“Blueberry cookies?” A tray of the most delicious-smelling treats appeared between me and Harper, Gigi’s smiling face on the other side. “A little birdie mentioned the baby likes blueberries.”
“She does,” I said with a smile and went to take one.
“Oh, no. Take the big one,” Gigi insisted, and I happily complied with a small laugh. The cookie was still warm.
“Ailene and I made them earlier with some of Harper’s honey. If you want a little extra blueberry, I have some jam you can slather on top,” she said the last and presented me a jam jar and a conspiratorial glint in her eyes.
“I think this is plenty, thank you.”
“For later, then.” Her grin widened, and she tucked the jar into my bag. “This one is special. Just for you.”
I was too stimulated to think long on what exactly that meant, so I simply thanked her and went on wishing this family were mine. Their warmth. Their laughter. Their support. Their love. My chest pinched.
It wasn’t the first time I’d had the thought in the last four years, nor probably the last. But like my marriage with Max, I would only let it be temporary. He and his family weren’t meant to be mine. Not really.
“Oh, Daisy. You canneverhave too much of a good thing.”
My hand froze halfway to my open mouth.Was she…
“I see the way my grandson looks at you.”
Oh god?—
“Gigi—” Harper hissed in warning.
“Harper Victoria, don’t you shush me. I’m ninety-five. I’ll say whatever I please, and you can blame it on dementia when I walk away,” she chided, and it was a good thing I hadn’t taken a bite of anything or I might’ve spit it out.
I glanced at Harper, who just mouthedsorryas Gigi went on.
“You deserve better,” she said to me and set the tray of cookies on the kitchen island. “I’m not sorry for saying it now, just like I’m not sorry for saying it twenty-four years ago to my own daughter. Ailene deserved better than Lou and Frankie’s sperm donor, who only wanted her for the wrong reasons, and you deserve better than that man who never once looked at you like Max does.”
“And how is that?” I shocked myself by asking. If she was going to be bold, then so was I. I wanted to know what she saw. I wanted to be able to tell myself later that she was mistaken.
I felt the others start to draw toward the kitchen, but I ignored them, only wanting her answer.
“Like you’re his sunlight.”
I exhaled with a whoosh. “We’re just friends.”
“If that’s the only good thing you want…” she said, her grin widening for a second before she walked toward Nox, the young man clearly nervous to be in her sights.
“Don’t mind her. She’s…”
“Got dementia?” I joked with a weak laugh. There was no way Gigi had dementia. In fact, I was pretty sure she was more with it than I was at the moment, the way my pregnancy brain was working.
Harper snorted. “Something like that.”
“Everything okay over here?” Max came over then, standing close enough for his arm to brush my shoulder as he reached for a cookie from the tray. He looked at me then, and I felt warmth.Sunlight.
“Yeah,” Harper chirped.
“Good.” Max cleared his throat, his eyes swinging around the now-crowded kitchen before he spoke over the buzz of everyone else’s conversation. “Because I have an announcement.”
The buzz quickly died, and my heart launched into my throat, pounding for escape.Oh god.What if he was wrong? The thought spun like a top in my head.What if he was wrong, and they hated me for this?All I could see was the great loves his cousins had found—the way they talked about that for him. And now they were going to learn he hadn’t married for love, but out of charity.
What had I asked him to do?
My tongue pushed against the roof of my mouth. The words were right there…to tell him to stop. To keep me his secret.
