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Chapter 20 - Danny: Dinner Date
We had spent five blissful days in Malibu, and I couldn’t have been happier. My heart felt at ease, and I was at peace. I could breathe better, I was free. I had to take myself out of the toxic air just so I could see things clearer.
Axel and Gavin had been inseparable this entire trip. I even found Axel gravitating more to Gavin than me which was a surprise but a welcomed one. It made my decision on giving Gavin parental rights justified.
Now we were in our rental car and headed to this fancy restaurant called ‘Nobu’. Apparently, all the hot celebrities went there to get their fill of fine dining. We could have gone to McDonald’s, and I still would have been on cloud nine. All I cared about was spending time with Gavin.
As we drove along the coastline, I couldn’t help but wonder why he gave it all up. This place was like paradise. Sure, it was busy and filled with hustle and bustle like any major city, but there was a calmness about it, too. Maybe it was just because I was simply a tourist and didn’t live here. I had a different outlook on my surroundings. I saw it all through rose-colored glasses. I chose to see the ugly because it would ruin the fantasy I had built in my head.
“It’s peaceful here.” I filled the car with my voice.
He hummed his agreement, squeezing our intertwined hands.
“Do you miss it?”
“No,” he said immediately. “It’s not home anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because you aren’t here.” He looked at me for a brief moment before he turned his attention back to the road. I loved this man like nothing else. “You are home for me, Dan. Where you and Axel are, that is my home. Home isn’t a place for me anymore, it’s you. Simple as that. If you wanted to move to a damn war zone, I would follow you. No questions asked because you have my whole heart.”
“I have to pinch myself most days to remind myself that you are in fact real, and you do in fact love me.”
He brought our intertwined hands to his lips and kissed every one of my knuckles. We didn’t speak for the rest of the journey. We just enjoyed being with one another, enjoying the silence and the scenery.
We arrived at the restaurant, and I was not disappointed. We were ushered into a private room in the back of the restaurant. Throughout this whole trip, I had been made to feel like I was royalty. Private dinners on the beach, pamper days where I was given a mommy break and shopping sprees that I didn’t have to pay for. Not to mention the mind-blowing amount of sex we’d had. I was lovesick in the best way possible, and this dinner was the cherry on the top.
“I feel like even the water here is expensive,” I said looking over my menu under the dim romantic lighting.
“You don’t worry about prices, Dan. You just eat till your stomach is ready to pop.”
And so we did. He wined and dined me to my heart's content. We talked, we laughed and lived in the moment.
Axel was hanging out with Callum and a babysitter back at the beach house. So, we were free to do as we pleased on our last night in California. The sun had finally set, and it was one of those rare nights that you could see the stars.
“It’s so pretty out.” I stared out our window at the ocean view.
“How do you feel about a walk on the beach?”
I nodded, getting up from my seat. We walked out of the private room hand-in-hand, my heart and stomach full. When we turned a corner, Gavin slammed my back up against the wall and kissed me like the world was watching. When he pulled away, I was breathless and weightless.
I bit down on my lip, my hormones driving my actions. “I’ve never had sex on the beach before.”
Gavin’s eyes darkened. “Well, we might have to change that tonight, won’t we?”
I giggled, allowing him to pull me to the exit of the restaurant. The real question we should have been asking ourselves was…were we going to make it onto the beach or would we rip each other’s clothes off before we could even hit the sand?
We walked out of Nobu’s door and, immediately, we were bombarded by flashing lights. I could hear my name being yelled at from all directions; people yelling out questions that had my heart seizing.
“Why are you trying to take away Arthur’s child?”
“Are you after Arthur’s money?”
“Why did you kidnap Arthur’s baby? Are you trying to exploit him?”
“Why did you hide the child’s existence?”
Gavin circled his arm around me protectively, as he shielded me from the intrusive lenses. I placed my hands over my ears, trying to block out all the questions.
