Glass Towers: Surrendered (12 page)

Finished with my champagne
, I set my glass down and decide to wander over to the sofa, where my mother and Simone are sitting. Just then, Philippe enters the room and announces that dinner is ready. Everyone makes way to the dining room, chatting excitedly.

The table is beautifully
set with a large floral centerpiece running down the middle and votive candles flanking each side. The table has been set for eight. As Harrison instructs everyone to take a seat, I begin to take my seat next him. He shakes his head and points to the other end of the table. I am not used to things being so formal. I take my place at the end of the table, with Simone sitting to my right and my father to my left. My mother sits next to my father, across from Garrin who is sitting next to Simone. I assume Philippe will be joining us, but I wonder to myself why there is an extra place setting.

Philippe and Alicia enter the room with trays loaded
with food. Once all the food is placed on the table, Philippe takes his seat to the right of Harrison and then Alicia sits in the empty seat to Harrison’s left. My jaw drops and the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. Just what the hell is going on here? I look around the table and see that nobody else seems to be bothered or even to notice for that matter. I am just about say something when Harrison clears his throat and says, “Everyone, if I can ask Mel to do us the honor of saying grace.”

My dad is beaming. He nods at Harrison
, and then proceeds to give the heartfelt Thanksgiving prayer that he has been giving every year as far back as I can remember. When he is finished, we all say Amen in unison, and then politely pass the food around the table. I look up to see Harrison watching me. I smile at him and he mouths, “I love you.” I feel my heart skip a beat. I respond to him by mouthing, “I love you too.” I look to his right and see that Alicia is watching him intently. My stomach turns sour. Harrison seems to be oblivious to her sitting next to him, as he continues to discuss the plans for the manor house with my dad. Since my dad has such vast knowledge about antiques and old architecture, he has asked my father to give his input in the restoration efforts. My dad, of course, is over the moon and excited to consult on the project.

The meal was delicious
, with all of the typical Thanksgiving fare. The turkey was succulent and all the side dishes and trimmings were delectable. As we linger at the table over coffee and pumpkin cheesecake, Harrison stands up and taps his spoon on his glass to gain our attention. Philippe is still seated at the table, but Alicia had already returned to the kitchen, much to my relief.

“I want to thank you all again for making our first Thanksgiving together so special. As you all know, we are heading up to Montreal in a few weeks to spend the Christmas Holiday and New Years with my family.

I chime in, “Don’t forget your birthday too!”

He chuckles, “Right, my birthday too.” He walk
s around the table to where I am sitting. Harrison gets down on one knee, and I am simply puzzled.

“Danielle, you have already made me the happiest man in the world the day you said ‘I do’ in paradise. I have found my purpose in you
, and I am a better man because of
you
. I am excited to start the rest of our forever together.” I feel like I may bust out of this chair and right into his arms. “The reason I am here on bended knee, is that I am asking you to marry me again in front of our loved ones in Montreal on New Year’s Eve.”

There is a collective gasp around the room. I can feel
everyone’s eyes on me.

“Harrison, I thought we agreed
that we would plan something for this coming summer. I don’t know if we can pull off an entire wedding in a month.”

His face falls.

Shit! Now I’ve done it. As he starts to stand up, I reach out my hand and place it on his face. “If you want to get married on New Year’s, then I am all in. I love you Harrison.” I lean over to kiss him and then hear my mother sniffling. Clarke jumps up from her seat squealing and clapping her hands.

“Oh
, this is great! I am
so
planning your ensemble.” She stops, “Can you still wear white?”

My mother steps in, “Of course she can.” Then she turns to Harrison, “Oh
, you scoundrel, you never told us you were planning this.”

He gives my mother his mega
-watt smile. “Well, I only decided a few days ago. I figure there is no reason to wait. It’s more for our loved ones than anything, but I want to shout out to the world how I feel about my love for your daughter.”

“I have already spoken to my family, and they are ecstatic.” He turns to me. “My mother is anxious to meet the woman who captured my heart.”

My dad is
stands next to Harrison, patting him on the back. It’s fun to see the bond my dad has with Harrison. He never warmed up to my ex like this.

I turn to Clarke
, and she is beaming at me. “Clarke, will you be my maid of honor?”

She gasps, “But of course
, Danners! I am so excited, I’ve never been to Montreal and how exciting, New Year’s Eve!”

All of the sudden
, the blood empties from my face, and I feel a chill down my spine. In all the excitement, I had forgotten that was the date the Wine Witch wanted to marry Harrison. It has been a while since we have heard anything from her. I wonder if we are actually rid of her or if she is sitting back licking her wounds and planning more. Well, news of this will travel fast. We shall see if this smokes her out, or if she has conceded and moved on.

“
Danners, hello DANI?” Clarke is flapping her hand in front of my face. I look at her and take a deep breath. “What is it? You look like you just saw your dead uncle?!”

I try to perk up, “Oh
, nothing, just a lot to do in a very small amount of time. I suddenly feel really overwhelmed!”

She takes me by the elbow, “No worries, I will help you however I can! Actually, is there somewhere private to talk? We haven’t had a chance to catch up
, and I have some stuff to tell you.”

“Sure, of course. Let’s go to my room.”

Walking down the hallway
, I notice Harrison’s den door is still closed. I quickly grab the handle and give it a turn. Good, still locked.

Clarke throws me a funny look
, and I shrug my shoulders at her.

Once inside my room
, we settle into the sofa, and I flip on the fireplace.

‘So, girl talk time huh?”

