The Voicemail (Me and Mrs. Jones Sequel)

13. Back To Where It All Started

It wasn’t weird that all Danny wanted to do now was grab Ava and Ev and Aidan and just hug them, right? That he wanted to just wrap them in his arms, safe and sound, and never let them leave? It wasn’t weird. Because well, it seemed like the only right thing to do.

After Danny had managed to pick himself up, catch his breath, and cover up the fact that he had literally cried in the hotel hallway, he went back into his room. He thought he had hid it well but was proven wrong when Ava had taken one look at him and immediately asked him what was wrong. A look of concern colored her dark brown eyes as she peered up at her father, gripping on this gigantic hands with her tiny ones. Her fingers wrapped tightly around his left hand and yet, her fingers looked like little twigs compared to his.

Danny couldn’t say anything, though. He didn’t utter a single word as he fell to his knees and just pulled Ava to his chest, his arms acting as a shield over her tiny figure. He buried his face into her small shoulder, praying to god that he wasn’t going to cry again.

“Daddy?” Ava whispered. “Are you okay?”

She started to rub his back comfortingly, making Danny want to just pull his hair out. She was consoling him when he should’ve been the one to protect and be there for her from the very beginning. What did he do to deserve this angel?

“I’m sorry--so, so sorry. I’m so damn sorry, angel,” he forced out.

“Why are you sayin’ sorry to me, daddy?” she wondered.

Danny gulped and finally pulled away from Ava. He kept his hands on her shoulders as he spoke. “I promise--,” he made sure to stare his daughter in her familiar eyes, swearing to all the gods or the ways of the universe that he was going to protect his family for as long has he lived. “I promise, Ava, I promise that I’m gonna be there for you and Aidan and your mum, okay? I’m gonna be better and I’m gonna care, provide, and protect all of you. I won’t let anythin’ bad happen to any of you guys ever again. Okay? I swear by it.”

Ava’s eybrows pulled together in confusion. “Okay, daddy. But why?”

“Because I love you,” he smiled at her.

Ava’s eyes lit up for a moment before they suddenly averted to the floor as she fumbled with her fingers. She peered up at him for a brief second before breaking eye contact once again. She obviously wanted to say something but it seemed like she just didn’t know how to get it out of her.

Finally, after a few moments, Ava moved her lips. “Does that…,”

She looked up at Danny with a nervous smile. “Does that mean you’re gonna kill all the spiders then?”

Fuck, he honestly didn’t deserve any of this.

Danny couldn’t help but let out a laugh at how fucking precious his daughter was. He nodded brushed aside a strand of her hair. “Yes, that and so much more, angel.”

...

It was now Thursday and a few days since Aidan had knocked some sense into Danny on Monday. The lads had rehearsals in an hour and Danny was just hanging out with Ava and Aidan before they all left.

What a strange notion, huh?

They were all hanging out. Aidan had surprisingly taken a liking to Danny after they had spoken, bonding over football and another unspoken bond as well.

Ava was in the middle of playing a song on the violin for Danny, wanting to show her daddy the new thing she learned. That was literally what she said when Ava burst into his room not too long ago exclaiming that she had to show him otherwise she was going to die. It was hilarious to see his daughter be so dramatic but he honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.