by Lucy Darling
“What if you meet a city boy and fall in love?” Cooper asks her. My whole body goes tense. Mom's hand comes down on my back, her fingers digging into my shirt.
“Many have tried,” Noelle sing-songs as she gets up to put her plate away.
“I never heard about you dating,” I throw out, unable to stop myself.
“Why would you hear about it?” Daisy grabs her plate and begins to stand.
“Because everyone hears everything around here,” Cooper says.
Isn't that the truth? Nothing stays secret long. She didn't even take a date to prom. She and Noelle went together. I might have ridden by the school that night and taken a peek inside. Mom releases my shirt. I stand, taking my plate with me.
Daisy slips from the kitchen, and I follow after her. I’m guessing I don’t have much time until Noelle comes looking for her. As much as the girl can drive me nuts, they would do anything for each other.
“Daisy.” I grab her hand before she tries to slip into her bedroom. I pull her back into the hallway with me. Even after all of these years, I still can’t figure out what went wrong. At first I thought she was embarrassed about the night she snuck into my room because her cramps were so bad that she lay on my chest until she passed out. She’d been half asleep when she said she would wait for me. She was too young to make a promise like that. Didn't stop me from holding on to it.
“Wait.” She pulls her hand from mine.
“Why do you hate me?”
She’s leaving tomorrow. She’s not going to the fucking moon. It’s an hour drive to the city, but she’ll be around a hell of a lot less.
“I don’t hate you.” Her shoulders drop.
“You treat me like it.” I reach up, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She closes her eyes for a moment before she takes a step back. Distancing herself from me again.
“I’m sorry. I have been rude, and you don’t deserve that.” Her bubble gum pink tongue peeks out wetting her bottom lip and drawing my eyes there.
“I’ll be here tomorrow to help you move.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I’ll be here tomorrow,” I say again. I grab her hand, pulling her into me for a hug. She’s stiff at first, but then she relaxes against me. She fits me perfectly. I kiss the top of her head before letting her go. We’re too close to her room. Her bed is right there. The temptation is too great. “Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” she agrees before I turn and leave.
Progress. I’ll take whatever I can get when it comes to my Daisy.
2
Daisy
“Let me do it.” Mom comes to stand behind me, taking my hair into her hand to braid it. I can braid my own hair, but I’m giving her this one. I know she’s going to miss having me around. She’ll be surrounded by all boys again besides PJ. She’s already about to burst into tears as it is. “There.” She turns me around and plants a kiss on my cheek.
“Don’t make me cry. I’m only forty-five minutes away. Two years and I’m done,” I remind her.
“I know. Plus I’ll come out all the time.” She smiles.
“You can come whenever you want, Mom.” Truth is I’m going to miss my mom like crazy too. Thank God Noelle is coming with me. She’s going to culinary school in the city. We’d gotten a place together instead of me doing a dorm. Since we are both moving to the city it made the most sense that we live together. My parents love Noelle as if she were another daughter to them. Plus it made Mom and Dad feel better knowing that we’ll have each other.
“Aren't daughters supposed to complain about their parents popping in all the time once they’ve moved out?”
“I have no clue. I’m not going to. I love you.” Her eyes start to water. “Mom!”
“Sorry. I can’t control it. I’ll get it together.” She pulls my braided hair over my shoulder. “You want to tell me about Eric following you out of the kitchen last night.”
“No?” I’m not even sure what that was. We’ve gone so long avoiding one another that I hadn’t been prepared to have that conversation with him last night. Okay, it was me that had actually been avoiding him all of this time.
I knew the conversation needed to be had. That I couldn’t go on holding a grudge against him for something that happened years ago. We were kids. It’s time for me to move past that hurt. Plus, I want to start this new chapter of my life with a clean slate. I need to let bygones be bygones. I can’t punish him for not wanting me like I’d wanted him.
“He’s a good boy, Daisy. Well, I should say man at this point.” Her words make me feel guilty for the way I’ve treated him lately. It almost broke my heart to hear him say that he thought I hated him. It was the furthest thing from the truth. That’s the whole problem.
“I know, Mom.”
“I thought you two would end up together with how he acted when you were kids.” She lets out a sigh. Me too, Mom. I even pretended to marry him when I was eight after he agreed to play house with me.
“These boxes need to go?” Eric’s deep voice interrupts us. My heart jumps, wondering how much of our conversation he overheard.
“You don’t come in here without giving me a hug.” She spreads her arms out wide and he walks right into them. She messes up his hair a bit while she’s at it.
“Your mom here with you?”
