on it. She rubbed her large belly affectionately as she struggled to look beyond it.I remember that time,I thought fondly. “Are my feet horrendous? You can tell me the truth, you know?” Maddy asked the nail tech who only shook her head, smiling.
“They are just a little swollen but that’s normal. You should have seen my feet when I gave birth. Couldn’t look at them for a good two weeks,” Lily said sipping on her complimentary champagne.
“I’m just so done,” Maddy groaned, “Don’t get me wrong. I love growing this little bean in my belly, but I’m so over it now. I was ready to pop her out at six months if I’m being honest.”
I nearly spit my bubbly out of my mouth. “It’s a girl?!”
Maddy looked confused for a moment before she realized what I was talking about. “Oh no. We still don’t know the gender. We want it to be a surprise, but I just say he or her whenever I talk about the baby. Speaking of this baby, he decides to be the most active when I want to sleep. Not to mention he’s pushing down on my bladder, and I tinkle a little when I sneeze now.”
“But at least today you get to be pampered by our lovely friend here.” She tipped her glass in my direction but I shook my head.
“Nope. This is all thanks to Gavin. He’s the one that set all of this up for us.”
“Gavin Hendricks,” Lily tested his name on her lips. “What a blast from the past. The last I saw of that guy, he was pining after you, Danny.”
I blushed. “I think you are wrong there. Gavin never wanted me like that.”
“You are either blind, dumb or both,” Lily scoffed, “Almost everyone and their grandmother knew that Gavin had the hots for you since grade school. You were the only one who couldn’t see it.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Maddison cut me off.
“They have the hots for each other, but Danny is scared. And to be honest, she has good reason to.”
“Arthur?”
Maddison nodded on my behalf.
“It’s not just because of Arthur,” I tried to defend myself. “A lot of factors play into my decision not to go down that road with Gavin.”
“Aha!” Maddison exclaimed pointing at me. “So you do want to jump his bones.”
“Who wouldn’t jump his bones?” I shrugged. “But just because I want something, doesn’t mean that I should be going after it. That, ladies, is called discipline and being an adult.”
“No,” Lily chimed in, “that is called playing it safe and being boring. When was the last time you got laid? Or even went on a date?”
“Two and a half years!” Maddison announced. “I told her there are cobwebs down there and she needs to get that shit sorted out, but she refuses to listen to me.”
“Because it’s Gavin. And I don’t have time to date. I have the ranch and Axel. Not to mention I don’t think I’m emotionally ready for something serious.”
“Who said anything about serious?” They both said in unison.
“I don’t think I’m capable of doing the whole friends with benefits thing. I’m someone who feels everything deeply, no matter who I’m with, and I can’t complicate things with Gavin. We work together.”
“So did E and I but look at us now. Happy and with a little fussy baby girl.” Lily set her flute down and looked at me. “Danny, you have given so much to those around you. You have sacrificed your own happiness at times to see those around you smile. Why not just do this one thing for you?”
Because I was scared my heart was incapable of feeling anything anymore. Arthur had done a number on my heart, and the life experiences that had followed had left deep scars.
Gavin was one of the few good things in my life. I didn’t want to ruin that because my body craved his. I refused to lose him, not when I had just gotten him back.
I was taken back to our late-night conversation a few days ago. I could feel Gavin slowly chipping away at my walls, and I had waited for the anxiety to kick in, so I could reinforce what he had cracked but it never came.
My phone binged, drawing my attention away from the ladies. I looked down and saw a text from Jade confirming the flower delivery for the wedding reception on Saturday. She and Gray were finally tying the knot.
“Who’s that?” Lily asked.
