by Toni Jackson
“But Dani, sweetie, how does Sean feel about this? I mean, it’s kind of sudden for you guys, isn’t it?”
Dani shrugged. “He seems to be happy about it, which leads me to my other question. Would you be my maid of honor?”
“Get outta here! He asked you to marry him! Oh my god, chica! I can’t leave you alone for five minutes!”
Tina threw her arms around Dani and hugged her. When they pulled apart, they both had tears in their eyes. “Tell me this and I’ll gladly be your maid of honor. Do you love him?”
Dani smiled. “I do.”
Tina’s smile faded. “But does he love you?”
Dani shook her head. “I don’t know. I do know he cares about me. He cared about me even before we found out about the baby.”
This seemed to put Tina at ease. “Okay, tell me what else has been going on the past couple of days.” Dani filled Tina in everything that had happened from the time she had arrived home, to now finding herself the fiancé of Sean Davenport.
By the time she was finished, they had transferred to the kitchen and raided the refrigerator for fruit and cold cuts.
When Sean walked in two hours later, he heard them giggling before he opened the door. He smiled glad to hear Dani so happy. Throwing his jacket down on the back of the couch, he walked into the kitchen. Their eyes widened and they burst into laughter.
“Hi Tina,” Sean said before leaning down and grabbing Dani’s ponytail to tilt her head back.
Sean lowered his lips to Dani’s, quickly caught up in her taste. Pulling back, he smiled down at her dazed expression. “Hey baby.”
“Hey you.”
Sean straightened up and loosened his tie. “Did you tell Tina the good news?”
Dani blushed and nodded. “Yes. She’s going to be my maid of honor.”
“Good. Do you want a large ceremony?” Leaning back against the cabinets, he watched her expression fall.
“Not really, I mean, all of my family is gone. And yours isn’t around. I’d rather just have something small with just a few people.”
He nodded. “Don’t be surprised if we get swamped by reporters, though. They leave me alone for the most part, but they’ll be all over this.”
A horrified expression crossed Tina’s face. “You mean I’m going to be on TV? Oh, chica, we have to get our hair and nails done – and we have to find you the perfect dress. My girl is not going to be seen looking frumpy!” Dani’s mouth fell open. “Frumpy?”
Tina instantly looked contrite. “I don’t mean it in a bad way, tu es mi hermana, but if me and Clayton didn’t stay on your back, you could care less about clothes.”
Dani blushed again.
“Okay. Guilty as charged. But Tina, I don’t want you to go crazy with it –,” Dani started when Sean interrupted.
“Whatever you need, Tina, let me know.”
“Whoop! You’ve been outvoted.” Tina glanced down at her watch. “Oh, I’d better go, I’ve got some planning to do. Just leave everything in my hands.” She stood up, gathering her things as she went to the door. “How long do I have to plan?”
Dani frowned. “Definitely before I start showing. I don’t want everyone knowing about the baby yet.”
Tina came over and hugged her. “I understand. I’ve gotta go. I have some work to do over at the studio before it gets too late.”
Arm in arm, they walked Tina out to her car and watched as she drove away. Beaming, Dani turned to Sean and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you. That meant a lot to me.”
Sean held her close, rubbing his cheek against her hair.
Frowning, Dani pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I just thought about something. How have you kept the press from writing anything about us? I’ve been shown pictures of you before with other women.”
Sean grimaced. “It helps to invest in other businesses, especially newspapers. Let’s just say that in exchange for them keeping us out of the papers, I’ve agreed that they will be allowed to photograph me for events. Think of it this way. How often do you hear about Bono’s private life? The reporters have agreed to give me the same courtesy.”
Sean decided to change the subject before Dani could ask all the questions she was dying to ask. Many that he did not intend to answer.
“Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the kitchen. “Let’s fix dinner.”
That night, wrapped in his arms, Dani had trouble sleeping. She could not help believing that something would go wrong.
CHAPTER 30
Dani woke up the next morning to find herself alone in Sean’s king size bed. She frowned as she realized that Sean had not even tried to wake her up for a morning quickie as he usually did.
Grabbing one of his t-shirts, she pulled it on and wandered into the kitchen. A smile came to her face as she saw the note he left on the refrigerator.
“I’ll be home early. I want to take you out somewhere nice for dinner tonight.”
Smiling, Dani placed the note on the counter and fixed a quick bowl of cereal. She was a little restless. She did not feel like cooking, or going back to bed. It did not take her long to figure out what it was missing.
Her studio. Dani missed working in her studio and taking care of herself. Since graduating from high school, she had pretty much been responsible for herself. Her head was spinning from how fast everything had been happening to her. Meeting Sean, sleeping with him and now having his child…
Sean had sounded sincere when he said he wanted to marry her, but Dani still had her reservations. She did not want the baby to be the only reason they were together, their only connection. The last thing she wanted was to become a kept woman. Staring out the window at the immaculate grounds around the house, she came to a decision. A few minutes later, she was dressed and was on her way out the door.
Sean had one of his employees bring Dani’s car over from her house. She quickly jumped behind the wheel and headed to her house.
