by McCoy, SJ
***
When they returned to the table, Emma gave Missy a big hug.
“It's so good to see you enjoying yourself! You don't have nearly enough fun anymore.”
“It's true,” said Ben. “I remember the days you girls used to dance on the bar. Not seen you do anything like that in years, Miss.”
Missy took Emma's arm and looked around the table. “Well, there's another tradition that needs to be reinstated. Holly, Laura, care to join us?”
Holly leapt to her feet. Laura wasn't far behind. This would be fun. When Ben had redone the upstairs as a function room, he'd left the old bar that ran along one wall in place. On their way over to it, Missy stopped where the band was taking a break and had a word with Chase. He grinned and nodded and talked to the others.
Missy kicked her shoes off before climbing up on the bar and turning to help Emma. Once Holly and Laura had joined them up there, she gave Chase the thumbs up. Since most of the partygoers were looking at the band, no one but the guys noticed them at first. Missy was glad of it as she struggled to find her balance and her rhythm as the first song started. Soon though she was dancing and laughing happily with her friends.
As the band launched into the next song, Chase spoke into his microphone. “It's great to play a party where the birthday girl knows how to have fun.” He pointed over at them. Heads turned and people started laughing and applauding. Soon quite a crowd had gathered around them, with the guys at the front. Pete pawed at Holly's legs as she danced, making a big show of looking up her skirt. Missy laughed, those two just could not keep their hands off each other. She found Dan, leaning against one of the pillars, arms and legs crossed as he watched her. She could honestly say, she'd never seen a man look so much in love. And he was in love with her! As the song came to an end, she held out her arms to him. He came and reached up to close his hands around her waist, effortlessly lifting her down. When she touched the floor his arms closed around her, but before he could kiss her, Jack's hand came down his shoulder.
“Wanna show 'em how we do it in Texas, bro?”
She saw Dan's face light up. He pecked her lips then vaulted up onto the bar. Jack followed him, laughing.
Ben came pushing through the crowd. “What you waiting for, Hemming? Get your ass up there!” he called to Pete as he joined Dan and Jack. Smoke and Michael joined them and soon Missy's sides were aching from laughing at them clowning around up there.
“It's okay fellas.” Chase shouted mid-song, when Pete made like he was about to start stripping. “You can leave your hats on, we don't need a full Monty!”
When the band started to play Wagon Wheel, Missy saw Dan and Jack exchange a look and Dan tipped his hat further down over his eyes. The two of them tucked their thumbs into their pockets and started to mark out steps in perfect time with each other.
“Oh, my goodness!” cried Emma. “They can line dance!”
Missy couldn't believe her eyes as Chance pushed through the crowd and vaulted on to the bar to join Dan and Jack. He'd been lurking most of the night, avoiding attention, and now here he was dancing on the bar, with everyone in the place watching. The three of them were all tall, dark, and handsome, looking like a girl's cowboy fantasy come true! The others had climbed down and left them to it. Dan's gaze held hers as he peeked out from under the brim of his hat. Damn! She'd be making him dance like this for her again. Hopefully shirtless! As the song came to an end, the crowd around them cheered and wolf-whistled. Chance tipped his hat, jumped down and seemed to melt into the crowd.
Missy started toward Dan, but a dark haired woman got there before her. Hands on her hips, she looked up at him on the bar.
“Daniel! What do you think you're doing?”
Missy was stunned. Who the hell was she? She looked familiar for some reason. Oh. She was the woman from the salon this morning. Dan's face was still, giving away no clues as to what he was thinking.
“This is a private party. You need to leave.”
“I'm not going anywhere until you come with me. We need to talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about, Olivia.”
Missy looked around. The whole gang was watching and listening to the exchange.
“Actually we do. Now get down and stop making a fool of yourself.”
Missy wasn't going to let this bitch talk to him like that! She stepped forward. “Like he said, this is private party. You are the one making a fool of yourself, and you need to leave!”
Olivia gave her another one of those venomous looks. This morning it had stunned her, now it just made her good and mad.
“Actually you are about to make a fool of yourself. You see he's not going to walk away from his company, or from me when he hears what I have to say.”
Dan sat down on the edge of the bar. “Olivia, I already have. Weeks ago.”
“Danny, we really need to talk. I know you needed a little break, but just wait ’til you hear the deal I've managed to get you with Systech. You need to come home, with me. Back to your life. You're not being fair to her.” She looked at Missy as though she were something she'd scraped off her shoe. “The poor thing actually believes her friends.” She sneered at Emma and Holly. “That you want to marry her. If she can believe that, she really doesn't know you at all, does she? You'll never marry her. She can't give you anything, certainly not what I can.” Missy was stunned by the self-satisfied look Olivia gave her.
Dan seemed to explode. He jumped down from the bar and stood toe to toe with Olivia, his fists balled at his sides. “No! See that's where you're wrong. You don't know me. You never even wanted to know me. All you were interested in was what I could do for you. How much I could make that you could take. It's you that can't give me what she can.”
