"You're not telling your parents you invited him?" Phoebe already knew this wasn't going to end well.
"If I do, they'll just say no." Lacey rationalized.
"Does Danny know he's not technically invited?"
"Nope."
"What if they say no when they get here and Danny's just stuck on campus for Christmas?"
"I'd refuse to go home and Danny and I would just stay here together." Lacey smirked.
Phoebe sighed, this was a terrible idea.
"Didn't you say your parents are ridiculous? What if he really can't handle them once he's there?"
"I think maybe that will tell us what we need to know."
Lacey didn't want to part ways with Danny but her obstinate family really did mean a lot to her. If a potential boyfriend couldn't hack it with them, it wouldn't work long term. She hoped that this trip would give them the push either way.
The ride up to Lacey's hometown was frigid despite the mild temperatures outside. Samuel Porter had arrived alone on campus anticipating a sweet hours-long ride back home with his eldest daughter, something that they rarely had the opportunity to do. Unfortunately for him, Danny had been waiting at the curb along with her.
Lacey had laid it out that Danny was coming home with her or she wasn't going and Samuel relented, the two men loading the bags into the trunk without a word to each other. Danny had no idea that Lacey was going to blindside her family and was worried that he'd have to work even harder now to show that his invitation wasn't the result of his insistence or influence.
"The Best Western in town has some nice rooms." Samuel finally spoke as they reached the edge of Lacey's upstate town.
"Sure, I can do that—" Danny tried to not be a burden.
"He's not staying in a hotel." Lacey protested.
"Maybe he won't have a choice in the matter." Samuel threatened
"I don't mind a hotel." Danny tried again.
"If he is not welcome at the house, I'll be staying at the hotel with him." Lacey laid on her final ultimatum, both of them completely ignoring Danny.
"A heads up would have been nice." Samuel grumbled.
"Would you have said yes?"
"Hell no."
"I didn't know that you didn't know—" Danny suddenly felt that throwing Lacey under the bus at this point was appropriate.
Lacey turned around and stared at him incredulously. He shrunk back and squished his face up a little in a silent apology, Danny didn't know what the right thing to do was.
The trio rolled in the night before Christmas Eve with just enough time to eat some snacks and head to bed. Lacey's parents worked quickly and set Danny up on a blow up mattress set inside the large closet below the stairs.
They had refused to allow him to stay in the guest room, which shared a wall with Lacey's childhood bedroom where she would be staying. The Porters were entertaining none of that.
Lacey had objected, but didn't want to push it and cause any tension or discomfort for her little sister. She and Danny stayed up most of the night texting, both of them a little nervous thinking about what the next couple of days would hold for their future together.
"Danny, Danny—Do you have a favorite cereal?"
"Um—"
"What about yellow, do you like yellow? Do you have a sister too? I have a hamster, it's my third one actually. Do you have any pets? Why is your hair so long? Look at this—"
Clara did the front walk over she had mastered in gymnastics.
"Not in the living room—" Samuel snipped.
"Clara, can you please make me some of your no-bake cookies? I haven't had them in forever and I am dying for them." Lacey asked calmly.
"SURE!" Clara squealed and bounced away.
"I'm sorry, she's ten." Lacey shrugged to Danny from over on the couch.
Danny smiled warmly, thankful for a break from the grueling deposition Clara was set on completing. Danny was an only child so he found the family dynamic with Lacey's little sister to be quite amusing.
"That should keep her busy for fifteen minutes." Samuel laughed heartily.
The chair Danny sat in was stiff, unforgiving. It was like an uncomfortable island set across from the two luscious, oversized couches the rest of Lacey's family occupied. Samuel had guided him there, Danny realizing that this situation was by design.
They were exchanging gifts, one gift be be exact, a Christmas Eve tradition Lacey's family had held since before she was born. They always did it in the morning, leaving the afternoon for hours of games, movies and food before turning in early in anticipation of Christmas morning. A true family day.
This year was a little different, none of them had been prepared for Danny's surprise visit.
"Danny—Merry Christmas Eve." Lacey's dad plopped a gift into Danny's lap and took a seat, all of them still in their pajamas.
"You didn't even know he was coming—" Lacey couldn't fathom what her father had managed to get for Danny but she assumed it was a re-gifting situation.
"Oh, thank you." Danny accepted the box and opened it carefully.
Danny pulled out a shave kit, the one Mrs. Porter had given to her husband an hour earlier.
"Thank you, Mr. Porter—" Danny didn't know what to say.
"Samuel, I know you didn't just give that gift away." Judy returned with spiked hot apple cider for all of them, well, almost all of them, Clara chose plain egg nog, "Here Danny, you're probably gonna need this." Judy smiled.
Danny accepted the drink, trying not to appear too eager to get a warm mug of alcohol at ten in the morning, but here he was, gulping it down.
"It's a razor, Judy. I have many. Let the boy enjoy a nice one, maybe there are some scissors in there too, for his hair.
"Daddy—" Lacey had hoped the awkwardness would have worn off by now, no such luck.
"I've always wanted to try a kit like this." Danny said genuinely, setting the gift on the coffee table, "You don't like the hair?" He joked back, trying to build some sort of rapport with Samuel.
"I'm not going to judge your hair, son. I'm sure the all girls love it." Samuel said flatly.
"Dad, please—"
Danny stood, "I have something for you all as well, excuse me—"
"Why are you being so mean to him?!" Lacey and whisper-growled at her father.
Danny shuffled over into the closet he was set up in to rifle through his overnight bag, returning with some gifts. If he couldn't win them over with his typical charm, perhaps nice gifts would work?
"Mr. Porter—" Danny extended a gift to Lacey's dad and hoped for the best, "Mrs. Porter—" Danny did the same for Lacey's mom.
Danny made his way over to Lacey and squatted down beside her, "and Miss Porter." He handed her a small box too.
"Danny, what did you do?" Lacey's face lit up.
Samuel opened up the velvet drawstring bag, sliding out a monogrammed fish fillet knife complete with it's own holster. Judy opened hers at the same time, revealing simple monogrammed stationary and a very expensive fountain pen with ink.
"Danny, this is so thoughtful." Judy gushed, almost confused by how impressed she was with the young man's knack for quality gift-giving.
"I've never received something like this before, thank you." Samuel offered sincerely.
"You're welcome. Lacey mentioned how much you love to fish and how much you enjoy writing."
"Oh my god—" Danny's focus was pulled back to Lacey's happy voice.
