Never Too Late for Love?

Ch 3

She was very tempted to give into Daniel's suggestion, and eventually, Betty agreed to go somewhere more private with him but said it was only polite to at least say goodbye to his mother first.

"Fine! But let me come with you, okay? I should tell my mother I'm leaving her party, too, don't you think?"

As he planted a smile on his face, with his arm comfortably on the back of her waist, she glanced up, "You're really going to embarrass me, aren't you?"

He shrugged, making a face, as he smirked, "Probably. I'd normally say I plan on embarrassing the hell out of my mom, but…well, you have MET my mother. She's pretty impossible to get a reaction out of!"

She nodded, "Oh, I'm well aware! I'll never forget the first time I met Claire, she flashed me at the spa! Twice! Front and back!"

He made a face, "God, stop, please! That's not something I EVER want to talk about or think of-my mother anything other than fully clothed!"

They both laughed, and Daniel slid his arm down to clasp her hand in his. They glanced down at their hands, then Daniel stopped and blew out a breath, "I'm really glad you came, Betty!" He reached up and placed his other hand on her cheek, then leaned forward to kiss her softly.

As they stood, facing one another, he leaned his forehead against hers, and put both hands on her shoulders, "This has taken us…way too long! I'm so sorry I didn't…"

She shook her head, sniffing back a tear, "Stop! Daniel, this was both of our faults! We're both way too stubborn and…STUPID and proud and…"

"Prejudice?" he teased, remembering full well that was one of her favorite Jane Austen stories.

She rolled her eyes, hitting his chest gently, "Right! Whatever! You're just teasing me, I know! ANYWAY, Mr. Darcy!"

"Mr. who? I know it's been a long time, Betty. But my last name is actually Meade! Remember? Daniel Meade."

She shoved him again, "Shut up! You're so silly!"

He took her hand off his chest and kissed it, "Yep. You've got my number. And YOU, young lady, are totally adorable when you get all…flustered like that! So, as soon as we blow this popsicle stand, you wanna go to my place, drink wine, make love and read sexy poetry to each other, naked in my jacuzzi?"

"You have a jacuzzi? Since when? Oh, you moved, right? I forgot."

He laughed, rolling his eyes, "I talk about us FINALLY making love, being naked together, reading x-rated poetry and drinking wine and all you focus on is my address and my furniture?"

She blushed again, "Well, I…didn't really know what else of all that to react to!"

He laughed, shaking his head, and boring a hole through her with those freaking blue eyes of his, "Okay…so, I know it's been a while, but let me see if I can translate that into 'Betty-speak'. I personally choose to focus on the very exciting fact that, if I'm not mistaken, you did NOT say NO to my very explicit suggestion for this evening's activities! Did I get that part right?"

She took a deep breath, nodding as she kept her gaze locked on his, "Mmhmm…yes, you did."

His eyes lit up and he grabbed her hand, kissed it, then pulled her along quickly, "We have an actual YES, even! Well, then, what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go say see you later alligator to my mom and get out of here, Miss Suarez!"

Claire's smiled as her middle son and his "best friend" practically knocked over a Senator in their haste to speak to her. She stifled a laugh, wondering what exactly they were up to, "Hello, there, you two! I see you finally managed to find one another! How was everything? Did you both get something to eat? Did you mingle and meet some of my friends from when I was in the 'big house'? Let's see, there's Sami and Rosita. Betty, I believe you met Yoga!"

Betty nodded, "Oh, right! You two were hiding in my closet!"

Daniel looked at both women, seeming slightly puzzled, but merely shrugged, "Okay, sure…whatever! So, yeah, listen, Mom. We just wanted to say, um, congratulations, and we love you and oh, you were right! About everything, of course! Because you're my Mom and Mothers are ALWAYS right and um…what else? Oh, yeah, THANK YOU! I love you very much and so does Betty. Is that it, Betty? Anything else you wanna tell my mom before I kidnap you and tie you to my bed?"

She blushed slightly at Daniel's silly joking and trying to rush them out the door, rolling her eyes, as she pulled away from him. She turned and hugged her host, "Of course, we love you, Claire! And we're SO happy for you! You have been the best mentor I could have ever asked for and I'm so grateful for everything you've helped me with and how you've always been there for me over the years! You gave me my first writing assignment and you really believed in me before anyone!

