In the morning, Danny woke up and he threw the covers back, springing out of bed in alarm. He slapped his head. ‘Jesus Christ! There’s a special formation at seven!’ How could he have forgotten? Still, the required uniform and shoes remained at his friend’s quarters near the base. His original plan was to have dinner there and stay the night. That was before Nina sauntered onto their patio. She was the only reason he waltzed home with the woman on his arm. Yet that plan was screwed up too. All because Tara decided to visit. Now, he had to go back.
Danny dressed in a mad rush and looked at the time on the clock nearby. 5:30 a.m. He could get there in time to change –if he ran. Danny stumbled into the living room. He saw Tara laying on the couch, and she raised her head to look at him. Her eyes seemed puffy, sleepy. There was no time to explain anything, so he grabbed his wallet, his keys, and rushed out the door, with shoes halfway on. What could he expect upon his return? Would she stay or go? Fate did not cooperate at all. ‘Damn!’
Sylvia stopped by later that morning to check up on Tara. She had a few pieces of Danny’s mail, so it was a valid excuse to stop by.
“Where is the LC?” Sylvia stepped inside, pausing to look around.
“Gone. He left in a hurry this morning,” Tara murmured, her eyes downward.
“You do not deserve this. You are in love with that man,” Sylvia said “That woman meant nothing. The man needs someone real. I can sense he needed this for a long time.”
“Really?” Tara sniffed and Sylvia nodded. She took out an extra key from her pocket and handed it to Tara.
“Keep this. He didn’t throw you out last night, so you can remain, and come and go as you please. Not like those others, who didn’t stay around for more than a night. I’m sure you’re worth far more in his eyes than they.”
“I think that too,” Tara said proudly and then took the key. Yes, she knew her worth now. She was determined to make the man know it too, “Can you show me to the market later. He needs food in the house. I looked in the refrigerator last night to get a drink. It’s completely empty.”
“Sure. Take a shower. Get dress. I’ll come back in an hour,” Sylvia agreed. She turned around and went down the stairs. Tara closed the door. She looked around the messy apartment. If he denied their love and forced her to go, there must be reminders of her presence there, no matter what the decision. So later, Tara and Sylvia went to the outdoor market. Tara picked out a lot of fruit, cheeses, and canned items, which made Sylvia raise her eyebrows.
“Cooking is not my thing. I simply don’t know how,” Tara told her, “Besides, it never mattered much before. He’s always been away to sea too long. I’d love to show how a real home can feel with a woman’s attention. Other than sprucing up the apartment, a home cooked meal would be ideal.”
Sylvia nodded.
“Well, there I can help. I cook too much for my own family. It will be no problem,” Sylvia offered and Tara thanked her.
They stocked the empty refrigerator, along with the cabinets. Then for the next two days, Tara scrubbed and cleaned; caught up the laundry; placed fresh linen on the bed, and flowers upon the table. She didn’t know where he was or when he’d return, but at least working kept her mind occupied. Once it was all done, there was time to snoop around. He wasn’t a man that kept personal items out. In the closet, she found a large picture album.
She sat on the bed to browse through it. There were several pictures of him on board ship with his crew, along with the different places they had been. It also contained all of the pictures that Helen sent of her and the children. On one page, upon the cardboard mat, against one picture of the children, he penciled on the side plenty of x’s and o’s. Next to another where she sat with the children on the lawn, like little ducks in a row, he drew an outline of a heart, but then crossed it out. This disappointed her. She turned the page to find a picture of her alone, standing by the staircase in her home. It was taken at the end of July. She looked good in it, wearing a simple white dress and her long brown hair was spiraling past her shoulders. He drew a rose beside it, with petals falling, then scribbled the words “Do you love me, do you love me not?”
“I do,” she whispered. Tears sprung to her eyes. “Oh, Danny I do. Just let me prove it to you, please!”
