That Ring: Chapter 14

I think we all know that I’m really not an early riser. But Danny told me last night that he had to drop the kids off early at school today and would then be coming up to see me before he had to go to practice. Needless to say, I was up and getting ready before six without my alarm.

Getting alone time with Danny is totally worth waking up for.

I’m now back in my bed, looking sexy, my makeup purposefully natural and my hair artfully arranged to look like I just woke up, looking this gorgeous. I’m wearing nothing but a skimpy silk robe. I’m positioned on the bed in a way that both highlights my long legs and strategically shows off my cleavage. I’ve posed like this many times before for movies or photo shoots.

But this is different because instead of pretending to be waiting for the person I most desire to join me, it’s actually happening.

They say anticipation is half the fun, and I will admit, I’m dreaming of his reaction, hoping he will be so overwhelmed by my sexiness that he will just pounce on me.

I hear the door to the office open and footsteps approaching.

The door slides open.

My heart is beating wildly.

“Wow,” Danny says, his voice catching. “You look”—he strolls around the bed, observing me—“like you got up early.” He leans a knee on the bed and puts a finger under my chin. “Your makeup is very artfully applied. But the false eyelashes are a bit of a giveaway.”

I bat them. “We didn’t get any alone time last night.”

“Oh, I see,” he says with a smirk. “Were you thinking of having an illicit rendezvous this morning?”

“Well, I was hoping maybe so.”

“Hmm,” he says, glancing at his watch. “Boy, I don’t know if there’s enough time.”

I grasp his shirt and pull him forcefully toward me. “I want you, Danny Diamond. Now. I set the scene. You were supposed shed your clothing the moment you saw me lying here.”

“I guess I didn’t get the script.” He rolls his eyes. “And, I mean, I have workouts and practice this morning. I need to save my strength.”

He says all of this with a straight face, and I’m not sure what’s going on until I notice the bulge in his pants.

I realize he’s playing with me. It’s cute. And fun—now that I understand.

It’s also different. Troy and I never teased each other. Our relationship was playful at first because that was always my personality. I liked to have fun, joke around, laugh. But Troy didn’t like it. For him, sex wasn’t about the emotional connection; it was more about the act.

And maybe that’s why he was able to tell me with sincerity that when he slept with other girls, it didn’t mean anything to him. I’m not sure sex ever does to him. It’s just sex.

I also think back to what Danny said. About how, with his wife, sex was orchestrated. Here I am, setting the stage. I roll my eyes at myself.

I shrug purposefully, causing the robe to slip off my shoulder, revealing one of my breasts. “You’re completely right, Danny. And just so you know, the reason I’m awake and made up is because Jadyn asked me when I got home last night if I could meet your plumber this morning. Apparently, he’s a fan.” I lean toward him, the robe coming fully open now. “I would like a kiss though before you leave. Providing it’s not too strenuous. I mean, I might have to save my strength for the plumber. What does he look like anyway? Hot? Buff? The kind you don’t mind seeing the plumber’s crack?”

Danny narrows his eyes at me and then pounces on the bed.

“I’ll show you hot and buff,” he says, his lips landing forcefully on mine.

After forty minutes of pure bliss, Danny is lying on his back, breathing heavily.

I leap on top of him, straddling him. “We need to talk.”

“About how amazing we are together?” he murmurs.

“No, about me and sex.”

He arches an eyebrow at me and smirks. “My favorite topic.”

“I lied to you this morning. I didn’t get ready because of the plumber.”

“I think I might have known that.”

“Did it bother you that I got ready for you? Like that I scripted or, um, it in my mind?”

“Oh,” he says. “I told you that about Lori, right?”

“Uh-huh.” I lean down to kiss his lips, my hair cascading around us. “Is that why you didn’t want to at first?”

“I asked you to wake up early because I knew we’d have exactly an hour and a half of uninterrupted time together.”

“Like, you wanted to talk?” I tease as I grind against him.

“I’m going to have no stamina at practice today if you keep that up,” he says at the same time he grips my hips in his hands, guiding me. “To answer your question, you are like her. Orchestrate, script, dream, plan away. This morning, when I opened the door and saw you lying there, all dolled up, it was straight out of one of my fantasies.”

“Let’s try to fulfill another one before you leave.”

I’m pretty sure Danny got to practice a little late this morning.

I shower off, get dressed, and go down to the kitchen. Jadyn is sitting at the island, sipping a cup of coffee.

“What time are we supposed to meet the plumber?”

