Meant to Be
      Chapter 14 

I feel Danny’s body tense as the shrill ringing of his cell phone continues. He’s raining passionate kisses against my chest in an effort to ignore the sound, but we both know is not going to stop. In my heart, I know who’s calling, and it’s obvious she’s not going to give up. I’m abruptly reminded that the incredible evening we’ve just shared together is nearing its end and fresh tears spring forth to my eyes. I swallow hard and steady my voice.

“Danny……………Danny…………I think you should answer the phone.”

“Mmmmmmm, baby I can’t…………I’m a little busy here.”

“I can see that, and as much as I’m loving it, and God knows I am, it’s obvious their not going to hang up.” The words haven’t finished spilling from my mouth when the ringing stops. We both pause for a second waiting for it to start again, but then the only sound I hear is the smacking of his lips as he kisses his way across my chest and seizes my still erect nipple. One would think that it would be completely numb by now from all the attention it’s received in the past 14 hours, but amazingly enough the sensation I’m feeling only gets stronger. I know exactly where this is leading and I can feel the hardness of him growing larger by the second as it scrapes my inner thigh, making my own juices begin to flow. I wrap my legs around his back paving the way for him to enter me and I’m jolted back to reality by the ringing of the phone.

“God Dammit!”

“Danny, just answer it. Please.” He rolls off of me searching for the phone amid the aftermath of clothes, sheets and pillows strewn everywhere as a result of our lovemaking. Locating the phone, he pushes the send button and screams into the mouthpiece.

“WHAT!!!?……………………None of your business!”

It’s her. I knew it. He turns away from me to face the wall.

“You are not my keeper Theresa! I don’t owe you any explanations!……………Oh Yeah? Well guess what? We’re not married yet Theresa, so don’t hold your fucking breath waiting for Saturday!…………What?……………What are you………… Are you threatening me!?………………What are you talking about!?……………..How did you find……………. Theresa listen to me……………THERESA!!!!…………NO!…..NO!…..GOD! I swear Theresa, I will fucking kill you with my bare hands if you or anyone else lays a goddamn finger on her! DO YOU FUCKING HEAR ME!!!!!!!!!???????”

Without even pushing the end button, he hurls the phone across the room with such a force that it literally disintegrates upon hitting the wall as an indescribable sound of anger leaves his throat. “ARRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

I don’t know why, but I immediately clutch the sheets to my chest, cover my head and duck as if I somehow think his rage is going to harm me in some way. I suppose it’s a natural reaction, but I know he would never, ever hurt me. The room is completely silent. His breathing is ragged and he’s facing away from me. I stare at him not knowing what to expect next as I wipe a falling tear away. He turns around, and the panic and fear in me must be evident because he races to the bed and gathers me in his arms as I begin to cry harder.

“Michelle…..baby…..I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. What have I gotten us into. God! What was I thinking?”

I could only hear one side of his conversation with Theresa, but I know whatever she said to him was bad. I know that the “her” he was referring to when he threatened her was me and the thought of it chills me to the bone.

“I’m so cold Danny. I’m so cold.”

His arms are wrapped about me and his hands are rubbing up and down my arms in a desperate attempt to keep me warm. He takes the blanket lying next to me and wraps it around my shoulders. His heart is rapidly beating against my ear as I lean into the warmth of his chest and cry. He gently rocks me back and forth.

“Shhh baby…….shhh. I love you. Shhh……… It’s gonna be o.k. baby………I promise, I promise. I’ll never let anything happen to you……..never.”

“How did she find out Danny?”

“I don’t know baby. I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter how. She just knows.” I feel the fear constricting around my neck and threatening to strangle me.

“Oh my God Danny! She’s going to kill……”

“NO! NO! DON’T SAY THAT!” He pulls away gripping my arms not wanting me to even say that word. “She’s not going to harm one hair on your head Michelle! Do you hear me? Not one! Besides, we’re not going to be around long enough for her to get to us anyway!”

“Danny……what are you saying?”

“We’re leaving Michelle. We’re have to run. It’s our only choice.”

“Danny, we can’t! I can’t leave my mother. Theresa would hurt or kill her in retaliation against us! I can’t leave her Danny! I can’t!”

“Michelle! Listen to me! Listen to what you’re saying! We have two choices here! TWO! And I refuse to go with choice #1. Don’t ask me to stay here and marry a woman I despise Michelle! DON’T DO THAT! I WILL NEVER CHOOSE HER OVER YOU! NEVER!”

“I’m not asking you to choose Danny. I’m not! I’m asking you to find another way out of this. There must be another way!”

He’s frustrated with me now and my apparent naiveté.

“Michelle……God! I’m in the mob baby! THE FUCKING MOB! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS???? THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!”

“We have to have faith that this will work out Danny! We have to!” He laughs sarcastically.

“Baby, my faith went out the window a long time ago! Believe me……..I’ve learned over the years that the only person I can count on to watch out for me, is me!” There is silence as our eyes bore into each other. We are locked in a battle that neither one of us will win and I realize that I must make the choice for us.

“Then you’re right Danny. There’s no other choice. No other choice.” My voice trails off with the last three words.

“Thank you God! Thank you!” He passionately kisses me and tells me to hurry and pack a few things. We can buy whatever we need on the run. He heads out to the living room to find his pants and sprints back down the hall to find me sitting on the edge of the bed not moving. I am in shock.

“Michelle! Come on! Snap to it! We don’t have very long! Michelle?” He realizes I’m not moving and drops his shirt. “Michelle……?” He slowly moves towards the bed and falls between my legs cupping my tear stained face in his hands. My heart is breaking into a million pieces and I want the earth to open up and swallow me whole. I caress his cheek and tilt my head to the side, and he knows. His eyes close and our foreheads fall together, our lips mere inches away from each other. He softly cries.

“I’m not going Danny. I’m not going. My life began the day I met you and we both deserve so much more than this……so much more. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have your babies and raise them safely. A life on the run is not what I want for them, or us. I want to wake up every morning and make love to you without wondering if were going to have to run when we’re done. I’ve studied hard to be a doctor Danny and I want that dream. I want Mama to be proud of me – I want you to be proud of me – I want to be proud of myself.”

“Michelle…..I can’t let you go. Please………….”

He’s crying and I want to die. I want to die right here in the arms of this man. My heart is breaking. I lean in and our lips meet in the softest, loving embrace I’ve ever known. The saltiness of our tears mixing with the sweetness of our kiss, and for a second I reconsider what I’m thinking, but when we pull away and I look into his eyes, the rims red and burning as the tears flow uncontrollably, I know what has to be done.

“I want you to marry her Danny.”

“No. I won’t do it.”

“Look at me! Marry her for me baby……it’s the only way!”

“I don’t understand. Why are you asking me to do this?”

“Because we don’t have time to figure this out right now Danny! You haven’t exactly come right out and said it, but I imagine when you spoke to Theresa she gave you two options. One, either marry her and forget about me, or two, don’t marry her, continue on with me and I’ll be killed. So here’s the way I look it. You can either marry her Danny and somehow we’ll figure a way out of this thing together behind her back, or you can live a life without me. It’s your choice.”

He knows I’m right, and it’s killing him, but I think I’ve finally gotten him to understand. He forces a smile through his tears and kisses me. He removes a gold diamond encrusted ring from his right hand and places it in my palm and closes it tightly kissing my fingers. “I’ll love you until my dying day Michelle Bauer. Don’t you ever forget that. And until we can be together……………truly together, I want you to wear this ring close to your heart as a symbol of our love. Never doubt it Michelle…..never doubt it.”

He gently pushes me back on the bed and we begin to make love one last time before he marries Theresa.