Chapter One Hundred Three



Dani

We're just about to sit down for dinner when I hear the front door open. Tyler is supposed to be visiting Eli, so I've been listening for anything to alert me to the fact he's arrived.

“Ma? Dad?”

“In the dining room, Ty.”

Eli shoots a look at me, probably trying to gauge my reaction, so I send him a reassuring smile. I'm not as nervous as I used to be. I'm not completely comfortable though, so I grab his hand and he gives mine a squeeze. I see Connie watch our exchange from the corner of my eye and I don't miss the smile she has plastered on her face.

Tyler appears at the end of the table, carrying a stack of files.

“Hey guys. How's it going?”

They all greet each other and I sit quietly, not sure what to do in this situation.

Eli speaks up, “Ty, this is Dani. Baby, this is my brother Tyler.”

Tyler extends his hand for me to shake and my hesitation causes him to retract it a bit. Before his hand is returned to his side completely, I say, “Sorry.”

I stretch my free hand over the table and extend it for Tyler to shake. I'm sure he notices my trembling, but he doesn't comment on it.

“It's nice to meet you, Dani. I hope I'm not disturbing your evening.”

“No sir.”

Connie asks, “Are you staying for dinner, Tyler? I can fix you a plate.”

He looks directly at me, and asks, “Does anyone mind if I join you all?”

I can feel Tyler's eyes on me and I don't like the direct stare, so I look at Eli. I'm far more comfortable with Eli's eyes on me. In fact, I look for him to calm me down. I know they're all waiting to see how I respond. No one else is going to mind Tyler being here for dinner, so it all hinges on me.

Eli speaks to me in Russian, “You ok with him staying? If you're not comfortable then I'll see what he wants and he'll go.”

“It's ok. I'm ok.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah, I'm sure.”

Eli nods, turns to Tyler and says, “Take a seat, man.”

Once Connie places a plate of food in front of him, Tyler speaks in between mouthfuls.

“So, how's the house situation going?”

Eli answers, “Just waiting for the sale to complete. We should be in by the 4th.”

Tyler looks directly at me and seriously questions, “You sure you're ready to live with this dirtbag?”

I can't tell if he's joking or not, but his words cause something to bubble up inside of me; something I haven't felt in a long time. Anger. I know Eli is his brother, but how dare he call him a dirtbag. There's nothing dirty about Eli. He's a good man. Before I know what I'm doing, my voice takes on a mind of it's own.

“He's not a dirtbag. Eli is a good man. Don't talk about him like that. He's an amazing person.”

It's not until I see the smile on everyone's faces, that I realize what I've done. I am truly embarrassed at my outburst and before I can apologize, Tyler says, “Sounds like you're ready. I was only joking but you're right, he is a good man.”

Eli squeezes my hand and whispers, “You really think that?”

I keep my voice low, “Of course I do.”

“Thank you.”

I smile at him and Connie says, “Aren't you two just the cutest?”

Ok, so now I'm really embarrassed. I hear Eli warn, “Ma...”

It's more like pleading, rather than warning though. Tyler chuckles and quickly says, “For once, it's not me getting it. I like this. So, Dani, what do you do at the precinct?”

I take a breath, trying to gather myself before explaining my job. I grip Eli's hand just a little bit tighter and I hear him mutter, “Breathe, baby. It's ok. I'm right here.”

“I'm a threat analyst, sir.”

“Really? That's pretty cool. So you get to filter through all the raw data regarding extremist groups and their threats?”

“Yes sir. Also any chatter regarding high profile crimes, like bank robberies, and terror attacks.”

“Wow, that's a pretty important job. Do you enjoy it?”

“Very much. What do you do, sir?”

“I'm an Assistant District Attorney.”

“That keeps you busy, huh?”

He chuckles, “Like you wouldn't believe.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I do. It's crazy busy and sometimes frustrating and depressing, but I really do enjoy it.”

“You're all so different.”

I'm embarrassed and my mind tends to jump all over the place when I'm like that, so I'm not surprised when everyone looks at me confused. Eli is the only one who seems to understand. I forget that people can't always follow my thought pattern.

“She means you, Maria and I. We've all got very different careers to ma and pops.”

“Oh, yeah. I don't even know how that happened. What made you choose to become a threat analyst, Dani?”

I shrug, “I'm good with computers, so it seemed like the logical thing to do.”

Connie scoffs, “She's great with computers, Tyler. She's being modest. Ash says she has 4 screens at work and she watches all of them at once.”

“Yeah, I heard about that. He speaks very highly of you. You seem to have fit well into the team, which is good.”

Conversation seems a bit strained after that, but I don't know if it's just me. I'm trying, I really am. If I'm staying with Eli, or he's staying with me whichever way you look at it, then I'm going to have to accept his brother as well. I need to try to build a bridge over the awkward first meeting we had. Ok, so it wasn't awkward, it was awful, but I'm not going back to that. I'm a different person now, so I will act accordingly.

Don's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, “Dani?”

I blush, “Sorry, I got a bit lost. Sorry.”

“No problem. Tyler was asking about the new house.”