Danny had tracked down a small pair of vintage Art Deco diamond earrings he hoped she would fall in love with.
"I love them!" Lacey sang happily and pulled each delicate stud from the box and fastened them in her ears.
Danny leaned up to inspect them, "They look lovely on you." He replied softly as if she had taken his breath away.
"Thank you!" Lacey reached out and wrapped her arms around Danny who hugged her back in front of her parents with zero reservations.
Mr. and Mrs. Porter glanced at each other after watching the pair interact. They were obviously in love and Lacey's parents were concerned.
"Cookies are done!" Clara bounced back into the family room and took a seat in Danny's chair as he remained on the floor by Lacey's side, "Did I hear something about presents?"
"Clara—" Judy began to scold her youngest daughter but Danny interjected.
"Indeed, my friend." Danny winked at Clara and rolled up off the floor and back to his overnight bag, "A very important person in my life told me you might have a need for this."
Danny handed Clara a gift the size of a shoebox and settled back down on the floor. Clara tore into it and uncovered a film camera and a brick of expired rolls of film.
"Oh my gosh, I wanted this!" Clara squeaked and tackled Danny where he sat on the floor, "Thank you, Danny!"
"You're welcome, I hear you're every bit of an amazing artist as your sister." Danny praised her.
Clara smiled at Lacey and looked back at Danny, "I am trying, but my mom and dad wouldn't buy me one—" She admitted.
Danny glanced up at Lacey's parents, worried he may have just overstepped a boundary.
"Merry Christmas." He said simply, hoping they could see his heart was in the right place.
"Clara, bring your gifts up to your room and then get dressed." Judy instructed.
Once Clara was out of ear shot Danny tried to back pedal, "Forgive me, Mr. and Mrs. Porter, I didn't consider you may not have wanted her to have that—"
"Christmas is a bit magical I suppose, I'll allow it. You're definitely the favorite now though, that's a big responsibility when it comes to my daughters. It seems you're the favorite for both of them."
"Yep." Lacey smiled broadly.
"I'll cherish that title, truly." Danny said, eyes darting to Lacey and back again.
"Danny, sit back up here in the chair, please." Samuel held his hand out and Danny scrambled up off of the floor.
Danny ran his palms down the length of his thighs nervously a few times. It felt like he was going in for a very important interview, he prayed for guidance.
"What's going on with you two?" Judy took the first round.
"Danny is my boyfriend." Lacey smiled.
Lacey claimed him and Danny realized that whatever magical combination of events they had been through over the last twenty four hours had just unlocked her heart for him again. Lacey knew this was the Christmas present Danny wanted. He just sat there smiling back at her like an idiot.
"I can tell you're both fond of each other, so what's wrong with you?" Judy asked Danny bluntly.
"Mom—" Lacey cringed at her intrusive parents.
"He's handsome and athletic, he seems to be a nice guy, I'm just wondering." Judy explained further, absolutely expecting an answer.
"Well, I'm a sociology major—" Danny giggled a little, trying his best to keep things light and let his personality shine.
"Here we go." Samuel chuckled too before taking a healthy sip of his cider.
"That wasn't your parent's choice then?" Judy probed further.
"My father owns his own business and my mother is a very talented personal chef. Wanting to explore humanity doesn't always equal a lot of higher-level dollar signs so they were not excited about it."
"But you're studying it anyway—" Samuel pushed back.
"Yes, my parents told me that if I really wanted to pursue it, I had to find my own way there. So I worked toward an athletic scholarship and I got it." Danny was proud of himself.
"So you're at Syracuse on a football scholarship?" Judy asked, trying to fit the pieces of the scarce knowledge she had about Danny into some sort of cohesive picture of his character.
"Soccer, actually. Football is just an offseason sport for me."
"You play two college level sports?" Samuel was preparing to rattle off his opinion on that but Danny interrupted.
"Three."
"Three?"
"I base for spirit too."
"You're a cheerleader." Samuel nodded, trying to wrap his head around that.
"Yes." Danny replied confidently, not about to let Mr. Porter's low-key judgement affect him. He was proud to be part of that team.
"I have to say, I'm concerned. Athletics takes a lot of time and commitment. You're involved with three college-level sports, I'm predicting some major hurt for my daughter down the road."
"I'm busy too, I'm a double major—" Lacey interjected.
"Art comes second, you know the deal."
Danny watched Samuel downplay Lacey's true passion, this was awful.
"Second place or not, anything school related still means a place ahead of a relationship, right? I'm just telling you that I'm busy too." Lacey maneuvered through her father's grievances like an expert.
"With all due respect sir, Lacey is a brilliant artist—"
"Don't." Samuel stopped him before he could defend her.
Danny wondered what Samuel would say if he knew his daughter had just made 24K from her artwork. He wanted to tell him so badly, but it wasn't his story to share and he had promised her he would keep his mouth shut about it.
"Right now I want Danny in my life, however it works." Lacey tried her best to calm the two men who loved her the most.
"What career are you after?" Samuel started in again on Danny.
"Honestly, my goal is to get drafted into MLS." Danny knew they wouldn't like that answer either.
Samuel just started laughing and stood up, unable to contain the energy rolling inside him. He took his mug of cider and leaned against the mantle.
"Wow. Lacey, what happens if he gets drafted?"
Samuel bypassed his questions for Danny, apparently seeing him as a lost cause at this point and tried to goad his daughter into some deeper thinking.
"I'd cheer him on and see him when I could. Right now, we're just enjoying the time we do have together."
"Lacey is very important to me, we both take our goals very seriously." Danny turned to look at her, "I don't believe that either of us would hinder each other from attaining them."
"Sociology major with a goal to play professional soccer—" Judy repeated in summary, "A little bit of a dreamer, I can see why Lacey would find that appealing. What else?"
"I'm sorry?" Danny wasn't sure what she was asking.
"I had asked what was wrong with you. What else you got?" Judy stared right into Danny's soul and he realized that she must have done some research on him.
Danny nodded and took a deep breath.
"Mom—"
"No, no, it's okay." Danny tried to reassure Lacey, this conversation had to happen some time, "My life hasn't always been the easiest, there's been more bad than good if I'm being honest. This year has been profoundly different for me." He tried to make them understand.
"Because of Lacey." Samuel clarified for him.
"Yes sir."
"So let's get into the bad years then." Judy pushed him.
