A/N: This may come as no surprise, but what started with an honest one-shot has turned into a few more chapters. I know. I know. I'm useless. I blame Fred. And afrozenheart a little bit too. I'd posted it with no further ideas on this, but as soon as I read her review, (and then loveisintheairforDL's too) I just knew that there were somethings I needed to finish. So here we are; there's going to be at least another chapter after this one... but then after that, your guess would be as good as mine. Fred, I'm sure will let me know in due course. In the meantime however, I hope you enjoy this one.
Huge thank you to those of you who reviewed the first chapter. I really, really appreciate the kind words! montanascreed, elja, ck, hope06, webdlfan, afrozenheart412, Daisy1966, brendanakai, 18lzytwner and LoveIsInTheAir4DL. You guys are awesome. Thank you!
Pacing back and forth, Lindsay Monroe checked her appearance for the umpteenth time. She felt like there was something just... not clicking into place. She wasn't sure why; but she just had this gut instinct. She knew that in reality, she was probably panicking over nothing and she looked fine! She'd opted for a red sweater, coupled with her fitted jeans that had tints of green to them - figuring that she'd go for a modestly festive look. She looked smart, but casual so that she'd easily blend with both dress-codes; depending on what the Messer's preference of dress was for Christmas Day.
She had her presents ready near the door, her speciality dish was wrapped up and had been placed in the cardboard box she'd 'borrowed' from the bodega just down the street, and her pecan pie was foiled up and ready to be warmed when needed... And now, she was just waiting on Danny.
She ran her fingers through her curled hair as she carefully checked her make-up. Why did she care so damn much? It wasn't as if she and Danny were dating. She had no reason to be so on edge. This was no big deal... Not a big deal at all... she was only spending Christmas with his family. She was his friend. Friends could go over to one another's house on Christmas and it not mean anything... but yet, it meant a lot to her. She grimaced; why had she said yes to this affair? She would have been more than content spending Christmas in her cosy apartment, listening to her favourite Christmas songs and watching Christmas movies until slipping into a Turkey induced coma on her couch. But oh no... Messer had to go and invite her to his parents' house and...
The buzzer abruptly cut her internal freak-out short.
"Hello?"
"Merry Christmas, Montana!" Danny's voice echoed through the static of the aged intercom. "Want me to come on up and give you a hand?"
"Ummm..."
"I'll take that as a yeah. Buzz me in," he chucked in response to her hesitance. She did so quickly and instantly cringed; he was either going to laugh his ass off at her, or kill her for going overboard. He knocked at the door and she called out to him, telling him it was open as she assessed how exactly she planned on transporting her purchases downstairs.
"Hey Mon-what the hell is all of that?" Danny implored as his eyes absorbed the mountain of wrapped gifts that sat in two gift bags on her floor. "Don't tell me that all of that is coming with us."
"Uhhh..."
"What... Just... What?" He blinked. "Montana, what are all of these?"
"Don't get mad," she began, "but I went shopping yesterday... after you called me to tell me that your mom was excited to meet me, I felt really guilty about going empty handed... So I made some food to contribute."
"Along with half of Macy's?" He snorted. "Montana... You're crazy. Are these seriously comin' with us?"
"Yeah," she blushed profusely. "Look, it looks a lot more than it actually is. It's only a few presents for your mom, dad, Louie and then something for your little cousins; it really isn't that much."
"Lindsay, my ma is gonna kill you." Danny smirked. "I'm warnin' ya now. She'll be questionin' your sanity."
"It seriously isn't much." She insisted. "Just some thoughtful things to say thank you for having me... That's all."
"The food contribution would have been more than enough, kiddo... What exactly have you made?"
"My mom's sweet potatoes and a pecan pie; will that be okay?"
"You mean the sweet potatoes that you did for Mac's Thanksgiving get together?" Danny gasped. "The ones in brown sugar and cinnamon?"
She nodded, amused with the drool practically spilling from his mouth. "Yeah, think that's gonna be okay?"
"Hell yeah!" He cried. "I dream about that taste sensation."
"Hey," she held her hands in the air, a playful glint in her eyes. "We don't judge here; whatever floats your boat, sir."
