by Terra Kelly
Izzy didn’t miss a beat, and she immediately answered. “Nope.” Danny felt she answered too quickly, and that seemed odd. She continued to say, “Shawna is not one to get personal with anyone. She’s a pretty private person. Why?”
Danny sighed. “Well, I know her family has come up twice now in random conversations, but she seems to avoid the subject.”
“Yup, normal reaction for her. Don’t let it bother you, Danny.” Isabel sounded persistent. She laughed. “Plus, you both have way more important things to discuss right now. Worrying about her parents is not one of them.”
Danny laughed and said, “Okay, consider it dropped. Hey?”
“Yeah?” she said, sounding curious.
“Can you leave this conversation between you and me? I don’t want her to get upset that I talked to you about personal information,” he asked in a pleading tone. He hoped Isabel would keep the phone conversation between them but knew that could be a stretch.
“Of course, sweets. See you soon.” Then they both disconnected at the same time.
Later, after he finished the dance lesson with Shawna, he let her know he would be meeting Grant for a drink at The Clam Bake. He really needed a shower after the practice; Anya and Gabriel were pushing them hard these days. The classes were an hour long but easily should have been two hours. They both were limited on time, so two hours had been next to impossible. Plus, they now had to master the steps for three separate routines. To say it had been grueling lately would be an understatement, but he felt happy all the same. Having Shawna in his arms every night had been perfect.
As he stepped into the bar, he was immediately invaded with the scent of burgers being grilled. Danny felt his stomach growl as he made his way toward Grant. Pointing to Joshua who was bartending, he asked, “Any chance you can get me a burger and fries?” Then he held out his hand and slapped it against Grant’s. “Hey man, good to see you again.”
Grant shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I figured we haven’t seen much of each other lately.”
He noticed Josh entering his order, and then he turned toward them and said, “Awwww, so much love.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Yeah.” Josh knew how to be serious when it was necessary, but he also was the jokester of the family. He laughed. “Admit it, you missed us both.”
Grant had been looking at Josh but nodded toward Danny. “Please don’t.”
Josh leaned over the counter and grabbed Grant’s head to kiss the top of it. “You know I love you, buddy.”
Danny looked between the two men. “Get a room,” he said amused. He missed hanging with them; it had been too long.
His mind wandered back to one of the many times when he would be carted off to someone’s house.
Danny’s parents had an event to fly to almost every week, and they never took him with them. Instead, they found it easier to just leave him with friends or sometimes family members. There had been one weekend that always stayed close in his mind. It was winter time, and Wilmington very rarely had snow storms, so he didn’t have a heavy jacket to wear. When his parents left, they didn’t know there was a storm that could possibly dump a lot of snow on the city. They just left him at the Winters with a sweatshirt jacket and all the normal luggage. About two days later, the worst storm in fifteen years dumped about eight inches of snow and a serious amount of ice everywhere. He could remember how Connie went to all the boys and asked them to share their warm clothes. Grant even gave him his extra jacket to wear. The family never hesitated, and they all were willing to help him.
The reason that memory stood out was because his mom never thanked them. It had almost been like she just expected others to care for him completely, or maybe she felt it wasn’t her job.
Joshua slid a beer bottle toward Danny, taking him out of his reverie. “Your burger’s almost done.”
Danny nodded and then turned to Grant and asked, “So, how have you been?”
“Good,” Grant said and took a swig of his beer. “Busy. I think I may take a few weeks off soon.”
Danny nodded. “Maybe when Georgie moves here?”
Josh stepped over right at that moment and placed his dinner down in front of him. “Oh, what did I miss?”
Grant rolled his eyes and said teasingly, “Grabbing me another beer?” They continued messing around and shooting the shit for a bit longer. Then Grant said, “I need to take off.”
Joshua cleared his throat and asked, “Hey Grant, should we start the countdown for when Georgie arrives?”
Danny noticed the serious face Grant had just been sporting quickly disappeared. Grant rolled his eyes. “I think I can figure it out for myself, smart ass.”
Danny laughed. “Josh, did you see that? Grant may have smiled right there at the mention of her name.”
Josh high-fived Danny. “I did notice that.”
The two men burst out laughing as Grant held up his middle finger and then started to exit the bar. Danny loved how Grant did not want to admit he had even been just a tiny bit excited that Georgie would be moving here, too. It had been no secret that he had eyes for the gorgeous brunette.
“Sleep tight, lover boy,” Danny yelled, just as Grant opened the door to leave. He turned back and started to man handle the burger in front of him. It had been about six hours since he last ate and he was starving.
Chapter 20
“Ouch,” Shawna said as she brought her foot up to rub where Danny had just stepped hard on it. “Sweetie, you’re still struggling with the timing of your steps.”
Danny sighed. “I know, I’m sorry.”
She moved away from him for a moment and asked, “Everything okay? You seem distracted.” Shawna noticed Danny had only said about two words from the moment they arrived at the studio. Leaning up on her tip toes, she gave him a kiss. Then she grabbed his hands and squeezed them tightly. “If you don’t want to practice, we can do this another night? We have been going strong for several weeks now.”
