Page 83 of V is for Valentine
“Let’s consider,” she said thoughtfully. “I flew standby to Boise, rented a car, drove through a storm, polished silverware.” She took a step closer and reached for the front of his coat. “I hate polishing silverware, but sometimes you do what you gotta do.”
“Are you going to mangle my garments again?”
She smiled a little as he took her by the shoulders, pulling her close enough to trap her hand between them. “Apparently not.” She met his gaze, then gave into impulse—something she planned to do a lot more of in the future, slipped her free hand around the back of his neck and pulled his lips down for a long, sweet kiss. Then she went back for a second and a third. When her back hit cold brick, she realized that she’d been backing up. But while the brick was cold, everything about Danny was warm. And wonderful. She was home.
“I’ve got something to tell you,” she said to his chin before raising her gaze. How had she ever believed she could walk away from this man who was such a part of her?
“And that would be?” he prompted gruffly.
“I love you. Sorry for taking so long to figure things out.”
He lowered his forehead to touch hers. “I love you, too. Not that you haven’t made it difficult.”
“How so?” she asked in a low voice.
“Let’s consider,” he said leaning back to look down into her face. “You threatened me with a three-headed dog. Locked me in a tool shed, so that I still tic a little when I see a shovel or rake. You soaped up the windows of my beloved Mustang. You trapped me in a furnace room.”
“The furnace room was your fault.”
“It was.”
For a long moment they simply looked into one another’s eyes, half smiling, communicating on a level that demanded no words.
“I’m coming home.”
Danny drew back. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
“You’re not leaving everything you’ve worked for because of me. What about your retirement fund?”
She took hold of his forearms, leaving his coat unmangled. “I can truly say I’m doing this for me. I told my family the truth about Sean, and they back me on this. Besides, I get back all the money I put into the 401(k). I only lose the matching funds.”
“Which hurt you to the depth of your soul before.”
Her gaze jerked up to his. “No. Not being true to myself hurt me to the depth of my soul. Losing the money was something I could complain about out loud.”
He pulled her against him then, settling a hand against the back of her head as he rested his cheek on her hair. And, as always, Danny smelled so good.
“You could have stopped by the house to tell me all this.”
“And miss making my grand gesture?” He pulled back to look at her, and she said, “I wanted to have our Valentine’s Day dinner. The one I bailed on.”
“It’s President’s Day, Felix.”
“Next year we’ll celebrate on the actual day and every year after that.”
“It’s a hokey holiday,” he reminded her with a wicked smile.
“And you gave me a hokey valentine that I’ll treasure forever. By the way, I disregarded your suggestion to disregard small messages. I do want to be yours.”
“Do you?” he asked in a tone that made her go all warm inside.
“Yeah. V is for Valentine and F is for Forever.”
“On that,” he said as he lowered his head to kiss her soundly, “I have no argument.”
“First time ever,” she murmured against his lips.