“He won’t be around until about nine thirty. You have time for breakfast.”

“Awesome. What are you up to today?” I ask as I open the fridge, surveying its contents. A bowl of fresh strawberries captures my attention.

“I was hoping you might want to help me. We’re moving all the new furniture into Danny’s house today, and although I have a few key accessories, I thought you might like to help me choose some things.”

“Oh, that would be really fun. I can’t wait to see it all come together.”

Jadyn lets out a little chuckle.

“Why are you laughing?”

“You just said . I have a dirty mind. And I’m glad the children were gone by the time, uh, you and Danny did.”

“Oh. My. Gosh. You could hear us?”

“Just a little,” she says, still smirking. “Don’t worry; I turned the TV up louder. It’s funny actually. When I did the renovations on his house, I put extra soundproofing insulation in the walls of his suite. I teased him at the time that I hoped, someday, he would test it out.”

I raise my hand. “I volunteer as tribute.”

“I’ll let you tell him that.” Jadyn smiles at me over her cup. “If you’re done eating, let’s get a move on. Phillip has the puppies with him at work today and will be picking up the kids this afternoon. We need everything done before they get home, and all heck breaks loose!”

We make our way over to Danny’s house just as a moving van pulls up, and four beefy men jump out. She shows them the home’s layout and then stands at the door, instructing them where to put each piece of furniture.

“Miss Jadyn,” one of the men says, “would you like the usual setup for the boxed goods?”

“Yes, Darrell. Thank you,” she says. “I had the garage floor cleaned early this morning, so go ahead and set the tables up there.”

I’m standing up at the kitchen bar when a guy pops up from the other side, scaring me half to death.

“Ah!” I screech.

“Jennifer Edwards,” the man says. “I didn’t know you were here already, or I would have gotten my ass out from under the sink. I’m Melvin Martin.”

He leans across the island, holding his hand out. I follow suit, and he gives my hand a firm shake.

He gestures toward the modern, burnished gold faucet that’s he’s added to the island. “Whatcha think? Reckon my favorite quarterback will approve?”

“It’s gorgeous,” I say. “Like jewelry for the kitchen.”

Melvin pretend swoons. “I love that. Gonna use that from now on when I’m trying to upsell faucets. It’s not just something to bring water in, so you can wash your dishes; it’s like jewelry for your kitchen. I knew I was gonna like you. We best friends now?”

“Of course,” I say with a laugh.

“I know it ain’t none of my business, but are you here for Danny?”

“Uh,” I stutter. “I’m here, helping Jadyn, um, decorate. The puppies will be back soon, so she needed me to pitch in. I’m staying with the Mackenzies.”

“Yep. I know. Haven’t said a word about that to no one. Not even my wife. She’s a big fan, and she would be over here in a heartbeat. After what you’ve been through, you deserve a place to hide out. I gotta admit though, I believed that was all it was. You hiding out. Until I saw Danny this morning before he left for practice.”

“What did he say?”

“It’s what he didn’t say. It was the look of satisfaction on his face. I’m just gonna toss this out there. I got two K on his team winning the big game this year. If they do, I’ll be forty grand richer. Wife will be happy because, when I lose, it comes out of my allowance. When I win, we split it. Not exactly a fair trade-off, but it’s never been with that woman. What can I say? Been thirty-eight years, and I’m still smitten. Anywho, if there’s something going on between you and my favorite quarterback, make sure you keep him happy until after the championship game. Don’t go wrecking what he’s got going this season. For my wife’s sake. She wants new furniture for the family room, and that includes a new wall-mounted big screen for me.” He gives me a grin. “I might be smitten, but I can still negotiate.”

I want to deny what he said is true. But the fact that he noticed Danny’s demeanor change after being with me makes me so happy that I have to bite my lip to keep from grinning like a maniac. “I’m a big fan of Danny’s, too. Was in the stands when he won his first ring. After getting to know him, I’d love to see him win a third.”

“You and me both.”

“That looks gorgeous,” Jadyn says to Melvin, stepping into the room to admire the new faucet. “You do good work!”

“Thank you, ma’am. My work here is officially done. Looks like you’re about done with this project, too.”

“Yes, Jennifer is using that artistic flair of hers to help me style it before everyone gets home. Give Mary a hug for me. I just sent her another bid request for a commercial facility here in town.”

“Will do,” he says, heading out the front door, dodging movers along the way.

“That big sectional goes in the family room, facing the fireplace,” she says to a couple of the movers and then turns to me just as a black streak comes barreling toward me.

