Page 41 of Forever His Girl

Her gaze gravitated toward the half-open closet to Daniel’s uniforms dangling across two-thirds of the space. How such neatly hung clothes could end up wrinkled within seconds of hitting his body defied logic.

But then, Daniel was as complex a puzzle as the artwork and toys he favored.

From the closet rod, the deep blue of a formal uniform gave way to the lighter blue shirts, shifted to splotchy green military camouflage, desert-tan camo, then flight suits in both green and beige. All shapes of hats. Vests with canteens dangling and a scary-looking knife attached but sheathed in black leather. The Daniel who’d streaked grease paint on his face to jump a fence had turned his hobby into a profession. Or perhaps it hadn’t been a hobby, just a sense of direction from the cradle.

Pride hummed through her anew over the man he’d become. And, oh, my, was he ever a man. The heat of his kiss from the beach still tingled along her nerves. Tough not to think about it while she sat in his bed.

Mary Elise thunked her forehead against her hands folded over her knees. She could laze around feeling sorry for herself. Or she could shake off the blahs and get her butt in gear. Be satisfied that she had helped Danny build a strong foundation for a future with the boys in a few short days.

Get up, get a move on. And pretend her heart wasn’t breaking in two.

Snick.The click of the front door opening echoed through the condo.Daniel must have forgotten something. Facing him now when sleep still mussed her defenses seemed a reckless move. Time to hit the shower.

She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and arched up to stretch out sore muscles, vowing to visit a clinic first thing in the morning. But after her mother’s endless doctor appointments, live-in nurses, medicine bottles lining the kitchen windowsill, Mary Elise hated admitting to a physical weakness.

Prideful. Silly. Reckless. She could almost hear Danny ticking through her illogical reasoning.

Whipping the well-worn T-shirt over her head, she padded to his master bathroom. For the last time. Once Daniel and the boys returned, she would have to say her goodbyes.

The shower spray hit her with stinging needles of heat.

Stay.

Danny’s words from the beach rolled over her in a tidal wave. Give their friendship another chance.

Friendship? Thoughts of him walking around the condo looking for Austin’s favorite blanket while she stood naked in the shower led her mind to thoughts far from friend-like.

Honestly, she wanted to stay. And, yes, she even wanted to try again. The friendship. Maybe even more. The past days with Danny and the boys had been…everything.

Mary Elise snagged her bottle of shampoo from beside Daniel’s. How could she escape the fact that she had to leave? To stay another day would be selfish and not worth the risk. Life seemed to be telling her in a hundred different ways that Kent was still out there.

Returning to the States had brought old memories forward. Stronger. Which likely heightened her emotions to super-sensitivity. Or perhaps her subconscious was tormenting her so she wouldn’t be tempted to stay.

And that made her mad.

Her hands slowed in working the shampoo through her hair. Where was the fear? The ache over Kent’s betrayal? All she could feel was a stinging anger like soap in her eyes over all Kent had taken from her.

Seeing herself through Danny’s eyes reminded her how far she’d strayed from her essential self. First, losing pieces of her will through Kent’s subtle control, then later by hiding while she licked her wounds.

Strength seeped into her with each waft of steam carrying the lingering scent of Daniel’s aftershave. Yes, she had to leave. She accepted that. But she didn’t have to cower.

She would fight back, scavenge for a plan to reclaim her life. Plans were in short supply at the moment, beyond saving to finance a private detective, but already the renewed strength fueled determination. How odd that until a few days ago she hadn’t realized just how much had been stolen from her.

And once she had her life back?

Simply because she’d reclaimed her inner self didn’t make her any more right for Danny than she’d been eleven years before. Not that he was even the same person. Parts of Danny remained, mingled with the newer, darker Daniel. Even if he stayed single after however long it took her to reclaim her life…

She didn’t know. But for the first time in years, she knew she wanted to dare. To dream. And the steamy whispers of possibility made packing somehow easier and tougher at the same time.

* * *

“Hey, Mary Elise, where ya’ going?” Austin piped from four steps ahead as he sprinted into the condo, his blankie dragging.

Going? Daniel’s brain went numb.

He stood in the open doorway staring at Mary Elise’s suitcase, and couldn’t process what he was seeing.

How strange since his mind never stopped working. Never. His thoughts always operated three paces ahead of his feet, and his feet were mighty fast even on a bad day.

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