Dani looked at her watch. 5:50pm. Ten minutes. Ten more minutes until Ray Jay walked through the front door after seven long months. It was the longest she had ever gone without seeing one of her children and it was killing her. Even though she had told him he was on his own when he left with Juliette, she missed him terribly and couldn't wait to wrap her arms around him.
Juliette…she shook her head. Had the young woman finally straightened out her life? Or had she turned back to a life of drugs and alcohol? Was that why Ray Jay was finally coming home? Was it a permanent move? So many questions! The voice mail he left earlier this morning left no clues to sate her curiosity.
At the sound of the knock, Dani ran to the door and launched herself at…Nico? She collided with his chest and almost knocked him over.
He chuckled while grabbing her arms to steady her. He raised his eyebrows, "Doctor Santino. I'm not accustomed to this type of greeting. Where's your normal scowl and squint?"
"Nico, what are you doing here?" she asked. Out of breath, she looked at her watch and rushed on, "You know what? Never mind. It has to wait because in three minutes, my son will be home. I don't care what client needs help tonight, I…Oh, God…you're not here because…it's not Ray Jay, is it?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes. She had never been more frightened in her life.
He grabbed her arms again to reassure her. "No, Dani. NO. They're fine. The plane landed on time. Juliette left me a voice mail this morning asking me to meet her here at 6pm. I didn't have a chance to talk to you today. This security breach has had my whole staff scrambling."
"Juliette? She's with Ray Jay?" she asked, squinting up at him.
"They were both on the plane's manifest." he replied and just as he was about suggest they wait inside, a limo beeped as it turned into the driveway. They both turned and waited until it made its way to the front door. Ray Jay was first out of the limo, waved at them, and then turned back to help Juliette out of the car.
Dani waited for a split second, before pushing past Nico, bounding down the steps and threw her arms around her son. Her baby was home…and she was never letting him go. Could she ground an 18 year old for life?
When Dani finally let him go, she stepped back and took a good look at him. She saw the maturity in his face and in his eyes that was definitely not there when he left seven months ago. What happened to her baby boy? She was going to go kill Juliette Pittman if she had done anything to harm him. Speaking of…she turned to say hello, but the girl was by the front door of the house wrapped in Nico's arms. Dani could hear her soft cries of "I'm sorry. I love you." Nico just continued to hold her, but Dani could see the love shining in the man's eyes.
Paloma's words came back to her in a flash. Nico was most definitely transparent when he looked at Juliette. He loved that girl like a daughter and she had never given one single thought to the idea that he might be suffering the same loss she felt. She shook her head. What kind of therapist was she? What kind of friend was she? Not a very good one, she decided. Was that why he didn't want her around V3? Maybe she was a painful reminder that his "daughter" and her son had run off to Paris together and he could no longer protect her as he had done all her life?
Ray Jay and Dani watched the reunion between Juliette and Nico for a minute.
Dani whispered, "Is she OK?"
"Never better, mom. She has been clean and sober since we left for Paris. She just missed him a lot."
With a small smile on his face and a shake of his head, Ray Jay turned back to the limo and grabbed the two bags the driver had pulled out of the trunk. He thanked and tipped the man and she couldn't help but think again how much he had grown up while in Paris. Then it hit her: only two bags? Dani felt her smile fall as she realized that two bags meant this was probably only a temporary visit. Well, she'd use every therapist and mom tactic in the book to convince him to stay in New York and go to college. The Hawks had paid well, but V3 paid ridiculously well. She could afford to send him to school now. No pot plants necessary.
They walked up to the front door where Nico and Juliette were still hugging and Dani ushered everyone inside. Ray Jay put their bags down by the front door as they all made their way to the kitchen. Nico's eyebrows quirked up and slid over to hers as Ray Jay and Juliette held each other's hands. Dani frowned back, but let it go for now. Why were the kids back in the States? The question must have been in her eyes because Nico just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Interesting. If he didn't know, that meant…that meant…what? She didn't know what it meant. The man knew everything.
Ray Jay pulled two water bottles out of the refrigerator, gave one to Juliette and turned to ask Dani and Nico if they wanted some too. Before they could answer, the front door opened and a voice called out, "Mom? Can I go over to Summer's house? We have a big science project due on Wednesday. Mom?"