She placed the book away where she found it and bowed her head in prayer. Where was he? Why didn’t he call. There was a phone out by the couch. She went to it then and placed a long distance call to Helen. After a long conversation, both she and Gloria told her to stick it out. “The children are fine. We are handling things. Make amends with your husband.” That’s all Tara wanted to do. It seemed forever, but on her fourth night there, he returned.
Tara heard the key jingle in the lock as she sat at the desk in the bedroom. His footsteps enter inside, the light came on and he progressed towards the kitchen. Perhaps he took it all in, the visible changes that were made. The refrigerator door was open and next the cabinets. Tara had waited forever for this moment and every sense in her body heightened in anticipation. Every night while he was away, she kept up a routine.
A candle was lit for atmosphere. Soft cologne fragranced her body. It went perfectly with a slinky, dark blue negligee, something elegant and sexy bought at a very posh department store in London. Perfect and suggestive -most definitely. Luckily, it was even Danny’s favorite color. She washed it out every morning so it would be fresh for the evening. At that point, he sighed. Then his footsteps drew near. She looked up at the door as Danny walked in, dressed in that uniform that made him so damn handsome. Her heart pounded as he took off his hat and approached. His shoulders slumped and his hands clutched his hat tightly, but he didn’t seem upset to find her there. He was, in fact, relieved.
“Christ, Tara! You don’t know how I hoped that you would stay. We were sent out to sea and just returned this afternoon to a full military review.”
He drew closer. A serious look on his face. His eyes weren’t red, so he wasn’t drunk. He wet his lips and spoke in a soft voice.
“While I was away, there was only one conclusion on my mind.” Danny paused momentarily. Tara noticed how his eyes took in her beauty in that negligee against the backdrop of the flickering candlelight. He cleared his throat suddenly, but he couldn’t contain the sudden tears, “Most assuredly, you are not someone that a man can easily forget, nor stop loving. I am simply a hostage to your heart, with no means to escape. No ransom but pride to give up. If what you say is true, then somehow I can try again. Just be for real this time, dearest Tara. My heart…it’s on such a fragile mend.”
Did she hear this straight? Excitement flooded her soul!
“Oh, yes! I’m for real!” Before he changed his mind, Tara jumped up to throw herself upon the man. She embraced him tight- so very damn tight-consumed by such incredible raw feelings, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, Danny! I love you so much!”
She breathed in his scent like it was perfume from the Gods. His body felt so warm, so right. He clung to her body tight too, afraid to let go, it seemed. But in the instance that they did, there were tears streaming down her face too. They laughed and each took a moment to wipe away the others tears. Tara could feel a tight lump in her throat and she chocked it down to speak.
“I was so afraid that everything was lost,” She stroked his face everywhere, like a blind person memorizes ones look. Her eyes stayed keenly focused on him. He was all that mattered. Danny’s eyes conveyed astonishment and a slight blush came to his cheeks. He also began to sweat.
“No. I couldn’t let us go. I love you too much Tara,” he sighed and then glanced at his jacket. He let out a breath, “But gosh, I’m so damn warm all of a sudden. It’s not just because of you, but because it’s an incredibly long walk from base wearing this thing.”
He let go of her to unbutton it, really showing his discomfort.
“I had to wear this all day. It gets uncomfortable in the sun and feels like an oven wearing it at times.”
He slid his hand to unbutton the jacket, but she could not resist helping him out of his clothes. It was an irresistible opportunity. Her memory was too vague. The last time she ever saw him strip down had been way over eighteen months ago. That was too long. Like two actors in a slow motion picture, they worked together. Her breathing was erratic as she opened up the bottom buttons as he released the top. Tiny goose bumps surfaced over her satiny skin. She could even feel her nipples point out erect against the thin fabric of her lingerie. Did he take notice? His eyes scanned her body, not seeming like it missed these details. He slid out of his coat. She grabbed a hanger and placed it away into the closet. He donned off his shirt and she placed it on the back of the chair. Then he kicked off his shoes, slid off his socks, along with those dark pants. He placed them into the chair too. They both stopped at this point as he stood in his skivies and stared in hesitation.