“Don't be ridiculous, Daniel! What could she ever give you?”
“Something you wouldn't understand, Olivia. Love. See, Missy does know me, she understands me and she cares about me. And I know her.”
Missy felt her insides melting as his gaze found hers and held it as he spoke.
“I understand her, and I love her.”
Olivia's harsh, brittle laugh sliced through the magic. “Don't be ridiculous, Daniel! You don't know what love is!”
Missy wanted to throttle her, but Dan silenced her much more effectively. His beautiful smile spread across his face as he came and put an arm around Missy.
“I'll grant you, Olivia, that when I knew you, I didn't know what love was. It took meeting Missy and Scot for me to find out. And to discover that I'm capable of loving deeply. I owe you my thanks. If you hadn't tried to screw me over the way you did, I might have spent my whole life believing that love was some strange emotion that other people felt, but not me. Your scheming set me free and allowed me to explore what I feel for Missy, to discover that I love her with all my heart and soul.”
“Oh, how touching!” Olivia sneered at Missy. “Believe me, he doesn't know what love is. You might be keeping him happy in bed, for now, but you could never make him happy long term. He'll come back to me when he realizes what it will cost him not to. Sex and infatuation can't compare to the life he could have with me.”
Dan's voice was low and firm when he spoke again. “You're talking as if I'm like you, someone with superficial values who cares more about how much things cost than how they feel. Someone who values money more than love.”
“Stop talking as if you know what love is. It doesn't suit you!”
“Oh, but I do know what love is, and it does suit me. I'm new to it, yes, but I learn fast. What I've learned is that when you love someone, making them happy is all you can think about. You can't wait to see them, to be with them, to make them smile. But it's so much more than that, too. When you love someone, you see them and accept them for who they are. And you see yourself for who you are. You want to become a better person, so you can be what they need.” His arm tightened around Missy's shoulders. “You want to share everything you are, and everything you have, with them. You
want them to share everything they are with you. You want to be perfect, but you know you're not. Then you look in their eyes, and you know that they see you as perfect. Perfect for them. Just as they are perfect for you. Missy loves me the way I am, with all my flaws. She loves me because she sees inside and likes what she sees. And I love her, she is my perfect. I see inside, to the heart of gold that would do anything for anyone. It makes me want to be the one who does everything for her. She's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. I don't expect you to understand, Olivia.”
Missy's heart overflowed as he looked down at her, his face as earnest as she'd ever seen it. “I need you to know, that's how I feel. That's what you mean to me.”
“Pathetic!” Missy was barely aware of Olivia turning and stalking away. She was too busy drowning in big brown eyes full of love.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dan looked around at everyone staring at him. Everyone was staring, but no one spoke. He was a little shocked at having poured out his feelings like that, for everyone to hear. Shocked but kind of proud of himself, too. He looked back down at Missy. At least he hadn't been wrong. Her eyes were liquid silver, her face glowing with what even he knew was love.
Chance stepped forward, his arm around Scot's shoulders. The two of them grinning at him.
He winked. “Now would be a great time, brother.”
Chance was right. Dan took a deep breath. He'd just claimed to know what love was. Claimed that he loved Missy, and that he wanted to become a better man for her. What better way to show it than right here, right now, with all their friends looking on? He smiled as he turned to face her. He took hold of her hand and slid his other inside his pocket to get the little box Laura had given him earlier.
Missy's eyes grew big as he got down on one knee in front of her.
“I just told you, and everyone else, how much I love you and what I think love is. I need you to know how much I want to spend my whole life loving you. And Scotty.” He glanced over to where Scot was grinning and nodding at him. “The two of you are my home and my family. You already are my perfect, Miss. Say you'll be my forever? Will you marry me?”
He held his breath as she stared down at him. She didn't say a word for what felt like minutes. His head started to fill with white noise. He could feel the blood pounding in his temples. Was she going to say no?
“Oh, Danny.” She wrinkled her nose.
Oh, shit! She was going to say no!
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I love you, hero! I don't quite believe this, but yes!”
It felt like his heart was exploding in his chest. Jesus, she'd scared him! He could feel his face wanting to split in two as he smiled. Then he remembered he hadn't even shown her the ring. He opened the box and held it up for her to see before he slid it onto her finger.
“I'm going to spend the rest of my life making a believer out of you, beautiful.”
She pulled him up to his feet. “It's beautiful, Dan.”
He grinned. “You are beautiful. But we've had this conversation before. You know what it symbolizes.”
She nodded happily, as she looked at the three diamonds sitting on her finger.
He drew her to him. He was aware of the applause and slaps on his back, but they seemed to be happening at a great distance as he held her to him and kissed her deeply.
***
Missy stared out at the lake. She loved the way it sparkled in the afternoon sunshine. She looked down at her ring. She loved the way it sparkled even more. She loved everything it meant, but most of all, she loved the man who had given it to her. He came back out to the patio with a fresh beer for each of them and sat across the table from her.