Smiling, Ray Jay called out, "No!" A loud shriek came from the hallway and half a second later, Lindsay burst through the door and enveloped her brother in a hug. Dani felt the tears start to well up as Lindsay questioned her brother at a mile a minute. Her kids might fight like brothers and sisters are apt to do, but they loved each other deep down. A tissue box appeared in front of her watery eyes. She looked up to see Nico smiling down at her.
Ray Jay interrupted Lindsay's inquisition. "If you could wait a few minutes before leaving Linds, I…um, Juliette and I wanted to tell you all what's going on with us and our fashion company. We'll answer everyone's questions – we promise."
Dani felt her eyebrows lift in a Nico-like fashion at the words "our fashion company" and when she looked over at him, he looked surprised too. She would have laughed at his expression if it wasn't so serious a situation. Someone surprising Nico? That had to be a first.
Ray Jay pulled out three more bottles of water and passed them around the counter. "You want us to order some pizza? We can talk while we're eating."
"Ray Jay, please just tell us what's going on with you two. My imagination is starting to get the best of me. The longer you draw this out, the worse the scenarios will get!" Dani pleaded.
"OK. OK." he laughed. "Well…as you know, when we left for Paris, Juliette was…how should I put this?" He looked down at her and she nodded. "A mess; she was a mess. She had a vague idea of working in the fashion world after selling the Hawks. I went as her assistant, but I think we all know that's not really why I followed her to Paris."
Nico's eyes narrowed at Ray Jay and he unconsciously took a step towards Ray Jay. He stopped when he felt Dani's hand give his a gentle squeeze. He looked down at her hand on top of his and then at her. He felt the shiver run through her hand and smiled inside. Perhaps Dani wasn't as unaffected by him as she pretended to be. He turned back to look at Ray Jay and Juliette just in time to see her give Ray Jay a knowing smirk. The boy had the nerve to reach out and hold her hand and then the stones to look Nico square in the eye and apologize. "Sorry, Nico."
He unclenched his jaw and nodded. He grudgingly admitted his new-found respect for Ray Jay. Dani looked between them and got the conversation back on track, "Go on. We want to hear what's been going on these last few months."
"So, anyway…we ended up getting really involved with the fashion company and Juliette ended up buying it after a month. We made such a good team and our ideas and designs have been a huge hit. Our debut at Milan is in two months. It will really put us on the map."
Dani interrupted. "So you're not home for good then? How long can you stay?"
Juliette finally spoke up. "We're only here for the weekend. We have to get back and get everything finalized, packed up, and ready to go. We just picked the models, so we decided to jet back here to see our families." Her eyes fell on Nico and he returned her soft smile.
She reached down for her purse and said, "But we brought you all a present. Here are airline tickets for all of you to meet us in Milan for the debut of our line."
Linsday gasped. "We're going to Milan? Are you serious?"
Ray Jay laughed. "And Grandma, too. I'm going to talk to Dad tomorrow. I hope you don't mind, Mom. I want him to see what we've done with the company. I'm only buying him one airline ticket though and I will book him a room in a different hotel."
Dani shook her head. She didn't mind at all. She was still stunned. Milan? Her football playing son was talking about the debut of a fashion line in Milan. How had this happened? It was just so much to take in all at once.
Ray Jay continued with their news. "Obviously, we've been working really long hours and very closely together. When Juliette first got sick, we thought it was just the work and weather taking its toll on her. I mean, I got sick too. That cold wet weather in Paris can be just like New York, just less snow."
Nico gave her a questioning look, but Juliette reached out to grab his hand, "Don't worry, Nico. I'm fine. It ended up being nothing to worry about." His sigh of relief spoke volumes. He looked over to see Dani give him a small smile. The relief was on her face as well.
Juliette and Ray Jay looked at each other with a secret smile. She looked at Dani, Nico, Lindsay, then back to Ray Jay. "I mean, a baby's nothing to worry about, is there?"
"What?!" Nico asked in a loud voice.
"I'm sorry. Did you just tell us you're pregnant?" Dani asked in disbelief.
Silence fell across the room as they all looked at each other. Lindsay finally screeched "I'm gonna be an Aunt!" and grabbed both Ray Jay and Juliette in a hug. Laughter filled the kitchen, but Dani and Nico just stood there with stunned looks on their faces.