“Yep, thought you might need a shoulder to cry on.”
“I’m not going to cry.” Even as she says it her eyes fill with tears.
“She’s in the kitchen. I think she’s cooking.”
“Don’t leave without saying goodbye.” Mom kisses me on the cheek again. You’d think I’m moving across the country by the way my mom is acting instead of a forty-five minute drive into the city. Which Mom and Dad often make for business meetings over the oil rigs.
Mom turns, leaving me alone with Eric. I walk over to him and give him a hug the same as Mom did. We’re a family of huggers, but I can’t remember the last time I hugged Eric. He pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me, holding me tight to him. His face goes to my neck, his warm breath tickling my skin.
I let myself lean into him. My throat goes tight. I’ve missed him. I’ve missed this. He’s always felt like home to me. We’d been so close growing up. Then I had to go and get deeper feelings and break my own heart. I took it out on Eric too. But even now as I stand here close to him, my heart breaks a little more knowing that I’ll never have him the way I want. I push the disappointment down and try to enjoy his embrace instead.
“I miss you,” I admit. I suck in a breath when his mouth touches my neck. I close my eyes, not wanting to move.
“I more than missed you.” His hug tightens and he lifts me off my feet, making me laugh. I stare down at him. How did I stay away from him for so long? I have to figure out a way we can still be friends. I know it won’t be easy, but having him in my life in some capacity is better than not having him at all, I decide.
“We should get a move on it.”
“Yeah,” he agrees, letting me slip down his big body. I turn around quickly to hide my face. He was hard. I’d felt every inch of him press into my stomach. I swallow, trying not to read into it.
“I know you felt it Daisy.”
My cheeks warm as I peek over my shoulder at him.
“Happens a lot when you’re near.” My mouth falls open. Wait. When did he start seeing me as a woman and not his best friend's little sister?
“Eric.”
“Let’s get your things.” He walks over, picking up a few boxes and heading out of my bedroom. I stand there, not sure what the hell happened. I grab a box before I let myself get wrapped up in my head. Yet I can’t deny the tiny spark of hope that flutters in my chest.
At least that’s my plan, but my mind keeps on reminding me of the words he said. Is this something I can even pursue? Will I only wind up getting my heart broken again? Years ago I thought Eric was my forever. There hadn’t been a single doubt in my mind back then that
we’d be together forever. But now I wonder if we started dating could we end up breaking up? That sounds all kinds of messy with how tightly our families are woven together.
“You okay, babe?” Eric takes the box from out of my hand.
“Yeah.”
“Why don’t you go say your goodbyes to your mom and mine? I’ll get the boxes.”
“Okay,” I agree, feeling as if I’m in a daze. When I walk past him, Eric slaps me on my ass.
“Eric! You did not just do that.”
“Think I did.” He smirks, grabbing another box to stack. I shake my head, leaving the bedroom. I find my parents in the kitchen along with PJ.
“Give me some sugar.” I give PJ a kiss on the cheek and a hug.
“Eric helping you?”
“Yeah.” I lick my bottom lip. She stares at me for a moment.
“Good.” She smiles, breaking the stare. There’s something mischievous in the way she smiles at me.
Mom comes around the counter and gives me another hug, not letting go. “Mom.” I laugh.
“I got her.” Dad pulls Mom back for me. He kisses me on top of the head. “It’s fine, honey. I’m sure you’ll make up a reason for us to stop by tomorrow.”
“I’m going to bring groceries. I bet you don’t have any.”
“That sounds perfect.” This time I hold her tight. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
“I got her.” Eric snags my hand and begins walking us toward the front door.
I hear my mom sniffle and also my dad’s whispers to her of how everything is going to be all right and that he’ll make her feel better later. I know I should be embarrassed by how openly affectionate they are, but seeing how much they are still in love warms my heart. It makes me want that for myself.
“I’ll drive.” He shakes my truck keys he already had in his hand. “Josh is driving Noelle up.” He opens the door for me, letting go of my hand.
“Eric.” I grab his hand back. I stare at him, not sure what to say, but I don’t want to let his hand go.
“Relax. I see your mind racing. Promise everything is going to be fine, babe.” I let go of his hand before he shuts the door.
I really hope everything is going to be fine. I wish it could be more than fine.
3
Eric
I suck in a deep breath, loving the smell of her. The whole inside of the truck cabin is filled with her strawberry smell. For as long as I could remember it was strawberry everything for her. I can’t smell a strawberry without getting hard.