"Load me up, Montana." He rolled his eyes. "With you playin' Santa Claus it's gonna take about fifty trips... We're behind schedule as it is. Come on... Let's get a move on."
She rolled her eyes, but handed him one of her two gift bags, filled with presents. Their fingertips brushed for only a second, but she could feel the electricity pass from him, onto her. There was definitely no denying their chemistry. That much was for sure.
He gallantly accepted her gifts, and quickly swept up the second bag of gifts, earning a look of protest from Lindsay. He then proceeded to try and take the box of pre-prepared food, but she simply swatted his hand away and shook her head. He rolled his eyes in response and stood in silence as she spun around quickly, making sure that she hadn't forgotten everything, and everything was turned off that needed to be.
She nodded to him that they were good to go and went to grab her purse and keys from the kitchen counter. As she made her way over to the door where he was still standing, she let out a breath. "I think that's everything now... if I forget anything then well... tough shit I guess."
"Montana," he said, breaking their silence. "Listen, before we go..." he trailed off as he got her attention focused solely on him. "I want you to know that you look really pretty."
"I do?" she smiled softly.
He nodded. "Yeah, you do... and there's no need to be nervous."
"I'm not nervous," she scoffed, tugging her sweater down slightly to meet the waistband of her jeans.
"Sure thing," he smirked. "Except, I know you. Just relax, okay? You look nice."
She sighed. She couldn't deny him the fact that he was perceptive to her; had she not been fretting about her chosen outfit ten minutes previous? Instead of protesting any more though, she smiled softly and nodded.
"Alright," he returned the smile, "we better get goin' 'cause we're pretty late as it is." He gestured towards the hallway.
"Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah, I'm right behind you."
As she placed the food on the floor in the hallway, she let out a relieved sigh as she slipped her key into her lock. If she was completely honest, his compliment had just settled all of her fears and had filled her with a little bit of something that she just wasn't sure about; whatever it was though, filled her with excitement.
"Today, Montana!" Danny sing-songed as a way of gaining her attention; she glanced up, and realised that he was holding the elevator. She took a deep breath and bent down to pick up the box, containing her sweet potatoes and pecan pie.
Well, here we go. She thought to herself.
The drive to Danny's childhood house in Staten Island had been a pleasant one. Traffic was a little less congested than they had originally predicted, meaning that they time that they'd lost in Lindsay's apartment was made up slightly, ensuring that they got to his parents' house just on schedule.
Lindsay smiled brightly as he pulled the Avalanche into the driveway of his home; it had been exactly what she'd expected; very unassuming, worn and clearly loved. And just from the exterior of the house, she could tell that it was a home.
"Well, this is Casa a la Messer." He smirked. "Pretty sure I threw in both Spanish and French there, but whatever. Now, before we go in; just gotta warn ya. My Dad, Larry, will probably say maybe three words to you when the game is on; which will be either, move, beer or hush - don't take it personally; he'd be the same with the Queen of England."
"Right," Lindsay nodded. "Don't take offence when the game is on... wait, what game?"
Danny rolled his eyes. "He watches the Thanksgiving football game on Christmas Day; don't ask about it; we'll be here until New Years' tryin' to make sense of the logic."
"Got'cha." She smirked. "Anything else I should know?"
"My ma, Denise, will probably snap you right up into the kitchen and interrogate you. Ignore anything and everything she says. None of it is the truth."
"Suspicious, but okay." She smirked. "Anything else?"
"If my cousins' are pissin' ya off, tell them no, you don't wanna play with them; they won't take it personally – in fact, I think they need someone to say no to them; but that again is a different story. Louie should be home, but I very much doubt he'll be mingling – so don't worry about having to make small talk. Just stick with me and you should be fine, kiddo."
"Right." Lindsay nodded. "Quick question." She pursed her lips together. "Now, I don't mean to offend you..."
"Uh, okay..."
"Aren't your parents... Italian?"
"My Dad is... why?"
"Larry just isn't what I expected your Dad's name to be."
Danny snorted. "What did you expect? Fabrizio? Paolo?"
"Well, yeah actually," she blushed. "I just..."
"His real name is Lorenzo." Danny smirked. "You weren't far off, Montana."
"Ah, Larry's short for Lorenzo then?"