After a minute, Ray Jay waved his hand in front of their faces. "Hello? Anyone in there? We know it's a shock. Mom? Nico? Did you hear us? You're going to be grandparents."
At THAT word, Dani plopped onto the stool she had been standing beside. She looked over at Nico who naturally made a more fluid, manly move onto a stool. He still looked stunned, but he also looked like he was looking down the road at all the potential problems.
Juliette seemed to read his mind and walked over to stand by his side. "Nico, you've been more of a parent to me than my parents. You're IT. You're the one who has looked after me all these years. You got me back on the road to sobriety despite my parents' orders. When I really needed help and pushed you away when Daddy died, you made sure I got the help I needed. If you hadn't brought Dani, um…Doctor Santino to that cemetery, who knows what gutter I'd be in right now. You both saved my life. I just didn't know how to tell you, to thank you, until today."
Dani felt herself tearing up at Juliette's words. She didn't look at Nico; she couldn't. It felt too intimate. Too much like a family. She started at the thought. They were a family now. Whether he liked or not, she smirked to herself.
Juliette held Nico's hand, and then reached over to grab Dani's hand. "I promise here and now that I have been clean and sober since Ray Jay and I left for Paris. I am a little over four months along. All the doctor appointments have gone well so far and the doctors said our son doesn't have any health issues related to my previous addictions."
"A son?" Dani and Nico asked in unison.
"A son, Mom." Ray Jay confirmed. "We're going to call him Ray Trey."
"No. We're NOT." Juliette rolled her eyes at Ray Jay and they both smiled. It was clearly a discussion they had had before. That finally got a smile out of both Dani and Nico.
It was silent again for a moment, when Lindsay chimed in again, "I'm going to have a nephew?"
"Wait, there's more news." Ray Jay continued.
"Don't tell me you're having twins!" said Dani.
He laughed. "No. We just knew that flying over here, getting ready for the show in Milan, and everything we have to do before the baby is born, we wanted to make sure we were legit."
"Legit? What's that mean?" Lindsay asked. Juliette looked at Nico and Dani who both seemed to already know the answer to that question.
"Well, Lindsay…think of this weekend visit as our honeymoon. We got married yesterday."
"What?! I went to school this morning practically an only child and I come home and now I've got a nephew AND a sister-in-law?" She jumped across the kitchen and swallowed Juliette in a hug.
"Mom? Are you OK? Mom? Nico, can you catch her if she faints? Nico?" Ray Jay asked. "Look, we realize all of this is a lot to take in. We also know how much weddings mean to mothers, so we want to have a courthouse ceremony here in New York this weekend with you as witnesses. After the baby is born, we're going to have our reception in Spain at Augusto's restaurant. We thought we'd do it there, so Jeannette can celebrate with us – give you a chance to see her. What do you think, Mom?"
Dani was stunned. More than stunned. What was more than stunned? In addition to all this "news", her son was also thinking of her; thinking of someone other than himself. He might technically still be a teenager, but he sure wasn't acting like one. He was acting like the young man she always envisioned him to be.
She took a deep breath. "Ray Jay. Juliette. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. I'm scared to death for you. I'm still very worried about your future; both of your futures. You're from two totally different worlds. Do you have contingency plans if Milan doesn't swoon over your designs? What then? What about the baby? Will you ever move back here? Who will raise the baby while you're both working? Do you want your son raised by strangers like you were raised, Juliette? You two have a million questions to ask yourselves."
They both looked at her seemingly disappointed that she wasn't happy for them. A second later, Dani's face nearly split in two with a genuine smile.
"That being said…a baby!" she sighed. "A grandson. I'm having a grandson. I'm going to be a grandma." She looked at Nico. "And you're going to be a grandpa." She laughed. A real, joyous, happy laugh. Suddenly, the Santino kitchen was full of smiles, laughter, congratulations, and hugs. Even Nico, after hugging Juliette again, hugged Lindsay, shook Ray Jay's hand, and then pulled him in for a man-hug. Dani smiled at Nico's interaction with her children. They were now in-laws; a family. And oddly, they didn't seem to mind. How he went from busting them in the parking lot at the Hawk's to being accepted as a member of their family, she'd never understand. She shook her head. As everyone went back to their places at the counter, it dawned on her: she was the only person he didn't hug or congratulate. Dani bit her lip; she refused to be that upset about it – but it was obvious: he didn't mind being related to her kids, but he was NOT happy to be related to her.
