Page 31

Z ack closed the door softly behind him and Dani stared in shock as he left.

What had she done?

Her heart raced as the reality of her impulsive actions sank in, threatening to leave her bitter and alone.

Her legs felt weak, and she was slow to respond as her mind reeled.

Then panic set in as the sound of an ATV engine roaring to life snapped her out of it.

Dani bolted out of the house, her shoes slipping on the loose, dusty gravel as she raced to stop him before he left.

Before it was too late.

“Zack, wait," she blurted, but he couldn’t hear her over the drone of the engine.

Impulsively, she threw herself in front of the ATV as it started to move, falling on her backside in her rush. She saw Zack’s shocked face as he slammed on the brakes and screeched to a halt just inches from where she lay.

"Are you insane?" Zack yelled, jumping off the ATV and dashing to her side to help her up. "I could have hit you!"

Dani's heart pounded as she looked up at him, his face a mix of anger and dismay. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the sting of gravel on her palms and her butt.

"Please don’t go, Zack," she blurted out, her voice shaky. "I made a mistake."

His eyes narrowed, skepticism clear in his guarded expression. "Which part was the mistake, Dani? Throwing us away or nearly getting run over by an ATV?"

"Both. All of it. I... I…” What the hell could she say? She’d behaved like a complete and utter bitch. Which meant… there was only one thing to say. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“So am I, Dani.” Zack replied mournfully, looking away from her and staring at the surf off in the distance.

Shit, was it already too late? Had he decided she was too much trouble?

Time to lay it on the line.

“All my life, I felt like I was never good enough. I never seemed to be able to please anyone. My family, they all thought I was worth nothing beyond being a wife and mother. That I didn’t need to bother my pretty little head with anything that might require me to use my brain, to be a productive member of society. ”

Dani held up her hand when he opened his mouth to interrupt.

She needed to get this out. “That’s not to say stay-at-home mothers aren’t productive members of society.

I just didn't want to be defined by other people; only given worth because of my husband or my children. I wanted more than that for myself.”

She blinked back the tears which fought to escape.

“For a while, my family indulged me.” She laughed bitterly.

“Although even that was because my mother was convinced I was going to fritter my trust fund away if I was left to my own devices, and that money was to be my dowry. Something to sweeten the pot, like no man would want me otherwise.”

She sucked in a breath, preparing to admit her biggest shame.

The thing that had molded her into the woman she was today.

“My father - when he was actually around - used to look right through me, no matter what I did. He treated me like I didn't matter, and I guess I didn’t, since I eventually found out he was married with his own ‘proper’ family. I was just his mistress' bastard child. He didn’t even acknowledge me as his own or give me his name. I was just a dirty little secret, like my mother, who has spent her entire life being the other woman.”

Her voice trembled, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at Zack. Couldn’t bear to see the judgement in his eyes.

“I threw myself into my career, thinking that was the way I could prove my place in society. Somewhere I could be judged on my own merit instead of my family's warped, old-fashioned principles. But even though I worked my butt off to prove myself, I still got passed over when it was time for the serious promotions. That’s how I ended up here. Luca was the only person who believed in me, and that was a bitter pill to swallow.”

“I’ve never thought you were anything less than amazing, Dani,” Zack murmured, reaching out to tuck a strand of her disheveled hair behind her ear.

“I’ve never had anyone fight for me the way you did, but then, with my history, and finding out you had a wife… it made me feel like I wasn’t good enough again. Not even good enough to be the wife and mother my family thought I should be.”

“Ah, Dani,” Zack murmured, taking her in his arms. “It was never about Emylyah.”

“I understand that now. But I had so much baggage I’ve never properly unpacked that I didn’t trust myself, and that meant I didn’t trust in you, either.

I’m more sorry for that than you’ll ever know,” she told him, her voice barely a whisper.

“I never realized my upbringing had made me quite as cynical and distrustful as it has, not until you pulled me up on it. And now…” She swallowed around the lump in her throat.

“Now I’m scared I don't know how to be what you need. That I’ll revert to what I’m used to and end up being a bitch again. ”

"Then let me teach you," he murmured, his eyes searching hers. "Let me show you what it means to be cherished, to be put first."

Dani felt herself teetering on the precipice of a decision that could change everything. "What if I mess it up again?" she asked, vulnerability seeping into her voice. “I’m a typical Italian hothead, so there’s a pretty good chance that’ll happen.”

Zack laughed. “Oh, I’m certain of it,” he said with a smile in his eyes.

“But we'll work through it. Together.” He offered the reassurance she desperately needed.

"But you have to be willing to try, Dani.

You have to be willing to stay and fight for us, even when things get tough.

Because I can guarantee they will. Nobody's life is ever plain sailing, and relationships take work.”

The fear of failure, of not being enough, still lurked in the corners of Dani’s mind. But looking into Zack's eyes, seeing the unwavering faith he had in her, in them, she knew she was more when she was with him. And maybe, in some small way, she made him more too.

“I love you,” she admitted, the words leaving her lips for the very first time.

“Despite everything; despite the way I behaved. I think I’ve always loved you, even when I didn’t want to admit it because I thought it was a weakness.

Even my own bullheaded stubbornness couldn’t stop me from loving you. ”

The expression on Zack’s face as he accepted her declaration was like the sun creeping out from behind a cloud and brightening up the day.

"I love you too, Dani. More than I ever thought possible. And just so you know, I was never leaving. I was just going to give us both time to cool down before I came back to claim you again.” He cupped her face gently, his thumb caressing her cheek.

“Because I know together, with effort and commitment, we can make this work. "

"I want that. I want to try; to be better. For you, for us."

"Then let's start now," Zack said, his voice taking on a firmer note. “I think a certain somebody has definitely earned herself a spanking… or two.”