Coming Home(159)

What was she ever going to do when they took this all away from her?

Her vision clouded as her eyes welled with tears just as Danny turned the corner and placed several serving plates down on the table. He situated everything before he sat across from her, his expression turning serious when his eyes met her glassy ones.

“Leah,” he said gently. “I realize what tonight is, but I don’t want this to be about saying good-bye, okay?”

The sting behind her eyes doubled at his words, and she blinked quickly, trying to keep her tears at bay. When he saw her struggling, he reached across the table, taking her hand in his and playing with her fingers.

“It’s not good-bye, sweet girl. It’s only temporary. You’re the one who told me that, remember?”

Leah forced a smile as she nodded.

“I want tonight to be about us,” he said. “Just you and me. Nothing else. Can we do that?”

She nodded again. “That sounds perfect,” she said softly.

“Good,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it before letting it go. He picked up his glass and raised it to her. “Happy birthday, Leah.”

She tapped her glass to his before taking a sip, and she hummed, swirling the glass gently. “What is this?”

Danny reached across the table and spun the bottle toward himself. “Shafer Relentless Napa Valley, 2008.”

“It’s really good.”

“It was the top-rated wine last year.”

Leah lifted her brow. “Is that so? Since when are you a wine connoisseur?”

“Since I asked the guy at the liquor store to give me his best bottle, and he gave me this and said it was the top-rated wine last year.”

She smiled at him before shaking her head, and he winked, picking up his knife and fork.

They talked and laughed throughout the meal, but every so often, Leah’s mind would wander where it wasn’t supposed to go—she’d find herself wondering where he’d be this time tomorrow, what he’d be doing, how she was going to get through knowing he was out of her reach and suffering. But when the lump rose in her throat, or when she felt her eyes burn with the threat of tears, she would distract herself by concentrating on him, memorizing his every detail: his light-blue eyes refracting delicate candlelight, the curve of his lips, the inky black hair that felt so soft between her fingers, the lines of his jaw, the dimples in his cheeks when he smiled her favorite smile, the sound of his laugh, the way he held his fork.

Despite the reality that was looming over them, it was surprisingly easy to get lost in those things.

When they’d finished eating, Leah and Danny left their dirty dishes on the table and moved into the living room with their wine. Leah curled into his side as they sat on the couch, and his arm immediately came around her, holding her against his body as he rested his chin on her head.

She couldn’t believe she had ever existed without this. Being with him, touching him, laughing with him—there was nothing more satisfying, nothing capable of making her feel more content and gratified and beautiful and whole.

And as much as she was dreading the struggle that would be coming her way, the thought of never having met him rivaled the pain of losing him.

She often thought about how many facets of the universe had been at work the day their paths crossed. If that guy hadn’t been tailgating her on the street, she would never have parked in front of Catherine’s house and gotten out of the car. If Catherine didn’t happen to be looking out the window when Leah stopped there, she wouldn’t have invited her in. If her bracelet hadn’t fallen off in the guest room, she wouldn’t have left her number.