Danny's Main

Thank goodness Julie knew where the fire extinguishers were, because her face nearly burst into flames.

“Nice, Chester, real smooth,” Da

Shaking his head, Chester chuckled. “That’s not how we roll, boy, and you know it. Be happy I didn’t leave a Post-It note on your damn door.”

“Oh my God,” Julie gasped.

The three laughed and hugged before turning in for the night.

Chapter Nineteen

Moving Not Dying

PACKING TAPE SCREECHED as it unrolled to seal the flaps of the cardboard moving box.

“Last damn one,” Da

The men had spent the past few days loading up the U-Haul in preparation for Da

“I still can’t believe how fast you guys pulled this together,” Chris said when Da

“I know, crazy how fast it all happened,” Da

Chris’s brows furrowed, indicating he’d had no idea.

“Thought just knowing we were leaving would make being here easier, but it didn’t. Listened to Julie toss and turn each night until she’d get up and drift around from room to room,” Da

The memory of confronting her was etched into his brain. After night three of watching her slither out of their bed and not return until dawn, concern and curiosity had finally made him search for her. He watched her go from their daughter’s room to their would-be son’s, then down the stairs to the main room. He saw the tremble of her shoulders, even in a house lit only by the garden lights that filtered through the windows. Her cries were noiseless, but her pain was deafening as she faced the window and the softly lit flowers.

“Jules,” he whispered as he approached, “what’s going on, honey?”

“Oh.” Her breath hitched. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Babe, when you’re not next to me, I’m awake. Now talk to me.”

A sigh left her body, one so large he felt the relief in his own frame. “It’s just…I remember when we bought this house. Our dreams were big, so filled with hope…and after all these years, we’re moving, and I’m having trouble recalling memories that don’t suck.”

When her eyes met his, he understood exactly what she was saying. They had had many years of love and happiness under that roof, but they had lived through so much pain and heartbreak and were leaving on the tail end of devastation.

He placed his front to her back and swept her long hair over her left shoulder before pressing his lips to her right. “Baby, can give you more memories that don’t suck.” He couldn’t hide the smile in his voice. “Well, there will be sucking, but I promise, when you think of this night…” He felt goose bumps cover her skin as his tongue slid up her neck to her ear. “This will be the final night we spend in this house, this memory the last you’ll have here. Let me make it amazing.”

Her moan was the only confirmation he needed before he swept her into his arms and walked to the sofa. He spread her beneath him before he took his time and made sweet love to her until the birds chirped and the newspaper thumped when it landed on their doorstep.

As promised, they never spent another night under that roof. His wife had slept peacefully tucked into his side ever since.

“Shit,” Chris interrupted Da

“It was,” Da

Once finished, the men disposed of the beer bottles, slid the retractable door of the U-Haul down, and locked it before doing a final walk-through of the house and the property.

“You sure you have a pad waiting for you in Charistown?” Chris asked, even though he’d heard the plan Da

Gri

From the moment Da

“Have you decided on a name for the bar yet?”

The earnest concern in Chris’s question made Da

“No. Haven’t come up with a name…yet.” The two men climbed into the U-Haul and buckled up before Da

Chris’s stare told Da

“Understood.” Chris nodded. And Da

When discussing whether or not moving to another state was really the right thing for them, Da

They realized, during their visit to Charistown, that more important than finding the perfect place to lay their heads was finding the best place to pour their beers. From that minute forward, the search shifted and the real fun began. Of course, Chester had some choice words when Da