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“You’ve never said much about them.” He slid his shoes off for the flight, making himself comfortable in the leather chair that looked like it belonged in a living room instead of a jet.
She debated what to say about her family, not wanting to lose the fun mood of the trip. They’d kept things pretty light so far, Danny regaling her with anecdotes from life aboard the USS Brady and Stephanie telling him about various pets she’d photographed.
Maybe the time had come to share a little more if she ever expected things between them to...escalate.
“My mom will freely admit she wasn’t cut out to be a mother.” Stephanie would spare him how much that had hurt over the years, especially when she was in grade school and her parents had never shown up for ornament-making day at Christmas, or the dance performances she’d worked hard on all year. “She didn’t really recognize the value of treating children like children and was more interested in seeing me excel at math or playing the violin, both of which I despised.”
Whereas she’d made kick-ass ornaments and represented herself well at those dance recitals. But she wasn’t the only kid to feel that she’d disappointed her parents.
“Sounds like a high-pressure environment. Your mom is an author, right?” He leaned forward in his chair to listen, elbows on his knees. He wore khaki cargo shorts and a T-shirt over his sculpted chest.
“She’s a literary novelist with two critically acclaimed books to her name. My mom is an overachiever. She was class valedictorian in high school and has conducted the rest of her life as if she’s still competing for the honor. She needs to be the best in everything and I think it bums her out to have a daughter who...isn’t.”
“She’s blind,” Danny said matter-of-factly. “It’s unfortunate she can’t see how incredible you are.”
Leaving the wall of TV screens, Stephanie lowered herself to the leather chair beside him, smoothing out her blue-and-yellow print skirt so it didn’t wrinkle. Bright afternoon sun filtered through the round windows beside them, the sky clear and cloudless.
“Thank you.” She warmed inside at his assessment, still surprised at his easy acceptance of her sudden presence in his life and her unorthodox request of him. “I’ve grown used to her desperate pleas for me to turn my life to something more worthwhile than photographing pets. It was her idea that I write that book about my experiences, by the way. A book she became highly embarrassed about after critics slammed it.”
Stephanie may have recovered from her mom missing the dance recitals, but that slight still bothered her. Especially when her mother insisted on telling her all the ways that she needed to improve her job prospects, her social circle, her dating life. Why couldn’t her mother appreciate the things she did well instead of focusing on all the ways she thought Stephanie fell short? She’d been dodging calls from her mom ever since heading to meet the USS Brady, knowing her mother would want to know she’d made the trip safely. She’d have to call home when she touched down in Cape Cod, though, as she didn’t want her mother to worry herself sick.
Danny took her hand between his and held it quietly until she looked his way.
“At least she admits she wasn’t cut out to be a mother,” he reminded her. “I hope you remember that when she’s knocking your work. Maybe she just doesn’t know how to offer maternal support.”
“I know.” She smiled, liking Danny far too much. He was a whole lot more than the defiant, bohemian rocker she remembered. In fact, he wasn’t really much like she’d recalled at all. But there was still an intense attraction between them, along with their mutual need to put their mark on the world outside of familial expectations.
But then, they’d gotten to know each other better the last two days than they had in that sex-crazed fling they’d had in New York five years ago. She now understood his inherent sense of honor, his fierce work ethic—no matter how laid-back he sometimes seemed—and the gentle soul underneath it all who still played guitar like nobody’s business. She’d sat beside him on the deck again the night before—he’d played for at least an hour and they’d both been completely lost in the music.
“What about your mom? I read a little bit about your family online, but there isn’t as much about her.” She was curious about the Murphys and wondered if she would fit into the group this week. “You’ve talked about how competitive your brothers are... Is she as driven as the rest of your family?”
What if his family didn’t like the idea of her seeking him out after all this time, especially after she’d accidentally ignored his attempts to contact her? Guilt pinched. Sure, Danny’s mother had seemed pleased that he’d have someone to meet him at the dock, but what would she think about them continuing a relationship? She squeezed Danny’s hand tighter as the plane wobbled on a patch of turbulence and new doubts set in.