Dani’s spirits rose at seeing the familiar façade. Tension melted away as soon as she walked into her studio. She smiled as she looked around, found everything clean, and put away. Sean must have sent them. Dani’s smiled brightly. She would have to give him an extra special thank you this evening.
Sean smiled as he let himself into the house. His assistant had been astounded when he packed up at four and told her that he was leaving for the day. Her mouth fell open in shock and stayed that way as Sean got into the elevator. Tomorrow the whole office would be buzzing about Sean leaving early. For once, he did not care. Knowing that Dani was home waiting for him, that she carried his child deep inside …he closed his eyes and let his head rest against the wall of the elevator.
CHAPTER 31
Dani worked for hours on a piece of marble she had sitting around before she realized that the air around her was getting cloudy. She pulled off her goggles and sniffed. The acrid scent of smoke assaulted her senses, causing her to choke.
She glanced around confused. Dani thought back to what she had done since she walked in the house. She had not cooked anything, or plugged up anything that would have caused a problem. So where was it coming from?
Staying close to the wall, she eased her way into the living room to find everything in flames. Panicking, she ran back to her workshop and tried to open the door to escape. She turned the knob and pushed, but nothing happened. All around the smoke was thickening. Dani dropped to her knees in an attempt to find fresh air. Taking a deep breath, she got back on her feet to try to push the windows open wider. She always left the garage windows open slightly while working to help with the dust. No matter how she pushed on them, she could not get them to open any further.
Coughing, she grabbed the marble she had been working on and threw it at the window but missed.
“Help! Help!” she screamed out of the window between coughs, hoping someone was home to hear her. Sliding back down the wall, she cupped her arms around her stomach protectively. The smoke closed in aroun
d her. Just before everything went black, she heard sirens coming closer.
Sean expected Dani to be curled up on the couch in front of the television. Even though he’d left the note about dinner, she wouldn’t have been expecting him to be home early today.
He stopped, frowning when he realized she wasn’t on the couch. Walking into the bedroom, he realized that she was not there either. He was on the verge of checking behind the house when his cell rang.
“Davenport.”
Sean froze as he heard the sense of urgency in McKennon’s tone “Sean, I tried to reach you at the office. Dani’s house is on fire. I wanted to let you know, but I don’t think you should tell her yet in her condition -”
Every bone in Sean’s body froze. “Dani’s not here. I came home to find the house empty.”
“Dammit! I’m on my way to the house; I’ll let you know what I find out when I get there.”
“The hell with that! I’ll meet you there.”
Sean ran from the house and cursed as he started the car. He called himself every kind of fool imaginable for not telling Dani what was going on. Sean raced over to Dani’s house, amazed the police did not stop him as he broke every speeding law. He pulled up to see Dani’s car in the driveway and flames rising from the roof of the living room. Most of the house was already been consumed.
Sean ran towards the house screaming her name, only to feel several sets of hands pull him back. “Dammit let me go! She’s in there!”
One of the firefighters stepped in front of him pushing on his chest. “Sir, it’s too dangerous. The fire has spread too far. And with a house like this, there’s honestly not too much we can do.”
His words only managed to push Sean’s anger higher. “So you’re saying that you won’t rescue her?” He twisted in their grasp and managed to break free. He ran directly to the door of her workshop and kicked it in.
Flames shot out to try to block his way as he stepped inside. He could hear the firefighters shouting behind him as he stepped further inside.
“Dani! Dani!”
A burning ceiling beam fell near him as he moved further into the workshop. He nearly fell over her body as he turned. Dani was curled up on her side, unconscious, her arms wrapped around her stomach as if she was protecting the baby.
Sean reached down and lifted her, cradling her against him as he negotiated his way back towards the door. He was almost there when he felt someone try to take her from his arms. It took him a moment to realize that one of the firefighters had made his way inside and that another was attempting to deflect some of the flames with a hose.
He pulled back when the man tried to take Dani from him. Instead of arguing, the man just turned and pushed at his back to guide him outside. Sean almost did not realize when he cleared the doorway and stood on the lawn in front of the house. Hands pushed him towards a waiting ambulance where they directed him to lay Dani down on the waiting gurney.
“Is she going to be alright?” Sean watched as the paramedics worked feverishly over her.
“She stands a good chance,” one answered. “Her pulse is strong. If she hit the floor early, there’s a good chance she didn’t inhale that much smoke.”
Sean coughed again before responding. “She’s pregnant.”
The other paramedic had just slipped an oxygen mask on her when he exchanged a look with his partner. “I’m sure she’s going to be fine,” he said. Together they folded the legs on the gurney and began to push her inside. Sean stepped back long enough for them to move her inside.
When he attempted to step up, one of them, the first one that spoke to him, tried to stop him. “I’m sorry sir, if you’re not immediate family, we can’t let you in.”
“I’m her fiancé,” he said. “I’m all the family she has.”
The other medic nodded and he stepped aside. He glanced up and saw McKennon running towards him across the yard. “Davenport! Is she okay?”
