The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich Page A

her while getting up to stir a pot of sauce.
    Dani bit back the joke about wanting to get her out of the house so she could have the baby to herself. Not only wasn’t it true, but of all the people in her corner, her mother had said the least about her transformation. At times, she helped with the planning and execution.
    “Yeah.” Dante came into the room to grab a couple beers for himself and Papa while they watched some baseball. It provided an opportunity to bust her chops. “Come on, by now you have to be getting tired of grilled chicken breast.”
    But Dani hadn’t heard him, she was busy staring at Brendon and still reminiscing.
    Not long after Brendon was born, during a middle-of-the-night feeding, they sat together in the nursery. Whenever Danza heard him cry, she would put on her robe and slippers and pad down the hall to see if Dani needed any help. She never interfered, but on that night Dani was feeling especially tired and hormonal. After one look at Dani’s exhausted face, Danza asked if she could join her. They sat for a few minutes to the sound of Brendon sucking on his bottle and the occasional creak from their rocking chairs.
    “You’ve been blessed,” Danza said gently.
    “He is beautiful, isn’t he?” Dani sniffed with emotion. There were times she longed to tell someone, anyone, about her unrequited love. In the quiet times when it was nothing but her newborn and a night-light, she could hear the sound of her heart aching.
    “He certainly is. But that’s not what I mean. You’ve been blessed in many ways. Not many people have your brains. Or your gonads. Or your support system.”
    They exchanged small smiles, Dani’s one of relief, Danza’s one of belief.
    “All women should be able to do what they love,” Danza stated from her chair. “When we were young, your dad used to tell me that a woman who feels fulfilled will remain beautiful her entire life. I loved being a mother and homemaker. He worked hard so I could be the best one.”
    “Daddy’s a smart man.” Dani felt her eyes welling up, grateful for the relative darkness.
    “And a good one,” Danza said.
    “I wonder if he’s the last one.”
    Danza’s toned-down chuckle filled the room, and Brendon’s eyes opened for a moment. He cooed slightly in response to it before closing them and resuming his feeding.
    “He’s not the first, last, or only good man out there. He just needed minimal training,” Danza teased before asking, “What would you love to be?”
    “I would love to be a good mother. Like you.” Not only did she want it to be true, but she also thought it was what her mother wanted to hear.
    “And you can be, if you feel fulfilled as a woman.”
    “All I feel like right now is a bloated, weepy wreck.” Dani laughed weakly.
    “That will pass. And when it does you’re going to want to be ready. Ready to get back to your dream and your calling.”
    Her calling had always been to break into broadcasting, and not just any broadcasting. She had never gotten over being passed up for her time on the sidelines.
    Her dream had been the same for years. She had never shared it, and even while sniffling in the dark, she still didn’t want to.
    The knowing smile from her mother made her want to have both. And strangely enough, they did go hand in hand. But was she willing to give fate another chance?
    “Give me that baby,” Danza whispered while reaching out for him. Brendon fussed briefly while Dani handed him over, followed by his bottle. Danza expertly cradled him in her arms and he stilled. “Go get some sleep, you have plans to make. Remember, you don’t win by playing men at their own game, you win by outsmarting them.”
    It began with a gym membership to lose the baby weight and rock her bod in general. She didn’t become discouraged as her figure struggled to bounce back to her prebaby days. She refused to hate herself for having put her body through the ultimate endurance test, one that resulted in