“Thanks.”
“Miss, I want to give you an engagement present.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You already gave me this beautiful ring, and the best present I could ever have, hero. The promise of a future with you in it.”
She loved the way he cocked his head to one side, loved knowing that she'd get to see his beautiful smile every day for the rest of her life.
“I feel like you got that backwards. They are your gifts to me. That you're wearing my ring and you've promised me a future with you in it,”
He truly meant it too. What had she ever done to deserve this man?
“So will you accept an engagement gift? Say you'll accept it in the spirit that I give it?”
She frowned. “Want to tell me what it what it is before I answer that?”
Big brown eyes twinkled at her. “No. I don't. I want you to trust me.”
She nodded. “Okay then. I do. I trust you, Danny.”
“Good. Then enjoy college. My gift is your tuition. I signed you up. Get your degree done, Miss. You don't have to wait any longer.”
Missy's mouth fell open. She was at a loss for words. “Oh, Danny!” was all she could manage.
The poor man looked so worried. “Is it okay? Did I do wrong? Should I have asked you first?”
She couldn't help but laugh as she came around the table to sit in his lap. “You did wonderfully. Thank you. We both know that if you'd asked I would have said no. But we both also know that it's what I want, and need. I love you Danny, so much!”
Before she could get lost in his kiss, she heard car doors slam out on the driveway. Dan lifted his head, hearing it too. “Sounds like our boy is back.”
Scot came running around the side of the house, with Chance not far behind.
“Dan, Dan, DAD!”
Missy's heart stopped in her chest. She felt Dan go completely still, his arms stiffen around her. Even Chance stopped in his tracks and fixed his gaze on Dan.
Scot stopped when he reached the table and looked at Dan with a big grin, apparently oblivious to the tension in the air. “So can I call you Dad now then? I don't have to wait ’til you actually get married, do I?”
Missy looked up at Dan, she had no idea what to expect. He looked nervous. She hoped he wasn't scared by this development, but how could he not be? When they had talked about not letting their relationship affect his friendship with Scot, she had never dreamed that it might mean demanding more of Dan than he knew how to give.
Dan looked at her; there was no question he was nervous. Oh, how she hoped this would turn out okay.
He smiled at Scot. “I wanted to talk to you about that, champ.”
Oh, no. She knew she couldn't expect Dan to suddenly step into the role of father. How she wished they'd talked about this first. Decided how they could handle it, without pressuring Dan or disappointing Scot.
“Okay?” Scot was still grinning.
Dan looked down at her. “And to talk to you about it too, Miss.”
Missy, let out the breath she'd been holding. Wishing he'd just spit it out now, so they could start to deal with whatever it was he had to say. “I think we better.”
He looked back at Scot, “If you want to call me Dad, I would love that. And if you want me to be your Dad, I would love that even more. We already are a family. But, if you want to, I'd like to make it official, become your Dad, adopt you.”
“Yes!” Scot punched the air, before wrapping his arms around the two of them. “Thanks, Dad! Isn't that awesome, Mom?”
Missy didn't know what to say. She was stunned that was what Dan wanted, and a little apprehensive as to whether it was possible. Scot did have a father. Somewhere.
“It'd be great.” She smiled, not wanting to dampen Scot's excitement.
Dan's hand closed around the back of her neck. “Please don't be mad at me, Miss.”
“Mad? I think it's great. I just don't know if it's possible. Legally.”
Scot stood back, looking concerned. “Say it is, Dad?”
Dan looked so sure of himself now. His nervousness gone. “It is, son. I already got it all set up in the hope that you would both want me. All I need is for the two of you to say yes, and we can get the papers.”
“Yes!” Scot punched the air and ran back to Chance.
“Dan's my Dad! Dan's my Dad, Uncle Chance! Isn't that awesome?”
Chance grinned at the kid. “It is awesome, Shorty. And I get him as a brother too!”
Missy put her hands on Dan's shoulders and rubbed her nose against his. “I hope you really are prepared to work at making a believer out of me, hero. It's going to take an awful lot to convince me that I got this lucky!”
His beautiful smile melted her heart. “I'll do everything in my power, beautiful. Every single day. Forever.”
A Note from SJ
I hope you enjoyed Missy and Dan's story and visiting Summer Lake and its residents. If you did, please consider letting your friends know about the book if you feel they might like it, too. If this is the first Summer Lake book you've read, be sure to check out:
Emma and Jack in Love Like You've Never Been Hurt.
Holly and Pete in Work Like You Don't Need the Money
Smoke and Laura's story will be next. Join me on Facebook for updates
Want updates on Summer Lake? Sign up for the Newsletter Don't worry I won't bombard you! I'll just let you know about upcoming releases, share a sneak peek or two and keep you in the loop for a couple of fun giveaways I have coming up :0)
I hope our paths will cross again soon. Until then, take care, and thanks for your support—you are the reason I write!
Love
SJ
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