Sean nodded. Reaching in his pocket, he tossed his car keys to McKennon. “I don’t know yet. Get someone to drive my car to the hospital.”
McKennon nodded and turned to run back across the yard. The doors closed and he turned to look at Dani. Tears formed in his eyes as he watched her lying so still. Reaching out, he grasped her hand and held it all the way to the hospital.
CHAPTER 32
No matter how much Sean tried to bully the staff at the hospital, they refused to let him stay in the room with Dani while the doctor examined her. As a courtesy, the doctor agreed to talk to him about what they found after the examination. McKennon found him pacing back and forth in the waiting room, running his hands through his hair.
The expression on McKennon’s face told him that whatever news he had, it was not good. They walked over to the corner of the room, away from the other people waiting for news about their loved ones, to hold their conversation.
“What is it?” Sean said, opening the conversation.
McKennon shook his head. “The arson specialist said that it looked like the fire had been started from the front of the house. From the inside. The firefighters said they found something propped up against the garage door to keep her from exiting that way. Whoever it is, they’re getting bolder, Sean.”
Sean wiped a hand over his face. He hated feeling helpless. It was a novel feeling not to have complete control of a situation. “What do we do now? How do I protect her?”
“It’s sure as hell not going to be easy, but I’ve got a hunch I’m going to work on. The people in the neighborhood do not realize it, but the city recently installed cameras to try to keep the crime down in the area. I’ve got my team checking the video from the timeframe the firemen gave me to see if we can find anything.”
Nodding, Sean was about to speak when he saw Dani’s doctor step into the room looking for him. Forgetting about McKennon, he walked over to the doctor. “How is she?”
“I won’t lie to you. She is an extremely lucky lady. The smoke inhalation seems to be minimal.”
“And the baby?”
“The baby is fine. I would advise her to take it easy for the next few days though, just to be on the safe side. Don’t let her do anything too strenuous.”
Sean let go of the breath he was holding, almost light-headed with relief. “Thank you, doctor.”
“You’re welcome,” he said smiling. “Oh, by the way. She wouldn’t by chance be the sculptor Danielle Knox, would she?”
“Yes, she is,” Sean said, smiling.
The doctor nodded. “I just bought one of her pieces from an art show I recently attended. I’m not usually the type to go for that sort of thing, but something about her work just called out to me.”
McKennon patted Sean on the shoulder as he stepped forward, then spoke to the doctor. “I know what you mean, doc. It struck me the same way.”
“She’s a very talented young lady.” The doctor smiled. See if you can keep her out of trouble.”
Shaking hands with the doctor, Sean nodded. “I’m doing my best. Can I see her now? When can I take her home?”
“You can go in and see her now. Once her blood tests come back, if everything shows okay, she can go home tonight.”
“Perfect. Thanks again.” Sean watched in silence as the doctor turned and walked down the hallway towards the nurses’ station. McKennon turned to Sean. “As soon as we know something, I’ll get back to you.” McKennon patted Sean on the shoulder again. “Dani’s going to be fine. Her and the baby.”
“Yeah,” Sean said, worried, “I hope so.”
Dani laid in bed at Sean’s the next morning, going over everything that had happened the night before. The doctor had agreed to release her to come home with Sean as long as he promised that Dani would get some rest.
It took her a moment to realize that Sean’s arms were still wrapped around her, holding her close as they had been all night. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was after nine. “Sean?” Dani turned in his arms and shook him until he woke up. “Baby, you�
�re going to be late for work.”
His eyes opened slowly. Dani felt his arms tighten around her and draw her closer. “I’m not going to work today. I’m playing hooky.”
Frowning, she searched his face for signs that he was joking. “You never take off work.”
Shrugging, he dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “I own the company. It’s time I was able to take some time off for myself.”
Smiling, Dani snuggled closer. His warmth transferred to her body, leaving her relaxed and content. His lips gently touched her forehead. If she had ever doubted that he cared about her, they were quickly fading.
When he brought her home last night, he helped Dani take a hot bath to wash away the smoke, even taking the time to wash and braid her hair. She was surprised to see that the exact brands of shampoo and other items she used now decorated the bathroom beside his things. Smiling, she realized that he must have been paying close attention those mornings he had showered at her house before leaving.
Her only moment of concern came when she thought about her clothes and sculpting materials. Not to mention, when was she was going to find the time to finish her commission?
Sean’s hands running up and down the side of her body brought her thoughts back to the present. “How are you feeling?” His lips trailed down the side of her neck to her shoulder. Dani sighed at the heat that began coursing through her body.
“Good. Very good.” Sean buried his hands in her hair tilted her head back to capture her lips.
“I’m glad,” he whispered. “I didn’t want to lose you.”
Dani smiled and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
He placed a kiss on her forehead and held her while she drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 33
Dani drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face. Sean watched her for a moment before easing from the bed. After a quick shower, he went downstairs to the kitchen and started putting together something for Dani to eat. Shaking his head at the nearly empty refrigerator, he realized he was going to have to start making sure there was enough food in the house at all times.