“Danners, you know I am not much for small talk. I just thought you should know what a certifiable lunatic Bradley has turned into.”

I am alarmed, “Why do you say that
? what has he done?”

She scoffs, “What hasn’t he done? He is calling me constantly to ask about you. Your hubby had him thrown out on his ear when you were in the hospital. He was sneaking in at times the rest of us weren’t there.”

I nod, “Yes, Harrison told me this the other day. He also told me how grave my condition was when they first brought me in to the ER. I am shocked that you all lied to me, Clarke.”

She stands up and walks to the fireplace. She sits on the hearth and says in a sober tone, “
Well you can be sore at me all you want; the last thing you needed to hear while you were recovering was that you had almost died. We all decided together that when the time was right, you would be told. Besides, you are here to talk about it now, and that is all that matters. You are like a sister to me and the thought of losing you was devastating.” She hops up quickly and returns the sofa, fanning herself.

“
Ok, so what else about Bradley?”

“
Right. Well, since he can’t call you and you live in Fort Knox, he keeps dropping off bouquets of flowers at my house and office for ME to deliver to you. Apparently, he watched the reception girl in the lobby downstairs throw away one bouquet after another.”

I feel sick. “Doesn’t he know
that I am married to Harrison now? And how do they know the flowers are from Bradley?” I now understand why Harrison was so adamant about my not engaging with or mentioning Bradley.

“Oooh, yes! Bradley knows about your skipping off and getting hitched. I know for a fact
that he has not accepted it. He kept telling me the other day that he was going to make right by you and fix everything. I am not sure what that means exactly. It was creepy, though. He just kept saying it over and over again, like one of those nut jobs you see blurting out stuff on the streets. I told him to leave you alone and never to contact me again. Seriously, I don’t know what has gotten into him. He is just so freaking gross now! It is hard to believe he used to be so hot!”

I nod. “It’s like he has snapped. I can’t help but to feel a little sorry for him. He seems like he is teetering on the brink of completely losing it
.”

“He dropped off a letter
that he wrote to you that he wants me to give you. I almost threw it out, but I thought I should give you the opportunity to see it and make up your own mind about how you want to handle Bradley.” She reaches into her blazer pocket and pulls out a folded envelope. As she is handing it to me, we hear a voice from behind.

“Well, isn’t that clever of the old boy? Sneak around the husband and go straight to the best friend to get to my wife.”

I jump up from my seat and see Harrison standing in the doorway with his brow furrowed and the look of rage marching across his usually handsome face. He walks over to us, and I place the envelope in his outstretched hand. I look from him to Simone and realize he is really mad at me. His eyes are fixed on my face, with flames licking at the corners of his brows.

“Harrison, Clarke was just telling me that…” He puts his hand up and looks at Simone
. She hastily leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.

“I thought
that I was perfectly clear about your ex husband. I came in here to tell you that I was going to send you, your friend and mother to New York to Maxwell’s to buy your dress. Imagine my distress to hear you and your little friend discussing the very man whose name makes my blood boil. Do you still have feelings for him? Is that why you can’t let him go? Am I not enough for you?” He is now shouting. I am sure everyone in the living room can hear.

I sit back down on the sofa and stare ahead at the dancing fire. When I look back at Harrison
, he looks tormented.

“Harrison. Sit please.” I motion to the stuffed chair.

At first, he shakes his head, and then he sits down with the envelope still in his hand.

“Before you say anything
, Danielle, maybe you should understand a few things. I never planned to fall in love again. I never thought I would find someone that would fulfill me as Adelaide did. The day she died, my soul died with her. I was a shell of a person, seeking out pleasure without strings. When I first saw you standing in the master bedroom in the demo home last summer, something stirred in me. At that moment, I had an idea that you were to be the one who was going to resuscitate me and save me from myself. I can’t live without you, Danielle, but I also can’t live with someone who has feelings for someone else. I have given my soul to you, Danielle, please tell me that wasn’t a mistake.

I jump up from my seat and kneel beside Harrison
, taking his hand in mine. I look deep into his tortured eyes.

“
You
need to understand a few things. I want nothing to do with Bradley. He is my past and you are my future. I can’t imagine living a single moment without you. I was a broken woman when I met you. It hurt so intensely when I thought you were marrying that bitch! I felt as if I had nothing to live for. I have never felt like this before, especially in my previous marriage. It was void of passion and connection. My past needs to stay in the past; all I want is you, Harrison.”

I snatch the envelope out of his hand and proceed to rip it in several pieces
, letting it fall to the floor. Harrison grabs my face with his hands and presses his firm, supple lips to mine, while he holds me in a soul speaking to soul embrace. After several minutes of our tongues dancing with each other, we release one another.

“By the way, you are more than enough for me.” I look into pools of limpid blue and
know that my strong, secure sex machine is back.

He groans and then pulls me onto his lap
, as he kisses my neck in that magic spot that sets my core on fire! “God Danielle, I want be buried inside you so bad! I wish that everyone would just leave!” He kisses my lips again and then allows me to stand back up.

I straighten out my skirt and fluff my hair. “Did you mean what you said about going to New York?”

He grunts, “I don’t know, I don’t know if I trust your friend. She is sneaking behind my back and playing messenger for your ex husband.”

“Oh Harrison, now you are sounding insecure
again! I get where you are coming from, but she is only trying to be my friend. We are practically sisters. It’s like it’s in our code. She would never do anything to come between us. She doesn’t like my ex anymore than you do. In all fairness though, he is acting completely out of character for him. It’s like something or someone has a hold on him.”