Forever Yours: How it all Began

Chapter 24

I'm still in shock not believing what my director offered me if I'd extend my stay another year until this project we're working on is complete. I asked for some time to think about it. Always having my goals as my priority and how I would obtain them was very important to me. It looks like other opportunities are presenting themselves which would put me behind when it comes to starting my own business, but will give me the edge I need. To say that I'm excited and nervous at the same time is an understatement.

The first on my call list were my parents of course. I gave my dad all the numbers that were given to me including the hire bonus, annual raise and percentage, health, dental and vision benefits package, vacation time, sick leave, the amount of travel. My dad told me it was a very lucrative package and would be worth extending my stay another year. It's confirmed that the onboard package is great, but do I want to put things I had in place on hold.

"Danielle, I know you are thinking about being away from home an extra year. Don't let that keep you from accepting this offer. We will visit during our vacation, go on vacation to other places together and you know you can come home when you want. Nothing is tying you down and you have no obligations to anyone but yourself. Your dad and I are so proud of you."

I thought about what my mom said; no obligations.

"You still have time to think about what you want to do. Just know we support you in whatever decision you make." My dad says.

I thanked my parents for their advice and perspective on the offer. I told them I love them and told them I'd be talking to them later. After talking to my parents, I sent a text to Andre to see if he had time to talk. Though we're really not together, we said we'd work on our relationship and I wanted to discuss my offer with him.

Two hours had passed and no response from Andre so I decided to call the crew to see if they wanted to go out for food and drinks. I guess we could call it a celebration. Jaxon wanted to pick me up and meet Darah and Isaac at Hoppers. The last time we all hung out, we had so much fun.

I ran to my bathroom to take a shower and get myself ready. I decided to wear a spaghetti strap gold mini dress with a deep V neck. There's nothing wrong with showing off a little cleavage and legs. I paired it with a pair of nude strappy heels. Going with edgy jewelry, I chose a choker and a few gold bangles that matched my earrings. My hair was already in a cute updo so I kept it like that.

While checking myself in the mirror, I hear a knock at the door. I look out the peephole to see that it's Jaxon. I opened the door and walked off so I could get my clutch. When I walk back towards the door, Jaxon is still standing in the doorway with his eyes on me.

"Jaxon! It's not polite to stare." I said as I walked past him into the corridor.

I turned around so I could lock the door and he still hadn't moved.

"Are you taking me to the club or are we just going to stand here?" I asked.

He finally walked out so I could lock the door, but when I turned around he was right behind me. I grabbed his hand and walked to his SUV. Jaxon opened the passenger door and I climbed in the truck. He closed the door and stood looking at me for a few seconds before he got in the truck. Before he started the truck, he cleared his throat and looked at me.

"You're going to make just being a friend hard for me tonight. Tahleea you are absofuckinglutely gorgeous!"

I playfully hit him on his arm and thanked him for the compliment. We made our way to the club. Isaac and Darah already had a table for us. Jaxon and I walked in with his hand on the small of my back guiding me to our table. If you didn't know, we looked like a couple. Jaxon pulled the chair out for me to sit and he sat right beside me, not leaving much room between us.

"Damn Tee! You are fine as hell. If I liked girls I'd choose you!" Darah screams over the music.

We all just laughed. I told the crew about my offer but told them I hadn't made a decision. They were so happy and hoped that I'd stay. Jaxon leaned over to whisper in my ear, "I'm apologizing now. It's hard for me to keep my eyes off of you."

"Who said you had to keep your eyes off of me?" I asked.

He kissed me on my cheek and asked if I was ready to order some drinks.

After having a few drinks we all made our way to the dance floor. I was limited on the dances I could do because of my ensemble, but I stayed on the floor and had so much fun with my crew. It wasn't long before the DJ announced the next hour was dedicated to the lovers.

I stood in place looking up at Jaxon. If he wasn't comfortable slow dancing with me, it would be ok for us to go back to our table. Jaxon pulled me close to him and we started to dance to the music. Some kind of way, I got lost in his eyes. He licked his lips and I licked mine. We've kissed before, but it wasn't much to it. I agreed that we could get to know one another on a deeper level and tonight I'm glad I said yes.

I put my arms around his neck and relaxed into his hold. He's been so attentive to me. When he found out that I had been in the hospital, he called or texted me every day, sometimes a few times a day just to check on me. He left work early to pick me up from the airport, took me grocery shopping, put everything away for me, cooked and made sure I'd eaten before he went home. I could see myself dating him.

Looking up at him, I pulled his head down. His lips met with mine and I kissed him lightly. I whispered in his ear and thanked him for taking care of me. He smiled at me and pressed his lips to mine again.

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The weekend owes me nothing. I had so much fun with my crew. They ended up crashing at my apartment. Jaxon and I kissed and snuggled. He didn't attempt to have sex with me, even though he had a hard on snuggling under me. Being with him totally took my mind off of Andre.

Today I have pep in my step and am ready to walk into the director's office to let him know that I'm accepting the offer. Just as I get up from my desk, my cell phone rings. I grab it from my purse and see that it's Andre. At first I wasn't going to answer, but no, I need to thank him for helping me make the decision to stay. Being honest with myself, if Andre told me that he wanted me to come back home, I might have turned down the offer.

"Hello Andre. I called you two days ago because I wanted your thoughts on a career move, but whatever you had going on was more important than answering my call or at least calling me back. So thank you for helping me make my decision."

I didn't give him a chance to feed me whatever bull crap he was going to try and give me.

"I was presented with a great offer to extend my time here in Huntsville and I'm going to accept it."

I ended the call and walked into the director's office to let him know I'm accepting the offer. I signed my extension contract. That means I will call Huntsville home for a total of two years. When I got back to my office, my cell phone was ringing again. It was Andre. I didn't bother to answer.

The rest of the day was very productive and I felt good about the decision I'd made. On my way home, I called Jaxon to see if he felt like cooking. Of course he was ok with cooking for me. When I got home, I took a shower and pulled on my lounging clothes. I didn't want to give Jaxon a heart attack so I put on something a little less revealing than my normal booty shorts and cami.

I had already cut up the vegetables and chicken when Jaxon arrived. He walked in, kissed me on the cheek and asked about my day at work. I told him I accepted the offer. He was so happy for me. After the hugs and kisses, I was finally able to ask about his day. He said it had been boring until I called.

While I got all the fixings ready, Jaxon took a shower before cooking. He's such a great cook. We had New Orleans chicken and shrimp with vegetables and it was delicious. After we finished eating, I washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and dining area. When I was done cleaning, I went to the living room to sit on the couch and snuggle with Jaxon. He looked down and kissed me on the cheek. I'm not sure what movie he was watching. I laid on his chest and tried to fight Mr. Sandman but he won.