Page 138 of Made for Mayhem

Rowdy’s head came up, ears pricked. I stayed still, heart thudding so loudly I could hardly hear the storm outside.

When I bent to pick it up, I already knew what I’d see.

That same little daisy stared back at me.

The last thread of my strength snapped. I sank down onto the floor and opened the letter with shaking fingers, suddenly desperate to hear what she had to say.

I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this without sounding like one of those “live laugh love” signs, but they might be on to something.

This is it. Our last goodbye. But before I go, I owe you an explanation.

Three years ago, you were brand new in Chicago, scared shitless even though you didn’t want me to know. But at five in the morning, I got a text from you asking if I believed in soulmates.

I do, but not the way you meant it.

You, my sweet sister, have always been my soulmate. My better half. My shining star.

I was sick to my stomach the entire time you drove from Linwood to Chicago, desperate to tell you to come back, and terrified you would if I asked. But then you texted me about this mystery man, and I knew I’d made the right choice. Knew I’d set you free to go find your own path.

Everything that came after was a whirlwind of sadness for all of us, and damn, I wish we weren’t so familiar with that feeling. Junie was sad you were gone. I missed you more than I could ever tell you. And you were heartbroken that Huddy had walked away.

So, imagine my surprise when our reward for surviving all that stood in my driveway.

Each day, Ty showed up and proved he was exactly who you told me he was after that first night together. Just as caring and protective and good. And each day, I tried to figure out how to tell you he was right here waiting for you to find him.

I even had a whole rom-com meet-cute planned for the first time you’d visit, where I’d send you up to his house to borrow a cup of sugar. You’d gasp. He’d gasp. Fireworks would go off behind you, and we’d all live happily ever after as neighbors in this little perfect town.

But then I got sick, and Ty showed me his true colors.

As much as I love the idea of you and Ty riding off into the sunset together, I didn’t nominate him in my Will because of you.

I did it for Junie.

Daisy, you are everything my too-serious little girl needs.

You make life brighter just by walking into a room. You make boring things fun and hard things bearable. You show kids that joy isn’t frivolous—it’s survival. You’re spontaneous and brave and full of magic, even when you feel broken.

Junie needs someone who can pull her back into her childhood, and that someone is you.

And Ty… Daisy, Ty is everything my grieving girls deserve.

He is steady. He is gentle. He is dependable in a way most people only pretend to be. He loves with his actions, not his words, and that’s the kind of love that lasts.

I love the idea of the three of you, happy and loved. But it’s not my life to live anymore. And it’s not my decision to make.

You have always had better instincts than you give yourself credit for. You feel things deeply. You know when something is real. We’ve just had a lifetime to prove it’s never quite that simple.

But trust your gut.

About him.

About Junie.

About the future.

I don’t need you to step into my shoes and live the life I left behind. I just need you to choose love instead of fear.

Maybe you aren’t ready for acceptance yet, but I am.