"You're a smart cookie; can't get shit past you, can I?" Danny licked his lips as she slugged him playfully in the arm.
"Alright wiseass," She rolled her eyes. "Anything else I should know?"
"Uhh, Cindy's comin'," he added with a slightly apologetic tone. "Her family conveniently headed off to Aspen for the holidays and left her by herself. She was fishin' for an invite until she was blue in the face so I couldn't really not ask her to come, ya know?"
"Well Danny, she is your girlfriend." Lindsay reminded him. "You don't need to explain yourself to me; honest."
"I know but... Just, don't let her make you feel uncomfortable, k? I know how she can be sometimes when she feels... threatened, shall we say?"
"Is there a reason for her to be threatened?" Lindsay asked with raised brows.
"No; but she's a little green eyed blob with two legs, so... just, take everything she says and does with a handful or two of salt."
"I must say," Lindsay smirked. "You're really selling her to me, Danny. I hope you're this complimentary about me to other people."
"Yeah well, I'm just giving you the vital tips to surviving a Messer Christmas... you ready?"
"Born ready." She grinned. "Here we go."
They stepped out of the car in sync to one another and quickly gathered Lindsay's gifts and food offerings from the back seat. Together, they managed to make it to the front door and somehow stumbled through the opened entrance; Danny announcing their arrival as he led the way.
"Danny?" A motherly voice called out, "Is Lindsay with you?"
"She sure is!"
"Merry Christmas!" A slightly deeper voice called out.
"Merry Christmas, Dad!" Danny called back in response; he turned back and offered Lindsay a reassuring smile. "I'm apologising now in advance."
Lindsay giggled softly; and her smiling face was the first thing that greeted Denise Messer; effectively giving her a first impression of Lindsay Monroe.
"Oh Danny, Merry Christmas." His mother embraced him, casting a glance to the presents he held, but not questioning them for the moment. "How was the drive?" she asked as she ran her hands up and down her son's back affectionately.
"Not too bad," he shrugged as he pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek. "Merry Christmas, Mom. Listen, this is Lindsay Monroe; she's my-"
"I know who she is, sweetie." Denise smiled as she pulled away from Danny and motioned to Lindsay. "I've heard so much about you – it's nice to finally put a pretty face to a name. Merry Christmas, sweetheart." Denise offered her a one armed hug, mindful of the box Lindsay was still holding.
Lindsay's lips were instantly stretched across her face as she responded to Denise Messer's kind words with a smile. "Merry Christmas," she returned finally. "Thank you so much for having me... I really hope that it's not too much trouble."
"Trouble? Absolutely not Lindsay," Denise shook her head adamantly. "The more the merrier in fact. What's this you've got?" She gestured to the box of food.
"Oh, it's just a little bit of a contribution." Lindsay blushed. "I didn't want to come empty handed. I hope you don't mind. It's just one of my Mom's recipes for Sweet Potatoes and a Pecan Pie for dessert. I thought that with Danny's appetite you could do with as much food as you could get your hands on."
"Oh Lindsay," Denise smiled brightly, "You really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble, but thank you. That's very sweet of you. Here, let me take it to the kitchen..." She took the box from Lindsay without a second's thought, leaving Lindsay with no time to protest her taking it from her. "Danny, get Lindsay and yourself a drink."
"Sure thing, Mom." He rolled his eyes as he followed her into the kitchen. "Say, where shall I put these?" he gestured to the gift bags he was still holding.
"What are they?" Denise asked over her shoulder as she unloaded the boxes and read over the cooking instructions Lindsay had taped to the lid of the Sweet Potatoes. "Oh Lindsay, your efficiency excites me more than it should; you can definitely come again. This smells absolutely delicious... I may have to borrow the recipe if you wouldn't mind."
"I'll write it down before I leave." She smiled.
"Uh, hi... yeah, remember me?" Danny coughed. "Where'd you want me to put these, Mom?"
"Well, what are they, Daniel?" she growled. "I asked you before, I don't see why I have to ask again."
"They're presents from Lindsay." He replied, biting his tongue with the response that he actually wanted to give.
"For you?" Denise asked, her face frowning with confusion.
"No," Danny shook his head, "For you guys, actually."
