Danny just sat quietly on the bed while Lacey was still asleep. He didn't know how she'd take what he had to tell her. She was already a little on edge about jo, and now he had to tell her this. He was seriously starting to hate Jo. She was costing him and the woman he loved too many problems. Unnecessary problems. Jo almost cost him his chance with Lacey. And now this. He didn't even understand what she was doing there. And why she thought it was ok to come into Lacey's house that way. Unless that's something she did all the time. Best friends are known to enter their friend's house whenever they felt the need. But somehow, he didn't believe that. Danny prayed that Lacey wouldn't blame him. He couldn't believe Jo saw him naked. And while he isn't at all shy or embarrassed about his body, he doesn't want his girlfriend's friend seeing him naked. Especially one that wanted him and lied about sleeping with him. He hated that that scene had even took place.

Danny just sat and watched Lacey sleep. He admired how beautiful she was. He could seriously get used to waking up next to her everyday. He hoped this wouldn't cause him to lose her. Even though the only thing he did wrong was walk downstairs in the nude. He didn't expect to have someone catch him. He noticed that Lacey started to stir. He hoped she wouldn't think it was creepy that he was watching her sleep. He felt happiness when he noticed that she reached her arm out to feel for him. That made him happier than she would ever know. He just remembered how she kept running away from him and turning him down, now she was searching for him in her sleep. Life couldn't get any better for him. However, things could possibly get worse when Lacey fully woke up and he told her what just happened in her house.

Lacey finally opened her eyes fully and smiled when she saw him. "Sorry for completely tapping out on you, I was more sleepy than I realized." Lacey says.

"It's ok. We didn't get much sleep last night." Danny says as he rubs her cheek with his hand.

"Yeah, and I still blame that completely on you." Lacey says as she grabs the hand he's rubbing on her face.

"You can blame me all you want. I won't apologize for not being able to get enough of you. But, all of that aside, I have to tell you something." Danny says while his hand is still on her face. He watches sadly as the smile disappears from her face and she removes her hand from touching his.

"Tell me what?" Lacey asks in a indeterminable tone.

"You had a visitor while you were asleep." Danny says.

Lacey racks her brain quickly thinking of a visitor she could have had that would make Danny feel like he needs to tell her something. She thinks she knows who it was. "Let me guess, Jo?" Lacey guesses correctly.

"Yes." Danny says.

"Was she surprised to see you here?" Lacey asks.

"I think it's safe to say she was surprised to see me here." Danny says.

Lacey looks at him funny. "What did she say?" Lacey asks.

"It's not really what she said, it's what she did." Danny says.

Lacey closes her eyes and exhales sharply. "What did she do?" Lacey asks, clearly not ready to hear something crazy her friend may have done.

Danny tries to choose his words carefully. "Well, she let herself in and she caught me like this." Danny says. He's still completely naked.

Lacey jerks her head back as she looks at Danny with anger in her eyes. "She what?" Lacey questions harshly.

"I ran downstairs to get my bag and she was coming through the door. It was too late for me to cover myself up. I'm pretty sure she saw everything. She apologized and left." Danny says.

"Why in the hell was she coming into my house without my permission?" Lacey asks out loud even though the question really isn't for Danny.

"I wondered why too. It's obvious she used a key. You're not mad at me for walking downstairs undressed, are you?" Danny wonders.

"No. You have permission to walk around like that. This is my house, and I can have my guests do as I please in my house. I don't like that she saw you naked though." Lacey says.

"Me neither." Danny admits honestly. Suddenly Lacey jumps out of the bed and heads to her bathroom. He hears water running and thinks nothing of it until Lacey comes out and starts to get dressed. "What are you doing?" Danny asks.

"I'm going to go and pay Jo a visit." Lacey says.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Danny asks.

Lacey smiles at him strangely. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" Lacey asks as she steps into her jeans.

"Because even though you're trying to hide it, I can tell that you're upset." Danny says.

"You're right, I am upset. I need to know why she thinks it's ok for her to enter my house unannounced and uninvited with the key that she's only supposed to use in case of emergency." Lacey says.

"So her coming in here isn't a regular thing?" Danny asks.

"No, it's not. But it makes me wonder whether she has come in here without my knowledge before." Lacey says as she walks into her closet to put her shoes on. She comes back out and walks over to the bed. She kisses Danny on his lips. "I'll be back soon." Lacey says.

"I'll be waiting." Danny says as he settles comfortably in Lacey's bed.

