“Is it?And is that what you need?”
“I need everyone to get off my fucking case.”Beneath me, Miss B nickers, low and guttural, as if she’s as impressed by this conversation as I am.I lean forward and pat her crest.The small movement soothes me, and I feel her relax a little too.“I want her.I fucking love her, but she needs me right now, and not romantically.She just had a baby.Her whole world needs to be about Waylon.I would never take that from her.”I grit my teeth and glance at Colt.
He grins like a fucking idiot and crows, “I knew it!”
I roll my eyes.“Daisy needs a friend, so I’ll wait.Maybe one day she’ll have feelings for me too, or maybe she won’t.I love her enough to not pressure her for more.”
Colt’s grin turns practically psychotic.“You lurrrve her,” he singsongs.
I shake my head and scoff.“Love is stupid.”
“Yeah, but it’s stupid good.”
As much as I give him shit for being moony-eyed over my little sister, he’s not wrong.Loveisstupid good.I just wish choosing someone else’s needs over your own didn’t hurt so much.
Chapter Twenty-two
West
By the time Fridayrolls around, I’m exhausted, pissed off, and fed the hell up.I think about cancelling on Daisy-Mae a few times, but Mama raised me better than that, and maybe getting away from the slaughter at the ranch, my idiot brothers, and Lemon and Colt making googly eyes at one another is just what the doctor ordered.
I cut the engine and exhale loudly, grabbing the bottle of wine I bought from Earl’s on the way here.I didn’t feel right showing up empty-handed.I shoot a quick glance at my face in the rearview mirror.It’ll do.God knows I ain’t getting any younger, or any prettier, sitting here in this truck.Besides, I’m going to see a woman who’s so off-limits she might as well be living in a whole other country.How I look is irrelevant.
I shake my head and exit the truck, puffing my cheeks as I exhale a nervous breath and climb the steps of her front porch.I rap quietly on her door, half afraid I’ll wake the baby, but a beat later a frazzled Daisy-Mae opens it with Waylon cradled in one arm.She’s wearing an oversized T-shirt and leggings, and her hair is done in a messy knot on top of her head.Even like this, with dark shadows under her eyes, no make up on, and looking like she just rolled out of bed, she’s a fucking knockout.
“You’re early,” she says.
“Er, yeah.Sorry.”
“Good.I’m covered in spit-up and I haven’t had a second to shower, let alone check the vegetables.”She thrusts the baby at me, and I about drop the damn wine.Daisy takes it from my hands as I cradle her newborn.He pouts a little in his sleep, and it’s the darndest thing.How can you love someone you barely even know so damn much?
“I didn’t know if you liked red or white.”
She walks inside.I follow, closing the door quietly so I won’t wake the precious cargo.
“White,” she says as she makes a beeline for the kitchen.“But I can’t have either while I have a babe at my breast.”
