The Sister Between Them

Chapter 44

By Thursday afternoon Dani had finally made her decision. It wasn't easy, and she wasn't sure this was the right thing to do, but it's what her heart told her, and it had never steered her wrong before.

She got out of the cab and took a deep breath. She looked at the large mansion before her and braced herself to go in. It seemed like yesterday that she'd just gotten here, and at the same time, it felt like she'd been here forever.

She finally cleared her thoughts, grabbed her bag, and headed to the house.

She was about to knock on the kitchen door when Alyssa opened it.

"You don't need to knock Dani. You live here again, remember?" Alyssa smirked as she widened the space between her and the door so Dani could walk in.

"Auntie Dani!?" She heard Gavin's voice first, and the little boy was in her arms the next thing she knew.

"Oh, my Gavi-Tiger, I missed you SOOO so much!" She wrapped him up in a big hug and held him tight. She kissed both his little cheeks; her aching heart needed this badly.

"I missed you too! And Kiki misses you too!"

"I'll tell you both a special story later," Dani promised him.

"Gavin, I know you are so happy to see your aunt. But Mommy and Dani need to have a little talk. Can you go downstairs and wait?" Alyssa asked, and he bobbed his head happily.

"Don't worry, his playroom is child safe, all carpeted now and up to Beck's high standards," Alyssa added with a roll of the eyes.

Dani wondered. She seemed great. So why did Alyssa want her back that much, then? Didn't she say Rebecca wasn't a perfect nanny?

"Auntie Dani, can you come and play soon?" Gavin asked with wide and hopeful eyes.

"I sure can, Gavi," Dani promised him. "I can't wait!"

"You made the right decision," Alyssa said. "He never stops asking you about you; it's exhausting."

Dani felt a little burst of happiness at that. She loved that little boy so much. It would have been easier to leave. She would've been depressed and likely for a long time. But she'd be able to leave all this drama behind.

In the end though, she couldn't do that. She simply couldn't leave Gavin, not now when his life was about to get so complicated. He needed her, and he was the reason she chose to stay.

"There's coffee if you want." Alyssa gestured to the counter. "I'll go print the papers out."

Dani grabbed herself a steaming mug while she did so. It was weird being back there after the last time.

She sat across the large kitchen table from Alyssa as she signed them. They were a copy of the same papers Rocco had signed. Apparently, Alyssa wanted to ensure she was doing everything right, probably because of the divorce and the potential for a custody case.

Dani signed off on the bottom and handed them back to her.

Just as they were finishing up, she heard a knock on the door from the living room.

"Alyssa!?" It was Katherine yelling as her heels clicked across the floor.

"The entire spa is gossiping, and what they're saying, better not be ..." Katherine stopped short when she reached the kitchen and saw the two sisters sitting together.

"Danielle," Katherine looked surprised. "I didn't realize you were here."

"Of course, she's here. She lives here." Alyssa snapped. "You, however, do not. So why are you walking into my house uninvited?"