Lacey drove to Jo's house completely pissed off. She hoped that she would get over her anger by the time she reached her house. She couldn't believe her relationship with her best friend had come to this. They had been so close, and now they were like strangers, frienemies even. Lacey really had to get to the bottom of why Jo came to her house and entered it without her permission. Lacey was extremely angry and desperately needed to calm down and cool off before she said something that she might later regret.

Lacey had many thought blazing through her mind. But the main thing that perplexed her was the way she felt about the fact that Jo had seen Danny naked. She was already interested and had a thing for him. Lacey feared that would increase after her seeing him undressed. Seeing Danny in the nude did something to Lacey, and she had been with him. Danny's body was absolutely gorgeous. He was built like a greek god. Better than a greek god actually. She felt like he had been carved just for her.

By the time Lacey reached Jo's house, she was not as upset. She was still pretty mad though, but no longer felt a sense of rage. Lacey was glad she saw Jo's car parked in front of her house. She was glad that Jo was at home so that they could clear the air and get out whatever it was that they needed to do to mend their frazzled friendship. But truth be told, Lacey was really starting to see a side of Jo that she didn't like. She has turned a blind eye and made excuses for Jo's behavior for too long. It was high time Jo was held accountable for her actions, and not have people justify them or make it seem like the things that she did were really ok when they weren't.

Lacey rang Jo's doorbell instead of pounding on the door like she really wanted to. Maybe she should show Jo the same courtesy and enter Jo's house unexpectedly like Jo just did to her. Lacey pretended not to notice the frown that appeared on Jo's face when she realized it was her at her door. Jo opened the door and threw a fake smile on her face.

"Hello Lacey. What brings you by?" Jo asks in a seemingly nice tone, but Lacey isn't buying it.

Lacey breezes past her. "You can cut the act, Jo. We both know why I'm here." Lacey says.

"I guess we do." Jo says.

"I need to know why you thought it would be ok to come past my house unannounced and uninvited? And I need to know why you felt the need to enter my house without my permission, with the key that is only supposed to be used for emergency purposes only? Why did you feel you had the right to do that?" Lacey asks a barrage of questions.

"I came past because we needed to talk and you were ignoring me. Had I known you had company, I wouldn't have bothered coming by." Jo says. She spits out the word company like it tasted foul in her mouth.

"So that's what this is all about, right? You're upset about the company I have. Is that correct?" Lacey accuses.

"I'm not upset about your company." Jo lies. "Who you have as company at your house is your business." Jo says.

"And it would have remained my business, had you not come into my house like you lived there." Lacey says.

"I didn't expect to come into your house expecting to find him like that." Jo says, almost in disgust.

"Like that? Like what? Naked, nude, undressed, in the buff? Come on, Jo. We're adults. You have had sex before. You know what happens." Lacey says.

"Could you just stop talking about Danny being naked and you two having sex please?" Jo asks painfully.

"Why? Because you don't like that I had sex with Danny or because you liked what you saw?" Lacey asks.

"That's not it at all." Jo lies. Of course it's about that.

"Then what is it then?" Lacey asks.

"Look, I get it. You felt the need to take a guy that you knew I was interested in." Jo says.

"And there it is. You feel like I took Danny away from you, don't you?" Lacey asks.

"Come on Lacey. We all know I saw him first." Jo says to her defense.

"Well, you win the award for seeing him first. Congratulations. Now, do we need to discuss what I did first?" Lacey asks.

Jo frowns in disgust. "That won't be necessary." Jo says. "I saw him. It's clear what you did first."

"You are unbelievable. You really have the audacity to be upset right now?" Lacey asks incredulously.

"How would you feel if I just stole a guy that was rightfully yours?" Jo asks.

"You're being ridiculous. All you did was see him first. But he happened to be interested in me. It happens. You really need to stop taking this wounded animal and victim role so seriously. You really need to let it go." Lacey says.

"How can I let it go when I feel like you stabbed me in the back?" Jo asks, further proclaiming her status as the one that was hurt in this entire situation.

"Oh my god, Jo! I didn't stab you in the back! You just saw him first. He wasn't interested in you. It happens. Let it go!" Lacey explodes.

"He would have been interested had you not swooped in and got him to fall for you. And now I see why." Jo says smugly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lacey asks, though she already knows. She just wants to hear Jo say it.

