“Yeah, well I didn't think you'd let me go if I told you what I was planning to do.” Daniel reasoned. And, of course, he was right. I knew that his feelings about Clay were volatile and the slightest provocation could lead to an all-out explosion. I stilled.

“What happened?” I asked nervously.

Daniel moved his hand up the back of my shirt, his fingers trailing lightly between my shoulder blades, making me shiver. “Well, at first I really thought we were going to have a conversation with our fists. I was pissed. He was pissed. He kept telling me to back the f**k off and mind my own business. You know I don't take shit like that very well. Particularly when it has something to do with my girls,” Daniel said, and I could hear the anger in his voice.

I kissed the place over his heart through his shirt. “I know, baby,” I said soothingly. It had the desired affect and Daniel's body relaxed.

“I asked him why he was putting Maggie through hell. I asked him if he knew she wasn't talking to anyone. That she was barely eating and sleeping. I asked him if he felt good about hurting her the way he was. And yeah, I was up in his face. And yeah, maybe I had grabbed his shirt.”

“Danny,” I chastised softly.

“I know, I know. But I was so angry. I hate seeing her like that, Rach. It kills me,” he said in an agonized whisper. I squeezed him. I understood completely. I felt the same way. It was horrible watching someone you loved lose themselves so completely.

“But then, it was like a light switch. It was freaking weird, Rach. One minute, Clay looked like he was about to take my head off for getting into his business and the next, he had crumpled onto the ground. Scared the shit out of me.”

I sat up and looked at Daniel. His eyes were drawn and I could see how bothered he was. “He did what?” I asked, needing to hear more.

Daniel rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. “He f**king fell to the ground. And then he just put his head down on his knees and started crying. Rachel, the dude was full on sobbing. I have never seen anything like it in my life. I didn't know what the hell to do. It was like he was falling apart right in front of me.”

Well, damn. “What did you do?” I asked him.

“Well, I couldn't just leave the guy like that, now could I? So I sat down on the ground beside him and waited for him to calm down. It took awhile, let me tell you. But finally, he pulled it together. And all he said was 'she's better off.' I asked him what the hell he was talking about but he wouldn't say. Then he thanked me for looking after Maggie. To keep looking after Maggie. And I let him know in no uncertain terms that he didn't need to thank me for that. That you and I would always be there for her. And that seemed to do the trick, because he snapped out of whatever freak out he was having. He didn't say anything else to me. Just got in his car and left. Rachel, the whole thing was really bizarre. And it made me late for Geometry. So I got afterschool detention, which sucks.”

My mind was going a million miles a minute. “So he just left? After having a full on melt down like that?” I asked. I was getting a very bad feeling about all of this. Clay's behavior was erratic and out of control and hit way too close to home for my liking. I had seen all of this once before and it was something I had never wanted to see again.

“Yeah. And I haven't seen the dude since. I tell you, I'm really glad he's away from our girl. She doesn't need that drama. No one does. I do think he's a good guy underneath all of that angst. But he's just a little too much, you know. And obviously, he's not good for Maggie. They self-destruct when they're together. I told you, love shouldn't make you feel like shit. It should make you feel like this.” He indicated between the two of us.

Did he just say what I thought he said? I watched as Daniel's face turned red with the realization of what had come out of his mouth. He suddenly pulled me to him and held me tightly against his chest. His arms were a vice around me. His breathing was deep and heavy and I could tell he was struggling with something.

I leaned up and kissed the base of his throat, just below his Adam's apple. His skin was slightly salty and warm under my lips. Daniel ran his hand down my back before it rested on my hip, squeezing my flesh.

“I love you, Rachel,” he whispered into my hair. My heart sputtered and I swear it stopped. I leaned back and looked up into his blue eyes.

“What?” I asked in a whisper, still not sure I heard him correctly.

Daniel smiled softly, his fingers running down the side of my face. His fingertips trailing across my skin, leaving prickles of awareness in their wake. His hand cupped my cheek and I leaned into him, closing my eyes for a brief moment with the overwhelming onslaught of emotion churning inside me.

“Rachel,” he said quietly. I opened my eyes and he leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on my mouth. “I love you. So damn much. I thank God every single day that we found our way to this place together. There is nowhere in this world I'd rather be than right here, right now. With you.”

Wow, Daniel Lowe, the poet. I never thought I'd see the day.

“I love you too, Danny,” I said just as quietly. His entire face lit up and his grin was infectious. I couldn't give one of my own because he had crushed his mouth to mine, his fingers tangling in my hair, our chests pressed together.

He devoured me. From the inside out. He had taken a hold of every tiny piece of my heart, my soul, my life. And I never wanted him to give it back. This is what love was supposed to feel like. This perfect immersion of two people who were ready and willing to become a part of each other.