Redemption

Chapter Eight

The evening had been perfect. Danni made sure to light a slew of candles and put on some soft, romantic music to set the mood. She cooked a delicious spaghetti dinner—the first meal she'd ever made for Bobby—which he enjoyed immensely. She served the best champagne she could find with dessert, Sue's mom's delectable ice cream dessert. She'd learned how to make it when she was young and she was glad she did; Bobby seemed to enjoy it more than dinner.

She didn't know whether she should be flattered by that at first, because he usually enjoyed her cooking. When he kissed her, though, she knew it was a compliment. He just liked dessert more than anything.

Bobby had definitely been surprised when he'd come home. He never expected Danni to pull out all the stops, but he was glad she did. It was a nice atmosphere to relax in after a rough day.

But, the mood and the food wasn't what surprised him the most. He'd never seen her look more beautiful. Her dark hair lay in loose waves that framed her face and accented every shade of blue in her eyes. Yet, what he loved most was her dress. It was a stunningly slinky burgundy halter dress with drawstring runching on the right hip. It fit her perfectly and let him drink in every one of her smooth curves. As an added touch, it had chiffon asymmetrical ruffles ties that made the dress even more beautiful.

She looked absolutely amazing and the only word he could get out when he first saw her was, "wow!"

Now, as they lay cuddled in each others' arms on the couch, Bobby couldn't help but realize how good he actually had it. In reality, he'd known all along, but with Darcy's sudden reappearance, he certainly doubted his heart. Some feelings stirred up when he first saw her, but they'd vanished as quickly as they'd appeared. Danni was the girl for him and she always would be. He just wanted her to know.

"Luv, there's something I need to tell you." He said it boldly and knew everything was going to turn out for the better. She would understand. Why he was so positive, he didn't know, but he had to act on it before he turned yellow.

"What is it?" She would be lying if she said she wasn't frightened by this sudden announcement he had to make. She couldn't help but think of everything he could come up with that would break her heart. She nibbled at the inside of her cheek as she waited for his response. She had the feeling that she wasn't going to like this.

"Do you remember that ex-girlfriend I told you about?"

"Darcy? The Journo?"

His lip twitched into a smile as he heard her take a hand in trying Australian slang. She was cute when she did it, even if it didn't sound right. "Yeah, that one… She came to visit me today… in the pen."

She nodded for a second before she cleared her throat. "Oh," was all she said as she laid her head against his chest in hopes he wasn't going to say anything about getting back together with her. She'd had her heart broken once that way and he knew how badly that had affected her. He wouldn't do the same to her, would he?

"She's actually the one who bumped into you when you were getting off the elevator." He saw her eyes light up in recognition and almost regretted bringing up the subject. "Do you remember when we went to get coffee that first night and I told you that I still had feelings for her?" She only nodded her head against him, afraid that her voice would give away all the pain she was feeling. She didn't want to hear this, but she was curious as to why he brought it up in the first place. She didn't want to lose him. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She closed her eyes and clutched tighter to him as she felt him begin to play with her wavy, brown locks. "Well, I realized something today, after she left and before you came in." She tried as hard as she could to hold her tears at bay, but her resolve was quickly fading. She wished he would just get it over with. "I realized that those feelings were never really there. I was only in love with the memory of her, but not her as a person. Then, I realized how good I actually had it, though I never really doubted it… I am in love with the most wonderful woman in the world and I wouldn't have it any other way. You make my world whole and you're the one I want to be with." 'The only one,' he thought to himself.

Danni let out the breath she'd been holding in as a sob escaped her. She looked up into his eyes to see him smiling down at her. A single tear fell from her eye and he was already there to brush it away before it reached her cheek. "That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me," she said with a chuckle as she dried her eyes on the back of her hand.

"I love you," he said simply before placing a kiss upon her pouty lips.

"I love you," she responded with a kiss upon his nose. It didn't move much farther than tender kisses for the moment. They were too busy basking in the light of their love. She let out a chuckle a few minutes later as her heart began beating at its regular pace. "For a minute, I didn't know what to think. I could have sworn that you were going to break up with me… then, I could swear you were going to… propose or something." She wasn't disappointed by that fact, though even she couldn't say no to that speech.

"What if I was?" he asked, seriously.

Her eyes returned to his in a shocked expression. "Bobby Manning, was that a proposal?" Her tone was teasing, but the thought made her heart jump to her throat. She watched his cheeks turn red and saw him swallow an imaginary lump in his throat. She could feel his heartbeat quicken under the palm of her hand and she could tell his hands were shaking as he tried to rest them upon her back.

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it so he could continue trying to swallow that lump. "Well… not officially," he answered. "I was just wondering what if, really. I mean, would I even have a chance?" He seemed to fear the answer to that question. When he'd met Danni, she didn't exactly seem to be the marrying type. But, after a year, he couldn't imagine being with anyone else. She was the girl for him.

His entire body stiffened as she stood up from the couch and sauntered to the bedroom door. Her eyes were still red-brimmed, but there was something hidden behind all of that. A beautiful smile graced her features as she leaned against the doorframe and gave him her less-than-subtle come-hither look. He remained plastered to the couch as he waited for a response. He wasn't going anywhere until he got some sort of answer.

"I guess you'll never know if you don't ask," was all she said before she disappeared into the bedroom.

He stared blankly at her once-occupied space, before getting up from where he lay. It wasn't the answer he'd expected, but he'd happily accept it. He made sure to blow out all of the candles in the room before he headed after her.