"Well, you've got to admit it is pretty fast for you to be sleeping with him and him walking around your house naked." Jo accuses.

"Would it have been fast if he wanted to sleep with you and was over here naked, instead of at my house?" Lacey asks.

"I don't have to answer that." Jo says. "Besides, I didn't have sex with him. You did." Jo says in a nasty tone.

"You're right. I did have sex with him. And of course you don't have to answer that. I already know the answer. You were willing to have sex with him after what you thought was a date, though. I do need to know why you lied to me about sleeping with my boyfriend in the first place."

Jo jerks her head in disbelief. "Boyfriend?" Jo asks.

"Yeah, boyfriend. Now answer my question. I feel I have the right to know why you went out of your way to lie to me about sleeping with him. That was a lousy thing to do." Lacey says.

"I guess it was just wishful thinking. I thought that eventually he would want to sleep with me and it would be true. And it could have been. If you didn't run and tell him what I said." Jo says accusingly.

"I didn't run and tell him anything. And I assumed he already knew, since I believed you. And I only said something because he kept pursuing me and I didn't want to betray you." Lacey admits honestly.

"Why didn't you just stay away from him? Why didn't you just tell him that you couldn't betray your best friend?" Jo asks, sounding dangerously close to crying.

"First of all, I tried to stay away from him. But we have to work together. Second, do you not remember me trying to set you two up? And third, I did tell him that. But the fact remains true, that he wasn't or isn't interested in you. And I think he told you that. Why is it so hard for you to believe that a man would choose me over you?" Lacey asks.

"I'm done talking about this. You have a decision to make. It's either me or him. Take your pick." Jo says as she folds her arms across her chest.

"You're joking, right?" Lacey asks.

"No, I'm not joking. You need to choose between me and him." Jo says defiantly.

"You really want me to choose between you two? As long as we've been friends? You would just throw our friendship away like that?" Lacey asks.

"I'm not throwing away anything. Our friendship lies in your hands." Jo says.

"Why would you ask me to do that? I have room in my life and my heart for both of you. Do you not want to see me happy?" Lacey asks.

"It's not about not wanting to see you happy." Jo lies. It is exactly about that. Misery truly does love company. "It shouldn't be a hard choice for you to make. You've known me for almost twenty years. You've known him two days." Jo exaggerates. She's clearly laying a huge guilt trip on Lacey, totally relying on the fact that Lacey has always been a true and loyal friend to her. Until now.

Lacey walks up to Jo to give her a hug as a tear falls down her cheek. "I'm sorry, it had to come to this, Jo. I wish our friendship meant more to you than it does. I'm not choosing him over you, but I really don't see how we can remain friends after this. I wish you a lifetime of happiness, even if you don't wish that for me." Lacey says as she leaves her former best friend's house.

Nothing Lacey said mattered at all to Jo. All she heard was that Lacey chose Danny over her. She completely failed to see that she was totally wrong in all of this.

Lacey had a surreal drive home. She actually cried about having to walk away from a life long friendship. She just didn't understand her best friend not wanting to see her happy. Lacey was more than willing to sacrifice her happiness for Jo, and it hurt her deeply to know that she wouldn't do the same. She hated that some would think she chose a man over her best friend, when that wasn't the case at all. Lacey loved and cared about her friends, and wanted to see them happy. She even tried to get Jo with Danny, though it hurt her to do so. She would have stepped back, and did for Jo, if it meant that she would be happy with Danny. It just didn't pan out that way. Neither woman had taken Danny's feelings into consideration at all. They both pretty much chose for him.

Jo relied heavily on her assumptions that Danny would want her and also be attracted to her like she to him. She let her conceited and self-absorbed nature take over and think that there would be no way he would not be attracted to her. Jo thought she was beautiful, and to some she is. Her looks were irrelevant to Danny because in his eyes, and in lots of others, Lacey was the most beautiful woman in the world. Jo thought her blonde hair and blue eyes would really matter to Danny, and they didn't. It worked for Rico though. He thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. That however, didn't matter to Jo. She only cared about what she wanted. Her selfishness was one of her many bad qualities.