“Angel!” I coo.

The puppy jumps up onto my leg and wants to be picked up. I oblige and let her cover my face with kisses as Phillip walks into the house with Winger on his heels. You can tell which one is already better trained. Although I have to give Angel a break. She is younger.

“What are you doing here?” Jadyn asks Phillip.

He responds by flexing a bicep. “Thought you might need some extra muscle.”

“Of course we can use help. But I don’t want the puppies getting in the way and getting hurt.”

Phillip turns to me. “Jennifer, would you like to take them out back and throw the ball for them and wear them out while I help the movers? By the time you’re ready for the accessories, the older kids will be home and can take over.”

Jadyn glances at the time on her phone, a slight panic on her face.

“You forgot it’s early release day, huh?” Phillip teases her.

“I totally did. Thank you for remembering,” she says, stalking up to her husband, who puts his hand on her ass and gives her a scorching hot kiss.

I consider telling them to get a room but decide to just do as I was told.

I call for Winger and set Angel down. “You two want to go ?” I say, stressing the word and causing both pups to race to the back door. “Guess that’s a yes.”

“Is there anything better than puppy kisses?” I ask Jadyn some thirty minutes later when she comes outside.

Both pups are lying across my lap, chewing on my fingers, exhausted from chasing their toys and each other around the backyard.

“They are wonderful, aren’t they?” she says as Chase, Devaney, and Damon come out of the Mackenzie house next door.

They open the gate between the two yards and call out to the puppies who immediately perk up and decide they’ve had enough rest.

“Dani,” Jadyn says, “would you like to help me and Jennifer pick out some accessories for the house? You have such good taste and did an amazing job on your room.”

Damon replies before she can, “I think since Chase and I already chose the furniture, we’ll wait and see it all set up.”

Dani rolls her eyes at her brother. “Boys.”

But then she looks at Chase and smiles at him. They have a brief private conversation before she makes her way over to her house, a grin on her face.

“Good day at school?” I ask as she and I head up the deck stairs to the main floor.

“Shit day at school. More drama. Why does there have to be so much drama?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. You just have a smile on your face, and I thought—”

She shakes her head. “The smile was because of what Chase said. I swear, he’s the sweetest boy ever. It’s too bad he’s not older than me. Although, if that were the case, all the girls would be after him. He still has no idea how hot they all think he is. Especially after today.”

“What happened?”

“Well, you remember how the quarterback, Dalton, broke his throwing hand at the party?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Today, his backup, Ben, who has been starting since then, was screwing around on the gymnastics equipment during PE, landed wrong, broke his ankle. I was in the gym at the time for cheer, and it was horrific. Like, his foot was turned the wrong way. You probably missed it all when you were out of town, and I don’t know if Dad told you or not, but our high school team is going to the state semifinals. That’s why we got out of school early today. There’s a pep rally later tonight, and then tomorrow afternoon is the game. Chase and Ben have been sharing time on the field, the coach rotating them to confuse the opposing defense, but this means that Chase will be starting in the freaking state semifinal game against the team that beat us last year in the last few seconds of the championship game. Although, honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if Chase managed to win it. It’s what he does.”

“And that’s what made you smile?”

She looks down, trying not to grin. “No. He just told me he’s not nervous because he knows I’ll be on the sidelines, cheering for him. And that, win or lose, once everyone goes to bed, I’ll order pizza, meet the driver outside, and sneak it over to his house, like I’ve done after every one of his games for the past three years. That as long as we continue that tradition, he’ll always consider the night a win.” She laughs. “He’s lying, of course. He hates to lose. But he’ll be playing against some of the best players in the state. Their quarterback committed to Alabama last year and holds numerous state records for rushing. Which might be what saves them. Our team will run the ball, of course, but Chase reads plays well and has a quick release like my dad. If he can connect, get in a rhythm, there’s no reason he can’t put more points on the board than them.” She glances in Chase’s direction with a content sigh and then says, “I guess we’d better go help Auntie Jay get this house in shape.”

The second she gets inside the house, she checks out the couch in the family room, plopping down across it. “Oh. My. Gosh. This is the most comfortable couch. Ever!”

“You can thank Chase and your brother for that,” Jadyn says. “Why don’t you two come out into the garage and pick out some accessories.”

Jadyn is walking out my front door as I pull in the driveway.

“I think we actually did it,” she tells me when I get out of my truck. “Your house remodel is complete.”

