Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

DANIELA

TWO WEEKS LATER

"So, Drew starts harassing me about whether I was, quote, breaking in the new players, and then he looked at Braden and asked if I was sleeping with him too. Or sleeping with him and Ian together," Kyler recounted, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, my God. What a pig," I practically growled.

I had no idea how this casual, friendly conversation had turned to the subject of the horrifyingly awful thing that had happened to Kyler in high school and the way the entire school had turned against her after it happened. At least she hadn't had to go into too much detail since Morgan had told me a little about Kyler's documentary, but still. All I'd asked was what Braden was like in high school.

"No arguments there," she said. "But without missing a beat, Braden looks over at Drew and goes, ‘When would I have time for that? I've been too busy fucking your mom.'"

As the whole room broke into a fit of laughter, I turned to look at my boyfriend, who was bright red as he laughed right along with us. But the thing was, that was just so him . Finding a way to defend someone he cared about while at the same time completely humiliating the person who'd dared to cross her. I had absolutely no problem picturing it.

"You forgot the part where he remembered what kind of sheets Drew had on his bed from the time he'd mowed their lawn and had to go inside to take a piss," Ian snickered. "He sold that shit so well, even I bought it for a minute."

"And I have never lived it down," Braden half-laughed, half-groaned. "Especially not the part where the asshole had a sister named Stacy."

"Guys! Little ears," Melissa mock scolded as she let Isaac grab hold of her finger while cradling him in her arms.

I snorted. "You do realize that with Braden as his dad, I'll be lucky if his first word isn't ‘fuck,' right?"

"True story," Morgan chuckled. "Good thing he has his Auntie Morgan here to teach him how not to curse like a sailor."

"Um, excuse you. You're just as bad," Melissa giggled, playfully elbowing her cousin in the ribs.

"Yeah, but unlike B, I know how to tone it down."

Isaac's crying interrupted the conversation, and I went to get up, but Braden stopped me.

"Let me get him this time," he said, stealing a quick kiss before getting up and taking our son from his friend.

Ian, Kyler, and Melissa all grinned as they watched Braden carry Isaac upstairs, where we'd made a makeshift nursery out of one of the spare bedrooms – complete with a baby monitor that he'd bought and installed a couple of days ago just to make sure we had it for tonight.

I knew it was too soon to have the conversation about moving in together, but more and more every day, I found myself wishing we could talk about it. Or at least talk about taking steps in that direction. He'd spent more nights at my apartment than in this house lately because he didn't want to be away from Isaac, but while I loved having him there, I knew it wasn't a permanent solution. Not to mention, it was a tight fit having him, a security guard, and Lina all cooped up in the 750-square-foot apartment with me and Isaac.

"Fatherhood looks good on him," Kyler chuckled softly, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"So does being in love," Melissa chimed in.

"It does," I agreed. "Every time I try to say anything about it, he shuts me up, but after watching how he's stepped up to the plate the past couple of weeks – and honestly, even before that when I saw him interacting with Isaac – I just don't know how I ever thought he would have abandoned his kid."

"You didn't know, Dani," Morgan reminded me, rubbing my arm. "You could only operate with the facts you had. And once you had all the facts, you adapted. Accepted that he wasn't that man and let yourself admit that you love him."

"And trust me when I say I've never seen him like this before," Ian added. "You and Isaac have been really good for him."

"He's been good for us too," I admitted, feeling my cheeks flush.

"Hey, speaking of you and Braden, do you have a dress for the premiere?" Kyler asked. "And you, Morgan?"

"I do," Morgan chirped.

"I have a couple of nice dresses, but I'm not sure if I have anything that's appropriate for the red carpet," I mumbled self-consciously.

I knew I should have dealt with that way before now, but with everything that had been going on, especially with Vicki still eluding the police's grasp since she hadn't actually done anything she could be arrested for, going clothes shopping had been the absolute last thing on my mind.

"Ooh, girls' day tomorrow?" Melissa asked. "We can get mani/pedis and find Dani a dress."

"Um…" I trailed off.

Maybe it was stupid, but something about being out and about somewhere like a mall or a boutique or nail salon made me nervous. It was just so…open. Exposed. There would be all kinds of opportunities for Vicki to try something.

Ever since Braden had pointed out to me a couple of weeks ago that Vicki had nothing but time now that she'd been fired from the PR firm, I'd basically stayed at home all the time. I'd even had my groceries delivered so I didn't have to go to the store. Honestly, I didn't even really feel safe at my apartment, even with security. Not now that I knew for sure that she knew where I lived. But I also didn't want to tell Braden that and make him spend even more money finding me and Isaac somewhere else to stay until this was over, so staying cooped up inside was the next best thing.

"You should go, sweetheart," Braden said as he carried Isaac back downstairs and sat next to me on the couch, still cradling the baby in his arms. "You deserve a day to de-stress. One day where you don't have to worry about any of the shit we've been dealing with."

"But…what about?—"

"You'll have Brian and Leo with you," he cut me off. "And I don't have anything happening tomorrow, so Isaac can stay here with me just to be safe."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" I said hesitantly. "I mean, she's still out there."

"Yes, I'm sure," he insisted. "I trust Brian and Leo with my life – and, more importantly, with your life. You'll be safe. And you need the distraction."

I still wasn't entirely sure about it, but he was right. I was wound up way too tight. A day of relaxation and retail therapy sounded like exactly what I needed.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. "Okay. I'm in."

"Okay, I let the girls go first, but it's my turn now," Ian said as he got up from where he was sitting next to his fiancée and walked over to Braden. "Isaac needs to meet Uncle Ian."

"Wait, are you serious? He took you to a rage room for a date?" Kyler said from the other side of the dressing room door.