Somehow in this magical moment, there was fear. Danny could feel his heart pound in his chest. There was a look of puzzlement in her eyes. Should he take her to bed now? This one thought suddenly got him. After all, when they fought last at the Briggs House, didn’t she declare it hurried and unsatisfying? Even for what he boasted that night, Tara was the woman with whom he must get it right.
“Are you hungry?” Tara asked out of the blue. Danny’s eyes grew wide. Hungry for what? For her body? ‘Well, yeah.’
“There are leftovers in the kitchen. If you have not eaten, I think I can heat it up.”she suggested.
This totally blew Danny out of the water. Food? Was she really talking about food?
“Did you cook?”
“Ah, no, silly. Sylvia has brought me something every night. She’s a wonderful cook, but brings too much. Besides, she believes I should not live on fruit alone. And she states that I look too thin.”
“Oh, no! You look great!” Danny declared with his eyes big. His voice sounding like a growl. Tara giggled.
“Well, this is your fault. I never learned to cook as we have all of those servants. If left to me, I would give you fruit, as I tend to burn everything. Luckily, because of Sylvia, you can have real food. Isn’t it my wifely duty to make sure that you are fed?” Tara really meant it. What to say, but this was totally endearing and what a wonderful feeling it gave him. He couldn’t help but laugh, quite deliriously. For once, his wife was trying to please and serve him. Now, in her eyes, he was her master. How in the world did that happen?
“Well, since you never learned, I won’t force you out of your element,” Danny teased, “Come on. Let’s see what’s there.”
He took her hand to lead her into the kitchen. They set out what were available and warmed things up in the microwave. She fed him and he fed her. They consumed some wine and talked a bit, but nothing about Ross, or the children.
For once Tara listened earnestly, as he explained everything about his recent trip at sea, on board with a special narcotics patrol. It was nice how she finally took an interest in what he did in the Navy. It never seemed important to her before.
“There were reports, drugs being shipped off to some of our English ports. It was a pretty exciting adventure. We confiscated several dangerous men and several pounds of cocaine and marijuana on this one frigate. They had about 75 men onboard. It gets scary when we pull along side, because you never know the extent of their weapons, but they surrendered without conflict. We turned over the items and those men to the Spaniards police. It was something I’ll never forget.”
Danny leaned heavily on the chair. He sat silent for a moment, thinking about everything in the past few months and he sighed.
Tara took note of his demeanor now. His hair was tousled from wearing his hat. He seemed tired. Very tired. Like everything he went through caught up all at once.
“You love the navy, Danny. I always knew that. You always seem excited about what took place, but you seem different now,” Tara said, looking for a clue to what he was thinking. He gazed into her eyes. He caressed her hair. There was an odd expression upon his face. This made her uneasy, “What? You look like the wind has gone out of your sails.”
“It has, Tara. I’m so tired,” he said mysteriously. His voice seemed raspy, indifferent. She leaned close to pay attention, “These last missions have been stressful, just because of everything we’ve gone through, I suppose. When I left home after Christmas, it just about killed me. And now, you showed up out of the blue. I made a decision while I was away this week.”
“What? What is it?” Tara clutched the edge of the chair. His tone was so ominous that she felt frightened.
“I prayed the whole time about everything, about us; if you’d stay or go. God and I had a private conversation- in my head, of course. I asked that you’d be here waiting. I wanted my wife so badly and it came true. I explained to him that it seemed I had other mistresses- the Navy, the sea. I couldn’t have that and you. Perhaps, my grandfather could do it, but my Grams lost him in the war. How could I do that to you and our children? The world is too crazy. There’s been so much escalation in the Middle East and in Africa, Afghanistan. So come late September, I’m giving it up. I want to come home.”
“Are you sure, Danny?” Tara gasped. She couldn’t believe it, but he took her hand.
