The Do Over (34 page)

I ran my hands through my hair and then grabbed the keys out of her hands. As I walked toward her damn car, she came after me.

"What's your problem? You're just an ungrateful son of a bitch."

"Ungrateful? You're my fucking problem. All you do is cut off my fucking dick. You came with me, so you fucking leave with me. I'm done, Madison. Fucking done!"

There was only so much I could take. Between the absence of pussy and Madison's torture, I cracked. "And no, I'm not ungrateful. I do everything I can to constantly show you how much I appreciate you. What else do you want? All I want is a little thing called
respect.
"

Madison composed herself, straightening her shoulders. In a menacing voice, she said, "You're done?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Then, you're done. No sweat off my back. Keep in mind though that today was all about
you
. You didn't think about
her
all day long. I gave you a break from your obsession and your quest to win Daniela back. You actually did something that was bigger than yourself that you can be proud of. How I cut off your fucking dick is beyond me. Trust me…" She winked. "Your dick is alive and well. Stop with your ego trip. He knows you and I are just friends." She smiled and shrugged her shoulders again. "It's my turn now to forget. This is about
me
."

I placed my hands gently on her shoulders with my head hanging in defeat. "Maddy, what do you have to forget?" My eyes pleaded with her. "Fuck, baby, look at me. What do you need to forget? Just tell me."

She quickly looked away, shaking her head. She took a deep breath and then looked at me with no expression. "When Daniela is back by your side, you'll thank me for this."

I ran my hands through my hair and clasped them behind my head. "Goddamn it, Maddy. Leave Daniela out of this. This is about
you.
" I couldn't keep up with her. "Just get in the car."

For a split second, I saw it. There was a glimpse of her humanity—like that girl on my back, laughing—and then she was gone.

"Focus, Rick. I'll call you in the morning. Don't make me wait." She turned and walked toward that motherfucker.

I needed a fucking drink.

Dani sat in the passenger seat, clutching my hand while bouncing her leg nervously. This was a big day. Wyatt flew up to spend the holidays with my mom. Since I'd already committed to working this Friday, I couldn't get away, so I was spending Thanksgiving with Dani's family. Under normal circumstances, it would've been a non-issue, but because I'd be meeting her parents for the first time, it was a monumental event. I wasn't worried about it. Of course, I wanted to make a good impression. I had no doubt that I would. It wasn't that I was a cocky son of a bitch. I just knew my feelings for Dani. I trusted her family would see them, but my confidence didn't convince her. As we were driving, I quickly glanced over at her before I thought back to last Tuesday night.

Macy thought it was cute that I was so calm. This only made Dani more nervous as she paced around her living room. Any hard feelings that had existed between them were gone. They were talking nonstop about the details. I sat back on the couch, channel surfing between basketball games and football highlights, while they obsessed over what Dani's dad would ask me or if her mother would embarrass her.

Dani hurled a fluffy pillow at me. "Excuse me, but you need to pay attention. This affects you."

This was important to her. I had to admit that it would've been easier to pay attention if she were sitting naked on top of me. I loved her more than my dick and ESPN, so I turned off the TV, stood up, and walked toward her.

"Tell me what I need to know to prepare for the end of life as I know it," I said, wrapping my arms around her.

She looked up at me, her eyes sparkling. Our foreheads touched, and our bodies swayed.

"Baby, we're in this together. It'll all be fine. Trust me," I reassured her.

Dani kept her eyes focused on mine. "Macy, he's right. It's going to be fine. Thanks for listening to me, but you can leave now."

"Great, Dani. You have Liam coma." Macy rolled her eyes. "Liam, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Too late, Macy. I'm already in deep." And I was. The only thing that mattered to me was the girl swaying in my arms. I loved her with everything I had.

I was jolted from my thoughts when Dani turned down the radio. She claimed the music was distracting her from her panic attack. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel to the barely audible tunes.

Her grip tightened as she dug her nails into my hand. "Liam, why are you so quiet? I'm dying here, and you're doing absolutely nothing to calm my nerves."

"Baby, I love you. Everything's going to be fine." My thumb drew circles on her palm, hoping that she'd relax her grip. "Are you worried they aren't going to like me? Because I'm not. What's not to like?"

"What? Do you think I'm crawling out of my skin because they won't like you? Oh no, they're going to
love
you. You, on the other hand, might want to run as fast and far as you can."

"I seriously doubt that. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

When I winked at her, her smile brightened, and the tension left her eyes.

"You know that Macy and her family are going to be there as well. I should also warn you about her brother, Marco."

"What do you mean by
warn
?"

"Marco's harmless. He's just very
playful
and flirtatious. Don't read anything into it because there's nothing there. This is just how we've interacted since we were kids. So, please keep your Fred Flintstone in check."

"
Yabba dabba doo
. He better
not
cross the line. I promise you that I'll be on my best behavior."

I hoped this guy wasn't a douche. Dani had a tendency to dismiss asshole behavior until it bit her in the ass. I wasn't putting up with that shit.

"I'm a man of my word. You can relax."
This Marco dude better cooperate.

"It's showtime. Are you ready? You aren't nervous or anything like that, right? Are you sure about this? It's really okay if you've changed your mind." Dani's smile was replaced with a wrinkled forehead and dread in her eyes.

I laughed. Along with being funny and smart, she was also the most confident and beautiful woman I knew. I was biased, but it was still true. Her internal freak-out, as she called it, almost seemed funny by comparison.

"Baby…" I paused. "I'm so sure about you. This is nothing. I'm really looking forward to meeting your family. Now, come on."

