Page 71 of Bookgasms
She laughs before groaning, pulling her hands from mine and Andrés’s and going to her ribs. “Oh, fuck. That really hurts. No more laughing. No one is allowed to be funny anytime soon.”
Victor nudges me aside, running his hand over her forehead. “Do you want me to get the nurse? I’m sure they can give you something for the pain.”
“Nah, they already did.” She picks up a push button I didn’t notice lying on her bed and presses it. A moment later, she lets out a sigh of relief. “See? All good.”
We all silently watch her as her eyes flutter open once more, and she lifts her eyebrows. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Do you really forgive Maya?” Andrés voices the question I’m desperate to know the answer to.
“Yes,” she says, turning her attention back to me. “But that in no way means you’re off the hook. I don’t see why we can’t go back to being friends—”
“No.”
She makes a face. “No? What do you mean?”
I scoff. “I mean, I’m in love with you—and Andrés. I don’t want to just be your friend. I want to be part of this family—this relationship—the four of you are building. I’m tired of runningand pushing everyone away. Look what that caused! You were kidnapped because of me.”
“No, I was kidnapped because I’ve had a stalker who wasn’t mentally stable for longer than I could’ve ever guessed.” Dani shakes her head. “The blame for that definitely doesn’t lie with you.”
I shrug. “Either way, if I hadn’t been so busy pushing you away, it would’ve made it harder for Gary to kidnap you. I want to give this a chance—if you’ll have me. I love you so fucking much.”
“I love you, too, but this isn’t just about me and what I think or feel.” She considers me for a moment before turning to meet Andrés’s eyes. “How do you feel about this?”
“I think she means what she says. Do I think it’s just going to be all better because she wants it to be? Absolutely not. We’re going to have to be patient with her, and she’s going to have to work hard to overcome her hangups,” Andrés says softly, his eyes lifting to meet mine.
“You need to go to therapy,” Victor adds, nudging me with his arm.
Dani snorts. “Fuck, so do I.”
That sends us into a fit of laughter—well, everyone except Dani, who’s glaring at the rest of us.
“This is your fault,” Jason tells her. “You were the one who was funny.”
I know it isn’t going to be easy, but I’m willing to put in the work. I’m willing to do anything I have to in order to be a part of this family—to keep the people I love in my life.
Even go to therapy.
Sigh.
That’s definitely going to suck.
Epilogue
Dani
One Year Later
“Iwon’t beat around the bush here, Danielle. You’re exactly what we’re looking for, and we’d love to offer you a job with Collingswood Harrison. I know you’ll be a tremendous asset to our Forensic Accounting department,” Jessica Collingswood, my apparent new boss, says to me with a grin.
I blink at her for a moment, not really believing that I heard her correctly. “Are you messing with me?”
She throws her head back as she laughs. “Absolutely not. You were at the top of your class, and the accounting firm you interned with has nothing but good things to say about you. We’d be fools to let you slip between our fingers.”
“Wow. I wasn’t expecting to be offered a job on the spot,” I admit. “Our professors told us we’d likely have to go through a lot of interviews and maybe take a regular accounting role. They were very adamant that none of us would find one when we’re still interning.”
Jessica shrugs. “Like I said, neither myself nor Gregory are willing to let someone with your kind of talent end up at another firm.”
Gregory? As in Gregory Harrison? The other half of the massive accounting firm that’s offering me a job? I wasn’t even expecting to meet Jessica Collingswood today. I was supposed to have my interview with someone else, so to say I was shocked when she introduced herself to me is putting things mildly.