"Yep," I chuckled as I zipped up the fifth dress I'd tried on. "Not gonna lie, it was weird, but also kind of sweet. He knew I'd been through a lot and he just wanted to do something to give me a safe space to let it all out."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Melissa snickered. "No joke, this completely tracks for me. It's so Braden to be like, ‘Hey, you know what this girl needs? She just needs to break a bunch of shit and scream.'"

As Kyler, Morgan, and I all started laughing, I walked out of the cubicle, and all three of them simultaneously gasped with wide eyes.

"Oh, my God. That's the one," Kyler said. "It was made for you."

"I feel bad for Braden, having to look at you in that dress all night and not being able to do anything about it," Morgan teased. "You look hot , babe."

Melissa got up and walked over to the shoe display a few yards away. After perusing a little bit, she selected a box and walked back over to us.

"Try these with it," she said, opening the shoebox and pulling out a pair of gorgeous silver heeled sandals. "I know you said no stilettos, but a block heel is okay, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I just would prefer not to trip over my own two feet and fall flat on my face in the middle of the red carpet."

"Aww, you're no fun," she joked, playfully sticking her tongue out at me.

My text alert interrupted the conversation, so I pulled my phone out of my purse to check the message just as it went off a second time. And what I found just confirmed that all of Braden and I's concerns were one hundred percent valid. It was a message from a blocked number containing a picture of all four of us standing here critiquing the last dress I'd tried on, which looked like it had been taken from the parking lot. Where neither one of my security team would have been able to see it happening since they were both in here with us.

And the message underneath? It made my blood run cold.

Blocked

No matter how much you spend on fancy dresses, it doesn't change the fact that you're a lowlife whore. I WILL make you pay for stealing Braden from me. Even if you hide behind an entire army, I'll still find a way to get to you…when you least expect it.

When I walked back into Braden's house, shopping and garment bags in hand, I just sank down onto the couch and buried my head in my hands, trying desperately not to break down in tears.

Was one fucking day too much to ask for? After everything Braden and I had been through – all the heartache that we'd suffered at the hands of this unhinged woman – couldn't I just have one damn day of peace? One day to hang out with my best friend and get to know two of the most important women in my boyfriend's life? One day when I could just be a normal twenty-two-year-old? One day when I didn't have to panic over how I was going to keep my son safe? One day when there wasn't the lingering question in the back of my mind about whether my love for Braden would end up being the cause of my death?

Braden sat down next to me and pulled me into his arms, kissing the top of my head and combing his fingers through my hair. I melted into his embrace, sliding my arms around his waist, and for several long, peaceful minutes, neither of us said anything. He was just there. Holding me. Giving me the solace his arms had always provided. Not asking questions or demanding an explanation. Somehow just knowing exactly what I needed in this moment even though I hadn't uttered a word.

"You're not going to ask me what happened?" I finally sniffed.

"Not unless you're ready to tell me." He pressed his lips to my hairline. "Take as long as you need, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere."

Taking a deep breath, I pulled out of his arms and grabbed my purse, retrieving my phone. And without another word, I pulled up the message and handed the device to him. He looked at the screen for a few seconds, then blew out a breath and tossed the phone on the coffee table before turning toward me and cupping my cheek in his hand.

"Mírame, Dani," he murmured. Look at me, Dani.

My eyes immediately snapped to his, wide with shock. "Since when do you speak Spanish?"

He chuckled and leaned forward to brush his lips over mine. "Since I decided to start taking an online course so I could speak it with Isaac. And you. I've learned a few phrases outside of my lessons, and that was one of them." His thumb stroked over my cheekbone. "The two of you are my whole world now. And I'm not going to let anything happen to either one of you. I will fight until my last breath to protect you. Do you hear me?"

I nodded and took a shaky breath as my stomach clenched with nausea. "I'm scared, Braden. I'm scared that we can't fight this. That she's not going to stop until we're dead. That she's just waiting for one of us to let our guard down so she can strike."

"Come here, beautiful," he whispered, pulling me over to straddle his legs, kissing my temple, and holding me close. "You're safe here. I promise."

"The only time I've really felt safe since this started is when I'm in your arms," I confessed. "The only time I've felt sane since Amara died has been when I'm with you. Even when I tried to deny it. Even when I wanted to hate you with every fiber of my being. My heart knew the truth all along, even when my mind tried so hard to fight it."

"Because we were always supposed to end up here," he said softly. "I have to believe that. I have to believe that no matter what, we would have found our way to each other. And I have to believe that we wouldn't have gone through all this shit if there wasn't a happy ending waiting for us on the other side of it."

I smiled, despite the tears stinging my eyes and the lump rising in my throat. "I just wish we could see it now. See what the future is going to look like when this is over."

Braden pushed me back just far enough that he could look into my eyes. "I can see it. I see you graduating from med school at the top of your class and becoming an amazing doctor. I see you walking down the aisle toward me, looking more beautiful than ever, and us promising each other forever. And I see Isaac having brothers and sisters one day, when you're ready. I know it's too soon to start thinking about most of that right now, but maybe we can take a baby step toward it. Something that might make you feel safer while we're dealing with this mess and maybe help you see that happy ending a little clearer. If you're game."

I cocked my head to the side. "What kind of baby step?"

"I'm probably going to butcher this, but…" He took a deep breath. "?Te mudarás conmigo?" Will you move in with me?

Letting out a watery giggle, I sniffled and wiped the tears from my cheeks, then crashed my lips to his, pouring everything I had into it. All my love, awe, fear, shock, and maybe most importantly, trust. His tongue traced the curve of my bottom lip, asking for entrance, and I immediately opened for him, letting our tongues twist and tangle around each other. Taking this one moment of pure joy amid the chaos we were living in.

"Sí," I whispered. Yes.