Read Live Free and Love for Free Online

breaths. “Better.” It was all he could get out.
     
    Kristina nodded her head and rose from her chair.
     
    Grabbing her keys, she looked at Danny. “Now give me your credit card.”
     
    He looked at her like she had grown a second head.
     
    She laughed deep in her throat, the laughter reaching her eyes. It made her even more beautiful, if such a thing were even possible.
     
    “I’m just going to buy you some groceries. You have nothing to eat here,” Kristina said.
     
    He reached into his wallet and pulled out his debt card.
     
    “I’ll be checking the statement,” he said jokingly.
     
    She gave him a dirty look before she walked out of the door.
     
    ***
     
    The next week was a busy one for Kristina. She somehow found the time to fly to Chicago and do an interview with a mother who had been in the Air Force for six years.
     
    Once the interview was over, she rushed back to the airport. She couldn’t wait to get back to Humble. She never thought she would ever say that, but she want to hurry back to Danny. She tried to tell herself that it was because she wanted to make sure he wasn’t drinking. She knew it was a lie.
     
    She enjoyed the time she spent with him, getting to know him all over again. She was starting to remember why she fell in love with him all those years ago.
     
    Even in tough moments, when he was at his worst, she admired him because he fought so hard to not break. He had been doing well in his plan to not drink, only having had one slip since he’d begun.
     
    It was a short flight, but it seemed to drag on for an eternity. She sped to Danny’s house once she reached her car.
     
    She felt antsy. She wanted to see his handsome face, the way he smiled even when he wanted to do nothing but cry. She wanted to see him run his hand through his hair when he got frustrated, or hear that nervous laugh when he got through one of his attacks.
     
    She was utterly in love with the man, and she knew it. There was nothing she could do to stop it, and she wouldn’t have even if she could.
     
    The house was dark inside when she pulled up. She checked the clock on her dash. It was only eight forty-seven PM. He was home, because she seen his car.
     
    She got out of the car and walked quickly to his front steps. She knocked on the door a little harder than she’d intended.
     
    “Please, Lord, don’t let him have been drinking.”
     
    She immediately regretted her trip to Chicago. If she had stayed, she could have helped him through it.
     
    She knocked again.
     
    “Come in,” she heard faintly from the back of the apartment.
     
    Kristina turned the knob slowly, praying she didn’t find what he had already made up in her mind she would see.
     
    The first things she did see were small candles.
     
    Coming fully into the apartment, she saw the candles led to the back, where Danny’s room was located. The faint smell of bleach told her Danny had cleaned up the space.
     
    She wanted to flip the lights on and look around, but decided against it.
     
    “Danny?” He didn’t answer.
     
    Setting her bag down, Kristina decided to play along. She followed the trail. It led her to the one person she wanted to see most.
     
    He was sitting on the bed, holding a rose. He looked up at her and smiled. “It’s about time you came. I’ve blown out and relit those candles more times than I can remember.”
     
    She couldn’t help but chuckle.
     
    “You could have called; I would have told you when I was coming.”
     
    “I knew that, but hey, I needed the exercise anyway.” He stood and handed her the rose.
     
    “What’s this all about, Danny?”
     
    “This is all about you,” he said simply.
     
    He grabbed her hand and led her to the desk chair. She noticed the desk was clean too. He had been busy today. He went down on one knee in front of her.
     
    “What does that mean, all about me?” she asked.
     
    “This is my way of saying thank you, Tina. I know I have a long way to go,