Blake followed me and placed a hand on my shoulder. ‘It’s okay, Daisy, it will be okay.’
I sucked in some quick breaths, trying not to panic or cry. I looked at him. ‘Promise?’
‘Daisy, you are the strongest woman I’ve ever met. You can do anything you want. You can have anything you want. I promise you.’
I found myself stepping towards him, and Blake opened up his arms. I leaned into his chest as he held me tightly, reassuringly. I hadn’t felt strong for a long time but I knew I had been once. And my mum sure as hell had been.
I wanted to be strong again.
I would be.
‘Let’s go back to the farm,’ Blake said softly into my hair. I nodded against him and sniffed. When we parted, it felt like something in the universe had permanently shifted.
24
Blake and I were quiet on the drive back to Birch Tree Farm. I knew we were both thinking over the visit to his family. We stopped off to pick up the shrubs Dylan had ordered from the garden centre and while we were there, I spotted white watering cans that looked pretty. After messaging to see what Willow thought, I bought five to dot around the picnic area we were making that I’d fill with flowers. I would need to go back to see Mary at her florist’s in town and that thought excited me.
When we passed the sign welcoming us to Birchbrook, the sun was dipping in the sky, calling an end to what had been a long and emotional day.
‘Are you okay?’ Blake asked as we drove towards the farm.
‘For the first time in a while, I think maybe I will be,’ I replied. ‘You?’
‘I feel the same. We’re both seeing Sarah and Henry tomorrow, though…’
‘Things can’t stay like they are,’ I said, already dreading spending time alone with Henry. We drove through the gate and Blake parked outside the farmhouse. ‘I think I might go and work on my arch for a bit,’ I said, not really wanting to chit-chat with Willow, Adam and Dylan just yet. Plus, the more time I spent with Blake, the more the charged tension between us became almost unbearable. We both wanted to kiss but both knew we shouldn’t. I wanted to get away from the temptation. I needed some alone time. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ I jumped out of the car and walked out to the strawberry fields.
I went to the barn and picked up the remaining flowers I had left there and carried them and the watering cans out to the fields. I had to make two trips but I didn’t mind the walking after so long sat in the car. I lifted off the tarpaulin covering my arch and then carried on wrapping faux flowers around it.
I had forgotten how healing it was to work with my hands and be outside. My mind started to clear as I focused on what I was doing. I weaved flowers through the metal arch and tried not to think about what had happened since I’d come to Birch Tree Farm. Instead, I wanted to just enjoy this task. Maybe my mum had used her work with flowers to clear her mind too. I wished I could ask her but it was enough that I felt her presence with me out here.
The light began to fade then so I paused and looked at what I’d done. I stepped back to look at the finished arc. The colourful flowers mixed with eucalyptus draped around the frame gave me a burst of pride.
I heard footsteps behind me but I kept on staring at the arch. I hadn’t had such a sense of satisfaction with anything that I had done for a long time. This felt like a big moment somehow.
‘Hi, I’m just taking Maple on her last walk of the day,’ Willow called out as they approached. ‘Blake said you were out here. It’s almost dark; you going to stop now?’
‘It’s done.’
‘What? Oh my God!’ Willow hurried to stand beside me and wrapped her arm through mine. ‘It’s so pretty, Daisy. Thank you. God, I didn’t think we’d get to spend this summer together or that you would help me with all this. I feel really lucky. You saved me!’
I laid my head on her shoulder. ‘I’m the lucky one; you’ve saved me.’ I took a deep breath. My mind hadn’t been this clear for a very long time. I turned to my cousin. ‘I want to stay here for the rest of the summer. Would that be okay?’
Willow smiled. ‘Well, of course it would! Hell, you can stay forever if you want. We’ve missed you. It’s so nice to have you back. And I was panicking about not having my usual summer help around and making sure I keep building on the success of the pumpkin patch, plus stop my dad from doing too much… You arriving was perfect.’
‘That’s how I feel too. I am loving being here. I feel more like myself. I’m not so scared about the future either. I want to do what my uncle said: follow my heart.’
‘What’s it saying?’ she asked me.
‘That I should stay for the summer so I can help you get it ready for the opening then I can watch people enjoy this farm as much as I do. I want to eat strawberries and have a picnic and keep watching the stars. And I’d like to spend time with Mary in her flower shop,’ I said, smiling as I thought of things I wanted to do. Then my smile faded. ‘I don’t want to go back with Henry. I just don’t know how to tell him so he will listen. And I’m still scared about walking away from him and his family into the… unknown.’
‘But is the unknown scarier than living the life he wants for you both? The one you don’t want?’
She knew. Willow knew me so well, she could see I didn’t want what Henry was offering me.
‘You’re right,’ I replied softly.
‘Then you’ll tell him. You’ll find the right words. And he will listen because he will realise this is what you want.’
