Dante's Way (28 page)

“I know she’ll be able to nail it. Once she does I’ll find a way to get her another place to live. I care about her and only want the best for her,” Dante said, then turned and made his way towards the door. He was halfway there when his friend’s voice stopped him.

“Dante, if you care about Amara the way you say, you need to tell her the truth. Don’t let this lie hover over you like this. It’s better that she finds out now rather than later. It could damage whatever you are trying to build with her.”

Glancing back, he stared at Pastor Allen who was still standing by the folding table. “I’ll deal with whatever comes but by then I think Amara will be so in love with me that my involvement won’t matter to her anymore.”

Spinning around, Dante continued on out the door because he still had one more stop to make before he headed back home to Amara. Once he finally got outside, he made his way over to his motorcycle and drove off to his next destination.

****

“Yes sir. How can I help you today? Did you come to pick you some dry cleaning,” the older man asked him from behind the counter.

Mr. Lee was a lot older than Dante thought he would be, but his age didn’t make him any less a threat to his woman. It wouldn’t stop him from saying what he came here for. Amara still shouldn’t want to give this person updates about her well-being. Therefore, he came to Mr. Lee to make sure he understood it was time for him to take a step back... away from his woman.

“You can help me by staying away from Amara,” he demanded.

Dark eyebrows slanted into a frown as Mr. Lee stared at him in confusion. “What are you talking about? How do you know Amara? Is there something wrong with her?”

“Amara is doing a lot better since getting away from you. She’s getting back on her feet with my help. I’m in love with her and would do anything for her. She doesn’t need to run to you anymore when she has a problem. She only needs one man in her life and you’re looking at him.”

Mr. Lee continued watching him closely as he came around the counter and stood in front of him. “Don’t I know you from somewhere? You look very familiar. What’s your name?” he questioned.

“Dante Braden. I own the bar a few blocks from here. However, who I am isn’t important. All I want you to know is I’m more than capable of being there for Amara, so stop working whatever kind of game you’re trying on her. She isn’t interested in you, so take a step back. You aren’t going to use Amara. I won’t allow it to happen.”

“Dante....why are you...what a minute. Aren’t you the man who wanted to have Amara arrested for stealing your food?” Mr. Lee demanded. “Why should I trust one damn word coming out of your mouth? How did you go from wanting to see her behind bars to standing in front of me warning me to stay away from Amara? Where is she?” Mr. Lee demanded. “How do I know you haven’t done something to her? You scared the hell out of her. Now you expect me to believe she has fallen in love with you? Amara wouldn’t do anything like that. She’s too cautious of people.”

He wasn’t about to stand here and be questioned by this man. “All you need to know is that I love Amara more than any other woman I have in my life. I don’t know why you were trying so hard to be her savior but it stops now. Worry about someone else in your own family. I’m sure you probably have a daughter of your own, so why don’t you invest more of your time with her. Amara needs a clean break from her past to be able to move on with her future.”

Dante instantly noticed how Mr. Lee’s expression changed from anger to sadness like regret when he mentioned his family.

“I don’t have any family,” he answered, softly. “I had a daughter, but she died over five years ago and I blame myself for her death every day. You came in here demanding I keep my distance from Amara because you thought I’m up to no good but your worries couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

“Oh, really,” he uttered. What kind of sad story was Mr. Lee going to give him hoping to throw him off the truth?

“I took an interest in Amara because she reminded me so much of my daughter. She got caught up with the wrong crowd in middle school. Her life progressively got worse over the years until she became a professional escort for some asshole named Ike and ended up dying with a needle in her arm behind a trashcan on her twenty-first birthday. I tracked the sonofabitch down and all he did was laugh in my face. I almost killed him with my bare hands until the cops pulled me off of him. One day, I saw him watching Amara and I knew I had to do something so she wouldn’t end up like my daughter Jennifer.”

