“Now that the couple has arrived,” Joan said to the guests, “dinner is served.”
“It’s about time you showed up big brother,” Angela stated as everyone found their seats. “Dani, I’m sorry I wasn’t here when that stupid brother of mine let his mouth get away from him.”
“I’m assuming you meant Ty letting it slip and not the incident at the office,” she said with a smile towards the woman.
“I could brain Luke for letting his anger get the best of him and hitting you but yeah, I meant Ty. I’m only glad to see that none of its made you look so sad. I knew there was something wrong the past few months, I just didn’t want to pry since that’s the rest of the family’s specialty. Although I garner from your late appearance and the slightly mussed look to your hair that you and big brother here are happy?”
“We’re in a much better place than we were when it happened,” she agreed as Luke kissed her hand.
“So, any chance that you two might be producing one sometime soon,” Angela inquired. “I hope that didn’t sound insensitive.”
“It didn’t and to be honest it was a bit of an accident in the first place,” Dani said glancing at Luke.
“I messed up the packages for Dani’s birth control. I knocked them out of the medicine cabinet and when I went to put them back up, I must have put them in the wrong order.”
“It’s partially my fault because I had the old one still in there with the week of sugar pills that they give you. I thought I was due to start so I skipped a couple days and a few weeks later I realized I was off,” she added. “I’m making sure that doesn’t happen again.”
“You don’t want kids?” Angela asked a bit surprised as she watched them.
“Someday, right now I’m twenty-four and there’s no rush, right Luke?”
“Right, whenever Dani and I decide to try for a baby I’m sure you’ll all know,” he stated with a grin.
“We thought you might be in the car,” Ty joked almost choking on his drink when he noticed the blush on Dani’s cheeks. “Jeez Luke, in the car?”
“Why don’t you inform the entire party or better yet the entire city of it Tyler,” Luke said glaring at him.
“Enough,” Dani sighed. “I don’t want any more fighting.”
“I’m sorry baby,” Luke said seeing the flash of worry in her eyes.
“It’s okay, just please stop,” she replied.
“That’s right, good old Luke apologizes, and you forgive him,” Tyler said, sounding half inebriated already. “I don’t buy it anymore. I saw the fear in your eyes Dani. I’m not just going to sit here while Luke beats you. You deserve better than that.”
“Ty for the last time Luke has never laid a hand on me in anger.”
“No, what about the bruise on the side of your face right now? Or how about the ones from a year ago?”
“This isnotthe place to have this discussion Tyler,” Joan said trying to back him down.
“No, I want the truth. I think we all want the truth. So come on and admit it, Luke. Tell us what we all already know—that you beat the hell out of Dani when she wanted to walk away from you and now, she’s too damned scared of you to even try to leave although you’re killing her bit by bit,” Tyler stated loudly enough to draw the attention of the room. “Not that she could since you hired a bodyguard to keep hersafe.”
“For the love of god Tyler,” Luke said getting up and glaring at him. “I would never hurt Dani. I never would have hit her Monday if she hadn’t been trying to stop me from beating the hell out ofyouand you’re right back at it.”
“So, you admit that you hit her.”
“It was an accident.”
“Then how about the way you shook her arm off you before that? Or how about any time in the last six months when I came by and found her crying? She wanted out and you wouldn’t let her. You get her pregnant because let’s be honest you knew it’d make her stay with you and then you what? What’d you do Luke, throw her down the stairs, punch her?” Tyler asked getting up.
“Stop it!” Dani shouted at them looming over her as she sat between them. “Just stop it.”
“No, you’re too good for Luke and everyone in this room knows it. They know that he keeps you prisoner in your own home, know that he whisks you away to whatever place he has business at to make sure you don’t run. Why do you stay with him?”
“Because none of that is true Tyler, none of it,” she argued pushing back her chair and moving away slightly as the tightness began to overwhelm her.
“You were scared of him after the incident with Chance. You were scared of him finding out I’d been over and found you crying during the last few months.”