“Thank you.” I give my best friend a hug, feeling emotional. “I couldn’t have gotten through this all without you.”

“You’d better go inside and make sure you like it before you start blubbering,” she teases. “I’ve got to run the boys up to school. The football team is watching some film of their opponent before the pep rally.”

“Should I wait to go inside until you get back, so you can give me the tour?”

“Nope. I handed over the baton to your daughter and Jennifer. They chose most of the accessories together and have been working all afternoon. Jennifer completely organized your kitchen, and Dani helped me with everything else. It was a team effort.”

“I know that it probably would have been faster and easier for you to do it yourself. It means a lot to me that you included them.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. So, Phillip is due back home any minute. I put beef stew in the oven early this morning. If you all want some before the pep rally, we’ll eat around six.” She slaps me on the butt. “Go on. Go see what your girls did for you.”

And that sentence makes me even more emotional, the words hitting me full force.

Jadyn calls back to me as she opens her own front door. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. You won’t be able to get in your garage. The guys will be back in the morning to pick up everything we didn’t use. Jennifer and Dani are excited to show you the house, so don’t go straight inside. Ring the bell!”

“Okay,” I yell back. My house. My home. The place my children have grown up. The children I fought so hard for. As I stand on my front porch with my finger hovering over the doorbell, I can’t help but stop to think about all the changes that have occurred in the last six months. About how the renovation has followed my own healing process.

And, now, it’s done.

In sixteen days, I’ll be divorced.

And in seventeen days, I hope that Jennifer will move out of Phillip and Jadyn’s guest room and in with us.

I take a deep breath, thinking how I felt when Lori told me she was having an affair and wanted a divorce. How I feared the change. Now, as I ring the bell, I’m grateful for it.

“Dad!” my daughter says, swinging the door open and looking confused. “Why didn’t you just come in? The door wasn’t locked.”

“Jadyn told me that I needed you and Jennifer to give me the tour from the moment I walked in.”

She does a little clap and jumps up and down with excitement as Jennifer joins us.

“We’ve been busy today,” she says, giving me a quick kiss and taking my hand.

Devaney takes my other hand and says, “Dining room first.”

We walk through the house together, and they point out all sorts of things. Decor. Photos. Colors. They make me sit in different furniture pieces and look at window treatments and fabrics. I can tell that each item was well chosen and placed. But what strikes me most is how, after fifteen years of living there, I finally feel truly comfortable in my home. Before, the house was decorated however Lori wanted it, often changing based on her whims. The one consistent thing to her design was that it was always ornate and slightly overdone. I never complained about how it looked because it seemed to make her happy. But, now, I understand what I’ve been missing. What my kids have been missing. A place where we can just be. A cozy shelter from whatever happens outside these four walls.

Devaney is rambling on, talking about all the friends she wants to have visit. How Jennifer is going to teach her to cook. About how the Mackenzies are going to start coming over here to watch games and eat meals. She shows me exactly where she wants to put the real Christmas tree and how we’re going to hang stockings on the mantel—the red and green ones that my mother made us that don’t match the decor.

She picks up Angel, who has been trotting around with us, and holds her face up to her own. “And this cutie gets to sit on the couch with us. And we get to have snacks in the family room while we watch TV.”

“Oh, so you’re making the rules now, I see,” I tease.

“Not that I have any say, but I agree with her on all of the above,” Jennifer says.

Dani looks at her phone. “Oh, crap! Dad, I have to get going. Can you run me up to school real quick?”

“Sure. Jennifer, do you want to ride along?”

Jennifer takes Angel from Devaney, gets comfy on the sofa, and puts her feet up on the ottoman. “If it’s okay, I think I’m going to just lie here and admire our work.”

“All right. I’ll be back shortly. Jadyn invited us over for dinner at six, if we want to do that before we go to the pep rally.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she says.

But when I get back, she’s not ready to go—well, at least not to the Mackenzies’ house. Instead, I find Angel passed out in her kennel, and Jennifer is sprawled out, naked, across my bed.

And the view literally takes my breath away. She has the blinds shut, but light comes through a transom, causing diamond shapes to glitter across her body.

It’s like the universe is trying to tell me something. And in that brief moment before I join her in bed, I see flashes of our future. Me bent on one knee, asking her to marry me—a diamond in my hand. Her coming onto the field to congratulate me after winning my third ring—my last name, Diamond, blazed across the jersey on her back. Her handing me a baby swaddled in a blanket—adding another Diamond to our family.