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Dinner was lively with everyone talking at once – asking and answering questions, showing pictures of Paris on cellphones, baby name possibilities and the wedding reception. Juliette seemed pensive when talking about it and Nico sensed the reason. "Have you told your mother yet?"
"I tried. I mean, I did. Her only response was 'Good luck. Don't let your kid call me Grandma.' before she hung up the phone." Tears filled her eyes, but Juliette didn't let them fall. "It's her loss, right? She missed out on being a mother; she doesn't get to be a grandmother. Don't you dare call her Nico. I don't want her involved if she doesn't want to be. OK?"
Nico nodded. What he wouldn't give to force Grabrielle to love and care for her own daughter. It still pained him that Juliette wasn't his.
"So, what's the name of the clothing line you're launching in Milan?" Dani asked.
Ray Jay and Juliette looked at each other and smiled. "It's not finalized yet, Mom. We have this amazing name picked out, but we aren't sure if it's going to work. We'll know in a week or two."
Juliette let out an undignified yawn and said, "I hate to end things early, but I'm tired. I'm on Paris time and with the baby..." she trailed off.
Dani immediately jumped to her feet. "Of course! You should have said something. Come on, let me get you to the guest room."
"Umm…Mom?"
"Oh. Right. Let your husband get you and your luggage upstairs. We'll see you both tomorrow, OK?"
Dani watched as Ray Jay led Juliette upstairs while carrying their bags. Good grief. How could she have forgotten that quickly that her son was married? She blushed with embarrassment. Unfortunately, Nico saw and leaned down to whisper, "It's OK. I forgot for a second, too. I still can't believe it. Listen, do you have a minute to talk? In your office?"
"Sure. Let me get Lindsay to clear the table and I'll meet you there."
When she walked into the office, Nico was pulling out a dollar bill and his audio scrambler. She rolled her eyes as he turned it on. "Really, Nico? An audio scrambler to discuss the kids being married?"
"This conversation isn't about them. I need to tell you why I didn't – why I still don't – want you at V3. The dollar bill is to protect us both; you know that."
She sat down in her chair and squinted up at him, "OK. Go on. Why don't you want me?"
Tilting his head, his mouth curved in disbelief, he said, "Oh, I want you alright. You know that. I just didn't want you at V3, but now that you're there, I have to make sure you don't get caught up in the FBI sting I'm running." He waited for her reaction and Dani didn't disappoint.
"You do want me? But…wait. What? FBI? Sting? What are you talking about?" she asked.
Now he rolled his eyes at her. "Dani, I told you, you weren't alone when Marshall tried to hurt you by making those tapes. I told you, I wanted to kiss you. I told you, you were beautiful. I tell you I want you every time I pop out behind a wall to surprise you. I tell you every time I tell you something about myself." He took a breath and watched her reaction. Dani's eyes had opened wide and her mouth formed an "O" shape. He would have laughed at her expression, but he had to tell her about the FBI operation. He sat down on the sofa opposite her.
"The night of the Hawks game…when Rex came out publicly, I realized that I wasn't the one you wanted. I saw you kiss Matt on the sidelines and as I turned away, I picked up my phone and called Mark Cuban and took the job in Dallas. It was all set. I put Xeno in charge of security and left. As I tossed my parking permit into the trashcan, the FBI walked up to my car. They arrested me on the spot. The charges were bogus – the wire tapping, the bribery and the 'questionable' moves I made for Marshall, but they worded them in such a way that I would have done jail time."
Dani got up and sat down next to him, but he continued looking straight ahead at her chair. "They're mainly after Troy – they feed me information a bit at a time, so I don't know what the end game is exactly. I have my hunches. The security breach? That was me making it look like a real breach. I tried to get you to quit your first day, but naturally you saved Buttons from her free-fall and made a name for yourself at V3 - again. You're too important for them to let go now. When I met with the FBI, I told them nothing happens to you. Ever. No matter what. I'd rather go to jail than see you get caught up in this mess."
Her breath caught at that emphatic statement and he looked up at her. Paloma was right – he was transparent when he looked at her! Earlier tonight, she had seen those same beautiful, expressive eyes looking at Juliette. She took his hand, "So this FBI sting was the 'personal reason' for you not going to Dallas? Not a woman?"