Denise turned her head to Lindsay, who was sporting a very attractive blush on her cheeks. "What's he talking about, Lindsay?"
"I..." Lindsay took a deep breath. "They're just little bits of things to say thank you and Merry Christmas. I wasn't sure who was coming exactly, so I just bought for yourself, Danny's dad, Louie and the cousins that Danny mentioned. There's a box of chocolates in there too though; I didn't want to completely disregard the others."
"Lindsay, you're absolutely insane." Denise smiled, "It's extremely sweet; but you shouldn't have. Bringing food would have been more than enough."
"Told ya," Danny smirked.
"Go put those under the tree, Danny." Denise instructed. "What time have you got to go and get... help me out, sweetheart; what's her name?"
"Cindy?" Danny implored. "About ten minutes." He said as he sulked into the living room and greeted his other relatives.
"Ugh, great." Denise muttered under her breath as Lindsay stood like a lemon in the middle of the Messer's kitchen. She took the time to absorb her surroundings and she couldn't help but smile. Oh how she and Danny had grown up in different settings. Her kitchen was one of the biggest rooms in their home; being the central point for most family gatherings with both their table and breakfast bar not making a dint in the workspace area. Danny's house didn't have the same layout; where she stood in the corner of the room by the wall was nearly on top of his mother who was stood at the stove. She couldn't help but smile affectionately at the 'Bronx Marble' he'd boasted about a few weeks ago. Or in other words, linoleum. He hadn't been joking. Even though she'd only seen the kitchen; it was obvious that Danny's childhood home had a hell of a lot of character in it.
"Montana, you wanna come with me to get Cindy?" Danny's voice broke her thoughts. "Or will ya be okay here?"
"I'm fine here, if that's okay?" Lindsay said tentatively; feeling a strange sense of ease with Denise Messer.
"Absolutely fine with me," Denise cut in. "There's no need for you to go out again, is there Lindsay?"
"As long as you're sure..." Danny stared at her. "Positive?"
Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, it's probably better you pick Cindy up anyway, right?" she said. "By yourself I mean..."
"Yeah." He sighed, "I guess you're right. I'm gonna head off now okay though... call me if they start bein' mean. And block your ears if they start tellin' you stories, k? Especially my Ma and remember what I said," he lowered his voice as he stepped closer to her and pushed her hair from her face and whispered in her ear. "All lies, Montana."
"All lies," she responded with a whisper and a smirk. "Got'cha."
"Alright," Danny sighed heavily. "I'll be back..."
"Drive safe." Denise called out. "Don't worry if you get stuck in traffic; don't rush. We're not going to be eating for at least another two hours..." She then dropped her voice so only Lindsay could catch onto her words, "So really, there's no need to get the girlfriend from hell yet, but whatever, son."
"Yep..." Danny replied, clearly not listening as he gathered up his keys and headed out of the kitchen.
All by yourself now, Lindsay. Lindsay thought to herself. Say something smart. "Do you need any help with anything, Denise?"
"Um, no thank you, you're alright sweetheart; I've got everything under control. Stay in here with me though all the same. Seen as my pathetic son couldn't manage tending to his guest, what do you want to drink? I've got juice, some soda I think... or if you're not driving, I've got beer, wine... um, I think there maybe some wine coolers in there too. Pretty sure there's some eggnog if you like that stuff. There should be some mulled wine as well. The choice is yours!"
"Mulled wine?" Lindsay implored. "I'd love some of that, if that's okay?" Lindsay smiled. As Denise broke away from the stove, Lindsay stepped forwards from her spot and shook her head. "I'll get it," she smiled. "It'll give me some use."
Denise smiled and laid a hand on Lindsay's arm and rubbed it affectionately before turning back to the stove.
Lindsay helped herself to a healthy portion of the mulled wine in the Messer's bursting refrigerator she then placed the bottle back into the fridge; she then placed the mug into the microwave to heat it up. "I really appreciate Danny inviting me over," she began as a way of conversation, as she stood by the microwave. "He's so sweet to me; he's a really nice guy. You've got a lovely son."
"Well, he thinks very highly of you." Denise smiled as Lindsay settled much closer to her than she had been previously. "He talks about you a lot."
"Really?" Lindsay blinked.