I'm so thrilled that you are ready to 'sail off into the sunset' with Tom and travel around the world. It's like when you encouraged me to travel and learn about new places and new people to broaden my horizons so I would be a more interesting writer. I still want to be just like you!"

Claire smiled, "Oh, Betty dear! Thank you! That's the sweetest compliment I could ever receive! Daniel…well, you're just a very lucky boy, that's all I can say! Do I want to know why you seem in such a hurry to leave suddenly? It's not every day I retire, you know!"

He looked literally in pain, so she relented, laughing at him and rolling her eyes, as she hugged him, and shook her head, patting him on the back, "Good lord, Daniel, get out of here, will you, before you explode? Goodbye, Betty, dear! Thank you so much for coming here today and for …making my son so happy after all this time! I suppose you two had better get busy on those grandkids before I'm too old to enjoy them!"

Betty's eyes widened in shock at her words, as Daniel merely rolled his eyes, leaning back to kiss Claire on the cheek, "No problem-o, Mom!"

As soon as they got outside, Betty stopped short, almost causing Daniel to run into her it was so sudden.

He raised his eyebrows inquisitively, "Is everything okay? What's up?"

She gestured with open hands, "What's UP? What was THAT all about with your mom just now? No problem-o? I mean, trust me, I get how dry your mother's humor can be. But she WAS kidding, right?"

He laughed, scrubbing his face and shrugging, "The thing about her …wanting 'grandkids' I assume you mean? Come on, Betty! You know how she is! She's nuts! Like literally…crazy sometimes! I love her, but the woman is "legally insane", as she likes to remind us all whenever she asks or says something particularly ridiculous! I mean, she IS over seventy now, too, so…you know….Although, I think she's actually a lot more with it than she acts, really.

She often goes for the shock factor. You know that's how she's always been! But it's true, the older she gets the more she gets away with saying any goofy thing that pops into her head! Who else do you know who actually shoved Wilhelmina into an open grave, huh? Or stayed in some friend's fancy house in the Hamptons, eating caviar and drinking champagne when she was "on the lamb" from a prison escape?"

She laughed, "I know all this about your mother, Daniel. But still…that was…unexpected! Wasn't it? Why aren't you more shocked?"

He sat next to her on a ledge, leaning on his hands, "I guess I'm just more used to all the things she says, that's all. Even if you two have kept in touch, you haven't really seen her in person that much since you left New York, right? Remember when she first told you that she killed Fey? That really freaked you out."

"Yes, but she really DID kill Fey!"

"I'm well aware she did, trust me! I've sometimes told people who don't believe how much drama my family has been through that my mother is technically a murderer and she was the nice one of my parents!"

She tried not to laugh but shook her head, putting her hand on his shoulder, reassuringly, "I know, Daniel. It's true; you really have been through a lot, haven't you, honey?"

He gave her his best puppy dog imitation again, causing her to sigh and pull him down for one of her amazing hugs, holding him close, as she whispered, "I really have missed you! Even with all your family's crazy drama! You know, Justin asked me if I was going to miss all that when I first left Mode for London and I told him no. But I was wrong. I HAVE missed all of it! But especially…YOU, my sweet, funny, big-hearted, silly, totally hot drama king!"

His grin spread, hearing those words from her, particularly when she gave him one of her very pleasant hugs he had missed getting almost daily back at Mode. He squeezed her closer and she had to redirect his somewhat wandering hands from drifting a bit too far south.

He tilted his head, "Thank you for all that! Especially the totally hot thing! I really LIKE it when you call me 'honey', by the way! You KNOW how much I've missed you, too, Betty…BABY!" he whispered into her ear in that low, sexy, graveled voice of his that sent shivers up and down her spine.

"Mmhmm…okay!" is all she could manage to mumble back to him as he returned her hug, then began planting small kisses behind her ear and on her neck.

He quickly and expertly hailed a cab, not willing to wait for his towncar to get there, just in case Betty got cold feet after agreeing to come home with him.

Once they had both slid into the back, he smiled, taking one hand and kissing the inside of her palm, as he gazed up at her adoringly, then brushed back a strand of hair from her face, as he whispered, "I still can't believe you're really here, Betty! After all this time, well…honestly, I was about to lose all hope that you were ever coming back to New York. I sort of told myself that before my next birthday, I was going to stalk you again and camp out on your doorstep there or something!

Can I ask…what's going on with your job? Not that I necessarily want to hear it if you tell me this is only a one night stand and you're planning on turning around and heading back to London by Sunday or something!"

