Remember Me || A Blake Griffin Fanfiction

Chapter Eight

The next morning, Dani was already dressed in the same clothes she wore to work the day before. She waited in the kitchen for Blake, leaning against the counter, picking at her piece of toast.

She didn't get much sleep the previous night, even in the comfortable bed in the guest room, which she insisted on sleeping in. Dani was nervous about seeing her mother and explaining to her what was happening. She already knew it wasn't a big deal that she was going to be staying with Blake for a while; she was a grown woman, capable of making these decisions for herself.

What she was nervous about was telling her mother that she lost her job, a major source of her income. Her mother had so much on her plate and Dani knew that this was only going to make it harder for her.

Blake walked in the kitchen, pulling her from her thoughts. "Good morning." He said, grinning, opening the fridge. He was always so happy.

"Morning," she said, giving a half-assed smile, looking up at him. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt that surrounded his muscles perfectly. Her eyes traveled from his arms to his chest, defined by his tight shirt, while she bit her lip.

"Dani." He said, causing her to tear her eyes away from where she was looking. He smirked, noting her distraction. "I asked if you were ready to see your mom."

Her cheeks flared red as she mustered up an answer. "Um, I guess. Not really."

Blake walked closer to her until he was inches away. "It's gonna be fine. Your mother loves you and I know she'll understand. Stop worrying, okay?" Dani nodded, thankful for his words of encouragement, as he planted a kiss onto her forehead.

The ride to Dani's apartment building was a silent one; Dani spent the time worried about her discussion with her mother as she watched the rain fall outside of the window.

Once they got there, the pair walked into the building's nearly lobby. There was a janitor sweeping the floor near the elevators and Marshall sitting at his desk, waving Dani over.

"Hey Marsh," She said walking over to him, Blake trailing close behind.

"Hey Dani," He said, eyebrows raised as he looked between the two.

"Blake, this is Marshall. Marshall, this is my friend Blake-"

"Griffin." Marshall finished for her, sticking his hand out for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you," Blake said, accepting the shake as Marshall gave out a small chuckle.

"Well look at you," he said, referring to Dani, a large grin on his face. "I was beginning to think you were never gonna get laid."

"Alright, it's time to go. Bye Marsh." Dani said, grabbing Blake by his hand and pulling him towards the elevators.

"I like him," he said once they were inside, a smirk on his face.

"Of course you do," she mumbled.

Finally reaching the tenth floor, Dani dug out her key and let out a large sigh.

"You'll be fine," he assured her as they walked inside.

Dani's mother sat at the kitchen table, coffee mug in hand. "Hey mom," Dani said as Blake closed the door, announcing their arrival.

Her mother got up from her seat, smiling so hard her eyes were squinted. "There's my baby girl," she said, pulling Dani in for a hug. Once they separated, she turned her attention to the large man that towered over her.

"You must be Blake," she said, pulling him in for a hug as well. "Dani told me a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Newman."

"Boy please, call me Madeleine." She waved her hand at him, dismissing the formal title.

"So, what are you guys doing here? I thought you would be at work." She said, confused.

Dani sighed, and sat on the couch. "I need to talk to you about something." Blake took a seat next to her as Madeleine sat on the couch adjacent to theirs.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, eyebrows pushed together. "Are you pregnant?"

Dani's face formed a look of confusion and surprise as Blake smirked beside her. "What? No."

"Oh," Madeleine said, the tiniest hint of disappointment in her voice.

"I was fired yesterday." Dani blurted, not beating around the bush.

Madeleine sighed deeply. "What happened?"

Blake took a hold of Dani's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Linda claimed that she couldn't afford to pay a few of us any longer, so she had to let us go. I'm sorry, mom, really. I promise I'll find a job as soon as I can. I'll do whatever it takes. I'm sorry."

"Danielle, breathe. Stop apologizing." Madeline said, reaching over and grabbing her other hand, looking directly into her eyes. "It's not your fault so stop treating it like it is. You'll find another job and you'll be okay. We'll be okay. Alright?" Dani nodded, biting her lip.

"Stop worrying before your pretty face gets more wrinkles than mine," Madeleine joked, giving her a small smile. Dani's mother had a worn face due to years of hard work, but she was still strikingly beautiful. Her blonde hair was long and flowy and her eyes were large and brown, mirroring Dani's.

"Thanks, mom. For understanding."

"Girl, please." She waved again. "I'm your mother, it's my job to understand. You maybe be grown, but I'm always here for you."

Dani nodded. "That's also what I want to get at. I'm gonna be staying with Blake for a while, until I get back on my feet. That way there will be one less mouth to feed. Okay?"

Madeleine's eyes shifted from Dani to Blake, who gave her a small smile. "I offered," he added for good measure, rubbing the back of his neck.

It was silent for a moment before Madeleine grabbed Blake's hand looked him in the eye. "You have no idea how much this is helping the both of us, honestly. Thank you so much, Blake."

He shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. "I'm just doing what I can."

Dani rose from her spot on the couch. "I'm gonna pack some of my things," she announced, walking to her bedroom.

She pulled out a couple of duffel bags and stuffed as much clothes as she could into them. She could hear laughter coming from the living room as she finished getting the last of her toiletries into her bags.

Dani walked out, bags in tow just as Blake and her mother rose from the couch. Blake took the bags from Dani as her mother started, "I should be going to work right about now. You gonna be okay without me?" She asked, pulling Dani in for a hug.

"Yes mom," she smiled, hugging back.

They pulled apart and Madeleine turned to hug Blake. "And you. Take care of my baby girl, okay?"

"I definitely will," he assured her.