"It's Christmas, can't we just enjoy each other's company?" Lacey asked, defeated.
"Why did you bring Danny home?" Samuel shot back, "You want us to get to know him, let the man speak."
Lacey knew what would come next. Her heart was breaking and she just wanted the bleeding to stop. Danny could feel her despair, what else was there to lose? He had to tell them.
"I had a good early childhood. Lots of friends, I played sports, typical kid stuff. When I was around Clara's age, I had access to a firearm I had no business handling." Danny's voice remained calm, even.
Samuel watched Lacey's face as she listened to Danny tell his story again. Both Porter parents noting how deeply intimate their connection seemed to be.
"I accidentally shot and killed my aunt. I had no friends after that, no support, not really. Not many people want to be associated with a person who has killed someone, no matter the circumstances."
"Why didn't your family move away, get a fresh start?" Judy wondered.
"Running from your problems isn't the answer. My parents had obligations to the town, we couldn't just leave. I knew that I could start over again if I could just make it to college so I threw myself into sports until the time came."
"I was definitely hoping you just had some speeding tickets or something." Samuel muttered.
"I know it's a difficult thing to process once you hear it. What I did, what happened to my aunt, my family, it was a terrible accident. I was eleven."
"From what Lacey has told us, it's you and your friends that are connected to the Masterson case that my daughter is now involved in." Judy was stern, her words chosen very carefully.
"Technically, yes—"
"Technically." Judy wasn't satisfied.
"The situation with Jo Masterson was unfortunate but had nothing to do with me. I lost a friend."
"I understand that Jo stalked you and this friend all of last year, how does that not involve you?"
"I'm not responsible for Jo's actions."
"Trouble seems to follow you though, doesn't it?"
"Mom."
Danny tried to defend himself again, "Both of these situations—"
"—had a common denominator, you." Judy held her ground.
"Does the school know about your aunt?" Samuel took over.
"No sir."
"So it's a secret." Samuel looked at Lacey and nodded, "And now Lacey's responsible for hiding this too."
"I'd never expect her to do that."
"Dad, it was an accident, he was eleven—"
The group was startled by Clara knocking over one of the wise men that stood along the staircase from which she had been eavesdropping.
"Danny, you murdered someone?" Clara's eyes were huge.
Danny's heart broke, he hated that he had just crushed her view of him.
"No, Clara, I never murdered anyone—" Danny tried to explain.
"But you killed someone?" She was confused, scared.
"Clara, let's get ready to go out and get some firewood. I'll pull you in the sled!" Lacey smiled and walked her sister back upstairs so she could get dressed too.
Danny turned to face Lacey's parents once they were alone again.
"I can talk to her, explain what happened—"
"That's not necessary, we'll take care of it." Samuel asserted, "I'm not going to allow you to traumatize both of my daughters."
"I know I'm probably not who you imagined Lacey being with. You made this amazing person and I'm just the lucky guy who she fell in love with. We support each other, I love her, that's it."
"Oh that's it?" Samuel shook his head, "You've brainwashed her and I can tell she's ready to follow you wherever you go. You're right. You're not who Lacey will be with, do you understand?"
"No, sir. I don't."
"It won't last, I'll see to it."
"I'm not going anywhere." Danny replied calmly.
They let the conversation go for the rest of the day. Lacey, Clara and Samuel went out with the sled for firewood and to help settle Clara's mind about Danny and his past. Danny stayed behind with Judy to help with cooking.
Judy and Karen were both skilled bakers and Danny fell into the assistant role like a pro. Cooking alongside someone is a very intimate thing and Judy gleaned a lot about Danny's character from the time they spent alone together. There was good, but Judy also sensed the bad.
"Did your mother want you to become a chef? You've got the skills for it." Judy admitted.
"Thanks." Danny smiled, "My mother and I aren't really close. I'm not sure what she imagined I would do as a career."
"Aren't you an only child?"
"I was just really focused on sports."
Judy was wary of that answer, picking up on something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She made a mental note to ask Lacey about it later.
The five of them played games and snacked on cookies and various platters of yummy things that Judy and Danny had carefully crafted. They all tried to keep Clara's spirits high. At least they could all agree on that one thing. Toward the end of the evening, the movies began.
Samuel and Judy occupied one couch. A warm, buzzed Danny was stuffed into the corner of the other couch with Lacey laying by his side, her face resting on his chest. Clara was glued to the other end, having happily accepted her sister's feet in her lap.
"It's time, Clara. Say goodnight and go brush your teeth." Judy instructed.
"Nnnn." Clara groaned and slid off the couch, "'Night guys." She grumbled and stomped away.
Lacey pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and laid it over her, making no indication she was moving any time soon. The Porters pulled themselves off the couch, Samuel more buzzed than the rest.
"You too." Judy said to Lacey and Danny.
"It's nine o'clock mom—" Lacey held her hand up, "Can't we at least finish the movie?"
"Lacey." Samuel debated leaving them out there alone together. Adults or not, this was still his house.
Danny stayed quiet, Samuel's promise to break them up still swirling in his head. He was surprised and thankful he was able to snuggle with Lacey as long as he had, Danny blamed the alcohol.
"We'll put the gifts out." Lacey offered, "Are they still in the hall closet?"
Samuel and Judy exchanged glances, "Deal. Movie, gifts, bed." Judy pointed to the stairs, "Danny you'll be in the secret spot under the stairs again tonight, am I clear?"
"Yes ma'am, of course—" Danny promised like a Boy Scout. Lacey covertly poked him under the blanket because she knew he wasn't a Boy Scout. Danny managed to keep a straight face.
They kept to the schedule for the most part, this particular movie still having forty-five minutes left. Ten minutes after her parents went to bed, Lacey's lips were attached to his.
"Are we really back together?" Danny asked, pulling away after a few perfect kisses from the lips of the goddess that laid in his lap.
"Merry Christmas." Lacey smiled and went back for more.
Danny slid himself over, laying down and snuggling in behind her, pulling her against him as the little spoon. Lacey felt loved, safe. The warm buzz from the drinks they had shared throughout the day made them both feel sultry and happy.
Danny leaned over her and kissed Lacey's temple, "I love you." He added.
Lacey pulled his arms around her tighter and kissed the back of Danny's hand, "I love you too."
Their month-long abstinence worked it's way into the forefront of their minds as their bodies betrayed them and seemed to recall all the possibilities surrounding them at that moment. Lacey nudged her ass backward gently against Danny's junk, testing him.
