Authors: Brenda Jernigan
"Case closed!" The gavel hit the desk.
Dani really didn't think it was fair, but she thankfully kept her mouth shut.
"Sorry, Dani," Kevin said while he stuffed the papers back in his briefcase. "Anything's better than the half a million they wanted."
"I guess so."
"Why didn't you tell me you were married to the head of the company?" Kevin asked.
"Because I didn't know until a few minutes ago."
"You're kidding."
She turned and saw Adrian say something to Mr. Coffee, whose face then turned bright red. When she reached her husband she couldn't help asking, "What did you say to him?"
"I simply told him it wouldn't be worth his time to seek any of my business in the future."
"Thank you, Adrian, but I can fight my own battles."
"I can help, too."
She stared at him for a long moment, realizing she really didn't know the real Adrian Massimino, only someone she had dreamed up in her mind. Or, maybe, she made him into the person she wanted him to be. She sighed. "Let's go home," Dani said, then bent and grabbed her side.
"What's wrong?" Adrian reached out for her.
"Nothing. The baby just moved the wrong way."
Adrian put his arm around her and they left the courthouse. Drained of all emotion, Dani didn't have the energy to protest.
She thought about Adrian all the way home. He was rich. Not just rich, he was very rich. Steven had been rich, and he turned out to be a very sorry person. Would Adrian be the same way?
Yet, Adrian didn't act like Steven. Still, he hadn't been truthful with her, either. And she was getting pretty steamed about the subject. The more she thought about it, the madder she got.
By the time they reached the apartment, her temper had reached the boiling point, and she started in on him as soon as the door shut.
"Why did you let me make an ass out of myself? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want you to look at me with dollar signs in your eyes."
"You sure have a lot of faith in me,” Dani shot back, the bitterness evident. Now, I get why you suggested the prenuptial agreement." She turned and went into the kitchen.
"What a minute." He followed. The prenuptial was your idea. I think you had your trust fund in mind."
"How did you know about that?" She cut her eyes at him while pouring herself a glass of water.
"Rest assured it wasn't from you, sweetheart. You never bothered to mention that little fact to me, either. Maybe, I'm the one that should feel used."
"It wasn't like that!" She slammed the plastic cup on the counter and some of the liquid splashed out. "Getting married just solved that problem, but you're changing the subject. The subject was you."
"Dani, if you knew how many bad affairs I'd had--not to mention a bad marriage." He ran a hand through his hair. "All the problems, every one of them, seemed to be because of my money. Money makes people do funny things. Some people will do anything to get it."
"I don't want your money. And I'm not like the other women."
He leaned back against the counter and gazed at her, trying to telegraph his longing to her. "I know that now. But you did use me for money, didn't you?"
She wanted to deny what he said, but she couldn't. "Well, yes, in a way. Why didn't you trust me before?"
"I guess my ex-wife left scars that ran deeper than even I imagined."
"Yet, you married me. Why?"
"Because of the baby." Adrian regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, realizing how it sounded.
A look of hurt entered Dani's eyes, then she softly said. "I'm tired, Adrian. I'm going to bed."
Feeling the gap between them widening, he watched her walk away from him. He knew he should do or say something, but maybe if he just gave her a few days she'd come around. Maybe.
Chapter Sixteen
Adrian had been wrong not to talk everything out that first night.
now Dani had withdrawn from him and the gap between them seemed to grow bigger every day.
An icy silence stood like a brick wall between them. The only time Dani let the wall down was when they slept. No matter how far across the bed she started out, by morning she was in his arms, snuggled next to him.
They had polite conversations at dinner, but Adrian could do nothing to get the dull look out of her eyes. And she refused to talk about his business. It was as if she resented his wealth. That, he had to admit, was a definite switch. Their conversations now consisted entirely of the baby. It seemed to him, Dani had convinced herself that the only reason he stayed was because of the baby.
That might have been true once, but not now. Thought over the last few years Adrian hadn’t been able to keep his mind on one woman, but Dani had changed all that.
She had changed his entire way of thinking about everything. In fact, she seemed to be the
only
thing he did think about.
Finally, Adrian came upon an idea which he thought would bring his wife out of her shell. He brought the subject up at dinner.
"I spoke with your doctor today."
"Why?"
"The finishing touches have been made on the beach house, and I thought you might like to fly with me to Sea Horse Island to see what they've done. I know Angus and Nettie would like to see you. I called them yesterday."
Dani's
face automatically brightened. "Yes, I would."
"G
ood. The doctor said that since we'll be flying on my private jet, he didn't think it would hurt the baby. It will only be a short trip."
Dani slid back from the table. "When do we leave?"
"First thing tomorrow morning. You'd better pack a few things tonight."
Dani wa
sted no time following up on his suggestion. She couldn't have been happier getting away from the apartment and the four walls that seemed to be closing in on her. She had been so depressed these last few weeks all she wanted to do was sit and cry. Pathetic.
She knew she wasn't being fair to Adrian, but he hadn't exactly been fair with her either. She was at a loss to fix what was wrong between them. Perhaps, she was just plan afraid. She loved Adrian, but she didn't want to fall into the same trap twice. With Steven, she'd been so short-sighted that she'd let the man walk all over her. And, she never wanted that again.
She wanted to be an equal partner in her marriage. How could she feel equal with a millionaire? She wasn't really punishing him or at least she didn’t think she was--more like she was protecting herself.