She blushed, and squeezed his hand, then looked into his eyes, "I still don't do one night stands!"

"I didn't think so! Good to hear, by the way! VERY good to hear! And neither do I…anymore!"

She bit her bottom lip, trying to decide how to tell him what Claire had been planning, as well as what was in her heart personally, "Um…well, I have actually been talking to your mom quite a bit for the past six months, Daniel. By phone, email and video. I was ready to come home for a long time, now and I am stepping down from Dunne, and taking over for your mom, alongside…her children and DJ as a Managing Editor at Meade Publications…here in New York. That is, as long as the Board of Directors approves my appointment."

He looked slightly stunned for a moment, then grinned, "I see. So you and my mom have been planning your return to Meade, behind my back, huh? Does…Alexis know, too?"

She nodded, "Uh huh. And DJ. Is this…okay with you? You know I'm not trying to…to…"

He shrugged, putting his finger to her lips, "Betty, I'm happy about this, you know! To be honest, I have missed working for myself, because coming back here and working at my father's company again just felt like I was moving backward. But with YOU back here…with US working together again, it doesn't get any better, as far as I'm concerned!

I don't know about those old fogeys on the Board of Directors, although knowing you, you'll probably win them all over, too, but I'm absolutely sure myself and obviously all of my family will enthusiastically endorse you in replacing my mom! It's what you always wished for, right? You told her you wanted to be just like her years ago, didn't you?"

She nodded, as she leaned closer, "Yes, it is! Are you sure this is okay, Daniel? I really wanted to say something, to tell you when your mom first approached me about this, but…she made me promise to wait until tonight and surprise you."

He hugged her, and whispered, "Consider me surprised. Very pleasantly!"

For a moment, he creased his brow, tilting his head, as he thought, "Does Willi know, too?"

She shook her head, "NO! Definitely not!"

He laughed, kissing her cheek, "Please, let ME tell her! I LOVE that you'll be HER boss now! Besides, she's pretty tame now that she has Mode! Ever since I…"

"Gave her Mode on a silver platter? Because of…me?"

"Uh…yeah! I guess so. Well that, and her and Connor adopting a baby and reconciling with Nico. She got her happily ever after I suppose. She's less like the wicked witch of the east side now and more like…well, I won't say Glinda, but maybe a slightly NICER wicked witch!"

She laughed, "That's good! I'm really happy for her. So…Daniel?" She twisted her hair nervously.

"Yeah?"

"I…heard what you said before about…you know. Being…um…you know …what you said…"

"Being in love with you?"

She nodded, "Uh huh."

"That's good."

She bit her lip again and sighed, moving closer to him as she pulled him down to her level at first by his lapels.

He raised his eyebrows, "What's going on, Betty?"

"I'm…kissing you, of course, silly!"

"I could sort of tell that. And not that I'm complaining. Kissing you is pretty amazing so far, even if you did call me silly! But can I ask why? Just… because I'm so hot? Or are there any particular… FEELINGS involved on your part? I mean, since you still don't do one night stands, that is!"

Her face turned even brighter red as she squirmed slightly under his intense gaze. But he refused to let her off the hook again. He had, after all told her on more than one occasion how much in love with her he was. And he did still consider himself somewhat the "injured party" here. He had already followed her to London, and written his letter from the editor, and put himself out there only to be rebuffed.

Yes, she had FINALLY come back to New York. Back to Meade, even. But would it kill the woman to say it to him, too?

She smiled, as she reached up and kissed him so sweetly, so tenderly at first, then pulled him closer by his tie, and kissed him more passionately, running her hands through his hair, then whispering, as she held his face, staring into the sweet abyss of those lovely eyes of his, "BECAUSE…I LOVE YOU, DANIEL! I always have and I always will!"

"I love you so much, Betty!"

He deepened the kiss, lying on top of her in the back seat until the cab driver turned towards them, "Hey, sorry to break this little love fest up, you two, but this is where you told me to take you! Unless you want me to keep the motor running! Looks like yours sure is!" He laughed at the two amorous goofballs in his cab. Crazy tourists!

Daniel cleared his throat, pushing himself up reluctantly and Betty could have sworn the man actually blushed as he helped her up and out of the cab and handed the rude driver some cash.

Betty looked up, "This is where you live now? Care to give me a tour?"

He put his arm around her, "Sure, of the bedroom and that jacuzzi I promised."