When Ryker begins to jerk inside me, a hot as hell grunt escapes him, and it only increases my pleasure.
His thrusts turn short and hard, and all I can do is moan from the residual pleasure pulsing through me.
When he stills, Ryker places his hands on the table on either side of my head and stares down at me.
“I fucking love you, Danny.” He begins to pull out but then drives back into me. “I love your body. I love your soul. I love everything that makes you who you are.”
I begin to nod as tears blur my eyes because here I am, looking my absolute worst, and Ryker still wants me.
If that’s not true love, then I don’t know what is.
RYKER
Danny’s handling chemo much better than she did the radiation. The last MRI came back positive, with still no sign of the tumor returning.
Slowly she’s starting to plan things again, and I don’t think she even notices it.
I’m cleaning the grill for the barbeque we’re hosting to celebrate Independence day. Everyone’s coming over to our place, bringing something to eat.
Danny comes out of the house, and then I do a double-take and just stare at her.
Holy fuck, she looks gorgeous.
“What do you think? Is it stupid?” she asks, probably referring to the wig.
“I think you look breathtakingly beautiful,” I answer, but then add, “As long as you’re comfortable, babe.”
“Does it look fake?”
I shake my head. “Not at all. It looks like your own hair did.”
A wide smile spreads over her face. “Thank God. It took me a while to find the right one.”
When our friends and family start to arrive, everyone points out how good Danny looks, and it has her basking in the compliments.
She needed this to build up her self-confidence after the knock it took.
“Princess,” I hear Uncle Rhett holler, and glancing into the house, I watch as he swoops her up into a hug. “Damn, look at you all healthy and pretty.”
“Thanks, Uncle Ledge,” she murmurs, and then they just hold each other.
People are starting to forget that Danny has Glioblastoma. They probably think Danny’s beat it, and that’s the end of that.
Not me. It’s always in the back of my mind that it can come back at any moment. It forces me to live in the now, to appreciate every second I get with Danny.
The only way I keep from losing my mind to fear is by telling myself Danny still has a lot of fight left in her. Honestly, I could die in an accident next week. No one really knows when their time’s up, and living in fear of the end just ruins the entire journey.
Hunter and Jade head my way, and wiping my hand on a rag, I reach out to shake his before giving Jade a hug. “Hey, guys, thanks for coming.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Hunter grins.
“Where can I place the potato salad?”
I gesture to a table. “Over there.”
By the time everyone’s here, there's a permanent buzz of conversation in the air, and every couple of seconds, I hear a burst of laughter.
There are three distinct groups. The older generation is seated under the canopy, and all the girls are sitting with Danny on the other side of the veranda.
The guys are standing with me while I grill steaks.
Seeing Danny smile makes my lips curve up. She needed this.
“When are you getting married?” Jase asks.
I glance back at Danny. “Once she’s done with the chemo, we’ll set a date.”
“She looks great for someone who’s going through chemo,” Noah states.
“She’s a fighter,” I grin. “I don’t think there’s anything she can’t do or beat.”
Hunter shakes his head at me. “Wow, you’re madly in love with her.”
I let out a chuckle. “I never said I wasn’t.”
“Hold up,” Tristan suddenly says. “So, all the time you wanted to spend at my house was actually because of Danny?”
I begin to laugh, and when he lunges at me, I dart out of his reach. “Only partly,” I quickly reply, but it doesn’t stop Tristan from coming after me.
He locks his arms around me, and then we’re both falling into the pool. When my head breaks through the water’s surface, I hear everyone laughing.
Danny’s cracking up, her arm wrapped around her waist, and the sight sends a burst of warmth through me.
After Tristan and I climb out of the pool, I’m glad to see Hunter’s taken over, grilling the steaks.
We head up to the bedroom, and I chuck a pair of cargo pants and a shirt at Tristan. He catches it with a grin, and once we’re both dressed in dry clothes, he says, “I have to admit, I had my doubts about you and Danny dating.”
“But?” I raise an eyebrow at him.
“You make her happy, and…” Tristan lifts his hand to my shoulder. “There’s no one else I’d rather have for a brother-in-law. Thank you for loving her the way she deserves to be loved.”