Coming Home(125)

“What do we do now?” she whispered, her voice not sounding like her own.

She hadn’t felt so utterly helpless since her mother died.

Danny took a breath before he lifted his head, looking up at her as he took one of her curls between his fingers. “We go meet Sarah and Kyle at the bar, and we celebrate his promotion.”

“What?” Leah asked, her brow furrowed. “Danny, no.”

“We made plans, Leah.”

“Who cares?” she said desperately.

“I do!” he said, and then he closed his eyes, taking a breath as he reined himself in. “I do,” he said again, this time more calmly. “We can’t let this dictate the next two months. What are we gonna do, Leah? Sit here and mope? Wallow in it? I’m not gonna let this take any more time from me than it has to.”

Leah wet her lips and nodded. “Okay,” she said, dropping her eyes. “Okay. You’re right.”

Danny used his fingertips under her chin to lift her eyes back to his. “I don’t want this to influence everything we do now. It can’t be like that.”

She nodded again.

“I mean, I know it’s gonna be…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “We have to at least try.”

His eyes were imploring as he looked up at her, and she knew that if he needed to maintain a sense of normalcy, she would do it, no matter how difficult it was going to be. And in a way, she understood. He had no control over what was coming his way in two months, but he could control everything up until that point.

And maybe that’s how she needed to deal with it too.

“Okay,” she said softly, pressing her lips to his. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he whispered, brushing the hair away from her face.

She smiled down at him, trying to keep the sadness out of it, and he twisted one of her curls around his finger.

“It looks nice like this,” he murmured, watching the silken strand slip through his fingertips.

She brought her hand to his face, running her thumb over his cheek.

“Are you ready to go, or do you need another minute?” he asked.

“I’m ready,” she whispered.

He nodded, looking up at her. “Me and you tonight. Nothing else, okay?”

“Nothing else,” she repeated softly.

“Okay,” he said, lifting his chin and pressing his lips to hers, and she concentrated on the feel of his mouth. The way he tasted.

And nothing else.

Nothing else.



Paddy’s was a local bar that had been a favorite of Leah’s in the years right after she graduated college. There was a fun, younger crowd vibe, but without all the chaos that most college bars boasted. She hadn’t been there in a long time, but as soon as she and Danny walked through the doors, it felt like she’d never left.

Everything was the same, from the layout of the tables to the pictures on the walls to the music that was playing. It was comforting, and familiar, and exactly what she needed at that moment.

“Sarah says they’re like ten minutes away,” Leah said to Danny as she put her phone back in her purse. “Do you want to go grab us a table and I’ll get us drinks?”

“Yeah.”

“See the jukebox back there?” Leah said, and Danny lifted his chin, looking over the crowd. “There’s a little nook on the other side of it. The tables back there are usually open.”

“Alright,” he said, leaning down to kiss her temple before he turned and walked through the crowd.