"We can't." He uttered, his lips saying one thing while they literally followed by sucking on Lacey's neck, "Even though I would really, really love to make love to you right now, I can wait. We should wait."
Lacey slipped her hand behind her and into her pants, sliding the backside of her pajamas down. Danny liked that and slid his own hand down and over the curve of her bare ass.
"Please?" Lacey begged him.
"Your dad doesn't want us to be together. He promised me he would make sure we wouldn't be—" Danny confessed.
"I don't care what he told you, I'm laying here with you right now, ass out—" Lacey looked at him like he was insane.
She squirmed backward again and Danny took action, pulling himself out and carefully pushing into Lacey from behind. Lacey was so warm and so wet and felt better than he remembered.
"Lacey—"
Danny pushed forward, slowly stretching her out. His hand slid around to press flat against her tummy, pulling her against him each time he pushed in.
"I missed you—" Lacey admitted.
Lacey bit the edge of the forearm that Danny had wrapped across her chest to hold her in place. He continued pumping, god he missed her too.
Danny dipped his face into the crook of Lacey's neck and slid his hand lower, rubbing her clit the way he knew she liked because she fucking deserved it. Lacey had let her hair grow in over the last month, Danny definitely noticed.
"That's my shit." Danny huffed quietly.
Lacey whimpered and Danny quickly cupped his free hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.
"Shhh—" Danny whispered into her ear, his own tiny grunts making the wetness between her legs grow.
Danny slipped his hand away from her mouth but Lacey grabbed it and slid it back. Danny obliged, holding her mouth for a moment while he spoke.
"Hey, now. It's not the best time for any of that." Danny chuckled as he tried to reason with his super sexy girlfriend.
Lacey held his hand in place for a few moments longer, Danny's thumb and forefinger sliding together to pinch her nostrils shut so she could feel the full effect. She squirmed shortly after, Danny still holding on.
His eyes grew dark and this did not go unnoticed by Lacey. Her heart rate sped up, Danny continued to keep her mouth and nose covered tightly while he fucked her.
"If we're not careful," He whispered, "I could kill you."
Danny let her mouth go, Lacey thankful for the oxygen but also realizing how ignited her senses were. Danny hadn't been lying when he said that he had tried a lot of kinks, he obviously knew all about this one.
She had pushed for it, but it was Danny's response that shocked her a bit. Was it fear? No, that was silly, she wasn't afraid of Danny, right?
Lacey suddenly wanted to feel more in control after that. She turned herself around to face him, keeping their bodies flush.
"These need to go." Danny used one foot to slide her pajama pants all the way off.
"You're very resourceful." Lacey giggled.
Danny smiled back, "Problem solving, gotta be on point to get what you want."
Danny grabbed her hips and rolled onto his back, pulling her on top and sliding her onto his dick without waiting for her help. So much for being in control.
Lacey loved when he would toss in those tiny moments of domination, Danny being the only partner she ever had that she really trusted and who did it respectfully. Even so, that last kink made her mind go somewhere else. Would he ever hurt her?
Lacey rode him fast, still horny as hell despite her concerns. She made perfect execution her top priority since they were pressed for time.
"I like that—" Danny couldn't keep his mouth off of her, his lips sucking on her bouncing nipples, his teeth biting her arms.
Eventually, his hands found her ass, squeezing and snaking in and out of places so fast that Lacey couldn't keep track. She loved it all.
"You were wrong." Lacey growled quietly before licking flat across Danny's mouth the way he always did to her, "This—" She leaned forward and slipped her arms under Danny's shoulders and held him tight, "—is my shit."
"You sure?" Danny winked.
Since Lacey's arms were now trapped under Danny's shoulders, he pressed them backward to pin them there. He brought one of his hands up to hold the back of her head while the other one covered her mouth and nose again.
Lacey was panicked but also found it incredibly erotic. The jolt of fear, the adrenaline of the unknown, she was all in.
"Hang in there." Danny giggled beneath her while he watched her deal with the lack of breathing options.
Danny eventually released her face and brought his hands down to move her hips while Lacey lay in a puddle on Danny's chest, trying to catch her breath as quietly as she could. She felt a rush of pins and needles everywhere, she had never felt more alive.
"It's fun, right?" Danny smiled, he knew she liked it.
"Wow." Was all she could manage, Danny's hips now happily doing the work for both of them.
"I can't hold it—" Danny warned apologetically, it had been too long since he had sex last.
Lacey managed to pry her arms out from behind Danny's shoulders and sat up, taking charge again. Her ass slapped against Danny's thighs so hard now that they both knew they had to reel this shit in before they got busted.
"Hell yes, keep it up—" Danny didn't even try to hold himself off.
Fuck Sam, Danny thought as he watched his girlfriend ride his dick. She wanted him and they were perfect together. He decided then that he'd never let her go, no matter what.
Danny reached up and pulled her back down onto his chest. He held her ass and gently guided her bounce.
"Like that, like that—I'm coming." Danny whispered, his face crammed into the side of hers as he squeezed her hips and filled her up, "Oh my god, you're incredible—"
Lacey could feel her climax building and ignored the dramatic disparity between Danny's slow, mistimed rocking motions as he enjoyed his orgasm and her rapid, circular grinds as she searched for hers.
"I need this—" She begged.
Lacey reached down and pried Danny's hands off of her as he tried to hold her in place. She kept up her pace despite his attempts to slow her down.
"Get it, c'mon." Danny winced below her, so sensitive after his own finish, he just wanted her to stop moving.
Lacey's jaw finally hung open, just as Danny had remembered. Her release was epic, she was more thankful than ever for the air in her lungs, "Thank you, thank you." She panted quietly, repeating herself in between breaths.
Danny hugged the perfect human who laid atop the length of his body, so warm and selfless. She hugged him back, their breathing patterns synced up, both of them feeling like one.
They laid there for a minute until a strange heaviness settled in and begged to be addressed.
"You won, I'm your shit." Danny smiled, trying to lighten it up.
Lacey giggled, happy to see that whatever darkness had shone from Danny's eyes before seemed to be gone now.
"You really liked that." Lacey swallowed a little as she studied Danny's handsome face.
"Being between your legs again? Yes I did."
"I meant the other thing—"
"I've missed our playtime, sure." He replied evenly.
"Danny—"
"Shouldn't we get the presents out?" He tried to change the subject.
"I've never seen you respond to a kink the way you just did. Is it a favorite?"
