Beauty And Her Beast

21 - Coffee Shop Tricks

Thank you guys all so much for the comments and votes! As usual even though I don't really respond I do read and appreciate all of them. That gif with the lady cheering cracked me the hell up. But anyway! The Wattys are coming out soon and I was thinking about entering this one and another one of my stories named Pack Mentality. (check it out) I've already tried entering the other so this one would be my main focus. What do you guys think? Think I could do it? If so please please please start spreading the word! I'm not a very popular author on this site so not many people know of me or my works. While I don't think they're bad, I'm also not sure if they're exactly on award level either. But it's worth a shot right? So, wish me luck in Wattys 2016 and please help spread the word about this story and help get it out there! Enjoy!

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Danny stood in the kitchen watching him as he sat. The room smelled of bacon and eggs and she could faintly hear the sounds of cartoons coming from the living room. Despite the yelling children and the little girl pulling on her hair, the entirety of her focus was set on the man who'd confessed his love to her last night.

The grumpy, dangerously sexy, and still half sleep, Ray King.

The night before after Danny and Ray talked neither of them slept much after that. Rays shoulder was hurting too badly for him to get comfortable and Danny didn't know when the next time Ray would be willing to answer questions would be. And so they simply talked. It wasn't anything difficult to do, talking that is, but the simple act seemed to have a tremendous affect on her heart.

Danny felt like a huge weight had been lifted and she could finally breathe again. Of course not all of her worries were settled and she still had questions, but the progress they'd made last night had been enough to reassure her that she wasn't making a mistake diving head first into this relationship. It wasn't just her putting in all the effort, but Ray really seemed to care for her as well.

It also confirmed her worries that, despite being in a gang and sometimes selling drugs and fighting -that's what Ray told her- he was still a good man.

"Waaaaay! Elvy eat all da eye cweam!" Jimi screamed, running up to his uncle in nothing but his pull up, his blonde hair a mess on his little head.

Everyone in the house had woken up not too long ago and as dull as the interior of the house was, the atmosphere was filled with warmth and every loud noise that came with a large family.

Ray sat across from Danny at the kitchen table and Bobby stood behind Danny trying to work her hair into a braid, an act Bobby didn't yet know how to do but pretended she did anyway. Ray was still half sleep and jerked awake when the toddler came running, grabbing onto his leg and proudly pointing at his older brother.

"What?" Ray yawned, making Danny smile. He looked just like Jimi, both of them missing their shirts and with heads full of hair that seemed to go every which way in the mornings.

"Elvy eat eye cweam no food."

"Well your mom is burning all the bacon anyway."

"So Jimi eat eye cweam too?" Jimi asked, tilting his head to the side like a confused little puppy. Danny giggled and Ray sighed before picking the little boy up and setting him down on his lap.

"Elvis put the ice cream up," he said, making Jimi smile and Elvis glare.

"Ain't nothing else to eat though. Besides, all ice cream is is milk and we're supposed to drink milk right?"

"I want milk!" Bobby screamed, tugging on Danny's hair and making her wince. "I'm sorry Danny."

"It's alright sweetheart," Danny smiled, trying to drag her fingers through what was now nothing but knots. She looked up and found Ray's eyes on her and, for some reason, her skin burned and she couldn't help but blush. It's like now that she knew what emotions and feelings were behind his eyes, they were that much more dangerous. She felt vulnerable and exposed and she both loved and hated it.