Shit! For a long moment, Dante stared at Mr. Lee as a huge amount of guilt washed over him for thinking the worst of a man he barely knew. Ike had gotten hold of another innocent girl and ruined her life and walked away like he had nothing to do with it. He shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. It was one of his greatest faults that he was still working on making better.

Thank God. He had got Amara safely away from Ike before it was too late, but he did have a question for Mr. Lee.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked. “We hardly know each other. Does Amara know any of this?”

Mr. Lee shook his head. “No, she doesn’t. I couldn’t tell her because I never wanted her to think I was trying to use her as a replacement for my daughter. No one can take the place of my baby girl...not even Amara.

“However, the reason I’m telling you is because I’m leaving California. I should be gone by the end of the week. I only stayed this long because I was watching over Amara, but she has you now. I saw the love burning in your eyes when you spoke about her. You’re right. She doesn’t need my help anymore. Will you tell her how much she brought back into my life? I can’t face her. I’ll get too emotional, if she begs me to stay which is something I can’t do.”

Dante sensed that something else bigger was going on here, but he wasn’t close enough to Mr. Lee to push him any further. He was going to have a hard enough time coming clean to Amara that he came here demanding the old man end their friendship.

“If I hadn’t come here how were you going to tell her good-bye?” Dante questioned, wanting to know.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Mr. Lee answered. “All I ask is for you to wait until next week before you tell her.”

“All right, I’ll do it but we both know how much this is going to devastate her,” Dante said. “Amara loves you so much. I can see now that it was more how a daughter loves her father instead of romantically.”

“I know it will, but I have to go and allow Amara to stand up on her own now without having me there as her safety net. I care about her more than she will ever know; yet, I need to let her go and move forward with my life. We both need to do this.”

. Dante stared at Mr. Lee’s retreating back as he walked back behind the counter. He took one last look at the older man then strode towards the exit sign and went out the door thinking of ways to break the news to Amara that her best friend had left without telling her goodbye.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

“Remember, no peeking,” Amara warned him as she took his hand and led him towards his surprise. He hadn’t stepped completely inside of his house before she was on him demanding that he close his eyes.

“I promised you that I wouldn’t, and I won’t,” Dante swore as she maneuvered his body around the living room furniture. He only trusted a handful of people to give them complete control over him like this and Amara was one of them.

He heard the sound of the patio doors opening before a slight breeze hit his face then he stepped out on the wooden deck. The delicious smell of garlic bread and other scents hit his nose as Amara let go of his hand and the patio doors closed behind them.

“Can I open my eyes now?” he asked.

“Give me a second.”

In the background, Dante listened as Amara moved around in front of him then she said. “Baby, open your eyes.”

Dante opened his eyes and looked around his deck in utter disbelief. The entire area had been decorated in white lights. They were placed in a pattern that set off the bright light shining from the city below them.

In the middle of the patio a table was covered by a white tablecloth with two candles placed in the middle and two plates covered by tin lids. Off to the side sat a bowl of freshly baked garlic bread that smelled better than anything Kent fixed at the bar.

Finally after surveying everything, Dante’s gaze landed on Amara who was standing at the side of the table. She looked absolutely gorgeous in a black one-shoulder dress that molded her body like a second skin. Even the touches of make-up applied to her weren’t overly done but only enhanced her natural beauty. He wasn’t sure he would be able to concentrate on eating whatever Amara fixed for them tonight because he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Darling, you look gorgeous,” he said, walking across the patio until he was standing directly in front of her. He yanked her into his arms.

He kissed the side of her neck then worked his way up to nibble at her earlobe. “Everything looks so amazing. How did you pull this off?” Sliding his hands down Amara’s back, he grabbed her tight ass pulling her closer to his body.

God, he wanted her so badly. Seeing her dressed like this was driving his body into overdrive, but he would put the brakes on. Amara had gone through a lot of trouble to do this for him and he wanted to show his appreciation for all of her hard work.