"He's got a crush on you, sweetheart." Denise turned and smiled. "He might not know it, but it's pretty obvious for everyone else. He's got it pretty bad for you; which really makes me question his sanity, because I have no idea why he's still with that... Cindy." She said with disdain.
"Would it surprise you if you're not the first person to have said that to me?" Lindsay blushed as she retrieved her mulled wine from the microwave and cradled in in her hands.
"Nope." Denise shook her head. "And I very much doubt I'll be the last." She said. "So Lindsay, tell me about Montana..."
"I just don't understand why you invited her, babycakes." Cindy whined as she folded her arms over her chest. "This was supposed to be our special Christmas."
"Cindy, I told you once alright; Lindsay's already there now so let it go." He sighed heavily.
"Fine," she huffed. "So anyway, my sister called last minute yesterday and asked me if-"
He was quickly beginning to regret agreeing to Cindy coming along to Christmas Day with his family. She was already being a pain in the ass and they hadn't even made it out of the city yet. She just... infuriated him. She'd been screwing around in her apartment, leaving him sat outside her building, pathetically honking his horn for a good fifteen minutes while she arsed around upstairs. She really did infuriate him. There was no way he was traipsing up the fifteen flights of stairs to her fancy pants apartment just to walk right back down again. He just couldn't understand why she was so difficult.
You walked up seven flights of stairs for Lindsay; what makes that any different? His inner voice questioned him; and the truth was - he wasn't sure what made it different. But it was different.
"Are you even listening to me?" She whined.
"Of course I am," he rolled his eyes. "You were tellin' me how your family just took off and left you all by yourself and how I'm your beautiful knight in shining armour for inviting you to spend the day with me." He rattled off her last five minutes worth of conversation. "You underestimate me sometimes, Cindy." He offered her a smile. Yeah, underestimate my ability to bullshit! He thought. He'd not listened to a word that she'd said; she was just so damn predictable. It was becoming clear that what he'd thought had been there really wasn't and it was time, he knew, to cut the ties with her. He just didn't know how and when to do it.
He'd been given plenty of opportunities to split up with Cindy as of late; but he'd just not taken them, and quite frankly, he wasn't too sure why that was. He glanced over to her yakking away in the passenger seat and he rolled his eyes; he couldn't deal with her for much longer. She was nice enough, but they had absolutely nothing in common other than their dedication to the bedroom department – and if he was completely honest even that wasn't particularly mind-blowing.
It was Christmas, Danny thought to himself. He was damn lucky to be spending the holidays with his girlfriend. It was their first Christmas together as a couple, and wasn't that a big thing? So why was it then, that when he looked at her, he envisioned Lindsay telling him some story about her childhood and him wanting to hang onto every word she said to him? He couldn't understand why he couldn't think of anyone but the woman currently bonding with his mother in his childhood home.
Except that was a lie and he knew exactly why he couldn't think of anyone but her. He liked her; probably a lot more than he was willing to admit. But denial, for the time being was his safe haven... until he got himself out of the current mess that was his relationship with Cindy.
Hearing the front door open, Lindsay swallowed her anxiety. Danny really hadn't given her much hope of getting along with Cindy by the way that he'd described her; but she was Lindsay Monroe, and she'd be damned if she couldn't get along with her friend's girlfriend.
"We're in the living room, Danny." Denise called out, before shifting towards Lindsay on the sofa, "Here we go, huh?" she whispered in her ear.
"Everyone, this is Cindy." Danny announced to the room as Cindy curled herself into Danny and offered a fake smile to the room; making very little eye-contact.
"Lovely to meet you, Merry Christmas." Denise smiled from her place on the sofa; Lindsay could feel the difference between her meeting with Denise, and Cindy's and she couldn't help but wonder whether Danny had noticed it too.
"Hi there," Cindy flashed her a smile. "You have a lovely little home."
Denise returned the smile, despite the tenseness in her body Lindsay could feel from sitting next to her. "Well thank you; can I get you anything?"
"No, that won't be necessary." Cindy smirked. "I have my little servant Danny here, don't I, babycakes?"
