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Aaron grinned. “I’m a big boy, and I know the way home.”
“I’ll wait here with him, Shirley. I promise,” Dani said. “I won’t leave until they do.”
Shirley looked relieved. “That would be wonderful, honey…if you’re sure it’s not a bother.”
“Spending time with Aaron is never a bother. Consider it done.”
“Well then. That’s that,” Shirley said. “Oh, Wiley, go tell Sean to get those prescriptions so we can fill them before we leave town.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Wiley said, and bolted.
A few minutes later, the others were gone, leavingAaron and Dani alone. Without asking, he went to the concession area and got both of them cold drinks and snacks, then carried them back.
“Thanks,” Dani said as she opened her little bag of pretzel twists, then took a quick sip of her Pepsi, and all the while felt Aaron’s eyes on her…watching everything she did. Finally, she looked up. “Okay, spit it out. What’s put that shadow in your eyes?”
“I’m never going to be able to hide anything from you, am I?” he said.
“Nope. Teachers have internal radar on children in their care and the people they love.”
He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor, trying to figure out where to start. In the end, he began with what happened today. He turned sideways in his chair to face her.
“Today, nothing happened like we planned, which amped up the panic when I saw Brendan disappear, so consider this a mind dump. Two things happened that have forever changed me. The first was seeing proof that Meg was still alive when they left her there. I could almost feel her fear and despair in the damn hole, knowing she was dying and might never be found.” He stopped, took a deep breath, and then cupped the side of her face. “Then a weird thing happened. Suddenly I wasn’t seeing her anymore. I was seeing you, all alone and crouched in your closet in the dark, afraid you were going to die…knowing that if you lived through what was happening, you were going to have to save yourself.” He took a slow, shaky breath. “All thoseyears between her and you, and not a damned thing has changed for women. There will always be predators, and there will always be victims. But you changed your story by fighting back, and I honor that in you.”
There was a knot in Dani’s throat and tears burning her eyes, but she said nothing. She’d asked, and he still had a story to tell.
“The second thing was witnessing how swiftly life can end. Meg’s went from picking berries to being killed, just because she witnessed something a troop of soldiers didn’t want told. Same damn thing happened to Charlie in the same damn spot, and for the same reason. I want to think that finding her and the so-called treasure has broken that curse. As a cop, I’ve always known how swiftly life can end, but never on a personal level.” Aaron stopped, looked away for a moment, and then started anew. “You know I love you. I say it to you countless times and will say it to you with my last breath. You have become the center of my world. Life is short. Our time here is not certain. I go to bed at night missing you. You’re the first thing on my mind when I wake. Every day we’re apart feels like a day wasted. There is so much more I want to say, but then I remember your fears. And I understand your hesitation in trusting someone in this short space of time. The last thing I want is to scare you away, but on a scale of one to ten, where are we on the trust factor?”
Dani didn’t hesitate. “There is no question. I have zero fear of nothing but losing you.”
Aaron held out his hand, palm up. “I’m talking commitment, woman. Now and forever.”
She clasped it. “Take B.J. home and come back to me. Bring your toothbrush. I’ve been waiting for you all my life.”
Aaron groaned. “This is where the hero sweeps the woman off her feet and takes her to bed.”
Dani’s dimples popped as she grinned. “And this is where I say…‘Houston, we have a problem.’ The second floor waiting room is not ready for that, or us.”
“Copy that,” he said. “What if I brought a little more than a toothbrush?”
“I’ll make room for you…in my house…in my life.”
“Deal,” he whispered, then sealed it with a kiss.
They were still sitting side by side when a nurse came into the room. “Mr. Pope?”
Aaron stood. “Yes?”
“Your brother is ready to go home. We’ll be bringing him down to the lobby in a wheelchair. If you’ll pull up your car at the entrance, we can load him in from there.”
“Excellent,” Aaron said, then grabbed Dani’s hand as they headed for the elevator. “It’ll take me a bit to help get him settled in at home and pack some stuff before I get back.”
“What’s Shirley going to say?” Dani asked as they stepped into the elevator.
“Probably something that sounds like ‘It’s about time. Don’t fret. Her heart’s desire has been to see all of us married and gone. Not because she doesn’t wantus, but she’s been on the grandchild train for a few years now, and in our world, one comes before the other.”
Dani laughed and was still smiling as the elevator landed and the doors opened. They exited the hospital, parted with a kiss, and went in different directions, Aaron to get his SUV and Dani to her car.
But as Aaron was taking B.J. home, Dani was at the supermarket, stocking up for a man in her house.
