Danny's Main

He had never heard Julie sob the way she had that night. Other than when she first opened up to him, she only spoke of somber but positive reflections of her parents. He knew she grieved and he saw her cry, but he’d never seen her in such raw pain.

“What can I do, baby?” he had asked as he knelt on both knees with her small hands wrapped tightly in his.

She turned her head, breaking their eye contact. He thought in that moment that she knew what she needed from him but was too afraid to ask. He rose to his feet, swept her up in his arms, and carried her to the sofa, where he sat down with her planted on his lap.

“Julie, I wa

Nodding, Julie’s gray stare met his. “I do want to marry you, but…” The but nearly killed him until she completed her thought. “But I can’t go through with a wedding. I can’t do it without them. I know you’ll try to convince me that it’s every girl’s dream or that I’ll regret it later. It was my fantasy once too, but now the thought is a nightmare. I have enough of those to last a lifetime.”

Relief, then heartache. That’s what he felt, but it wasn’t what he said. “Honey, you wa

“Yes,” she answered with confidence.

“It kills me you don’t get to have your fantasy wedding and your daddy/daughter dance. I hate seeing your heart breaking when I know how happy you are with us, but I’m not go

She’d smiled brightly on their wedding day. A real smile, one that declared true happiness. The only thing that had stood in the way of their union was work. Da

“Where did you go just now, sweetheart?”

Julie’s question popped his memory bubble, dropping Da

Julie’s eyes got soft the way they always did when they discussed that day. Blessed and bittersweet, she called it.

“We slipped right into married life and never looked back.”

“Are you complaining?” she teased. “’Cause it’s too late to return me, and I wouldn’t go quietly.”

Da

Julie subtly covered her mouth, but Da

“I know you’ve always had a serious case of wanderlust with no outlet,” he said. “My dad gave us all of that money when we got married. I’m thinking we could take some of it and plan a two-week vacation to the destination of your choice. Other than a couple of sick days, you haven’t taken any time off since you started managing O’Brian’s. I’m sure you can get the time off…if you want.”

***

HE WASN’T WRONG. Julie had started as a waitress at O’Brian’s Ale House the week after she left Chester’s Bar. In fact, Chester Murray had gotten her the job. With Da

Sheila would be more than happy to give Julie two weeks off because she’d already “okayed” four weeks of leave.

“Jules, do you want to go away for a couple of weeks?” Da

“Yes and no, Da

“Wha—”

Julie lifted a finger to her lips. “Shhh…” Da

“Fuck me,” he growled, making her core pulse and her panties wet.

“I plan to do that in several different countries,” she purred.

“Let’s get out of here, woman,” Da

“You lead, I’ll follow.”

###

COORDINATING THE PERFECT excursion took several weeks. Julie knew that while her husband was excited to travel and explore the world with her, the magnitude of the trip had more to do with her than him.

Traveling with her parents had been her post-high-school-graduation plan. They’d pla

Her dream ended the day her nightmare began, and world discovery became a memory that was both wistful and cruel. When she and Da

But when Neal died, paralyzing fear struck Julie in ways that far surpassed what she’d felt after she lost her mom and dad. She had mourned and struggled after the earthquake that consumed her parents, but part of her knew that she would be okay, that she’d move forward, and while life would be painful, it would continue. When the news about Neal hit, all Julie saw was Da

So when her husband told her that he no longer wanted to be a firefighter, she could almost envision the orange flames being suffocated for the last time, hear the sizzle as the oxygen left the fire and the embers turned to ash. They were safe, free. Alive. And there was nothing she wanted more than to celebrate their existence by experiencing all life had to offer. Starting with the globe.