We pulled into the driveway of her mother's home in a nice suburban part of town. The landscape was lined with palm trees and bougainvillea. Dani's childhood stories came to life. I could picture her growing up here, riding her bike around the cul-de-sac, and playing hide-and-seek in the neighbor's yard.

When the front door opened, a guy, who looked like the male version of Macy, came out. I assumed this was Marco. Instinctively, I held Dani's hand possessively as I straightened my shoulders.

She leaned into me. "Chill out. He's harmless."

"Come here, my future baby mama. Damn, you look so fucking hot. Give me some lovin'," Marco said as he strutted his motherfucking ass over to us.

My jaw tightened. I wanted to rip his head off and punt it across the yard.

Dani squeezed my hand. She whispered, "Babe, just ignore him. He's playing, and if he knows he's getting to you, he's just going to keep it up."

I didn't care what the fuck he was doing. It had to stop
immediately
. I hadn't made it through the front door, and I was already struggling to keep my promise.

Dani then turned to him. "Marco, stop it and be good. This is Liam."

"Are you playing hard to get? You know how that turns me on," he growled. "Let me feel that nice ass of yours." He smirked, reaching around for her ass.

Now, I knew he had a death wish. She laughed, smacking his hand away. My neck twitched as my fist clenched. She laughed more. I made a split-second decision to take charge of the situation. This shit needed to stop.

I extended my hand to him. "Liam Lucas. It's nice to meet you."

"Hey, yeah, dude. Marco Alonso." He shook my hand and then addressed Dani again. "So, Macy tells me you're off the market, but you know me. I'm holding out for that miracle when you let me make you
mine
."

I saw red. "Marco, I need a beer. Show me the way," I said.

I let go of Dani's hand and patted Marco on the shoulder. Dani had a look of horror on her face and reached for my arm. I winked at her. I was in the driver's seat now. I wasn't about to break my promise or ruin her day. I also wanted to make a good impression on her family, and kicking this guy's ass was not the best way to accomplish that.

I took control of dangerous situations every time I suited up. This was no different. At the end of the day, I was a man. Dani had to understand that about me, and this asshole did, too.

"Come on back for that beer. Catch you later, baby cakes." After he blew her an air kiss, he led me to the back of the house.

The backyard was lined with tables and chairs. Salsa music was blasting from the speakers, and the reflection off the pool was blinding. In the far corner, there was a tiki hut with a built-in grill.

Marco opened one of the coolers. "What are you having? I have Yuengling, Becks, Heineken, Miller Lite, Samuel Adams, and a good old-fashioned Budweiser."

Apparently, they took their beer seriously.

"Yuengling is fine," I said.

Marco reached into the cooler and then handed me a beer.

"Thanks." I opened the bottle and took a pull. "Listen, I don't want any problems. This is Dani's day. Let's agree that you need to
stop
with the bullshit. It's Thanksgiving today, but tomorrow can be a very black Friday for
you
. Are we clear?" I deadpanned.

Marco grabbed his own beer. "It's about time she brought someone home who had balls. Nice to meet you. She's like my kid sister, so I'm going to issue you the same warning." He looked me square in the eye. "Break her heart, and you not only deal with my psycho sister, you deal with me, too. Welcome to the family."

We tapped beers.

"Thanks! And I'm glad we understand each other."

"I can't believe she let me go that long. What the hell is up with that?" He laughed, shaking his head.

He had a point. Dani always underestimated men. She wanted to believe the good in people, and she trusted that their intentions were noble. It was like she thought we were those characters in her books. She was so gullible when it came to the way real-life men worked. We were pretty simple. We ate, slept, and wanted to have sex. Few men wanted to be
just friends.

Macy and Dani made their way over to us, weaving in and out of the people crowding the backyard terrace. As Dani slipped under my arm, she wrapped her arms around my waist.

Macy smacked Marco across the head. "Seriously, Marco, Dani was having a heart attack. Good thing
her
man can perform some awesome CPR." Macy winked at me.

"So, I've heard." Marco chuckled.

Dani shot Macy an evil stare.

Marco said, "Dani, he's a good guy. He has my vote."

"Yeah," Dani said, leaning her head against my chest, "he's a very good man, even if he does go caveman sometimes."

"I'm on his side here." Marco patted me on the shoulder. "I would've done the same thing or probably worse. He has self-control. I don't. I would've gone ape shit if some asshole would have talked to my woman like that."

Dani rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up in surrender. "Come on, you just met the tip of the iceberg."

Dani grabbed my hand and proceeded to introduce me to the rest of her family. I wasn't sure what Dani had been so worried about. Although a bit colorful, her family was cool. Dani's family consisted of her parents, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents from both sides of the family. Macy, Marco, and their parents were also there. I was kissed, hugged, and pinched.

Flying hands and facial expressions replaced most words, and when they spoke, their words were mostly a combination of English and Spanish. Fortunately, I was versed in Spanglish. I couldn't speak it, but I could follow along.

Her grandmother came over and insisted on having her picture taken with me. She wasn't your typical grandmother type. "I like younger men," she said with a thick accent. She winked as she placed her hand on my abs, posing for the camera. "I'm going to put this on Facebook."

We watched the first football game and then had an amazing meal.

Afterwards, Dani's parents called us aside and her face paled. I wasn't sure what the big deal was. Macy had already prepared me for the statement-of-intentions discussion. I loved Dani, and I appreciated her father's concerns.

"Baby, it's fine." I placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before we entered the den.

Her dad motioned us to sit down. He was tall with graying sideburns. He carried himself with authority, but his love for his daughters was clearly visible. Even though he didn't live here, he sat behind the dark cherry desk while her mother stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders. She was five foot nothing. I could see where Dani got her beauty and poise. They were presenting a united front. It was almost like a scene from
The Godfather
.