I let out a breath and relax again.
When I Look At You by Miley Cyrus begins to play, and I get up. “Dance with me?” I ask Danny.
Her smile brightens as she gets up and follows me to the dance floor. I pull her against my chest and wrap my arms around her. Our eyes meet as the lyrics fill the air.
“You look breathtakingly beautiful,” I murmur. The blue of the dress makes her eyes pop even more.
“You look handsome yourself, Mr. West.” Danny wraps her arms around my neck, and slowly we sway to the music.
“Are you enjoying the wedding?” I ask.
She nods. “I’m glad everything turned out perfect for them.”
We spend another two hours with our family and friends before we call it a night.
After saying goodnight, Danny and I head up to our room. Once we’ve showered and changed into comfortable clothes, Danny walks out on the balcony and stares at the dark ocean. I wrap my arms around her, and she leans back against my chest.
“Today was a good day,” she murmurs.
“Yeah,” I agree.
Danny takes a deep breath and then pulls away. She tugs me back inside toward the living room. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
“Okay.”
I sit down next to her and turn my body toward hers.
Danny takes hold of my hand, and a smile wavers around her lips as she presses a kiss to my lips. Her eyes meet mine, and she just stares at me.
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask, linking our fingers.
She glances down, and I watch as she swallows. When her eyes meet mine again, and I see the tears in hers, a frown begins to form on my forehead.
“Hey,” I murmur.
“This is really hard,” she says, and then a tear falls. She swipes it away, taking a deep breath.
Worry bleeds through me, and before I can ask anything, Danny closes her eyes, and her voice sounds strained as she says, “I have a tumor in my head.”
My heart tightens into a fist.
“It’s… it’s…” She sucks in a quivering breath. “Glioblastoma,” she squeezes the word out.
My lips part, and I suck in a breath as the word rips a gaping hole through my life. I know what it is. I know what it means. Mom works in a hospice.
I suck in another breath, and then I begin to shake my head. “No.”
Danny doesn’t open her eyes as more tears begin to fall.
And then everything starts to fall into place.
The headaches.
The dizzy spells.
The weekend at the spa.
Her being emotional.
Her bumping her head.
The flu.
The realization shudders through me like a devastating earthquake.
Christ. No.
I pull my hand away from hers as I begin to shake uncontrollably.
I lift my hands and frame Danny’s face. She opens her eyes, and then I see it. The fear.
My body moves forward, and I grab her to me as I begin to shake my head.
Her body trembles as she says, “There are treatments. I’m having surgery on Tuesday. I’ve looked into it, and there are survivors. I’m going to fight.”
I begin to nod, grasping onto the fragile hope while my heart shatters into a million pieces.
I’d like to think I’m strong enough to handle anything life throws my way.
But not this.
I can’t watch the woman I love die.
I can’t.
The shaking in my body grows, and I hold Danny tighter to me.
“I’m going to fight,” she whispers.
I nod again, unable to say anything.
Then it really starts to sink in, like a dead weight pulling me under a wave of grief.
My body jerks as the first tear falls. I clench my jaw and try to swallow the devastation down.
I can’t lose Danny.
God, I just got her.
My body jerks again, and it has Danny tightening her arms around me. Then she whispers, “I’m so sorry. If I had known, I never would’ve started a relationship with you.”
Her words have me pulling back. When our eyes meet and she sees my tears, Danny gasps for air as she begins to cry.
Another tear rolls down my cheek as I say, “This doesn’t change how I feel about you. I’m just struggling to process it.”
Using my thumbs, I brush her tears away while my own fall. Her eyes meet mine again, and then she shakes her head. “I’m scared…” Her body begins to jerk as sobs rip through her. “I’m so scared, Ryker.”
I pull her back to my chest and engulf her with my body.
I’m scared too.
Clearing my throat, my voice is hoarse as I say, “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Danny shakes her head and lifting her face, I hate seeing the naked fear etched into her beautiful features. “The odds aren’t good. If I die…” She presses a hand to her chest. “If I die… what happens then? What happens to me? Where do I go? You won’t be there.”
My tears fall faster as the ground opens beneath me, and I sink to the lowest bowels of hell.