Danny licked his lips, "Everything with you is my favorite."
"Fine, don't tell me." Lacey faked being annoyed, "I guess we'll never do that again—"
She tried to get up but Danny held her firmly in place.
"You're always punishing me."
"Just tell me, why does it have to be a big secret?"
"It's a favorite." Danny admitted.
Lacey's heart rate spiked randomly. He had never verified a singular thing like that before. Danny was always so open to doing everything, trying new things. He never leaned one way or the other and just enjoyed creating new memories together.
Tonight was different. Lacey saw a spark in Danny she had never seen before. It was as if she had unearthed a key that unlocked some sort of dark fantasy goldmine of his.
"Well shit." Lacey kissed him gently, hoping he could sense her intrigue by the whole thing, "Do you like it done to you?"
"No." Danny's eyes flickered again and this time he felt her breathing change, "You scared?" He looked at her surprised.
"I'm not scared—" Lacey protested.
"You were the one who wanted to try it." Danny reminded her.
"I'm not scared!" Lacey sat up and scavenged for her pants, pulling them on as gracefully as she could manage.
"You know I'd never hurt you."
Lacey folded the blanket and pulled Danny off the couch.
"We don't have to do it again." Danny tried again to ease her mind even though he knew she definitely wanted to do it again.
"C'mon." Lacey didn't want to commit one way or the other.
They worked for a solid twenty minutes to get the presents out and staged to make some magic for Clara. After, they headed to their separate beds for the night.
Christmas morning, Clara was up at the crack of dawn, pumped for some more holiday fun with her family, and of course opening her presents.
"I'm not on board." Judy yawned as she prepared her coffee.
"Neither am I." Samuel shook his head no.
Lacey sighed in frustration, "What did he do or not do? What is it that bothers you?" She tried to understand their rejection.
"He's living in some fantasy world—"
"Dad—"
"Do you know what the odds are of him getting into MLS?" Samuel shook his head no again, "He needs backup goals."
"Mom?"
"He knows what it feels like to kill someone—"
"Mom!"
Judy shrugged, "I'm just saying, I am sure that changes a person and to have it happen at such a young age, I'm sure the long term ramifications of that are not known yet."
"That's enough for you to give up on him? He's amazing, what's really the problem?"
"I don't get the best feeling when I'm around him." Judy scrunched her face up, "Something's off, I just haven't figured it out yet."
Lacey couldn't help her mind going back to their kinky couch session last night. Something had definitely made her think deeper about the look in his eyes at the time. Still, it was irrational and she wanted her family to give him a chance.
"All you know about him is his major and one bad thing about his childhood—"
"Danny!" Clara greeted, making the three adult Porters clam up, "Look!"
Danny smiled as Clara pointed to all the gifts and he gave her a high five. He had heard them. Danny walked up behind Lacey and wrapped his arms around her possessively, pulling her against him in a reverse hug.
"Good morning." He said sweetly, kissing the side of her head, eyes darting between Mr. & Mrs. Porter as he did.
Lacey reached up and squeezed his arms, "'Morning." She smiled.
"Santa definitely came." Danny said with a fair amount of snarky innuendo, he felt Lacey tense up.
While Samuel chose to ignore what he knew must be happening between his daughter and the very handsome athlete, Judy did not.
"I know you're not having a whole secret conversation right now." Judy pushed back.
Danny pointed to the gifts under the tree, "Santa came." He reiterated innocently, like he hadn't just alluded to fucking her daughter.
"Guys—" Lacey had wanted them to get along, but she could feel Danny's frustration.
"What?" Judy and Danny both asked Lacey at the same time.
Lacey quickly faced Danny and whispered to him, "This is the hard part, remember? Do you want me or not?" Her eyes pierced through him, her nostrils flaring. She was furious that he was challenging her mother.
Danny looked up, hoping to find the strength he needed for this day on the ceiling. He wondered how her parents doubting him turned into Lacey doubting him. She was literally his ride or die last night.
She pulled him toward the living room, "C'mon, let's go help assemble some of Clara's stuff—"
Danny pulled his arm back gently, not moving with her at all.
"Danny—"
He turned and faced Lacey's parents, nervously running both hands through his hair.
"I've never done this, meeting the parents and all that." Danny hushed out an exasperated laugh, "I've never even wanted to do this before—" He added, mostly to himself as he looked at the floor.
"That sounds more like what I expected to hear from a guy like you, glad you're finally being honest—" Samuel groaned sarcastically and sipped his coffee.
Danny let his arms slap at his sides and he took a deep breath, "I fell in love with your daughter, I'll never say sorry for that. She's way too good for me, I know, but I don't want this to be over. Not yet, not until Lacey says she's done with me—"
"You're going to be gone so much with the sports you're playing, Lacey will get tired of second place eventually." Samuel almost promised.
"Okay, Mrs. Porter? What is it? What do you want to know?" Danny almost begged for a way to get into her good graces.
Judy smirked, "You're lying to me." She stuck to her intuition.
"I'm sorry, Judy, but I haven't lied to you."
"Oh I'm Judy now?"
"Mom—"
"You're not about to disrespect me in my own home, do you understand me?"
"Yes, Mrs. Porter, I didn't mean—"
"You're leaving something out. Unless and until you decide to come clean, we'll never be good with each other, am I clear?"
Danny licked his lips, "Yes."
Lacey noted that he made no move to rebuff her mom a second time. Judy was rarely wrong when it came to stuff like this and Lacey realized that the odds of Danny hiding something were very good.
Nobody talked after that, not really. They all helped Clara enjoy her day, putting together her toys and playing with her.
After a late brunch Samuel, Judy and Clara stepped out for more firewood from the shed down their trail. Lacey begged her parents for the alone time with Danny so she could talk to him.
"I'm going to take a shower." Danny muttered.
Danny made his way into the bathroom and under the hot spray of the Porter's powerful shower. He let the hot water melt his muscles before soaping up and rinsing off.
As he worked the conditioner out of his hair he heard the bathroom door open. He peeked outside the shower, watching as Lacey pulled her pajamas off.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Lacey smiled and stepped in the shower with him.
She wasted no time scrubbing herself quickly, her hair pulled up into a bunch on top of her head.
"Did you already wash everywhere?" Lacey bit her lip playfully as she finished up.
"I did."
"You sure?" Lacey dropped to her knees.
