Uncompromising (Age Gap, gxg)

Chapter 48

Life is weird. I had Hollie back, and it was a nice afternoon hanging with the girls, but I was still wishing for something else to get my mind off of Zee's impending arrival. With the pool too chilly to swim in, we were all indoors watching movies with the kittens and eating the brownies that Gracie had made, and my mind kept slipping to thoughts of the Cuban beauty.

Luckily, like there was some sort of strange karmic deity that wanted to make my mind and life even more frazzled, I got a text from Elizabeth asking if she could join us for dinner, as she had something important to discuss with me.

That didn't sound good at all, and my mind went to trying to figure out what the hell Elliot was up to, because I couldn't think of what else we could be discussing. Unless she was moving? I mean, Florida is a messed up state, and I could see that as a possibility, but I didn't think she would leave us, she adored her granddaughters too much. No, it had to be Elliot.

And I was right, just not in the way that I would have ever expected. But he was the gift that kept on giving.

Just before dinner, the doorbell rang, and I hurried to get it. Elizabeth stood there with a nervous smile, six large pizzas, and an adorable young Hispanic girl who looked to be under ten years old and who had her gaze trained down at the ground nervously. Yeah, I had to stifle my confusion really quickly.

I took the pizzas from Elizabeth and stepped to the side. "Hey, good evening. Come on in." I brought the pizza boxes into the kitchen, keeping an eye on our new visitors. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"I'll take a red wine," Elizabeth answered. "And some water would be good. But how about we do some introductions first." It was good timing, since the other girls had already stood up and walked closer. The younger girl was nervously leaning into Elizabeth, and I hoped we could put her at ease, so she wasn't scared.

I stopped, then smiled at her companion. "That sounds like a great idea. I can't wait to meet your new friend." And I couldn't wait to hear what was happening.

Elizabeth put her arm around the girl's shoulder. "Everyone, this is Daniela, though she prefers Dani. She's your sister." My mouth dropped open, but then it started to make sense. This was the child that Elliot had fathered ten years ago! Though, what was she doing here? I'd thought her mother had moved away.

"It's great to meet you Dani," I said quickly. "This is Hollie, Jashanna and Gracie." I pointed to each of them in turn, and they all waved at her with big smiles. "Are you down here visiting?"

Dani shook her head, as did Elizabeth who spoke up again. "She just moved down here. Maybe we can talk while the girls eat?"

"Of course." I nodded, knowing that something was up, and this was better done in private. "Come on everyone, let's get some food, and we can put on another movie. Dani, would you like to pick one out?"

She lifted her eyes to me as a smile spread over her face. She really was adorable, and I liked her right away. She nodded then tentatively headed for the couch. Jashanna didn't hesitate to take her hand and pull her along, and soon she was flipping through the movie options while I led Elizabeth away from the noise.

"Is everything okay?"

Elizabeth shook her head and took a shuddering breath. "No. Dani's mother pretty much gave her to me. She is dating a new man, and he doesn't want to be a father to Dani. I guess her mother is choosing him over her kid. She asked Elliot if he wanted her, and he just laughed at her. He just reminded her that he'd signed away all his parental rights to Dani before she was even born and that she was her problem now. He's never even met her, and after everything he's done here it's probably good that he isn't in her life."