At night bad dreams would wake her. Terrible dreams of Adrian walking out and leaving her with the baby to raise all alone. Panic would overwhelm her so much that she'd have to sit up and wait for her heart to stop racing. Then, despite how she felt, she'd snuggle next to her husband, and that empty feeling would go away. U
ntil the next night when it would start all over again.
Dani knew her lack of sleep and growing panic was making her irritable, and she wouldn't blame Adrian if he ran out t
he door and never looked back. She wanted to stop her roller coaster of emotions but seemed helpless to do so. Her hormones didn’t exactly help keep her on an even keel, either.
She pulled out a small overnight bag. Maybe a change of scenery would help them both.
It certainly couldn't hurt.
As the cab drove them right up to a sleek Boeing business jet on the tarmac, Dani couldn’t help admiring the gleaming white and silver aircraft that was large enough to seat twenty. Adrian paid the cab driver, then escorted her up the short flight of steps.
"Watch your step," he cautioned.
"This plane is yours?"
"Yes, it is. I've had to travel so much in the past, the jet seemed practical."
"So this is how you managed to get to my parents’ place so quickly?"
"That's right."
Dani sat down in the plush, royal blue seat Adrian guided her to. Unlike the uncomfortable airline seats she was accustomed to, these seats were roomy and soft. She and Adrian faced each other much like they would in a cozy living room instead of sitting side by side.
A hostess appeared with a bright smile. Would you like the usual, Mr. Massimino?"
"Yes. And bring my wife some--." He looked at Dani.
"Ginger ale," she supplied, liking the way Adrian had referred to her as his wife. It was the first time she’d actually heard him say it.
After the hostess had brought them their drinks, she left them alone and the plane taxied down the runway.
"I think it's time we talked, Dani," Adrian said, and Dani's heart fluttered as her stomach tightened. Just like in her dreams, panic set in.
"I'm sorry I didn’t tell you the complete truth," Adrian went on. "If you remember, you were the one who jumped to conclusions. You thought from the start that I was a beach bum. And I thought I’d never see you again."
Dani took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst. "You could have corrected me."
"As I recall, when I talked about the house, you still didn't believe me."
"Well." Dani tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “I thought you were house sitting or maybe a contractor or something.”
Adrian's eyes glinted with amusement. "I think you enjoyed believing the worst of me."
Dani felt her face grow pale as all the blood rushed to her sinking stomach. Oh God, here it came. He was going to leave her. She hadn't been very nice to him during that time--that much she remembered. "You could have told me later."
"Yes, I could have. But later, I felt there was something special between us, and I wanted to find out if I was wrong. You see, my first wife seemed picture perfect when I met her. Much like you, at first. I fell head over heels for her. It wasn't until we were married that I began to realize everything about the woman was an act.
"One night I got drunk and turned to the woman you met when we were in New York. I knew it was a mistake the next morning, but that didn't stop me from going back time and again.
"Then my wi
fe found out she was pregnant. It was considered a miracle that I could even father children since I had the mumps when I was younger, but it had happened or so I thought.
“I had always wanted a large family.
I was thrilled. I told myself from then on I'd be a faithful husband. I showered her with gifts and tried to do everything in my power to make her happy. I hoped she would change. I knew she would." He shook his head.
"She didn't." Adrian paused and sipped his drink. Dani could see the pain deep in the eyes.
"She found out about the affair, and one day when I was at work, she had an abortion. She told me it was because of the affair, and she hoped it taught me a lesson.” Adrian sucked in his breath and blew it out slowly. “I found out sometime later that it wasn’t my child.
"It did teach me a lesson. I left her. After three years, she finally agreed to give me a divorce. I dated other women, but it was the same thing every time. They saw my money--they never saw me.
“After awhile they all became the same, and I worked harder...longer." Adrian looked out the window, lost in his thoughts. "Work became my haven. My safety zone. Besides, I really wasn’t sure I could be faithful. I'd tried marriage, and I had failed, miserably." His gaze again rested on Dani, and he leaned forward, placing his arms on his knees.
"And then you blew into my life much like a storm. I didn't want you. I didn't need you. But unfortunately, I couldn't get you out of my mind. And, believe me sweetheart, I tried.
"I could tell that something was changing, but this time I wanted to be sure. I wanted you to want
me
--not my money. Therefore, I didn't tell you about it.”
Dani took a breath, then shifted in her seat.
"Wait." Adrian held up his hand. "A woman I dated two years ago tried the pregnancy bit on me, but when the results came back from the blood test, the child wasn't mine."
"You never asked me to have a blood test."
"I know."
"Why?" she whispered. "Since you'd been burned in the past, you had every right to think the worst."
"For two reasons. First, I went for a physical, and the doctor said my sperm count was up, which was a hopeful sign. But the second reason is the reason I married you, though I didn't realize it at the time."
"And that was ...?" Dani's voice broke with emotion.
Adrian took her hand. With the pad of his thumb, he rubbed the place her wedding ring should be, but she'd outgrown the simple ring two months ago. Dani wondering why he wasn't saying anything. She was on the edge of her seat waiting for him to speak. Finally, he looked up at her with those big chocolate eyes of his, and her breath caught in her throat.
"Because I love you, Danielle Massimino. From the minute you stumbled into the bedroom with hiccups, I knew there was something special about you. Something different."