You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
You’re not broken.
You’re going to be an incredible mother.
You’re so strong.
I’ve been in love with you all this time.
But then she folded her arms. It wasn’t the subtle barrier that made me step back, but the glare of the cool fall sun reflecting off her engagement ring that spurred my retreat.
Idiot.
Guilt hammered in my gut.
Daisy was having the worst week of her life. Her fiancé had left her basically at the altar, pregnant with his child, with no explanation. No place to live. No…nothing. And all I could think about was wanting to have her in my arms and if she’d accept my comfort. If she’d want it. If she’d feel even a little of what I felt for her.
I cleared the knot of selfishness from my throat and walked back to the spiral steps. “If you need anything, just text or call me. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Forty minutes later,I was sitting at the counter in Dad’s kitchen, taking a can of cold seltzer from his hand.
“So what brings you out here?”
I popped the cap. “I was wondering if I could stay here for a little while?”
His brows rose, an audible response in the case of George Hamilton, but when I didn’t reply right away, he spelled out what I already knew was going through his mind.
“You have a house, an apartment, and you want to stay here?” He set his can down. “You know you’re always welcome, but can’t say I’m not confused.”
I took a deep breath. There was no point in hiding the situation from him. He’d find out sooner or later. “I still have thehouse up for sale, so I don’t want to interfere with the showings or whatever Aria has planned, and the apartment…Daisy is staying at the apartment. Temporarily.”
“Daisy? Harp said she was staying at the inn.”
“She was.” I took a swig of the prickly water. “But she doesn’t want to impose…and I don’t want her going back to that apartment in Portland. Not with the baby…”
I trailed off as bare footsteps slapped on the wood floor. My younger brother, Nox, appeared from the hall.
“Well, look who finally woke up,” Dad drawled with a chuckle as Nox dragged a hand through the mess of his sandy-brown hair and then stopped when he saw me.
“What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you too.” I shook my head and gulped down another mouthful of water, wishing it were something a little stronger.
“Apparently, your brother is moving back in with us,” Dad declared, making Nox stop again on his way to the coffee machine.
“Seriously?” Nox blinked twice, probably wondering if he was still dreaming.
I hadn’t lived at home since I left for college a dozen years ago. It wasn’t that I didn’t love Dad’s house or being around my siblings, but I’d always wanted my own space. To me, it was part of becoming the person I wanted to be. The guy with the big ideas. The entrepreneur. I was the weird kid who was thinking about the legacy I’d leave behind when I was eighteen.
It was that part of me that admired Daisy so much because I got the same sense of determination from her. On the one hand, it made me wonder what drew her to Todd in the first place, but that was the pot calling the kettle black because I was drawn to Todd too, for probably similar reasons. He was fun. Personable. He didn’t worry about the future because he’d never had to. Hewas the kind of person you just felt like you could let go with, and it would all be okay. And it would be…until it wasn’t. His kind of life was really attractive and shiny at first. It drew you in, thinking it was some kind of gem. Only once you were in the thick of it did you realize it was nothing more than a spotlight in a hall of mirrors.
“Seriously.” I nodded.
“What happened to the apartment?”
My hand tightened on the can. “Daisy is staying there.” Period. End of story.
Nox’s brows rose. “DaisyDaisy?”