Now, Lindsay understood Cindy's comment as a playful joke; but cringed regardless as Denise sat up on the couch and blinked; obviously astounded by the comment and not seeing the playfulness in it. It had been a little... tasteless; and not exactly the best time to crack a joke when relations weren't that good to begin with.
Denise licked her lips and glanced quickly at Lindsay. "Is there anything you need refrigerating Carly?"
"Um my name is actually Cindy and no... should there be?" She cast a glance to Danny.
"Oh no," Denise shook her head. "It's just that Lindsay brought some things to contribute, so I just wanted to make sure that anything you might have brought could have been dealt with accordingly, but apparently not."
Cindy licked her lips and turned to face Danny with a scowl on her face. "Danny didn't mention to me about bringing anything..."
"He didn't say anything to Lindsay either," Denise snipped. "But never mind; can I get you both a drink? Dinner should only be about fifteen minutes now. Lindsay, would you like to come and help in the kitchen?"
"Ma," Danny cleared his throat as he stared pointedly at his mother as she left the room abruptly, while Lindsay stood from the couch.
"Danny, it's fine..." Lindsay shook her head. "You and Cindy probably could do with a little time to spend together. It's your first Christmas together after all... don't worry." She said as she approached them. "It's nice to finally meet you by the way," she smiled. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Mhm," Cindy nodded, offering the fake smile of her's again. "I can say the same... You're prettier than Danny let on, actually."
Seeing that as her cue to disappear, Lindsay made her way into the kitchen and shut the door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, getting Denise's attention. "What the hell is he doing? I thought we were friends, but honestly... she's horrible!" she paused. "I think I've lost a little respect for him. What is he doing with her?" Lindsay implored. "I mean, she's just plain... horrible."
"Sweetheart, I'm asking myself the same damn thing."
The door opened abruptly, and in the frame stood a furious Danny. He quickly entered the kitchen and shut the door. He wasted no time in resuming the scowl, directed at his mother. "Mom, what the hell? Why'd you do that?"
"I just wondered whether..."
"Nah, knock that off Ma, I know what you were doin'... tryin' to make her all riled up. This is just as awkward for me as it is for you guys, okay? Not to mention you've put Montana in a really awkward position."
"Why? Because she's had a better upbringing than that little-" Denise trailed off. "Christmas... it's Christmas. Time and place, Denise... time and place." She muttered to herself before facing her son properly. "How about you get her a drink?"
"She doesn't want one." He scoffed. "Look, just... let's get this over with, k? I don't want her here just as much as you don't, but-"
"Well, why the hell is she here then?" Denise implored. "Because I sure as hell didn't invite her! She's your girlfriend Danny."
"Yeah, I know that... just, let's leave it for now okay? She won't stay long, trust me."
"Fine by me!" Denise snapped. "I can pack up her dessert and she can have it on the road for all I care. You know Danny; I have better things to be doing than to be cooking all day."
"Nobody said that you had to do it!" he growled.
"Who else would have? You?" Denise countered. "Yeah, right."
Lindsay cleared her throat nervously and offered the two raging Messer's a smile. "Listen, I know this isn't my place, but the last thing that either of you need is an argument today. All of your family is together and it's a time to celebrate. Put issues and... certain other things to one side for today. Cindy is probably feeling really nervous about meeting you all and just wants to make a good impression..."
"Yeah," Denise snorted. "I appreciate the effort Lindsay, but that girl..."
"Mom!" Danny implored. "Just for today." He sighed. "Linds is tryin' really hard here..."
"Fine," she scoffed. "But you and I need to have a conversation about your taste in women, Danny; because that in there – will not be my daughter in law. I'll tell you that right now."
"Oh for... I give up." Danny growled as he turned on his heel and stormed out of the kitchen.
"I'll... be back." Lindsay cringed as Denise let out a small expletive.
Hot on Danny's tail, Lindsay followed him as he headed outside and slammed the door. She grabbed both her's and his' jackets and re-opened the door and followed him out. She sighed heavily as she watched him kick a small stone from the porch across the small front lawn. She silently handed him his jacket, coupled with a smile before putting her own on.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Montana." He sighed heavily. "And I'm sorry that you were awkwardly put into the middle of that; with my Mom's dig about the whole bringin' stuff. She's just pissed off, ya know? I hardly blame her. She's done all this and Cindy was just... well. And then you were a sweetheart and brought all of this stuff. Makes ya wonder, doesn't it?"
