Page 54 of Spoil
I look up the stairs. “Only if Danny wants to.”
“Perfect!” Daniel shouts before standing and lifting me into a bridal carry. “She can be bribed.”
I laugh, and Daniel locks the front door and carries me up the stairs.
Chapter twenty-six
Daniel
Luckily, Nell is as forgiving as she is beautiful. I feel like an ass for what she must have been going through the last few days. But I was honest. Even with my friends’ help, I was paralyzed with indecision. No matter what I said, or how I said it, her sisters’ actions were going to hurt her. They were completely out of line, gross and disrespectful. Selfish, greedy, and manipulative.
And honestly, I needed a day or two for my anger on Nell’s behalf to simmer. I wanted to throttle both women. I wanted to storm into their house and demand they apologize to Nell.
Instead, I planned a dinner party.
The following Friday, I hire a private chef to cook a three-course meal at my house.
Nell and Danny show up first, both dressed in beautiful dresses. Nell is a vision with her auburn curls in a thick braid just over her shoulder. Danny is the epitome of a princess in a pink dress that could be a tutu. I’m not exactly sure what degree of rise turns a skirt into a tutu.
I need Nell to see herself in my world - to be comfortable doing the things me and my friends normally do. We don’t often have dinner parties, but hosted events, galas, etc.
Declan and Serenity arrive next, holding my other favorite little girl, Cammy. Cammy’s a year older than Danny, but where Danny is shy, Cammy is an extrovert. She got that side from her mom.
I make introductions all around, and Cammy immediately grabs Danny’s hand and insists that Danny show her her bedroom. The two smile at each other, and my heart lurches for my baby and her first friend (aside from Cara).
Nell comes up to us, and I wrap my arm around her waist, tugging her to my side as we make pleasantries. Of course she met everyone at The Envelope, but Nell hasn’t been able to hang out with the girls at all when they’ve invited her.
Cassidy shows up with her eight-year-old son, Elijah next, followed by Harrison. And while Elijah’s older than the girls, he’s known Cammy her entire life and looks at her like a baby sister. He takes on the duty of watching the girls while the adults settle in with a drink.
As the hour passes, I watch Nell’s shoulders go from tense to melted. Serenity and Cassidy are wonderful at making her feel instantly included. Harrison even steals her attention and jokes with her about things I can’t hear.
I want to hold her, to kiss her, to show her off to my friends - my family - but I want this more. I want her to get comfortable with my friends. I want her to have so much fun tonight she can’t imagine anything other future together.
The first course is served - a delicious salad of pomegranates and mandarin oranges, followed by lamb shanks and roasted vegetables, followed by poached pears for dessert. The kids are served the same, but already cut up, so the adults don’t have to.
After I’ve finished eating, the party migrates to the living room, and I pull Nell onto my lap.
I sip my whiskey and watch Danny laughing and smiling with Elijah and Cammy as they play together on the floor. I notice the blush on Nell’s cheeks from the wine. But I’ve also been stealing every excuse to touch her whenever I can. A brush of her arm here, a caress of her thigh there. Each time her eyes cut to me, I can’t help the smirk. Now on my lap, my hand is able to rub small circles against her skin just above her knee. It’s completely innocent, and our friends can see it, but I know how sensitive Nell is, and how this small touch must be driving her nuts.
She’s stayed over a handful of nights, but we haven’t gotten to mess around as much as I would like.
Tonight, she packed an overnight, and I plan on rectifying that.
As we say goodnight to my friends, I have a sleepy Danny propped against my shoulder.
I shut the door, locking it behind us. Nell runs a hand over Danny’s back.
“She had fun tonight,” Nell whispers.
“Cammy and Eli are really good kids. I knew they’d like her.”
“I like her having friends,” Nell says as she flicks off the lamps in the sitting room before following me up the stairs. “Sometimes I feel like a bad mom because we were too busy before to really do any playdates or go to the park.”
Danny doesn’t move as I tuck her into bed. I drop a kiss to her forehead and whisper ‘goodnight’ to her. I love seeing her in her own room, in my house. It feels right - like the way it should have always been.
Nell follows me and drops a kiss on Danny as well before I flick on the baby monitor and close the door behind us.
She’s still not used to sleeping here, so I like having the baby monitor in case she wakes up scared or confused.