He pulled her close to his body, and smiled down at her. “No, we need to keep going through the routines. Obviously I need the practice”
She rested her chin on his chest and looked straight up at him. “We could just go back to my place and learn some other moves,” she teased. They had not been together romantically in over week, and she had been craving his attention.
He took his finger and gently touched the tip of her nose. He jokingly said, “You have new moves to share? Why have you been holding out on me?”
She leaned back and lightly swatted at his chest. “Well, you did show interest in checking out my battery-operated toys.” Trying to step away, she planned to head to the console to start up the music again, but Danny prevented her from moving. She quietly asked, “What?”
“You better show me how those devices work, and then I plan to top them with my magic hands.” He pulled her close to his body and continued. “Plus, I may be a little bit curious now.”
Shawna burst out laughing. “Well, there is one that can give us both pleasure at the same time.” Then she cleared her throat and said, “But that’s for another time. We need to first have you master the steps.” She shook her foot a little and whined, “Because my feet can only take so much more of your abuse.”
“Okay, let’s do this.” He paused for a beat before he spoke again. “Want to see if you can do the lift?”
She had been thinking about that for a few days. Would she be able to do it out of the water? She nodded. “Sure. Don’t be upset if I injure us both.”
Shawna remembered back to when she first had to try a lift for a dance routine when she was about sixteen. The guy that she had been dancing with seemed nervous every time they tried to practice. One night her father was at the dance class and offered to help. She remembered feeling surprised when he offered to help, but it also warmed her heart. She shook her head, trying to let go of the memory. There were a few good memories that made her miss her parents, but then the bad times would pop up suddenly, and
happiness would disappear.
Danny stepped forward and grabbed her hand. “Hey, you okay?”
“What?” She shrugged her shoulders and nonchalantly said, “Oh yeah, of course.” She walked over to the corner of the room and let out a heavy sigh. “Okay, you sure you got this?”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on, let’s do this already.”
They both spent the next thirty minutes trying to get the positions for the lift correct. A few times, Shawna would start to run toward him but then chicken out and just wrap her arms around his waist. It took about six times before she really felt courageous enough to actually go through with the move. When she let the fear go and just trusted in Danny, it had looked like her body just glided up so perfectly. Danny never missed a beat; he had some serious strength, grabbed her around her waist, and brought her up over his head. If only there had been someone recording that lift, but no, they were still alone.
As he slowly lowered her, she slid down his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. She squealed with delight and gushed, “Oh my God, we did it. I bet it looked amazing, too.”
He kissed her nose and agreed. “It did feel perfect.”
Shawna hugged him tight and then wiggled out of his embrace. She let out a heavy sigh. “I need to call it a night, I’m beat.” Walking over to her bag on shaky legs, she asked, “Hey, want to see the outfits I looked at for the competition?” Then she just slid down to the hardwood floor and pulled out her tablet.
Danny made his way over. “We have to wear special costumes?” Then he sat down next to her.
“Not costumes, silly.” She giggled and teasingly pushed at his arm. She held the tablet out for him to see. “Just something more fancy, and maybe flashy.” The dress she pointed at was elegant, simple, and stunning. “I’m in love with this one for me,” she gushed. “Isn’t it perfect?”
Danny nodded. “Um, yeah, and I’m loving the cleavage happening there.” He leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. “You will look amazing. Now, what kind of monkey suit will you be making me wear?”
She gasped. “Monkey suit? Just for that, you will have an outfit that requires you to go without a shirt.”
Danny grabbed Shawna around her waist and brought her onto his lap. “Hell to the no, I will be wearing a shirt. It can be unbuttoned, but that’s it.” Then he took his fingertips and brushed her hair back away from her face. In a husky voice, he said, “But, I will dance shirtless alone for you anytime.”
She rolled her eyes. “Um, you’ve danced naked for me already.”
“Oh, that’s right, old news.” He laughed and captured her lips.
Shawna moaned and relaxed into his arms. She bit down on his bottom lip, demanding entrance. The moment their tongues touched, she felt her body ignite with need. Their tongues were intertwined and moved in tandem. He slid on top of her and she let out another moan and softly cried out his name.
Just then they heard a throat clear and looked up to see two people standing over them. Shawna wiggled out from under Danny and lightly laughed. “Oh wow, um, yeah, guess we should take this sideshow elsewhere.”
Chapter 21
He had his arm wrapped around Shawna’s waist as they walked toward their cars in the small parking lot. Once they were far enough away from the studio, they both bumped their heads together and burst out laughing. In between laughs, Danny said, “Holy shit, did you see the look on the woman’s face?”
Shawna was still in fits of giggles and struggling to get her words out. “I think…she may…have been jealous. What do you think?”
“If it was a show like what we both just presented…hell yeah!” He squeezed her tightly and asked, “Come home with me tonight?” Danny was getting used to having her around his place. When he only had Daisy to talk to, it felt lonely.
She let out a heavy sigh. “I wish I could, but I need to run to the club for a few hours.” They had finally reached their cars, when he turned to face her and she begged, “Rain check?”
