Chapter 23
It's much later when we finally settle down to go to sleep. Using Daniel’s phone, I send a quick text to my mother letting her know that I'm not coming home tonight, and that I'm safe. I know when I go home in the morning I'll have a ton of explaining to do, not just about Daniel.
"Would you please turn your brain off and go to sleep?" Daniel's low voice is full of laughter and I can feel the rumble of it as I lie next to him with my head on his chest.
My eyes are already closed, but I pinch him in retaliation, causing him to flinch. "I am." He really does laugh out loud now. But, even as he's laughing, he pulls me closer to him, determined to hold me tight. Shutting off my thoughts is much easier said than done though. All I can think about is what's going to happen next. I'm worried about how my mom is going to react at the news that we are really together, and I'm worried about what other people are going to say.
No one seems to have a problem if it's the guy who's ten years older, but when it's a woman? She's called a cougar and made to feel like she's paying a younger guy to be with her. People can be harsh, and very unforgiving.
"Seriously, Genevieve," Daniel groans beside me, "I can practically hear you thinking. What's going on in that head of yours?" He yawns, obviously ready to go to sleep, and I love that even though he's tired he won't go to sleep until he's sure I’m ready to drift off too.
I bite my bottom lip, unsure how to bring it up. He doesn't say anything, choosing to let me work up to it instead, and that gives me the courage to say what I'm thinking. "I'm worried about tomorrow."
"What about it?" I can feel the words rumble through his chest as he speaks. I'm trying to avoid looking at him, so I start making small circles on his left pec, staring at the path my fingers are taking instead of looking directly at him.
I take a deep breath, deciding it's better to just blurt it out and have it be said than trying to soften the blow. "I'm worried about how the conversation with my mom is going to go. She already broke us up once, already. What happens if she tries to do it again? She’s the kind of person who will throw out an ultimatum if she feels she has to. I don’t want to be in that spot. I can’t lose either of you."
"Baby," Daniel says with a sigh, "no matter what she says, I'm not going to leave you. It might make me an a*shole, but I really don't care what your mom thinks about our relationship, or me. What's going on between us is just that, between us. Her opinion on it doesn't matter."
That, right there. That's one of the many, many reasons I fell in love with him. Daniel is who he is, regardless of what others think. He's honest and caring, but unlike me, he doesn't let people walk all over him. I wish I could be more like him – maybe I can learn by osmosis? I slide an arm around his waist, hugging him tightly and burying my face in his chest. "Thank you," I tell him, my voice muffled by his skin. "I hate fighting with you."
"I hate fighting with you, too. But, I do have to say that I like making up with you. That was awesome." I don't even have to look up at him to know that he's smirking down at me. I'm sure it's an adorable smirk, too. I laugh lightly before finally settling down to sleep, content with the knowledge that no matter what happens tomorrow, he'll be with me and he won't leave me.
"Goodnight, Daniel," I say, my voice already sounding drowsy.
He kisses the top of my head before saying, “‘Night, Baby. Sweet dreams." A small smile curves my lips because I know that being here, in his arms, pretty much guarantees I'm going to have sweet dreams.