Leaning back in his arms, Amara ran her hands down his chest. “I can’t give away all of my secrets, but I wanted to do something for you.

“In the short period of time we’ve been together, you’ve made me realize that I’m loveable just the way I am. I don’t have to have the fantasy to be happy with my life. I don’t give my trust a lot, but you showed me that I can give it to you without worrying about being lied to or hurt in return,” she told him.

“I learned very quickly to build up a concrete wall when I was trying to survive on the streets. However, you were able to climb that wall to see the deepest part of me and I wanted to thank you for not giving up on me.”

Dante suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He needed to let Amara know what was going on about Mr. Lee and everything else. She would be devastated if she found out the truth from someone else.

“Amara, I need to tell—”

“Shhh...” Amara whispered, placing her finger against his lips. “Enough talking, I want us to eat before the food gets completely cold. I didn’t mean to bare my soul like that, but I had to let you know how much you’ve changed my life. Dante...I...I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Touching her wrist, Dante moved her fingers away from his mouth as her words settled in his mind and heart. He felt a bottomless peace and satisfaction as he felt blissfully happy, fully alive more than he did when he opened the bar.

“Amara, I—”

“Don’t say anything now,” she said, stopping him before he could tell her how he felt. “I don’t want you to tell me tonight because I told you. Wait until you’re completely ready to say it.”

Okay...his confession could wait until later. They had all night for him to come clean and then tell her how he felt too. Now wasn’t the right time and he wasn’t about to ruin the mood.

“How about we eat?” she suggested. “I want you to see how good of a cook I am.”

“Well, I am starving, so I can’t lie and say that I’m not ready to eat,” he admitted, escorting Amara over to the table. Dante pulled out her seat and waited for Amara to sit down.

“Thank you,” she said, sitting down at the table.

“Baby, you’re welcome,” he whispered against the side of her neck before kissing it.

Walking to the other side of the table, Dante took a seat and then lifted the lid off his meal. His eyes widened at the sight of spaghetti and meatballs on the plate.

“How did you know this was my favorite meal?” he asked, placing the lid next to his chair. “I never told you.” Dante picked up his fork and took a bite. He could barely contain his excitement as one of his few good memories from his childhood came rushing back to him.

“Damn, this is outstanding. I haven’t had food this good since I was a kid.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Amara said, placing her napkin on her lap. “Pastor Allen mentioned it in passing, so I knew I had to make it for you when I got the chance.”

Picking up her fork, she took a bite of her food then grabbed a piece of bread out of the basket.

Dante continued watching Amara from across the table wondering she had any clue how much she had captured another piece of his heart by doing this for him. She fixed this wonderful meal for him without wanting one damn thing in return.

Hell, she even confessed she was falling in love with him, but wouldn’t let him tell her the same thing. Despite the fact he probably fell for her first weeks ago. She was such a refreshing change.

He had been searching for love all sorts of ways like a nurturing love, or a love and balance through his friendship with his buddies, but this deep, heart stopping romantic love was nothing he had run through him before. He truly didn’t have words to describe it fully.

Since leaving home as a teenager, he desired a loving home and family, however, he never thought he would find the right woman to help him create that. Yet, tonight Amara’s selfless gesture showed him he had found her.

All he had to do now was get her to see the security he wanted to provide her which wasn’t a hand out or an attempt to take away her independence. He only wanted to create a private world to live and grow old in together.

“How did things go at
Inked
today?” Amara asked, drawing his attention away from his plans for their future.

“Everything went perfectly for me, but not so well for Griffin,” he answered.

“What happened? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine except his pride might have cost him one of the most talented tattoo artists I’ve seen in a while, but I think he’ll find a way to fix his mistake.”

Dante grabbed a piece of garlic bread and took a big bite loving the savory taste of garlic and butter as they danced across his tongue. He would have to go running in the morning to work off all of the extra calories he was devouring tonight with Amara’s fantastic cooking.