Carys sighed and moved around the conference table, sittingnext to her fiancé.“Not really.If Daisy is willing to accept your apology,then I say we sit here and have our first double date.”She reached for hishand.“Life is too short to be mad.”
“Thank you.”Aidan leaned over and kissed her and thenlooked to Daisy.“And I’m so sorry, Dais.I love you.I want you to be happy,and if your version of happiness means you’ve got a three-hundred-poundAustralian tree on top of you most of the time, then I’m glad for you.I willtalk to Da.”
“I’m not three hundred pounds,” Nate said with a frown.“I’mbarely two sixty.”
“And it’s all muscle,” Carys said with a wink.
“Hello, fiancé right here.”Aidan frowned Carys’s way.
“Well, I can look, and I’m going to high-five Dais when youtwo aren’t looking.Now, is there a ham and brown bread?I’m starving, and Ihave to get back to the hospital for afternoon rounds soon.”Carys took thesandwich Daisy gave her.
Aidan stood again.“And I will go get us some sodas sinceNate only remembers what Daisy drinks.”
“Mate, I didn’t even know you were here.”Nate had a bigsmile on his face.
“Well, you should know I’ll be anywhere my sister needs me,”Aidan vowed.“And I’ll check and make sure Da is still breathing.”
When the door closed behind him, Carys leaned over.“Thankyou for not being too rough on him.The wedding is…well, is coming up way toofast, and it’s settling in that Tristan isn’t going to be there.”
In some ways she understood.Daisy forced a smile on herface.“It’s okay.I don’t need revenge or anything.”
“So I shouldn’t have texted the twins and asked them what’sgoing on?”Nate opened his own soda casually, like he hadn’t dropped a bombthat was going to explode in her brother’s face.
“You did what?”Carys asked, her jaw dropping slightly.
“Oh, I just figured if anyone would be able to tell me if Iwas right about what was going on, it’s the twins.”Nate was a gorgeousbastard, and she kind of wanted to jump him right there.“I mean they are inthe information business.Kala said she would handle it.I don’t know what shemeans by that.”
Carys stood.“I have to go warn Aidan.Are they back?Howlong do we have?”
She rushed out the door, and Daisy was left alone with themost gorgeous man she’d ever met.The one who would probably break her heart.
“Hey, I didn’t actually text the twins.I’m not trying toget your brother killed,” Nate explained.“Just uncomfortable.”
She grabbed a sandwich and forced herself to relax.“Well,if my brother thinks the twins are coming after him, he might move.Far away.Though they might think about recruiting him because I swear the twins knoweverything.Big brother did a great job hiding it.”
But it was all out in the open now, and she would have todeal with the ramifications.
* * * *
Nate made sure the security system was on and then sentAvery a text letting her know they were safely locked in for the night.
He’d promised his mum’s best friend he would protect herdaughter with everything he had.
What he didn’t tell her was he intended to protect her soul,too.
Something was up with Daisy.Oh, she was smiling and polite,and she’d been incredibly patient.But he saw right through her.Something hadhappened the night before, something that had shifted his universe into place,and he had zero intention of allowing those stars to unalign.
Daisy was the sun in the sky for him, and it didn’t matterthat everyone would tell him he hadn’t known her long enough.He knew this deepin his bones.He’d spent the night with her and known he wanted all the nightswith her.
He stepped out of the security office and jogged up thesteps leading to the lounge and beyond, the dungeon floor.
Daisy sat in the lounge, her head down, staring at herphone.
This was what he’d dealt with all afternoon.After theconfrontation with her father, she’d shut down.Oh, she would smile when sheneeded to, and she’d been polite when her father had walked in and told her tobe careful, but when he’d hugged her, she’d barely hugged him back.
She’d done everything she’d been asked to do, including makea list of things for Devi to pick up for her and drop off at Sanctum.Devi hadgone with her mom, and they’d even stopped at the grocery and stocked thekitchen for them.
“We’re locked in for the night,” he said, studying her.Shewas simply stunning.All the awkwardness of her girlhood was gone, and nothingbut a glorious sun of a woman was left in her place.Which was precisely why hehated the fact that her glow had dimmed.