“I’ve missed out on too much already. I need to be with you. You deserve a true husband. Harry and I spoke about everything. We never had secrets. He believes I should do it too, even if he’s going to miss me. He’s like another father, so the decision was difficult. I am so grateful that we work so wonderfully together and that he is compassionate.”
Danny sipped his wine. He drew her close, to caress her face.
“I told him you were here. I told him what you said. I’ve been given two weeks to reconcile our hearts. It can be our delayed honeymoon. This coastal region is lovely to see, provided if it’s with the right person.”
“Perhaps I am that person?” Tara placed a grape within his mouth, very suggestively. Her eyes were flirtatious as she peered into his. She truly believed in him. He was the most remarkable man in the world to sacrifice so much for her, “I am so overdue for true romance.”
“Yes. So am I. So am I,” Danny replied in a husky voice. A strong desire swept over him. The same kind that kept him awake before. The calling was irresistible. That look in her eye lit the torch. Her breath was upon his face and she seemed adorable. Hypnotized by the seduction, Danny tugged Tara to sit upon his lap. They kissed for several minutes, torrid kisses of fire. Then they went into the bedroom. This time, he was no longer afraid to lie beside her.
Every nook and cranny of her body was explored with his fingers, with his kisses. Sometimes, within the teasing and the careful nips around the nape of her neck and her raised nipples, she would giggle. She liked what he was doing. Her fingers dug into his back. She whispered, “More” into his ear. That was so encouraging.
With firm, warm hands, Danny caressed her body tenderly. It was pure ecstasy making love this slow way. It was something they never wanted to lose again. Danny conveyed confidence like a new man as he made love to his wife. She was taken to heights beyond the stars. Now that her love was just as strong, he could take her there always. Afterwards, they cuddled warmly with a light blanket. The moon shone in the window. Tara threw her legs over his, and nestled her backside against his body, so they were tightly intertwined.
“Oh, Danny. I waited for this moment far too long; just to be with you again. I wanted you so badly.”
“I know, Tara. I know,” Danny kissed her brow. He squeezed her body closer. “Nothing will pull us apart again, darling. We will work together to find our answers, without remorse or anger. We can do this. I know it. This feels too damn good to let it go.”
She knew it too. They could mend the hurt. There was no longer talk about divorce. It was a new beginning. They used the time to sight see around Barcelona and drive up the coastline. They picnicked on the beaches and drank wine watching the sun go down. They went dancing, shopping, and made love at midnight wherever they stayed. Upon their return at the end of the second week, Sylvia was most happy too see Tara smile. It illuminated her whole face. Even the lieutenant commander beamed with pride while he introduced his wife to everyone outside the building. Even to his friends that stopped by on occasion.
Tara felt on top of the world, except for one minor thing. She noticed that when they spoke about the children, Danny talked mostly about the septuplets. Tara was afraid to mention Tom specifically in the conversation. When he returned to Wilshire, how would he deal with the child? She had to bring it up somehow.
About two days before Tara’s scheduled flight home, the two spent it in bed, cuddled up under the covers. Tara leaned into Danny’s body as he sat against the pillows. He attempted to read the local paper with her head upon his chest. His Spanish was so-so, but it was enough to interpret the world news. He turned a page and found an advertisement for a clothing store. All of the infant items were on sale.
“Oooh, I should stop by before I leave,” Tara suggested as she saw something in the ad. Danny crinkled the paper in half and a puzzled look came over his face.
“Why on earth for? Don’t they have enough?”
Tara pointed at the picture.
“This outfit is cute. That’s all.”
“It’s a size six months. It won’t fit the boys or Jamie at all,” Danny retorted and went back to his paper. Tara frowned. She sat up. Danny understood that body language. She was upset. “What? What did I say?”
“I meant it for Tom. You never speak about him.”
Tara jumped up to go into the other room. There were tears in her eyes. Worse, she was completely naked. Danny scurried to wrap a sheet around her as the curtains were not drawn in the living room. At least, he was in his underwear.
