Her aura was all around. That sweet floral scent dosed with a splash of vanilla. Infiltrating like a drug.
Took everything I had not to press my nose into her neck and inhale.
The world seemed to disappear as she whispered, “Would it be so bad if we took care of each other?”
“It’s all I ever wanted to do, Daisy. Take care of you.”
Sadness rippled through the intense blue of her mesmerizing gaze. “And the only thing I ever wanted was to be with you.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to what she implied. Like I had the right to stay after what I’d done.
Desolation crawled through my insides. She had no clue. No clue about what I’d done. That might have been the greatest betrayal of all.
A commotion of footsteps suddenly broke into the bubble that surrounded us. “I got my hands washed and I’m ready to eat. Then I gotta go back out with Mr. Cash and work because I’m gonna get a new pack and a patch. And we got some new kids we gotta meet because Mr. Cash has some nieces and nephews that we don’t even know. Did you know that, Mom?”
I took a step back to find Colin hopping from foot to foot beside us.
It felt like both confusion and pain that laced Daisy’s being, and she cut her attention up to me in question.
How?
Because I’d lost my family. Destroyed it.
It roiled between us like a disorienting fog.
The truth that we really didn’t know each other anymore.
I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, but rather than turning on my heel and shutting myself off the way I normally did, I muttered, “Not by blood, but there are some people here who I consider family.”
It came out sounding like guilt. Maybe an apology.
Daisy blinked, and fuck, was it comfort that moved through her features?
“That’s great news,” she forced out, her words directed at Colin. “I can’t wait to meet them. Now, why don’t you go on and get to the table? I’m going to grab the rest of our food so we can eat.”
He scampered off and joined his sisters at the table, while Daisy turned her back to me and grabbed a plate from the counter.
Could feel her contemplating. The confused whip of her spirit.
When she turned around, her expression had twisted in emphasis. Reaching out, she brushed her fingertips down my arm.
A fire burned through me at the contact.
“I’m so happy, Cash.” She whispered it low enough so the children wouldn’t hear. “I’m so happy to know you weren’t alone.”
Except there was sadness knitted in the words, too.
She wound around the island and pinned a bright smile on her face, walking barefoot to the table where her three children were grinning like we just told them we were going to Disneyland. She settled down and sent a soft smile over at me.
Woman so stunning I couldn’t breathe.
My mind fucked up and questioning everything.
“So how do we go about this?” I asked quietly as I loaded plates into the dishwasher while Daisy rinsed them in the sink.
The kids were in the living area fighting over which cartoon they were going to watch.
Air puffed from Daisy’s nose, and she gave a slight shake of her head. “I don’t even know. All my plans were wrapped up in convincing you that I never made it that far.”