"Hey, hey—"
"Relax, what happened to my adventurous boyfriend?" Lacey brought her hand up and started messing with Danny's junk.
"Your mom is ready to kill me."
Lacey sucked Danny's tip into her mouth and began bobbing her head.
"God Lacey—"
Lacey looked up and watched Danny's eyes close in pure relief. She couldn't tell if it was because they were back together or because his dick was back inside her mouth.
"I missed this—" Danny said tenderly, his hips reciprocating Lacey's effort.
The shower spray made it's way into Lacey's nose and made her cough a little. Danny acted quickly to create a shelter for her with his hands.
"No drowning now—" Danny smiled down at her.
Lacey picked up the pace and worked to get him to come as fast as possible.
"Oh shit, I'm—"
Lacey bobbed until he stopped oozing and then bounced up into his arms.
"Fuck—" Danny said simply.
Lacey giggled, pulling Danny out of the shower and drying him off lovingly. He pulled the towel from her, wrapped her up and pulled her against him.
"You're in so much trouble when we're back on campus." Danny's eyes were pure black puddles, exuding nothing but sexual deviancy.
"Promise?" She was ready.
"I promise." Danny said with an edge that made her excited about the days to come and even more curious about her mom's apprehension about him.
"What about right now?"
"Am I really your boyfriend again?" Danny asked, his insecurity about this visit beginning to become painful for him.
"Not if you peacock around my mom again—" Lacey answered honestly.
"I apologize."
"Why are you asking anyway, I said we were back together." Lacey pushed.
"You told me that we weren't going to be back together if I didn't get along with your parents—"
"No I didn't."
"Yes, you did—"
"No, I knew you wouldn't get along with my parents." Lacey laughed, "I said, I wanted to see if you could handle it."
"I'm not sure I am handling it, not really." Danny admitted.
"I wouldn't have just sucked your dick if I thought you weren't handling this—"
"We should get dressed before we get caught." Danny was also freezing.
"I want to know what my mom is picking up on." Lacey changed the subject back again, "I have full faith in her ability to sniff out liars."
"I don't know what she's reading into."
"Bullshit."
Danny's eyes snapped up to hers in indignation. Lacey didn't give him time to have another tantrum, she crowded in closer and forced him to take a couple steps back.
"I'm the one who trusts you. My mother isn't the one you have to explain yourself to, it's me. Whatever it is, Danny, tell me. You can trust me too." Lacey promised.
For a moment Danny seemed to seriously contemplate Lacey's suggestion, that was until he pulled the towel off of her and laid it on the floor of the bathroom.
"How long do we have?" Danny deflected, pulling Lacey down without waiting for a response.
"Ten." Lacey smiled before Danny smashed their mouths together.
They were ravenous. Danny pulled away from their sloppy kisses, dipping down to split her legs open and latch his mouth onto her clit. Lacey grabbed his hair tight.
"Oh—" She loved his mouth and missed this very much.
Danny worked her only a minute longer before he pulled back and settled his cock in between Lacey's legs. He moved quick, going straight to smashing his full weight against her.
"Danny—" She couldn't breathe, Danny was too much of everything, she couldn't think.
Danny kissed her deep and passionate, not once letting up on the intensity of his hips. He kept his eyes open, reading Lacey and watching for objections. When she didn't offer any, Danny decided to up his lust game.
"I was a mess last night, you deserve a good dick down." Danny flashed his brilliant smile.
Lacey's hands scrambled for his ass and encouraged his motion. Danny laid further onto her and brought his face close while he absolutely railed her.
"I've never had pussy so good—"
"Damn, don't stop—" Lacey whined, releasing Danny's ass and holding her legs open wider for him.
Danny watched Lacey's breathing, it was moderately taxed and with her torso in a crunch position her lung capacity was limited. He slid a hand up and tented it over her mouth, allowing some air to pass through, waiting to see if she would object.
Lacey didn't stop him so he pressed down harder and began grinding himself into her clit, continuing his mission. Lacey squirmed a little but Danny shook his head no.
"Not yet." He winked.
Danny's other hand now gently circled Lacey's neck. His thumb slowly stroking her throat, a stark contrast to the relentless pounding of his hips.
As Danny felt her demand for oxygen grow, Lacey used all she had left to whimper. Danny's hand finally slid away and Lacey took a huge cleansing breath that took her straight into an orgasm, her body thanking her by flooding all of her senses.
"Holy shit—Danny—yess—" She hummed.
Danny came too. As Lacey floated back down, she smiled up at him in a sexy haze. She felt damn good.
"I trust you." Danny affirmed out of nowhere, "Your mom was right, I do have something to tell to you."
"Have you been lying?" Lacey snapped out of her fog and prepared to take whatever hit Danny was about to hurl at her.
"Just hear me out? Please—"
He pulled Lacey up and sat in front of her, completely vulnerable and sitting on the edge of a place he had never gone before. He let himself go.
"My aunt Tara. She was smothered to death before I shot her."
Lacey pulled the towel around her. Why did determining if people were lying or not have to be her mom's hidden talent?
"Smothered?" Lacey whispered to herself, feeling the hairs at the base of her neck stand up.
"Yes."
Lacey covered her mouth as if it would somehow place a barrier between this new reality and her shock, a pause button until her brain caught up.
Danny had just cut off her air supply. It was something he had just expressed was a favorite kink of his, exactly how close to death had she just come?
"Who killed her?" Lacey asked bravely, scared to know the answer.
"My mother."
"It was your mom?"
"Yes."
Lacey shuffled to her feet and began pacing. Danny stood too and stepped up close, pulling Lacey in to his arms. She was like a lump of ice.
"Danny—"
"You trusted me a few minutes ago, remember?" Danny's voice coming out soft and loving.
"Did you see her do it?"
"Yes. I didn't know what was going on at the time. My mother told me Tara had overdosed and that she was trying to revive her but that it was too late. She said that shooting her would help make her not seem like a junkie to everyone in town, like it was humane and would protect our family name. Mom convinced me to shoot Tara, said that since I was a kid I wouldn't get in trouble and she wouldn't go to jail. I didn't realize what she had done for several years."
"Does your dad know?"
"No. Nobody knows except for mom, me and now you."
Lacey began to panic a little, Danny held her tighter.
"Hey, look at me." Danny lifted Lacey's chin until she focused on him, "You wanted the truth."
"Yeah, I just didn't expect it would be something like this—"
"Do you love me?"
"I do."