"It's you I feel sorry for," Lindsay began, "Not me... I can go home after this; you're the one being tugged in fifteen different directions."
"I kinda wish I'd listened to you," he said as he sat himself on the top step where Lindsay quickly followed suit and sat next to him. "You know, split up with her; all this would'a been a lot easier if I had."
"It hasn't been the right time to do it yet," Lindsay shrugged. "Just give her a chance, okay? She's bound to be so nervous. I mean, you saw how I was... enough to comment on it; and I'm only here as your friend. She's meeting her potential future in-laws on Christmas. That's a lot to deal with."
"What's it with everyone marryin' us off? Who says I'd marry her anyway?"
"Well, just hypothetically." Lindsay reasoned. "I mean surely she's not usually like this, is she?"
Danny thought for a second and shook his head, "Sad thing is Montana, she is usually like this... and I brought her here, hopin' she'd act out so that I'd have a legit excuse to end things. Is that bad?"
Lindsay sighed as she scooted closer to him and zipped her jacket up as she began to feel the cold wind. "Well, I don't know what to tell you, bub. It looks like you've answered your own question there, doesn't it?"
"Bub?" Danny glanced towards her with raised brows and an amused look on his face. "That's... new."
She punched him lightly. "What I will say is try to be nice to your Mom; the fact that you know she's right must make this really hard... but she's only being like this because she cares and she doesn't want to see you unhappy."
"Who said I was unhappy?"
"It's written all over your face." Lindsay said as she reached out and touched his cheek. "Just go easy on her, okay. I know it's rich coming from me, considering that I've known her for ten minutes, but she really does care and it's not being done out of spite."
His hand went up to where she'd cupped his cheek and he ran his thumb over her soft hands. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he moved closer to her, closing the gap between them. He could feel the bubbling in the pit of his stomach that told him he was about to do something, probably bad; but right now, he thought that it would bring him the answer he desperately needed.
His lips gently captured her's as he pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her waiting lips. He pulled away and looked towards her apologetically, and just as she was about to lean forward and catch his; they heard the screen door open. They abruptly pulled away from one another and turned to face their new companion; seeing that it was Danny's mother, the both of them tensed slightly. Lindsay had to ignore the guilt that was rapidly rising through her gut and Danny fought the red from his cheeks.
"Dinner's almost ready." She said softly, a look on her face that told the both of them she knew exactly what had just happened. "Everyone else is taking their seats; take your time out here though. I just wanted to let you know."
"Montana was just giving me a little bit of advice." Danny said as he stood and pulled Lindsay to her feet. They began their short walk back inside the house, and Lindsay slipped inside quickly but Denise stopped her son and let the door shut before he could slip in behind Lindsay.
"What'cha doin'?" he implored. "I thought dinner was almost ready?"
"You've got lipgloss on your lips, son." She said as she swiped away the sticky, sparkly remnants of Lindsay's gloss. "You're quickly digging yourself a grave here with the both of them. I knew exactly what was going on out here, and the lipgloss just confirms it. Don't do this to Lindsay; and as much as it pains me to say it, don't do it to Cindy either. Don't make Lindsay the other woman, and don't humiliate Cindy. I don't take kindly to you doing that under my roof, so before anything else happens – you decide who you want to be with, and what you need to do in order to get that; because let me tell you: they're not going to stick around for very long while you figure that out. Understood?"
Danny nodded; his mother's stern words had been exactly what he needed to hear. "Understood," he replied simply. "Thanks Ma. And I'm sorry."
"Just make the right decision, Danny. Don't hurt the one that means more to you just because you're scared."
With that, Denise headed back inside the house, leaving Danny alone with his thoughts.
Dun, dun, dun! Who's Danny going to choose? Honestly, this story was nothing like I originally planned it to be... but I hope that you're enjoying the direction it's going in nonetheless. I also hope that you guys liked Denise, out of all the parents I've written for DL, I'm especially fond of her... so yeah.
And with that, I'm off to bed now for an early night before my birthday celebrations commence in the morning. 21. I'm catching on now. haha! Thanks for reading folks, hope you enjoyed.
