“Merry Christmas, Dr. Reed,” she says quietly and hands me a wrapped box, a knowing smile on her face.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Reed,” I lean down and whisper before giving her my gift, and my stomach flutters when her cheeks redden. She narrows her eyes at me, issuing a silent warning before she scrambles across the room to her spot on the couch. I sigh and move to stand behind the other sofa, figuring I’ve done enough interfering with their family moment, and I try and fail not to watch as Daisy digs through the gift bag and pulls out a stuffed puppy and a card.
She opens the card before she stands abruptly, letting the bag fall to the floor. “Wait. You … you got me aservice dog?” Daisy yells breathlessly.
Everyone stops moving at that moment, and I swallow hard and attempt to keep my expression neutral when I nod. “I hope that’s okay,” I croak out.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a seizure alert dog? And howexpensive?” She’s still shouting even though the room’s fallen silent.
I look around and notice all eyes on us. “Actually, this is an SRD. And I was only able to find one because Dr. Broussard knew the right people. He also pulled a few strings with one of the foundations?—”
But the next thing that comes out probably sounds closer to an “oof” as Daisy practically bowls me over. She wraps her arms around my waist and presses her cheek against my chest, and I hesitate for a second before I return the hug.
And damn if it isn’t the best, most sincere hug I’ve ever had in my life.
“Thank you, Landry,” she says, her voice thick. “This is literally the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Her arms tighten around me as a sense of relief floods my chest, and I bow my head to hers. “It’s not much. I just wanted to help you gain your independence and keep you safe.”
“It’s the best gift ever.” She sniffles, and I fight the urge to kiss the top of her head when I feel her body shaking within my arms. “And now I feel even worse about that conversation we had on the way in.”
I laugh shortly. “Eh, my idea’s seeming a little more ‘old Landry’ the longer I think about it,” I say, and she giggles as I reach up to wipe the moisture from her cheeks. “There are still a few more hurdles before she’s yours. But the trainer wants to start bringing her by the house next week to make sure it’s a good fit for both of you.”
“She?” Daisy pulls away and looks up at me.
I grin and gesture to the card in her hands. “Did you even read that thing?”
“I was too excited!” she admits, making everyone laugh, and I’m reminded we aren’t alone again. She lifts the card to her face and scans it, her lips moving as she reads. “Her name is Juniper?” An incredulous laugh bubbles out of her. “It’s perfect. She’s already a LaFleur!”
I shrug. “I thought so, too.”
She stares up at me adoringly, awakening butterflies within me I never knew existed, and I’m only seconds away from needing to start one of those childhood disease lists again. Meanwhile, the rest of the family coos their approval before returning to their own gifts.
“I can’t believe you did this for me. And all I got you was a couple of lousy ties.”
“After everything you’ve had to put up with for the past few months of living with my grumpy ass, I figured it was the least I could do. And it’ll make me feel better to know you won’t be alone later,” I explain quietly.
Her smile falters, and she looks away and blinks a few times. “Right. Good thinking.”
Dammit.I’ve upset her again, but I can’t ask her why. Maybe I should have waited until we were back home to give her this.
“Just promise me your next husband won’t mind you keeping the dog in the divorce,” I add in an attempt to lighten the mood. She laughs shortly before leaning in to hug me again.
“Thank you. I mean it.” This time she embraces me like it’s the last time she’ll ever see me, reminding me that getting through the last piece of our arrangement is going to be harder than I imagined. I wrap my arms around her and rest my chin on her head, pushing away the dread and relishing in her warmth once more until I look up to find Rowan watching us carefully.
“Hey, um, I think your brother’s starting to suspect something,” I mumble quietly, trying not to move my lips. “Maybe we shouldn’t?—”
“Let him think whatever he wants,” Daisy retorts. “We know what is and isn’t going on between us. That’s all that matters.”
“Right.” But the way Rowan’s jaw flexes when he looks away still worries me.
Daisy finally loosens her grip and wipes her cheeks on the back of her hand before she demands I open my gift, even though she’s already ruined the surprise.
“The kids are going to love this, thank you,” I tell her, holding up the Minecraft-patterned tie.
She shrugs. “I thought they might like seeing old Doc Reed’s sillier side.”
“Did you do the embroidery yourself?”