"Then it's going to stay a secret, understand?" He sounded almost threatening.
"She needs help—"
"Tara and my mom fought all the time, they fought that day and my mom snapped. It's been almost ten years, Lacey."
Lacey pulled back from Danny's embrace.
"I'm not trying to justify it. I'm not asking you to be okay with it, I'm just telling you the truth. If I thought my father was in danger, I'd tell him. Maybe he already knows, we've never talked about what happened to Tara. Ever."
They were startled by the front door opening followed by the voices of Lacey's family.
"Shit." She scrambled to get dressed and shook her hair out before stepping out of the bathroom without another word.
"Where's Danny?" Clara asked.
"In the bathroom."
"The one you just came out of?" Judy's voice rising.
"Mom, the toilet wouldn't flush. I had to show him how to fiddle with the thingy, you know? Jeez—" Lacey rolled her eyes and lied smoothly.
Danny dressed quickly, listening to Lacey intently.
"Danny and I talked and I know what he's been keeping from us." Lacey announced, hoping Danny could hear her and that her parents would buy it.
Danny held his breath.
"It's his mother—"
Danny deflated a little, would Lacey really tell them?
"I knew it was something to do with his mother." Judy whispered.
"She's got some sort of dementia and has for years. He's super sensitive about it."
"Oh no—" Judy sounded heartbroken.
"Wow, that's awful." Samuel felt for Danny.
Lacey watched her typically emotionless parents melt for a woman who had smothered someone to death. She felt awful having to lie to them, but she could see why Danny would want to protect his own mom. He had lost his aunt, he obviously didn't want to lose his mom too.
Danny having to shoot his own dead aunt to protect his family and help keep his mother out of jail was enough trauma to last a lifetime for one little boy. She tried to imagine what it must have been like to revisit it all when he had finally pieced together what his mom had really done.
She loved Danny and his beautiful big heart. Lacey admired his drive to reach his goals in spite of all he had been through. She felt lucky to be with him and realized that in the end, she called him out on his bullshit and he responded by staying honest with her. He trusted her with this huge thing and Lacey decided right then that she'd protect him.
The ride back to campus was much more comfortable. They took their family minivan and they all went along for the ride.
Lacey and Danny had requested that her parents drop them off at Danny's apartment. They still had a week off to themselves and wanted to take full advantage of their break by making up for lost time.
"Oh, who's here?" Lacey asked, seeing a car she didn't recognize parked in front of Danny's place as they pulled up.
"That would be my mother's car." Danny sighed.
The minds of all of the adult Porters in the car drifted back to Danny's mother being mentally ill. Lacey squeezed Danny's hand in support, now that she alone knew the full scope of things.
"Mind if we meet your mother, Danny?" Judy asked.
Danny unbuckled his seat belt, "Not at all, please, you're welcome any time." He offered and reluctantly slid out of the van.
Danny unlocked his apartment and stepped in to find his mom in the kitchen and his dad watching tv.
"Danny! Welcome home!" Karen gave her only child a huge hug. She blinked a few times and realized there was quite the entourage following him, "Laceyyyy, hi sweetheart." Karen gushed with big fake energy before pulling her into a tight squeeze, "Wearing more clothes this time I see."
"Pardon?" Judy could not fathom what in the world that meant.
"It's nothing." Lacey tried to smooth past that, "Hi Karen." Lacey hugged her back, cringing as she was forced to remember their first meeting.
The strength of Karen's hands around her gave Lacey pause as she thought about them taking someone else's life away. She felt sick. Danny kept a hand at the small of Lacey's back to make sure she knew he was still there and that everything would be okay.
"You guys didn't tell me you were coming." Danny tried to keep this moving.
"Now Danny, don't be rude, who are your other guests?" Karen smiled sweetly at Clara.
"I'm not the rude one here, mum—"
"You didn't tell us you were not coming home for Christmas." Karen scolded him.
Karen's revelation surprised all of them and not because Karen was a confirmed lunatic, but because who doesn't tell their family they're not coming home for the holidays? All eyes moved to Danny.
"I'm never home for Christmas—" He grit out.
"Karen, this is my sister, Clara," Lacey took over and slid in between Karen and Danny, "and these are my parents, Samuel and Judy Porter. Mom, dad, this is Karen Desai, Danny's mother."
Lacey and her parents all tried to act natural but none of them could hide their long stares as they all independently tried to catch a glimpse of how crazy worked.
Karen shook their hands and continued smiling warmly although she knew something was off.
"Can I use the bathroom?" Clara asked, completely unaware of the awkwardness that consumed everyone in the kitchen.
"Of course, upstairs to the right." Danny pointed.
Vikram peeled himself off the couch at that point and wandered into the kitchen.
"Hello—" Vikram said like he had zero fucks to give.
"Hi Vikram—mom, dad, this is Vikram Desai, Danny's father. These are my parents, Sam and Judy."
"Very nice to meet you, your daughter is lovely." Vikram acknowledged and Lacey suspected he did so because it was the acceptable thing to do after an introduction and not because he really wanted to.
"How about a tour?" Danny asked to break the spell, "This is my hallway and my kitchen—" Danny waved his arms around like he was some sort of game show person before leading Lacey's parents into his living room and leaving Lacey alone with his parents in the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas." Vikram said genuinely to Lacey.
"Thanks! You too. How long are guys staying?" She didn't want to make them feel unwelcome, but she basically wanted to scream Danny's name tonight until someone called the cops on them.
Vikram laughed, "Don't worry, we're leaving today. Karen just wanted to check in on him. How are you holding up? Danny meeting the parents, that's big."
Lacey gave Vikram a coy smile, "He did great. I love him, so much."
"Well, what's not to love." Karen gave a single clap.
Vikram took a deep breath, "I can't believe he's made it this far—" He said to himself.
"What does that mean?" Lacey giggled.
Danny dragged Lacey's parents upstairs to continue the tour just as Clara bounced back down.
"This is the bathroom and my bedroom." Danny's voice trailed off as he spun around the more intimate sections of his townhouse apartment.
Judy opened Danny's medicine cabinet, all of its classic contents neatly staged. She peeked at the toilet and the sink, everything was clean. Danny grinned to himself as Judy snooped around in exactly the same way that Lacey had.
She stopped at the linen closet and opened it as well, shelves of soaps and hand towels, leading down to bath towels and—bulk boxes of condoms. Judy grabbed a box and held it up, looking at Danny almost like she had asked a question but she hadn't said anything.
