Dream Phantom

Chapter Seven

When Jax arrived home, it was to see Dani sitting on the sofa with her head buried in her hands. He gently placed her purse on a small nearby table, careful not to disturb her. He took a few steps closer and whispered her name, "Dani?"

She turned her head and he saw the tear stains trailing down her cheeks.

"Dani, what's wrong?" Jax sat beside her and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Jax. I'm such an idiot."

He kissed her forehead and tilted her chin up, "What happened?"

"I've been keeping something from you and then that something turned into another something and I can't...no I won't keep secrets from you. That's how marriages fall apart."

Jax felt his lips tug upward into a smile, "Wow, you're smarter than I thought. What have you been keeping from me? Don't tell me you secretly hate pancakes. Then this whole marriage would feel like a lie."

"I'm being serious," Dani pulled back. "I did something horrible but you have to forgive me because you're my husband and we're in this together no matter what, right?"

"Just tell me what it is."

He watched her lick her lips before turning her eyes to his, "I know you wanted children but I didn't. I tried explaining but you wouldn't listen and so I did something I shouldn't have."

"What did you do?"

"Although..." she tilted her head to one side, "this is my body and I have every right to—"

Jax growled in frustration.

"I was taking birth control," Dani said quickly before slapping her hands over her mouth.

Jax exhaled slowly, "So you let me think we were trying for a baby when we actually weren't able to get pregnant?"

She nodded, her eyes wide and her hands still covering her mouth.

"You didn't have a choice though, right?" Jax asked softly. "You tried explaining and I didn't understand? You didn't want to fight so you secretly started taking birth control until you were ready. Am I understanding you correctly?"

A single tear slid down her cheek and she removed her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking before more tears fell. "I'm a liar and it's made me feel so guilty. I keep thinking of Gladys and Roberto and I don't want us to end up like that. I don't want us to fight or split up."

Jax sighed before leaning forward and kissing a tear on her right cheek and then on her left. He leaned his forehead against hers, "I love you. You know that, right?"

"I love you too but what I did was—"

"Dani, short of leaving me...I could probably forgive you for anything."

"Anything? Even if I wrecked your Escalade?"

"As long as you're okay in that wreck. I'm rich, remember? I can afford to have it fixed. I can't afford to lose you. I should've listened to you when you said you were worried about having children. I'm sorry that I forced you into taking drastic measures."

"No, this isn't your fault. It's me, I—"

Jax chuckled, "Fine. Let's take the blame fifty-fifty. Is that okay?"

She shrugged.

"Is there anything else you're keeping from me?" he asked gently. He knew there was but he wanted her to admit it.

She didn't disappoint him, "My purse was stolen."

"Tell me how."

"When you were in the bar, a woman started crying in the parking lot. I ran to her and when I was trying to talk to her, someone ran to the car and grabbed my bag. When I tried chasing the thief, the woman disappeared. It was a total scam."

"That's actually been happening at gas stations. When you go to pump gas, thieves sneak in and steal wallets and purses from the other side of the car. I'll be sure to tell the guys at the station. You tried chasing the thief?"

"Yes."

"Panda Eyes, do you know how dangerous that could've been? Promise me you'll never do something so reckless again."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just worried that one day you're going to get into some kind of trouble that I won't be able to help you with."

"I'm still not sure how I ended up marrying you," Dani admitted. "It's not very often, but once in a while this voice tells me I'm not good enough for you. You're this handsome, rich, and sexy detective. I'm a waitress that sees people's nightmares and am too afraid to have kids."

"I wouldn't describe you that way," Jax said. "I think you're sexy too. You're the only woman that can make me catch my breath just by looking at you. You're brave and always put yourself before others. You would never have approached me if it weren't for Billy. You wanted to save him. You're also strong. I'm not sure how I would be able to deal with seeing nightmares if I were you. No, Dani. I think you're way too good for me but we're married now so it's too late to realize the truth. What did you say earlier? We're in this together no matter what."

"So you don't mind if we don't have children right away?" Dani asked.

Jax shook his head, "No. I can wait until you're ready. As long as we can keep practicing."

"Practicing?"

"You know," he gave her a wolfish expression, "that thing a couple does to make babies."

She giggled and lightly slapped his thigh.

"You smiled," he pointed to her face. "That means we're totally over the birth control and stolen purse thing. It also means we've agreed keeping secrets is a bad idea."

Jax watched her take a deep breath before giving him a shaky smile.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"What?"

Dani repeated herself, "I'm ready."

"You just told me—"

"I know but after our talk I think if anyone could help me raise a special child, it would be you. My mom left and my dad didn't know how to deal with me. If both of us worked together, I'm sure we could raise some great children that could deal with the nightmares."

"What about the warning Helen gave earlier?" Jax reminded her.

"Jax, I told you a long time ago that I don't want to live my life in fear. It's one of the reasons I hated lying to you about the birth control. I was so afraid of getting caught. She can't be a hundred percent sure of what's going to happen. If someone really is going to try and come after me, I can't stop them. Even if someone did try to hurt me, I wouldn't be worried."

"Why not?"

Dani grinned before kissing her husband lightly on the lips and whispering, "Because I have you."