Chapter 28: Chapter 28

DANIEL

At noon the next day, Daniel took Draya to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. It was the go-to place in Miami for sightseeing, viewing artifacts, and learning history dating back to the seventeenth century.

“Is laughter a sign of happiness or weakness?” Draya asked as she scooted closer to Daniel.

They were sitting on a picnic blanket in the central part of the elaborate gardens, which was dominated by low hedges in a geometric arrangement. Beyond them were the evocative Secret Garden, the intimate Theater Garden, the playful Maze Garden, and the watery domain of the elusive Fountain Garden.

Daniel’s back was pressed against an oak tree in the garden, and Draya’s head was in his lap. Lying next to them in the grass was a charcuterie board of cut cheese, Italian bread, chocolate-covered strawberries, grapes, and crackers. Beside it were two glasses of champagne.

Holding Draya in his arms, Daniel whispered, “Both.”

RMG wasn’t as crowded as usual, but there was a couple taking wedding photos just a few feet away from them. Still, for the first time in forever, Daniel wasn’t annoyed. In the past, he had strong opinions about any kind of public displays of affection—whether it was hand-holding, a hug, a kiss—but much had changed since then.

Daniel tightened his arm around the auburn-haired troublemaker who was currently feeding him. “Why did you pick this place?” he asked.

He’d been on many fancy dates in the past, but most of them occurred in the privacy of a plane, a hotel room, or a far-away country. He rarely took walks in the park with any of his past female companions, nor did he take romantic trips to museums that resembled a castle.

“I’ve always wanted to come here. When Reece and I lived downtown, I would walk along the bridge over there and hand out sandwiches to the homeless people on my way home. I would see cars driving in here, but I never had the courage to come and check it out.”

Hearing the sadness in Draya’s voice, Daniel stroked her hair gently and motioned for her to turn onto her back so he could look into her eyes. She blushed shyly but didn’t complain.

“This feels like a dream,” Draya murmured softly.

Daniel continued to gently caress her hair and massage her earlobe. For a moment, she looked like she might nod off.

“Are you sure we’re really here?” Draya asked. “Are we really together? Are we really trying to see where this goes?”

The disbelief was adorable but understandable. Daniel too was shocked by his actions toward her.

He continued to touch her gently, whispering, “I can’t promise that I won’t fuck this up, Draya. It’s in my nature. I’ve never had this sort of relationship in my life. Never wanted anything serious. I was prepared to live my whole life that way. But then you came along and turned my old reality into bits I no longer wanted to cling to.

“I can’t promise I won’t hurt you. I’ve never cared about a girl’s feelings before now, and I’d be lying if I said I just woke up and decided to make this change out of the blue. I battled with myself countless times on what to do with you. I might not get it right all the time, but I can promise that I will try.”

Daniel still couldn’t believe how many of his walls Draya had broken through since their meeting, but he could tell she was deeply grateful for the changes he had made so far.

“Most people call me Lexi,” she corrected with a mischievous grin.

He reached for his glass and took a long drink. “I prefer Draya.”

“Why?” Lexi asked, her brows furrowed.

“I like it because we both have D names. Plus, I’ve had a few Lexis before but never a Draya.”

He meant it as a joke, but she still slapped him.

“Shit. When did you get so abusive, young lady? Did your best friend teach you to hit me too?”

Daniel rubbed his arm and whimpered as if her little hand could do any damage to his toned, muscular body. Draya giggled and nuzzled against his chest.

“What else should we do today?” he asked. “I cleared my schedule to spend the entire day with you.”

She blushed sweetly and smiled. “We can just lay here until we get bored.”

Daniel caressed her face. “Where else is on your list of places to visit?”

Draya was apparently oh-too-happy to tell him the long list. “Kyoto, Shanghai, Disney and Universal in Orlando… I want to do the Gondola ride in Italy and visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The hot springs in Iceland used to be on my list as well, but my best friend already surprised me with a trip there when I was twenty-two.”

Daniel was immediately intrigued. “Where else did she take you?”

“Many places: Vegas, California, the Caribbean. She loves to travel, and she usually drags me along.”

He nodded. “What does Reece do for a living? Was she a part of the group home system as well?” He wasn’t sure why he felt the pressing need to ask about this, but his curiosity has piqued.

“Yeah, that’s how we met. The kids in my last home weren’t very kind to me; they’d eat all the food and leave nothing for the newcomers. But Reece took pity on me. She was the oldest in the house, and she was allowed to leave and come back since she had a job and was working to get her own place. When she moved out, she took me with her.”

Daniel wiped a tear from Draya’s cheek.

“Sorry, I don’t usually cry while talking about it. It’s just—she saved my life, and I will never be able to repay her. Ever.”

