“You’re lying,” Daisy smirks, but I just stare at her, my brain not firing on all cylinders as my eyes fight to drop back down.
What were we talking about?
I wet my lips, searching for a response but coming up entirely empty as Daisy swings one of her soft thighs over my waist and settles in my lap, straddling me.
Oh, fuck.
My hands move of their own accord, landing on her hips and gripping her tightly as I will my dick to stay down. The last thing I need right now is to scare her away with my teenage horniness. We’re nowhere near ready for that yet.
If Daisy can feel my growing arousal, she doesn’t let it show as she smiles down at me. “What are you afraid of?”
Oh right. That’s what we were talking about.
I swallow thickly, debating on whether I should tell her the truth or come up with another lie to appease her. Butwhen I look up at her again, at the way she looks above me, her face finally relaxed and open, I decide that I will never lie to this girl.
Clearing my throat, I relax against my pillows, my thumb drawing small circles on the bare skin above her shorts. And then I admit something that I’ve never admitted to anyone before. “I’m afraid that I’ll end up like my parents.”
A beat of silence follows the admission, surprise taking over Daisy’s expression. “What do you mean?” she whispers, a slight furrow in her brow.
“I never want to be like them, Dais. I haven’t spoken to my dad in years. My mom is a drunk who should never have had kids. Their marriage crumbled long before my dad left, and my mom decided all the answers to her problems would be found in the bottom of a bottle.”
Her attention is locked on me, and I swallow again, the intensity of the moment making my skin hot. The storm rages at full force outside now, but Daisy doesn’t notice as she waits for me to continue. “I want to have a family someday. I want a wife and kids. I want to be able to prove to myself that the cycle can be broken, and that I can be the better man despite my upbringing. I want a home where my children feel safe and loved and never dread coming back to. But I’m afraid I’ll never have any of that. I’m afraid I don’t deserve it.”
Her hands cup my face, her eyes soft and filled with emotion. “You deserve all of that, Killian. And you’ll have it.”
The corner of my mouth curves into a smile. “You think so?”
Daisy nods. “I know so.”
I cock a brow in challenge. “Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?”
She gives me a‘duh’look. “Because I’ll be your wife. Why else?”
A surprised laugh startles out of me. “Marriage talk already? Damn, angel. We’ve only been dating a month.”
She rolls her eyes, her own laugh spilling from her. “I’m just a girl who knows what she wants.”
“Is that right?” I tease, all while my heart goes crazy in my chest.
I’m only seventeen, but I’ve been obsessed with this girl for years. If I could choose anyone to be my future wife, I’d choose her every time.
Daisy nods, her hips shifting against me and causing my stomach to tense. “Mm-hmm. You’re stuck with me now. No give backs.”
“Well, in that case.” I sit up, bringing my chest flush against hers as I wrap a hand into her curls, tangling them around my fist before my mouth descends on hers and I sealmy promise with a kiss.
CHAPTER 26
DAISY
You can ask anyone who knows me what my biggest fear is, and they would all tell you the same thing.
Thunderstorms.
It’s not a new fear. Or a fear I’ve kept to myself. No. I’ve been afraid of them since I was a child. And there isn’t any particular reason as to why I’m so afraid of them.
The first time I recall experiencing a thunderstorm, I had been six or seven years old. It was late. My childhood bedroom was dark, until all of a sudden this burst of light came through the windows, highlighting all the dark corners and creating haunting shadows across the room that had sent my young brain into overdrive. The deafening boom that had followed the flash of light had me throwing off the covers and making a run for my parent’s bedroom.
I was convinced there was a monster trying to gain access into my bedroom to take me away. It’s silly, I know. But something about the fear I felt that night has alwaysstuck with me, even as an adult who knows there is no such thing as monsters.
