Daisy opened the cupboard door to hide behind—and because she needed to stack the plates—but mostly to hide behind. “Yeah, he’sgreat.”
“I hear you two are anitem.”
The only thing worse than having to talk to her mom about all this was having to talk to her dad. She and Dad weren’t big talkers. They covered surface information really well but never got into all the feelings and such. “Yep.”
“You know, I always pitied the girl who married into thatfamily.”
The comment was from left field coming from her dad. “Why?”
“Because his parents will make the world’s worst in-laws.” He shook his head as if witnessing atragedy.
Daisy didn’t want to hear another reason she shouldn’t be with Beckett. She’d spent the last two days thinking of as many as possible so she’d have an answer for her mom. She narrowed her eyes. The two of them had ganged up on her with this sneak attack from Dad.Well played, Mom. “We’ve been dating for one week, Dad. It’s much too soon to be thinking about these things.” Although she knew just the channel to binge-watch when the time came to plan a wedding. And after the look she and Beckett shared at dinner, she didn’t think it would be long. “Wait, wasn’t Doug one of your golfing buddies back in the day? I thought you likehim.”
“He’s a great golf buddy. But he’s too gruff for a daughter-in-law—especially if she’s mydaughter.”
“Thanks, Dad. That’s really sweet of you to want to protect me.” She leaned her head on hisshoulder.
Dad kissed her hair. “And if you are going to date him, you need to get him off yourcouch.”
Daisy’s head popped up. “How didyou…?”
Dad tapped the side of his nose, but he didn’t say aword.
She laughed. “Just so you know, Quinton invited him to stay here. I had nothing to do withit.”
“I bet you’re the reason he’s stickingaround.”
It was Daisy’s turn not to say anything. She didn’t even offer a smile, because some part of her knew this time with Beckett was temporary. They would either have to move forward or move back, and she wanted things to stay just as they were for awhile.
Later that night, after the dishes were all in the cupboard, her parents were back at the hotel, Vivian and Jason were home, and Quinton was sound asleep in his bed, Daisy and Beckett leaned into one another as a movie played on the big screen. There was a sense of contentment that came when she was surrounded by the people who loved her most in the world. Even though her dad had blindsided her, she knew it was because hecared.
“That went better than I thought it would.” Beckett adjusted his arm and began tracing slow circles on hershoulder.
“You should try doing dishes with my dad,then.”
His fingers stopped partway through their circle. “He was pretty chill withme.”
Daisy internally cringed. She hadn’t meant to bring up the fact that her parents worried they weren’t a match. Sitting here, in the glow of the big screen with the sense of completeness, Dad’s worries seemed far away from themoment.
Still, they’d been different than any reason she’danticipated.
“Speaking of dads …” She burrowed into his side. “Have you heard from yourslately?”
Beckett stiffened. “Why?”
“I just wondered how often you talk to your parents. You don’t talk about them much. Are youclose?”
“Closer than I’d like to be,” hemuttered.
“Is this a touchy subject?” Daisy’s own cautionary words about it being too soon to discuss things like in-laws and wedding plans came back fullforce.
“I see them at Christmas and that visit is too long. Other than that, I do my thing and they call to tell me what I’m doing wrong with mylife.”
Daisy’s heart dropped. “That’sawful.”
“That’s myparents.”
She slid her arm across his middle and hugged him tight. The conversation dropped off, and she was okay with letting go of unpleasant topics. Life was too short to dwell on things that made people sad. Sadness had a way of falling into everyone’s laps now and again—demanding to be noticed. There was no sense in giving it extraattention.