"I—um, I save money if I buy in bulk." Danny bit his lower lip nervously.
Judy put the package back, Samuel having no clue what she had found.
"Saving money, that's an important thing." Samuel encouraged, Danny and Judy glanced at each other as she made her way into his bedroom.
Judy ran her hand along the edge of Danny's bed. It was clean, made neatly. She opened his nightstand drawer, more condoms. She moved to his chest of drawers and pulled them open to find his neatly folded clothes, matched socks.
"You're a very clean person, Danny. Organized." Judy nodded, mildly impressed with his maturity, but still picking up on something she couldn't quite define.
Being a jock that looked the way Danny did, she assumed she'd find empty alcohol bottles everywhere and beer bottle caps being used as decoration.
Judy continued on until she pulled open the drawer that contained Lacey's spare panties, pajamas and a couple of her outfits. Her eyes snapped up to Danny's. Danny didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected Judy to take an inventory of his stuff.
"She stays over sometimes." Danny wasn't about to lie to Judy Porter.
The Porters both took a seat on Danny's bed. This wasn't good.
Clara made her way into the living room, drawn to the tv. Vikram inched his way back in there too, the soccer game too much of a distraction for the two of them.
"I'm sorry Karen, I didn't know Danny hadn't told you that he was coming home with me—" Lacey tried to grovel the best way she knew how.
"It's okay, I'm just glad everyone's okay."
"It was a nice time."
Karen walked up and held Lacey's hands, peeking over her shoulder and dropping her voice down low.
"I need to know things, Lacey. I'm aware of his sports schedules, but these trips you take together—"
"Danny's a big boy, he should have told you." Why was this her responsibility.
"He won't."
"I'm not in charge of him—"
"Please, Lacey, just a text or something, it's for your own safety."
Lacey was sensitive to Karen's mental state but if her and Danny were going to move forward as a couple, Karen needed to know that he was an adult now. She needed to help cut the cord.
"My own safety?"
"You're getting serious, I never expected that to happen."
"Okay—"
"We should really talk about some things, there's things you need to know." Karen rambled.
Lacey squeezed her hands and made significant eye contact with her.
"He told you." Karen nodded, "Unbelievable."
"I'm the only one who knows and I will protect him."
"Yes, we'll, that's what I'm afraid of—"
Lacey squinted at her in confusion.
Danny tried his best not to roll his eyes while he listened to Lacey's parents spout off about him absolutely destroying her pussy on the daily.
"You're both adults and I understand that, but Lacey is to stay in her dorm every night she's on campus." Judy clarified.
"Mrs. Porter—"
"You're really going to try to offer some sort of rebuttal here, Danny?" Samuel shook his head, "There's plenty of time for playing house after you've completed school."
"Mr. Porter—"
"Don't get me wrong, I don't hate you two together, but until you've graduated—"
"and until there's a ring!" Judy pointed at him.
"Right, until then, keep your hands off my daughter." Samuel said matter-of-factly.
"I can't promise that. We never see each other and I know what you're thinking, but I swear it's not always about that. Sometimes we just want to be in the same room and the only time we have together is while we're sleeping—" Danny tried to make it make sense.
"No." Sam shook his head, "She stays in her dorm."
"I don't want to upset you—" Danny sat between them, defeated, frustrated.
Karen paced back and forth.
"He told you." Karen said it again only this time it came out like she just watched her dog get hit by a car, "About—Tara?"
"Yes." Lacey nodded.
"You know how she really died?"
"Danny and I trust each other, I'll always protect him and his family—" Lacey tried to calm Karen's worries.
"Danny is very special." Karen's chin quivered, "I've worked so hard and he's come so far." A few tears dropped from her lashes like they weighed a million pounds each.
"He's amazing, truly." She smiled bright.
"I don't know if this is a good idea." Karen confessed, Lacey watching as she battled with something big.
"I don't know if this is a good idea." Judy confessed from the floor above as she battled with leaving Lacey on campus.
"We've been together, we are together. I love her, I respect her." Danny admitted bravely.
"I know all these condoms aren't just for one person—" Judy called him out.
"Originally no. Now, yes they absolutely are." He wasn't about to admit that they hadn't used condoms together once.
Samuel leaned forward and stuck his head into his hands.
"I can't promise what you want me to. It's not reality, it's not what either of us want. We're safe, we take care of each other. I love her."
"It's only been a few weeks really." Judy objected, "It's too serious, too fast."
"It's only been a few weeks really." Karen objected, "It's too serious, too fast."
"You don't need to worry so much now." Lacey grabbed Karen a tissue.
"Are you kidding? I'm more worried than ever—" Karen wiped her eyes.
"He's okay—"
"Of course he is, he's always okay. It's you who I'm worried about."
"Me? Danny takes good care of me. I wouldn't let him get away with anything less." Lacey smiled.
Karen sighed, "I can't keep doing this." She looked up at the ceiling.
"Let me take over. You've been managing this for ten years, it's time to take some time for yourself. He's gonna be back on the road soon and whenever he returns, I'll be here."
"What are you guys talking about in here?" Danny's voice cut through their emotional conversation.
His eyes traveled to his mom, he knew she had been crying. Fuck. Lacey watched his eyes dart over to her, he knew what they had been talking about.
"Mom—"
Karen just shook her head no and turned away to blow her nose.
"Lacey, what did you say?!" Danny was irritated.
"I just—"
Judy and Samuel crowded in behind Danny, "Where's Clara?" Judy asked as she weaved her head around looking for her baby.
"GOOOAAAALLLLL!" Everyone jumped at the sound of Clara and Vikram screaming joyously together from the living room.
Lacey couldn't help but laugh, "Seems like our families get along okay." She noted as she followed her parents into the living room and away from Danny's frustrated face.
"There's something else." Judy said softly to Lacey as they stood and watched Clara enjoying the game.
"Mom, please don't do this again—"
Judy shook her head, "Something's not right."
"You two need to slow down." Samuel added for good measure.
"He's perfect." Lacey gushed.
"I can't believe you told her." Karen slapped Danny's arm.
"She's different."
"I hope that's true."
"It's better with her."
"That's what you always say."
"I trust her."
"Does she know about Regina?"
"No."
"Are you going to tell her?"
"Now why would I do that?"
"Danny—"
"Stay out of this mother, I'm warning you now."
"Have you been taking your medication?"
"I don't need it." Danny smiled.