Nico tilted his head and gave her a smile. "There are other women?"
She leaned in to hug him. "Nico, I'm sorry you're going through this. I wish you would have turned to me earlier – saved me so many sleepless nights worrying about you. Seeing you at V3 really knocked me off-balance. But now that I know, you can count on me to forget I ever heard about it or help you any way I can. Whatever you need." She pulled out of his arms and pulled the dollar bill out of her pocket. "Here – friends, remember?"
He shook his head. "Patient confidentiality – we might need it." He took a deep breath and looked at her, "Friends? Is that all we are? Friends…about to be in-laws?"
"No." she replied. "I think we're friends…about to be lovers. Haven't you ever had that feeling, Nico, where you have something with another person, and you can't describe it, but it's undeniable? And you had to act on it or you'd just burst?"
Nico smirked and nodded. Leaning towards each other, their mouths were an inch apart and still they hesitated just like that night on her porch. But when they met this time, it was even more passionate than that first kiss. This wasn't just a one-time kiss; this one tasted of love, of promise, of a future.
They nearly jumped out of their skin when Lindsay knocked on the office door and yelled that she was done in the kitchen and heading over to Summer's to work on their project.
Dani got up to see Lindsay out the door. When she turned back, Nico was looking at something in his wallet. She walked over and saw a picture of him holding a newborn baby. "Juliette?" she questioned.
"Yes. I loved her the second I held her. I know it's early, but if she had to marry so young, I'm glad she has you for a mother-in-law. You're the best thing that ever happened to her – a role model of a real mother she never had. You heard her tonight. You saved her."
"WE saved her, Nico. And don't forget – you saved ME: the tapes, my practice, and even my sanity after we kissed. I was so dazed by all the feelings – both at me and from me. It was overload." She leaned in to kiss him again. "Come on. Let's go upstairs and get some sleep. You can tuck this tired old grandma into bed."
Nico laughed. It had her blinking to hear it. She realized it was the first time she had ever heard him laugh out loud, but now that she had, Dani hoped it was a sound she would hear every day for the rest of her life.
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Dani still couldn't believe it. Her family was sitting in the front row for the debut of a fashion line. In Milan. She could see Heidi Klum over to her right and she was fairly certain that was a Kardashian over to the left. She waved when she spotted Nico coming in the side door; the diamond ring he gave her last night flashing brilliantly in all the spotlights. Lindsay was thrilled, but they hadn't told Ray Jay and Juliette yet. They didn't want to upstage them on their big day. Behind Nico came her mother and Ray. Nico sat down next to her dropping a quick kiss on her cheek. "I found them outside. The security guy thought their passes were fake." Dani's mother sat down and eyeballed her future son-in-law. The man knew how to take care of problems; definitely handy to have around. Ray and Lindsay sat together and pulled out their cameras to compare photos of their first couple days here.
The lights went down and the crowd fell silent. Dani reached for Nico's hand and held on tight. She was so nervous - they were the first line to show since they were the new kids on the block. The curtains parted and the first model started walking the runway. The loud applause and the flash of the cameras was overwhelming. The dress was gorgeous! Model after model– the dresses, the blouses, the swimsuits, the tuxedos…every piece was perfect.
When the show was done, the designers were announced and Ray Jay and Juliette came out to a thunderous round of applause and standing ovation. She waited until it had quieted down. "I know it's unusual to wait this late to reveal our clothing line's name, but my husband and I had to wait until we found the perfect name. It's really our first baby." She rubbed her belly and everyone laughed at the play on words. "We decided to name our line after two people who mean the world to us, who love and support us unconditionally, and based on the fact that I can see a diamond ring winking at me from her left hand, love each other unconditionally. Thanks to them, we've accomplished so much in eight short months. Not only their first grandchild, but this clothing line. Without them, we'd be nothing. We love you both so much. And we hope you love the line we named after you two – DaNico."
At their words, the spotlight turned towards Dani and Nico. The kids had managed to stun them again. Nico recovered quickly; winked at them, and pulled Dani into a dip; laughing as he kissed her. He loved catching this woman off-guard and a PDA in Milan in front of the paparazzi was never going to be topped. Unless…