Page 87 of See You Soon
“Help yourself, except Ari of course.” Emilia continues and I swear I can feel time stop.
My eyes widen and I shake my head at her frantically, biting my lip. I mouth to her,
He doesn't know.
She reads my mouth and purses her lips together in shock, immediately apologetic.
"Why can't Ari drink?" Danny asks full of confusion, looking down at me, his eyebrows arched. He’s always been able to read me so well and I’m hoping just this one time, he won’t.He can’t find out like this.
I immediately start acting like I have my foot in my mouth. I look at Danny, with a forceful smile then at Emilia, letting out a deep breath. I'm begging for her help through my eyes.
"I... uh—" I stutter not knowing how to continue my sentence. I'm panicking and Harry looks at me concerned.
"Because she's Meredith's designated driver!" Emilia explains nervously, throwing her hands up in the air and I feel safe hoping Danny will buy it.
Yup, that's believable.
"Yeah. I'm supposed to drive her home." I shrug, placing my hand on my waist leaning on it and something flashes in Danny's eyes. I can't tell what he's feeling but then he gives me a reassuring smile, eyebrows furrowed.
Kane's familiar voice roars through the crowd interrupting the dreadful awkward silence between us four.
"Rider! Get the fuck over here man, we're about to take some shots!" Kane shouts over to us. We both turn towards him, and Danny's team all have shot glasses in their hands. He waves his hands over and Kane locks eyes with me for a split second before returning his gaze to Danny. Something about Kane's gaze has me questioning his intentions. His gaze was unwelcoming. Danny gives him a nod and grins.
"I want to introduce you to some friends of mine. I know you met Kane and Rooker but I want you to meet Lopez and Aitu." Danny says in my ear.
"Congrats Mr. And Mrs. Santos but I'll be stealing Ari for the rest of the night and for the foreseeable future. Is there any way Meredith can get a ride with another sober guest?" He asks and Danny tightens his grip on my waist. I'm addicted to his touch. It feels like forever since I've seen him. Not too long ago, I had thought he was a figment of my imagination. His absence was so long it did something to me. Now, he was standing right beside me holding me. If this was a dream, I didn't want to wake up.
"Of course, we have tons of sober cousins that don't drink, Meredith will be just fine." She lifts her drink, still looking at me with an apologetic frantic expression.
I return her expression with a smile, exchanging glances from her to Danny.
"Nice meeting you and congratulations again. I'm going to make sure these guys don't give the bartender too much of a hard time." Danny jokes and I'm waving goodbye to Harry and Emilia.
Danny's quiet but his hold on me doesn't sway. I've missed the feelings his touch would do to me. My inner thighs haven't stopped throbbing since I saw his beautiful silhouette on the sand.
As we meet with his team, Kane's handing a shot to Danny.
"Men, this is Ari." Danny pulls me in front of him, showing me off like a diamond.
This is a big moment for Danny and me. He knows the amount of backlash he's going to receive and it's inevitable with the pregnancy. He didn't know about it and yet he's still exposing our relationship to his team.
"Wait... aren't you? She's—” a tall, warrior-like man questions. He has black hair that reaches his shoulder, and the same body frame as Danny. He has grey eyes, and I can't help but notice how mysteriously handsome he is.
"Paul's sister." Kane’s curt voice finishes, through gritted teeth. Danny ignores his tone and looks at me like I'm rare jewelry on his arm.
Rooker gives me a comforting smile and he looks better than ever. The last time I saw him, his chest had a bullet inside of it and he carried a pale reflection due to blood loss.
"Nice to meet you, darling. I'm Zeke, also known as Aitu. I worked with your brother. We were on the same team." He reaches his large hand out and I shake it. At the same time, another man gives me a welcoming smile and a handshake as well. I'm assuming he's Lopez.
"That's awesome. Rooker, how are you recovering?" I asked cheerfully.
Rooker smacks his teeth and holds his hand to his chest, palming it.
"You and Doctor Diaz saved my life. I'm forever grateful to you the medical team that worked on me. I'm recovering well though, I already got cleared to get back to work." Rooker flashes me a grateful smile and I choke up. It feels good to know I was a part of his survival. Moments like this make me feel like all the hardship that came with my career was well worth it.
"Your brother was a good man. My condolences." Zeke says.
"Yes. Yes, he was." I turn towards him.