Lacey still felt bad though. She had to let her best friend go. What could that mean for her and Danny? Could she really in a happy relationship with him? Could she live with herself knowing that let her best friend of almost twenty years go because Jo couldn't accept it? Was Lacey really going to be that kind of woman? She never thought she would be. She stated from the very beginning that she wouldn't let a man come between her and Jo. And it didn't have to be that way. If Jo could just get over herself, and see that her friend was happy with a man who wanted her and she felt the same way. It will never be Lacey's fault that Danny doesn't see Jo the way that he saw Lacey. But Jo blamed her. Jo wrongfully blamed Lacey because Danny liked Lacey instead of her. And somewhere in that crazy mind of hers, she blamed Danny too. She blamed him for being too blind to see what was standing right in front of him. But he did see what was right in front of him, and that was Lacey. Lacey had many good qualities. Her worst was that she was a people pleaser. Though her people pleasing skills didn't mean much in this scenario. Had she done what Jo wanted and pleased her by giving her what she wants, Lacey would be miserable. And she was not willing to be miserable for Jo any more. She had already experienced that, and didn't like the way it made her feel.

For the second time in her life, she had to walk away from someone who she cared deeply about. LIke when she had to walk away from Archie. It hurt her to do that, but she had no other choice. They wanted completely different things. Breaking up with Archie and moving on with her life was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. It was a brutal decision that she agonized over for a while. She only had two questions she had to ask herself. Could she really go the rest of her lie, and not have the one thing that she truly wanted, and that was to be a mother? Or did she give up her dream and stay with a man even though his dream didn't match hers? In the end, Lacey chose her happiness over Archie's. He tried to convince her that maybe he'd feel differently in the future. But Lacey knew better. She knew he was just placating her by telling her what she wanted to hear. Lacey ultimately realized that two people who seriously want different things couldn't be together, no matter how much they loved each other. Leaving Archie really hurt Lacey. She remembered how Jo was the main friend to help her get through it. Clara did too, but she was younger then, and really didn't understand. She was just there for Lacey nonetheless. It took Lacey a long time to get over it, but she got there. She dated a few men, but she really didn't feel anything for any of them. Most just wanted to get her into bed, or just wanted a pretty accessory to show off. Lacey isn't an accessory.

And in walks Danny. Who just breezed into her life. And in a short time span, made her happy. Happier than she ever dreamed. She hated that her happiness with him seemed to come with a price. Why did it have to be all or nothing with Jo? Why was she being so difficult? Lacey realized that without a doubt, her best friend wasn't the woman she thought she was. The way she just asked Lacey to choose. Who does that? But Lacey realized that Jo was again trying to manipulate her. Jo really thought she would choose her. Lacey decided to choose herself for once. A true friend would not ask a person to choose them over happiness. Lacey realized and understood that. She understood that Jo wasn't as genuine as she believed her to be. And that hurt Lacey more than she would ever admit. It felt like a part of her died.

Lacey pulled up in front of her house and tried to get herself composed as best as possible before she went back into the house. She realized it was pointless because she had to have a discussion with Danny about it, and knew she'd probably get upset again. She walked into the house to a waiting Daisy. Lacey knew that Daisy sensed she was upset because of the way she kept rubbing up against and criss crossing through her legs. Lacey bent down to pick her up.

"Hi Daisy. You must know that I'm upset, huh?" Lacey asks as she walks through the house to the kitchen. Daisy seems to answer her by rubbing her head against Lacey's cheek. Lacey sat down on the stool and just rubbed Daisy until she started to feel better. She put Daisy down to feed her and retreated to her bedroom. She found Danny under the covers, watching tv. She instantly felt better just seeing him. He turned off the tv and smiled at her.

"How did it go?" Danny asks.

"Terribly." Lacey says as she walks into her closet to remove her shoes. Once she's back, Danny asks another set of question.

"Why did it go terribly? What happened?" Danny asks.

"Well, I don't have a best friend anymore. What does that tell you?" Lacey asks as her voice starts to crack.

Danny just opens his arms up to her and she climbs in the bed and rests her head on his chest. "Tell me everything that happened. Why isn't Jo your friend anymore?" Danny asks.

"Well, she says she came in because I was ignoring her and we needed to talk. And she still insists that I stole you from her. Then she pretty much called me a slut for sleeping with you." Lacey says. She's exhausted from saying that and she isn't even finished yet.

"You didn't steal me from her. Even if there was no you, I still wouldn't want her. And how can she call you a slut when she threw herself at me and offered to have sex with me? Is she really that pathetic?" Danny asks, although he already knows how pathetic Jo is.

"I asked her pretty much the same thing. And then she told me I had to choose between you and her." Lacey says.

"She didn't." Danny states.

"She did." Lacey responds.