“Sorry sir. What was the question?”

“What's the best room in the house?”

I frown, “I don't know actually. It's all very beautiful. Maybe the garden. It's outside but you feel safe, like no one can get you when you're out there.”

“Eli? What's your favorite room?”

“Probably the solarium. It's got a pool so I'll be able to swim laps without actually going anywhere.”

“That's awesome. You might be able to hire it out to some of us; make your money out of it.”

I tense up at the thought of other people in our house. Eli knows what I'm thinking and he gives my hand a little squeeze and says, “I don't think so. At least not for a long while yet. It's going to be just our's for a little while, hey baby?”

“Yes sir.”

Eli kisses the crown of my head and I notice that I don't tense at the gesture as much as I used to.

We get through the rest of dinner relatively quietly. Eli and Tyler go off to another room to talk, so I help Don and Connie tidy up. The guys are still talking when everything is cleared away, so I say goodnight to Eli's parents and head to the shower. I'm just getting into bed when Eli appears in the bedroom.

“Hey. Sorry that took so long. He wanted to ask about an old case I worked on. It's going to trial in a few weeks, so he needed to run through some notes with me. Ty said night, by the way.”

“I didn't want to disturb you.”

“No, it's cool. He likes you. You were really great, baby. I am so proud of you.”

That still feels so weird, to hear someone say that. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it. I blush and drop my head, not really knowing what to say or how else to react.

“I'm just going to jump in the shower. I won't be long.”

“I'm not going anywhere.”

He smiles brightly at me, “That's good to hear. I like hearing you say that. Hold that thought, I'll be back soon.”

I nod and grab the book I've just started. I'm almost a quarter way through it when Eli returns from the bathroom. My eyes leave the page I'm on and flit towards him as he climbs into bed. That's when I notice he's not wearing a shirt. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that, but I'm not freaking out. I know he's not going to hurt me, well, as much as I can be sure anyway. My stomach does that weird flip flop thing at the sight of him as well, and that scares me. Does that mean I like seeing him with no shirt? Should I even allow myself to think something like that? I'm not sure this is a safe thought process, so I try to focus on my book instead. I can feel Eli's eyes on me and I know I'm blushing. I read the same line about 6 times before Eli speaks.

“You've read the same line a number of times. Everything ok?”

I mutter, “I can't concentrate...”

“Why not?”

He wasn't supposed to hear that.

I don't answer, I just try to carry on reading, but Eli drops his head and puts it between my book and my face.

“Dani? Why can't you concentrate?”

I'm not sure if I hear amusement in his voice; if he knows exactly what's causing my lack of concentration or not. I don't think he'd make fun of me like that, but I don't know. I've never felt like this before, so everything I'm experiencing is new to me. I've never not been uncomfortable in the presence of a man, especially if they're not fully clothed. I'm not really scared of Eli, not with my conscious mind anyway, but all of these feelings are new to me and I don't know what to make of it all.

“Baby?”

He sounds concerned and I just blurt out, “You're not wearing a shirt...”

He frowns, his face still covering the page on my book. I'm staring at him, like I can see through his head and to the words on the page.

He draws out, “O....k.....”

“Sorry.”

“Don't apologize. It's only because it's warm. You want me to put a shirt on?”

“Yes... no... I don't know.”

He chuckles, “You got to give me an actual answer, baby. I don't know which one you mean.”

“I don't know either.”

“Are you scared?”

“I don't think so.”

“Ok, so what's wrong?”

“It's distracting.”

“Me not wearing a shirt is distracting?”

I nod sheepishly.

“In a good way or a bad way?”

I shrug, “I don't know. I've never not been scared so I don't know what I'm feeling.”

“Well, at least you know its not fear. Are you frightened even a little bit?”

“A little.”

“But it's not the main thing you feel?”

“No sir.”

“That's a good thing. You think you'll be ok if I keep my shirt off then?”

I nod absentmindedly and resign myself to not actually being able to read the book. He lays down and lifts his arms for me to curl against his side. Once I do that, I try to read the book again. Thankfully, I am a bit more focused and I get through a few more chapters before I feel Eli ask, “What are you reading?”

“I Beat The Odds. It's about Michael Oher.”

“The football player?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it good?”

“Yes sir. He had a hard life.”

“I think I read about him before. Didn't they make a movie about him?”

“I think so.”

He's silent again so I carry on reading I get to the end of the book in no time and when I snap it closed, Eli raises his eyebrows at me.

“When did you start reading that?”

“When I got into bed.”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah.”

“That's so cool.”

“Sometimes.”

I settle my head against Eli's chest and listen to his heartbeat. I find the rhythm calming and it makes me feel like I am home. My hand is flat on Eli's rib cage and my ear is pressed against his chest when he kisses the crown of my head. I hear him say, “Goodnight sweetheart. I love you.”



I'm falling asleep but I'm vaguely aware of myself muttering, “I think I love you too.” I'm probably in that half asleep half awake daze, because I would never say something like that, especially not out loud and especially not in front of someone else. That's the last thought I process before sleep takes me.