He smiled and bent down to kiss her one more time. “Absolutely…but I know Daisy will be bummed when I tell her it’s just her and I tonight.”
She rolled her eyes, pushed at his chest, and got in her car. “Nope, guilt trip won’t work on me.” She blew him a kiss and closed the door on him as he bent to say something.
Danny chuckled as she waved to him and pulled out of the parking space. He thought about just heading home but then on impulse decided to head over to see Connie and Jim. It had been a few weeks since he had last visited them, and he missed talking to Connie.
The Winters were used to surprise visits; Connie always expressed appreciation when one of her kids would pop in. It took him about twenty-five minutes to get to their place from the dance studio. As he pulled into the driveway, he noticed Connie step out onto the porch. She had the biggest smile on her face as he made his way up the steps. “Have room for one more this evening?”
She immediately pulled him in for a big hug and demanded, “Yes, and you need to visit more often, too. Where have you been lately?”
For an outsider looking in, they would probably think Connie could be a bit abrupt. His siblings knew otherwise; she just had so much love for them all and wanted the best for them. Danny chuckled softly. “Well, I entered a dance competition with Shawna.” He didn’t say anything else, waiting for her to laugh or say something offbeat. She didn’t, though. Danny stepped back away from her. “What? I don’t think I have ever rendered you speechless.”
Connie turned her head to side. “So, you’re dancing?”
“Um, yeah, why?” he asked, confused by her reaction.
She placed her palm on his chest. “Are you okay?” she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
Danny grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. “That was a long time ago, Connie. Dancing with Shawna feels different. We’re creating new memories, which is helping let go of some of my past. I won’t let my parents decide my future. They gave up that right a long time ago.”
He noticed Connie had a tear in the corner of her eye. She sniffed and admitted, “I just worry about you, and you know that.”
Danny always felt safe with the Winters. It helped him years ago and even today. He leaned in and gave her a hug. “I know you do, and it means the world to me. I promise, I’m okay. Shawna helps in that department, of course,” he said and laughed lightly.
As they both started heading into the house, Connie said, “Well, then why are you here and not with her tonight?”
Danny let out a sound of shock and put his hand over his heart. “What? You wound me, Connie.”
Connie just swatted at his hand. “Oh, you know what I mean,” she insisted.
“I do,” he said with a soft chuckle. “Shawna had to work at Burlesque Me Tonight for a few hours. I’ll bring her by next time, okay?” He loved how Connie genuinely showed interested. There was a bowl of almonds on the counter. Danny reached to grab a few.
“Hungry?” Connie asked, as she started to grab a few items out of the refrigerator.
“Starving,” he admitted and went to sit down on one of the chairs at the kitchen island. “Want me to help with anything?”
She set a few items on the counter and placed her hand on his shoulder. “No, you just keep me company while I get supper ready.” Then, leaning in, she kissed his temple. “It’s so good to see you, sweetie.”
Danny knew going there had been the right choice. It felt good to talk to Connie. She had always been the voice of reason. He cleared his throat and cautiously asked, “I need your opinion on something?” He hesitated for a beat and then just spit it out. “Shawna’s relationship with her parents is rocky, and you know that concerns me.”
Connie stopped cutting a bell pepper. “Have you talked to her about it?”
He shook his head and proceeded to share what he knew about her family. He sighed. “I want to talk to her about it, but it feels like a touchy subject.”
Danny noticed Connie set
the knife down and walk around to sit beside him. She took his hand in her own. “Honey, sensitive or not, if you feel you can ask her a few questions…do it. What’s the worst that can happen, she continues to avoid the conversation?”
He nodded and quietly said, “Yeah, you’re right.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I guess in my mind I’m this damn expert when it comes to shitty parents.”
She shushed him. “No, honey, not all parents are like your own. Maybe her story is different. What if she left for some crazy reason, like pursuing some dream job?” Connie stood back up to headed over to continue prepping the vegetables.
Suddenly the back door flew open and in walked Kenzie and Joshua. Josh immediately said, “Hey, mom.” Then headed over to kiss her on the cheek. “I hope it’s okay we stopped by?” Turning toward Danny, he lightly chuckled. “Looks like everyone decided to pop over.” Josh reached his hand out and slapped it on Danny’s. “Hey man, long time no see.” Of course, Danny knew Josh was teasing him, because they had just seen each other a few nights ago.
Danny stood up and gave Kenzie a hug. “It’s good to see you. I definitely prefer you over your boyfriend.” He noticed Josh give him the finger from behind Connie and lightly chuckle.
Kenzie giggled. “It’s funny, Drew always says that, too. Huh, there must be something you all are holding back about my man.”
Danny noticed Jim walk in the room right at that moment. “Yeah, you’re just prettier, sweetheart,” Jim said. The room erupted in laughter.
After dinner, they all cleaned up. Kenzie had been put on drying duty, and Danny got stuck washing. He cleared his throat and asked, “So, has Shawna mentioned if she’s enjoying the dancing lessons?” Danny decided she would be the perfect person to ask, especially since Shawna worked at Kenzie’s boutique a few nights a week.