"So, you're here with me, and you say she's no longer your friend. I don't like that you chose me over her, Lacey. I don't want to come between you two." Danny replies honestly.

"Danny, I don't mean to say it like this, but I didn't choose you over her. I chose me over her. I finally understand that she doesn't want to see me happy. I'm choosing happiness over her. You just happen to be a part of what makes me happy." Lacey admits truthfully.

"Well, I'm glad that you made the decision to choose to be happy. And I'm happy that you're happy. I still don't like that you had to lose your oldest friend in order to be happy." Danny says.

"I thank you for that. I really do. I never thought my friend would want to see me miserable. But you do realize that you're sort of stuck with me, right?" Lacey asks.

"I can live with being stuck with you, Lacey. I'm sticking around until I no longer make you happy." Danny says.

"We are still going on our date, right? I feel like we're not doing anything in order." Lacey jokes.

"Yes, we are. But I think doing things out-of-order might be our signature thing. So we should have a baby, then get married." Danny jokes.

Lacey sits up and looks at him. She already knows his plans, but she needs to be absolutely sure. "You do want kids, right?" Lacey asks hopefully.

"You already know the answer to that, Lacey." Danny says.

"I know. I just need clarity." Lacey responds.

"Yes, I want kids. And I'm not just saying it to say it. I really mean it." Danny says.

Lacey's face lights up. "Good. That's one thing I needed to confirm." Lacey says.

"Ok. What else do you need to know?" Danny asks.

"Where are you taking me on our date?" Lacey asks excitedly.

"We can just do dinner tonight, and then really do something tomorrow. How does that sound?" Danny suggests.

"Perfect. We need to get ready then." Lacey says as she hops out the bed and starts to undress. "You are joining me, right?" Lacey asks once she's fully undressed.

"Absolutely." Danny says as he gets out of the bed and follows her into the bathroom. They showered together and made love passionately against the shower wall. It was a declaration of love without words. The couple finished their lovemaking and shower, and then left the bathroom to dress for their date.

Lacey walked into her closet to search for something sexy to wear. She poked her head out of the closet door. "What color should I wear?" Lacey asks Danny.

"I think you'd look good in whatever color you wear." Danny answers honestly.

Lacey puts on a fake grin. "You're not helping." Lacey says.

"Ok. How about red? I've never seen you wear red." Danny says.

"Red it is." Lacey says as she disappears back into her closet. She finds a short red dress with black lace accents on the back. She pairs it with black stiletto Christian Louboutin shoes. She dresses inside her closet to surprise Danny. When she walks out, she twirls around. "What do you think?" Lacey asks as she smiles at Danny.

Danny is literally speechless. She looks stunning. "Lacey, I don't think you should have put that dress on." Danny says.

Lacey frowns in disappointment. "You don't like this dress?" Lacey asks.

"I love the dress, but I think you should have worn something else if you wanted to actually leave the house." Danny says.

"I'm not following you." Lacey says.

Danny walks towards her. "You look so good in that dress, I just want to rip it off of you." Danny says as he pecks her lips.

"You can take, not rip it off of me later." Lacey says as she finally takes in Danny's appearance. He's wearing dark blue jeans, a white button down shirt, and black blazer. His hair being down makes him look even more sexy. "You look pretty snazzy yourself, Danny." Lacey says.

"Thanks, but I'm sure all eyes will be on you." Danny says.

"On us. There isn't a couple alive hotter than us." Lacey jokes. She just might right. Danny and Lacey are two incredibly attractive people. "I just have to put my makeup on and I'll be ready to go." Lacey says.

"Ok. I'll wait downstairs." Danny says as he leaves the room.

Lacey puts on her makeup, grabs her purse, and heads downstairs. She finds Danny on the couch with Daisy sitting in his lap. "Ready?" Lacey asks. They leave Lacey's house and head to dinner in Danny's car with him driving. And Lacey was right. All eyes were on them as they walked down the street to the restaurant. Lacey grabs Danny's hand and smiles up at him. "You do know that I love you, right?" Lacey asks. She can't believe she met him only days ago. But it seemed like a lifetime ago. And she really did love him.

"Yes. You do know that I love you, right?" Danny counters as he smiles at the woman he truly loves.

"Yes. How could you not?" Lacey says jokingly as she nudges him and grabs his hand tighter.

She's right. How could he not love her? Danny asks himself as they continue to walk down the street.

The End

Ha ha. Just kidding! :)