Daniel noticed that Draya didn’t specify what Reece’s job was and wondered briefly if it was legal. But as Draya wiped her tears and pulled herself together, he didn’t ask. Instead, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

Draya sat upright, and Daniel rested his forehead against hers. He softly whispered, “I want to take care of you now. I hope you’ll let me.”

Before she could respond, a female voice behind them said, “Hi Daniel.”

LEXI

When they turned to see who had interrupted their date, Lexi felt as if a hole had been dug beneath her and she had fallen into it. A leggy woman with olive skin, bright eyes, and luxury clothes stood just five feet away from them.

As if it wasn’t enough that she was physically perfect, a gentle gust of wind ~whooshed~ by and blew her hair majestically. She looked like a live painting.

Daniel stood up to greet her. “Hello Camille.”

She walked up to him, and they exchanged kisses on each other’s cheeks. Lexi had seen this type of greeting before, but it had never irked her so much.

She began folding the picnic blanket, the insecurities in her mind overshadowing logic. ~The quicker we leave, the quicker I’ll get Daniel far away from this woman.~

“I see you are still up to your usual shenanigans,” Camille said, smirking.

Lexi was grateful for the fact that she wasn’t holding anything breakable because the blanket fell out of her hand and onto the grass.

~Is she referring to me? Am I the shenanigan?~

“What are you doing here?” Daniel asked, ignoring the insult.

With a soft giggle, the woman replied, “I own half of this museum; daddy bought me half the shares to make up for what he did last year. I’m still milking the forgiveness thing.”

Daniel laughed. It was clear he knew her, knew her well. Lexi’s face fell.

She refolded the blanket and packed up the basket, but then there was nothing left to do. She stood up behind Daniel and nervously scratched the bark on the tree.

“So, I thought you hated art?” Camille asked Daniel in an accusatory tone.

“I don’t hate it; I just don’t understand it. I think it’s just paint and drawings, but the artists would be deeply offended if they heard me say that.”

He still hadn’t introduced them. Lexi could feel steam coming through her ears.

Without a word, she wandered off in the opposite direction. Her thoughts were definitely not lifting her mood.

~Should I just go home?~

Lexi felt like walking straight to the car, but she would have to pass by them again in order to get there.

Suddenly, her alter ego chimed in with bass and volume. ~What are you afraid of? You’ve been running away your whole life. It’s time to stop!~

Lexi took a deep breath and returned to their picnic spot, where Daniel was still talking to the woman. She sucked sweet air into her lungs, marched right up to him, and pulled him by the collar into her waiting kiss.

Daniel was so still Lexi thought he had been turned into stone. His eyes were wide open as he stared at her in disbelief. She had never taken the initiative to kiss him first, especially not like this. And not in front of someone he obviously had a thing with.

After a few seconds, Lexi used her tongue to lick Daniel’s lips—also something she’d never done before. The shock in his eyes slowly disappeared, and he returned her kiss passionately.

When he released her, she was too weak to stand on her own, so she clung to his muscular arms for balance. He placed one arm around her waist and pecked her hair before turning back to Camille.

The look on the other woman’s face almost made Lexi burst out laughing.

“Er, Camille, this is Draya,” Daniel introduced them finally.

Lexi glared at him for calling her Draya in front of the woman.

“Uh, I mean, Lexi. Lexi, this is Camille. She’s an old friend; my dad and her dad sometimes do business together and bounce ideas off of each other.”

Lexi plastered her best fake smile onto her lips.

After a minute of uncomfortable silence, Camille finally said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lexi.”

Lexi nodded and returned her fake enthusiasm.

Turning to Daniel, Camille asked, “So, how did you guys meet? She doesn’t look like the usual dates.”

The woman spared no mercy in her choice of words, but Daniel seemed unperturbed. He bent to kiss Lexi on the neck, and that soft touch sent signals through her entire body. She almost moaned out loud.

Lexi was in awe of Daniel. Not only was he showing public displays of affection all on his own, he was also holding her from behind as they rocked melodiously in place. “You’re right, she’s not,” he answered with his eyes on Lexi.

He did not stop there, though. He soon added, “She’s much more interesting, and she isn’t fake. So, I guess you’re right, she’s nowhere near the usual.”

Daniel kissed Lexi on the cheek, and she melted.

“I suppose we all need a new project every now and then,” Camille insulted.

Lexi gave up trying to fight back. She was defeated once again by the savagery of the words thrown at her.

~Wow, I guess rich people are all arrogant. I remember Daniel insulting my appearance when he first met me too…~

~That’s a day I would love to forget.~

But Daniel soon came to her rescue, saying, “She’s not a project. I haven’t had a project since you.”

Camille’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head. Lexi didn’t know whether to laugh or not, so she awkwardly stood there, holding the blanket and picnic basket.

Daniel took her hand in his. “Let’s go, baby. Good to see you, Camille.” Without waiting for the woman to reply, he pulled Lexi with him toward the exit.

~That went well.~