Ch. 12
When Danny had said I needed to get ready, I was confused. Ready for what? What were we celebrating? I was missing something. Something important happened today. I wasn't sure what, though. I had finally gotten a good look at Danny. He was wearing black dress pants, a light blue button up, and a tie. They must be planning something fancy. I knew exactly what I was going to wear.
"Well, will you come with me? I think it'll be silly for me to go home and then come the whole way back here for us to just leave again.
He smiled knowingly. He completely understood. I was grateful for that. While Danny and I were on the porch, Rafe and Evelyn headed inside. She must be getting ready, too. I hadn't realized that there was a vehicle missing from the yard, though, until Danny and I headed to my car.
"Where's Red? Is he going to be joining us as well?"
I completely forgot. The night before on my way to take Emily home, she told me that Red had asked her out for tonight. I knew this was going to be their first date, and I also knew they wouldn't want any extra company.
Danny just smirked at me. Yeah, he knew too apparently. He opened the passenger side door for me. I guess he decided he was going to drive.
"Thank you."
I got in the car, sat down, and buckled up. I didn't care if Danny wanted to drive. I had a long day with all that shopping. I felt like I could go to bed, but I wanted to celebrate whatever it was we were celebrating.
Danny drove to my place. The whole way there, I kept asking where we were going. He wouldn't say, and I could tell he was getting a little annoyed with all of my questions, but I was excited.
We walked through the door. It was dark and quiet in the house, so I put on some music and turned a light on.
"I'm going to go take a quick shower and get ready. Give me about 20 minutes."
"Okay, I'll be in the living room if you need me."
I nodded. To me, this felt so right. Him being in my home, just us. I wish he could stay with me all the time, but I wasn't sure how he would feel about that since we weren't married. I just wanted him with me at all times.
The first thing I did when I got out of the shower was fix my hair. My hair curled naturally when wet, so I decided to just scrunch it up with some mouse, and spray it with some hairspray so it wouldn't fall. I don't think Danny had ever seen me with my natural curly hair, so this would be a surprise. I had put on some eye make-up and some lip gloss. That was all I really needed. I went to my closet and pulled out the dress I had decided to wear that night. It was a black cocktail dress. It hugged in all the right places, and it had two thin straps. It fell slightly above my knees. This was the first time I ever wore it. I instantly fell in love with it when I saw it in the store. Emily told me I would never wear it. Boy, was she wrong. I also put on a pair of black strappy heals. I took one last look in the mirror.
"I hope he doesn't have anything negative to say."
I was nervous. For the first time since Danny and I had been together, I didn't have anyone to help pick out my clothes. I didn't know how he would feel about me wearing this, but I knew this was the perfect dress for a celebration. At least in my time it was. I grabbed a sweater and headed to the living room.
As I was walking through the kitchen, it seemed like my heels were echoing on through the whole house. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest. As I approached the living room, I knew Danny had heard me coming, because he stood up from the couch. His eyes were roaming all over my body. I could feel them. My heart was beating even faster now. I could see the hunger in his eyes. I knew I had made the right decision.
"Well, what do you think?"
It was like he was in a trance. He finally looked me in the eyes.
"Wow. You look amazing."
He walked over and put his arms around my waist. I had put mine around his neck, and I was blushing furiously.
"Thank you."
I whispered. I was still nervous. He had approved my look, why was I still nervous? He gave me a soft kiss on the lips.
"You're welcome."
He pulled away and held his arm up for me to take. He was still the gentleman that I knew him to be.
"Now, shall we get going?"
I let Danny drive, because this was supposed to be a surprise. We went to the next town over, and pulled up in front of the fanciest restaurant there. There was even a valet. I was in shock. Could they really afford this? How did they have the money? Although, how was Danny living for the past month?
Danny had gotten out of the car and came around to my side to help me out. I just looked at the restaurant in amazement. He handed the keys to the valet, and gave him a tip. I laced my arm through his as we walked inside.
I was astounded by what I saw. There was a water fountain right in the middle of the restaurant, and there was a dance floor. A live quartet was playing, and people were dancing. It was an intimate place. It wasn't too loud, and it was the perfect place for a night out. I instantly fell in love with it. Danny had walked up to the podium and told them we had a reservation. They showed us to our table, and Rafe and Evelyn were already there.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up."
I blushed furiously. Only Rafe. I swear that boy didn't know how to greet someone properly. Danny just laughed.
"Well, this one here decided to take forever to get ready."
"Hey, that's not fair. Had I had more of a notice, I would have gotten ready before we even showed back up at your place."
"Well, had you answered the phone earlier, you would have."
I was shocked. I didn't realize that it was Danny who had called earlier that day. I had to remember to save his number. Did he have a cell phone, too? I didn't know. I was slightly curious, but it wasn't really any of my business.
I was sitting across from Evelyn, and Danny was sitting across from Rafe. The waiter had come with one menu for wines, and 4 other menus for us to choose something to eat. I couldn't pronounce half of the things on the menu, so I stuck to what I knew. When the waiter came back, we had all ordered. We all ordered the steak, with different sides. I was glad I wasn't the only one in the same boat of not knowing the menu.
He brought us glasses of water first. Danny had told him to save the wine for dessert. I guess we were going to eat before we knew what we were celebrating.
While we were eating, Evelyn gave the news that the baby was completely healthy. She wanted to tell both of them at the same time, apparently, because Rafe seemed like he was hearing it for the first time.