“I’m sorry, darling. You are right. I just overlooked the fact that the outfit could be for him. It was unintentional.”
“No, it wasn’t. Your attitude speaks volumes,” Tara sniffed and then turned around so that they were face to face, “As much as you block it out, the boy exists. When you come home, will you reject him?”
He didn’t want to fight, so Danny held her tightly. He kissed her neck. It was definitely time to hash it out. He pulled her back to wipe away her tears.
“You’re right. We can’t move forward if I remain a coward. This is not about Tom. It’s about Ross. I’m unsettled, Tara. Surely, he comes around to see the baby, doesn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t handle that. Not in my house. Call it my stubborn pride, but we are just getting back on our feet. That one mistake created so much heartache. You may have started it, but you admitted that you were drunk. Still, he damned well finished it. He knew better! We had a friendship too. It’s like he spat into my face. Ross can’t come within a hundred feet of you again.”
Tara couldn’t believe her ears. This was about her best friend, but yet, she didn’t want to aggravate Danny’s feelings further. Still, they had to be fair about things. She promised to work things out, for good or bad. She had to give up something. So did he.
“Ok, as you wish, but will you stay away from the pub?”
“What?”
“Those women still work there, Danny. Don’t tell me that when you come home that you won’t have a desire to drop by. You like to drink. You like to hang out with people to socialize. You did it when we met and when there was that crazy celebration after the septuplets were born. Will you stay away for me?”
“It’s not the same thing,” Danny surmised. He looked at her in the eye, “There are other patrons that go there that I see, like…like Leo. And that celebration was a one time thing. Ok, granted, perhaps I blundered in judgment too, but I walked away from those women.”
And I walked away from Ross,” Tara filled him in. She went back to the bedroom and plopped on the bed. Danny followed, “He wanted me to remain in London, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. I realized a lot then. About you, about me. So I learned what stood important. It was you. I crushed him with cruel words then as I crushed you later. It was stupid! Selfish on my part. Still, when Tom arrived, we made amends. Tom needs his father. You can’t deny this as it wouldn’t be right. We both grew up with no parents. There is no way I can do this to Ross.”
“Well, that may be, but I still draw the line in the sand. I can’t trust him, Tara. Not yet.”
“So will you stay away from the bar?” Tara asked again, very patiently.
Danny sat down to think it over. She had him over a barrel for sure. Yes, he loved to drink and he loved the chance to mingle with his friends. Now as for the boy, he wasn’t sure how he would handle his feelings once he saw Tom, but to be with Tara, he would need to take on this responsibility too. It would be hard to act like his father, just because he was Ross’s boy. Yet once upon a time, he and Ross were great friends. Supportive friends. Surely, in time, it would get easier to do. As Tara once declared, the boy was innocent.
“All right, let’s do this. Let him work out an arrangement to get his son through Michael or Gloria. They travel back and forth quite often. If asked properly, I’m sure they will go along. I will limit my time at the pub to just once a week, say for an hour. Will that be acceptable?”
“All right, fine. I will leave word of your wishes,” Tara compromised. Her hair was falling over her eyes and her lips were pursed. She looked very sexy and Danny sighed. He was definitely an addict for her love. He would do anything to please her.
“See, as long as we work together, we can compromise. From this day forward, I promise to remain faithful, Tara. This time I really, really do mean it. Those women were nothing compared to you. I swear.”
Tara wrapped her arms around the man.
“I believe you, Danny, and I do love you. The words are from my heart this time. I swear it. You will never lose me,” She kissed him. They fell into the middle of the bed. She stirred him up again. It was so damn easy to do, but he loved the opportunity to make love. Lately, she made him feel like a man. Her man. He felt on top of the world being with her, in love. That was what was important.
There was no more fear about what to expect upon his return. When Tara boarded the plane for London, she knew that she must discuss things with Ross fully. He would understand and do what was necessary to keep peace. It was what they both wanted for themselves, and for Tom.
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