Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Dani looked out across the front yard from where she sat on the porch swing with a book in her hand. Except for the time with Gage, this was her favorite part of the day. There was something serene about swinging while reading a book and listening to the sounds of Mother Nature surrounding her.

The house was set back about a quarter mile off the main road. Forest trees lined the driveway on either side. If she had to guess, someone cleared out just enough of an area to build the house and a small backyard in the middle of the woods. It was positively charming how secluded it was from other houses in the town.

A porch swing was now a must on the list of things she one day wanted for her house.

She was still rocking back and forth when she pulled her phone out and dialed a familiar number.

Gage’s mother picked up on the second ring. “Hey, sweetheart. How are things?”

Dani sighed. It had been a few days since she last spoke to Janet. She was neglecting the woman who was there for her during her darkest times. “Hi. I’m so sorry I haven’t called much this week.” She didn’t even have an excuse other than she had been spending time with Gage. Before coming back to Pennsylvania, they spoke on the phone daily, sometimes multiple times a day. And on the really rough days it was several times an hour.

“Oh, please.” Janet scoffed. “Don’t you dare apologize. I just hope that means my son is treating you well.”

Gage’s mother couldn’t see the blush currently trailing up her neck but it was there nonetheless.

“He is. He’s the same gentleman he was as a teenager. Just older now.”

He was amazing at seventeen but time had certainly been good to him. In high school, Gage was big for his age. He had muscles that were for more than just show. Gage had never been afraid of hard work. At fifteen he had more facial hair than most grown men. And although they were each other’s first lovers, Gage was wise beyond his years. Even in high school he knew how to pleasure a woman. He listened to her body cues and played her like a damn fiddle.

It was different now. Not in a bad way. Their time apart only made him that much better. Gage was bigger. More defined. There was no hint of the boy he used to be. His beard was a hell of a lot longer and felt good when it rubbed against her sensitive flesh. And don’t even ger her started on the tattoos covering his arms. As a teenager his skin had been free of ink and tattoos were never something he showed interest in but somehow they only made him that much sexier.

“Dani?” Janet’s laughter filtered through the speaker and made her blush more.

Oh God! She had been fantasizing about Gage while on the phone with his mother. Talk about embarrassing.

“Yup,” her voiced squeaked. “I’m still here.”

“I’m glad things are good between the two of you.”

Dani dropped her head into the hand that wasn’t holding the phone and silently groaned.

First, she hadn’t called Janet in several days, and now, when she finally did remember to call, she spent the time on the phone thinking about all the ways her son had matured for the better.

“I’m an awful person,” she mumbled.

Janet’s laughter disappeared in an instant. “What on earth would make you say that?”

She couldn’t exactly tell Gage’s mother what she had been thinking about. Janet was cool but she doubted a mother wanted to hear about her sex life with her son. That was a level of comfort she doubted they would ever get to.

So she went back to the original reason she felt like a jerk. “Because you’ve been there for me every day since I left rehab and then I reconnect with Gage and completely forget to check in with you.”

“Dani, I want you to listen to me very carefully.” It was rare that Janet used that tone with her. It made Dani sit up straighter and give her full attention. “I loved talking to you every day. I never once regretted how many times you called simply because your day was hard and you needed someone to be there for you. I’m honored I could be that person for you.” Well, shit. Now she felt like even more of a jerk. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy you reconnected with Gage. I always knew our discussions were temporary because one day you two would be together again and he would be that person for you. I wanted that. I prayed for it. I’m thrilled he could be there for you. Yes, talking to you was lovely. I always wanted a daughter, and from the day Gage brought you home, I considered you family. But I want you and my son to be happy even more. So, if you not calling me for a few days means you’re spending time with my son, then so be it. I will gladly relinquish my time with you so my son can have it instead.”

Tears filled her eyes. How was it that she got so lucky? Her own parents were a disaster but she got a second chance with Gage’s parents. They treated her like one of their own despite everything she had done to their son when she was younger.

“I’ll never understand how you could forgive me so easily.”

“Oh, sweetheart. There was nothing to forgive. I understand better than you will ever know why you made your decision. I know it broke Gage’s heart but it was for the best. That might make me a shitty mother to say, but it’s the truth.”

Janet could never be a shitty mother. She certainly wasn’t traditional but there was nothing wrong with that. She loved fiercely. At the end of the day, that was what was important.

“He’s forgiven me,” she confessed on a whisper.

“I knew he would. My son is smart. Stubborn, but smart. I knew eventually he would come around and see what his father and I always knew. Does that mean you will officially be my daughter soon?”

Dani laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far. We haven’t spoken about what’s going to happen after my court date and our current problem.”

“And why the hell not? You two are perfect for each other.”

She believed that with her whole heart but talking about marriage and anything more than living in the moment was just too much. They were together and that was all that mattered.

“Because I’m not sure I’m ready to upset the status quo.”

“Let me ask you something. If he asked you to follow him to New Mexico, would you?”

Dani didn’t even have to think about her answer. “Yes, I would in a heartbeat.” She didn’t have a life to go back to. After rehab she had been floundering. Living but not really. She worked to pay her bills but was never truly settled. Deep down she always knew she never would be until she was back with Gage.

“Then why the hell haven’t you told him that?”

Dani sighed. “He hasn’t mentioned it and I didn’t want to be the one to bring it up. Yes, I would follow him anywhere but only if he wants me to.”

She was just happy he was talking to her again, and ecstatic that they were no longer fighting and at each other’s throats. She loved how easily they fell back into some of the things they used to do together. What she didn’t want was to mess that all up by demanding more.

The ball was in his court. She was just waiting to see what he would do about it.

“Oh, Dani. I love you like you were my own but sometimes you’re just as stubborn as my son. I swear the two of you could compete to see who was worse. Now isn’t the time to live like that. The two of you have been separated for seventeen years. You’ve both had a hell of a lot of bumps during that time. You need to grab life by the horns and live life to the fullest.”

Janet was right. Too much time was spent without the other, and now that she had Gage back, she wasn’t letting go of him for anything. Screw being scared. She was going to tell him exactly how she felt and what she wanted. She was taking the damn ball back.

It was time.

“You’re right. It’s time I tell him I want forever with him and that includes a house, marriage, and maybe kids one day.”

“That’s my girl.”

With renewed energy she was ready to hop up and run to the backyard to find Gage.

“Thanks, Janet.”

“No need to thank me, sweetheart. I’ll always be here to kick you in the ass when needed.”

Dani chuckled. That was for sure, more times than she could count. This time was no different.

Here was to the rest of her life. Things with Gage were perfect and nothing could ruin her happiness.