After we ate our main course, Danny took me out to the dance floor. Surprisingly, it was the song that was playing the night we had first met. I almost cried. Danny had put one arm around my waist, I put one hand on his shoulder, and he grabbed my other hand in his.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise."
He just gave me a wide smile. I had a feeling that he purposely requested this song.
"Well, it's all for you."
I blushed. I knew there was a lot more surprises to come that night.
We had danced a couple more songs. Rafe and Danny had taken turns dancing with Evelyn and me. We all had a special bond that nobody else would ever realize. We all had been through a lot together, and nothing was going to keep any of us apart.
When we got back to the table, dessert was waiting for us. It was warm chocolate melting cake. It was my favorite. Danny had decided to open up the wine, and pour us all a glass. Except Evelyn, of course.
"Alright I propose a toast. First of all, to Evelyn and Rafe on the health of their baby, and to their upcoming wedding."
We all smiled at that. It was very sweet.
"Also, to Alyssa, for agreeing to be my bride."
I blushed. I never in a million years would have thought that he would bring that up, but it made me happy nonetheless.
"And, to Rafe, Red, and me for getting that job at the airport today."
I almost dropped my glass. I had completely forgotten. I was so caught up with the baby and shopping that I didn't even ask how it went when I first saw him today. I felt so ashamed. I could tell it didn't bother him, though. They kept this a secret on purpose. I knew, because Evelyn had the same look on her face as I did. Pure shock mixed with happiness.
We all clinked glasses.
"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you all."
I gave Danny a small kiss on the cheek. I was truly happy for them. Especially Rafe. They all needed this job. Danny, so he could survive on his own, and Rafe so he could take care of his family.
We stayed at the restaurant a little longer than expected. Rafe and Danny had struck up a conversation on their new job. I was talking to Evelyn about the wedding.
"So, Evelyn. How about we go shopping again tomorrow. We need to pick you out a dress. We can take Emily, too. She's better at figuring out what looks better on someone than I am."
Evelyn smiled. She lit up at the idea.
"That's a great idea. It'll give me a chance to get to know her better, and I won't have to wait on you to give me all the details about her and Red's date."
We both giggled. She was right. I wanted to know as much about their date as she did.
A little while later, we had all agreed to call it a night. Danny had decided to ride with me back to my place. I was giddy with excitement.
When we got there, Danny handed me the keys.
"Go ahead, I'll catch up in a minute."
I didn't pay any attention to it. He probably forgot something, and I was getting tired. When I got inside, I decided to head to the bedroom and start getting a little more comfortable. The shoes were killing my feet, and I wanted to get this make up off.
I was in the bathroom when Danny had come in. He walked up behind me, and wrapped his arms around me. I saw a small, long box in his left hand. He gave me a kiss on the cheek, and stared at me in the mirror. I just smiled at him.
"I have a surprise for you."
I just smirked. He wasn't hiding it well, so I already knew. He opened up the box. Inside was a gorgeous diamond necklace. I was in shock. How could he afford this? What was he thinking? He needed his money more than I needed this gift. I took it gingerly from the box, and turned around in his arms.
"Danny, this is gorgeous, but you didn't have to. You prob…"
He cut me off. He knew what I was about to say. He didn't want to hear it.
"Here, let me put it on you."
I turned back around to face the mirror so I could watch him put it on me. It went perfect with the dress I was wearing. The chain was silver, with 3 diamonds hanging on the end of it. I loved it.
"See, it looks great on you."
He was right. It matched my skin tone perfectly. I knew then, that I would never take it off. I didn't want to.
"It's beautiful, but…"
He cut me off again.
"Don't worry about how I can afford it, or anything like that. I've got everything I need, and I am fine. Now come here."
He led me back to the bedroom, and he started emptying out his pockets. That's when something caught my eye.
"Daniel Walker, is that a cell phone?"
I was kind of surprised. I didn't think that he would ever get a cell phone, but he was full of surprises. He just smiled at me.
"Yes it is. I told you I've been here over a month. I needed some way to communicate, and I could tell this was the best way. That way you can get a hold of me whenever you need to."
I was smiling. He thought about my well-being. He wanted me to get in touch with him whenever I could. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He kissed me passionately. He slowly unzipped the back of my dress. My heart was racing. I gingerly unbuttoned his shirt. Before I realized it, he was laying me on the bed, undressing me completely. We had made love again that night.
After we were done, we just laid there in each other's arms, in complete silence for a few minutes. We were trying to catch our breath. He was holding me, my head was on his chest, and I had an arm draped around him. He was the first to speak.
"You know, I wish it could be like this all the time. Not the sex, just you and me alone in a house together."
I was shocked. Was he implying something? I didn't want to push it.
"I do too, Danny, but it will happen eventually."
He nodded. The question was on the tip of my tongue. I really didn't want to push it, though.
"Yea, but before it was different. We were both in the military, and times were different. Now, all I want to do is be with you all the time. Without worries about what people think."
Oh my gosh. He was implying something. He wanted us to move in together. Was this really what I wanted?
"I've got an idea. How about Sunday, we go do something together. Just you and me. I know you and Evelyn have plans tomorrow, but I want you all to myself Sunday. It'll be fun, I promise."
I just nodded. For now, I was completely content in his arms. I didn't want anything to ruin it, but I couldn't wait until Sunday.
Before I drifted off to sleep I gave him one last kiss.
"I love you, Danny."
"I love you too, Alyssa. With all my heart."
I went to sleep with the biggest smile on my face. I was rushing Sunday to come.