“Not a big deal?” She chuffed, her tears burned away by the flames in her cheeks. “Every time I gave Todd another chance, it was because you were turning him into someone he wasn’t. You made me think I was remembering why I fell in love with him, when really I was falling—when really it was you.”
Her fingers chased the tears on her cheeks, and mine dug into the counter, furious to be standing on the sidelines.
“I regret it, Daze,” I said, my voice breaking all over the place. “I regret being honorable. I regret being considerate. I regret not being a shitty best friend and swooping in on his girlfriend everysingle chance I got because you deserved so much better, and I wanted to be the man to give it to you.”
“So why are you holding back now?”
“Because I don’t want you to regret being with me.”
“I regret these years of not being with you, Max. Why would I ever think that?”
“You know, for days…weeks, I’ve thought Todd was an asshole. A coward for what he did…how he left me?—”
“He is?—”
“Well, then, he’s a brave coward.” She pushed back from the counter and stood. “At least when he felt too much, he acted on it. Maybe in the worst, most painful, most horrible timing way, but at least he acted on what he wanted—or didn’t want—instead of continuing down a path that wasn’t right.”
I recoiled like a bomb had just gone off.
Todd…brave for leaving her. I wanted to call her crazy for thinking it, that the man who’d left her pregnant and waiting at the altar was any shade of brave, but I couldn’t get her point out of my mind long enough to protest.
His choice was horrible. The way he went about it, callous and cruel. But with all of that stripped away, was Todd brave for walking away from something he knew wasn’t right?
Was he brave for acting on what he felt?
Had I been a coward for not?
“Daisy…” I was in front of her in two steps flat.
“No.” Her head shook, and she stepped back like a caged animal, angry and afraid.
“Please.”
A knock sounded loudly on the door a second before Harper’s voice yelled, “Hello? Anybody home?”
Shit.Perfect fucking timing…
“Yeah,” I clipped and moved away from Daisy, hearing my sister approach.
“Is everyone clothed?”
“Harp—”
“Kidding,” she gushed as she strode into the kitchen, stopping when she saw Daisy and me. Her gaze swung between us.
“Do you need something?”
“Yeah,” she returned, staunchly folding her arms. “Daisy.”
My head cocked.
“I went to the shop to pick her up this morning because I told her I would give her a tour of my apiary, and imagine my surprise when she wasn’t there.”
Daisy let out a whimper. “I’m so sorry, Harper.”
“I called both of you,” she continued, at which point both Daisy and I looked around sheepishly for cell phones that weren’t in sight. “And then finally got a hold of Dad, who told me you were here…and why.” She went to Daisy and pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry.” My sister squeezed her tight, and I watched as Daisy relaxed into the embrace, hating myself even more.
I should’ve never let her stay in the bathroom last night, no matter what she said she wanted.