“See, the drive isn't that far,” Daisy says as we pull up outside of her building. As I thought there would be, there’s a doorman. I have no doubt that Jameson made sure this place had top of the line security before he let his daughter agree to move in here. It’s one of the many things I respect about him. He’s protective over his girls. The same way my dad is with my mom. I’ve learned my skills from two of the best.
I grunt my agreement. It is far enough, if you ask me. I pull the truck around so we can start to get some of the boxes out. The reality of her moving away is finally starting to settle in now that we’re here.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I hear her say as she slips out of the truck. I come around to the other side.
“Why?” Wasn't this part of her plan? Daisy always has a plan. Once upon a time I thought I was a part of that plan too. Then something changed and it seemed as though she had forgotten what our destiny was. She looks up at me, licking her bottom lip. My rock-hard cock presses up against the zipper of my pants, begging for me to take her mouth. To finally take a taste of what’s mine. How long have I wondered what she tastes like?
“I thought it would be something different.” I bring my hand down her hip, pulling her into me. “Did you think it would be me and you? Isn't that what you always said? You were gonna marry me one day.”
Her cheeks pinken. “I did think that at one point.” She places a hand on my chest.
“What changed?”
“You.” She drops her hand away, stepping back. I grab her, pulling her back into me.
“Me? What are you talking about?”
“Ms. Price?”
She tries to step back again. I reluctantly let her hand go, not wanting to have this conversation in front of anyone else.
“Call me Daisy.” She holds her hand out to the man. “And this is Eric. He’s my—”
“Boyfriend.”
Daisy’s mouth falls open. I shrug, not caring. I hold my hand out to shake his. I give it an extra squeeze before I release it. He yanks it back. Daisy is trying to glare at me, but I can tell she wants to laugh.
“Is there anything we can help you with?” he asks, looking between us.
“We just have these boxes from my parents’ house. Everything else should have been delivered this week.”
“Indeed. We’ve had stuff coming all week.”
“Can we steal an elevator? I can pack everything in one and just have one or two trips.”
“Of course.” He walks over to the glass door, pulling it open and putting a door stop in it.
“Don’t tell me you got it. I can lift boxes too.” She walks over to the back of the truck, grabbing one. I do the same. It doesn't take us long to get everything up to her floor. She unlocks the door, holding it open so we can pack the rest of the stuff inside.
“I think my mom went overboard.” Daisy laughs as I set some boxes down. There are some boxes that look like they have furniture in them that needs to be put together. Some stuff like the sofa and end tables are ready to go. Looks as though I’ll be needing to spend some significant time here to help get the rest of this stuff all put together.
“Well, thanks for helping me today. I know how busy you are these days so I appreciate it.”
Is she trying to get rid of me already? I turn my attention back toward her. Her eyes look everywhere but at me. I lift my hand, placing it under her chin. Her eyes finally settle back on mine.
“I’m never too busy for you, Daisy.”
She gives me that shy smile as my thumb rubs back and forth over her smooth skin. I want to lean in and taste her. I want to tell her more, but I stop myself. She’s not ready to hear it yet. We stare at each other in silence for a few moments before her stomach loudly growls. “Let’s get you something to eat.” I want to devour her, but instead I drop my hand and pull up the food delivery app on my phone.
“Pepperoni with extra olives and extra cheese?”
“Yeah.” She smiles. I add on a cookie pizza and a bottle of Coke, guessing there is nothing in the fridge. Daisy is once again looking around everywhere. I walk over to her purse, picking it up. I fish out her notebook and pen.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping you. Sit.” I point to the sofa. “Sit.” She walks over and plops down. I hand her the notebook. “Make the list.”
“I forget how well you know me.” She takes the notebook from my hand.
“I’ve made it my mission in life to know everything about you, Daisy.”
“You have to stop saying stuff like that.”
“I couldn't if I tried. Make your list. I’m going to start building some of this crap.”
“Thanks.” She starts scribbling down all the things she needs to do. Whenever she gets overwhelmed, lists always calm her down. They force her to focus so she knows where to start. I head back toward the bedrooms.
The place isn't big, but it’s not small either. The girls will be more than comfortable here. I step into the room where Daisy had put a few of her boxes down and I get to work on the bed frame. It seems like the first thing she’ll need. Hell, if I work slowly enough I’ll have a reason to stay.
4
Daisy
He’s driving me crazy. My eyes follow Eric as he mounts my TV to the wall. What is it about a man doing work in the house that is such a turn-on? I watch the muscles in his arms flex. I’ve always loved how much bigg
er he is compared to me. When I stand next to him I only come up to his chest.
Eric and my brother have been hard at work all afternoon and into the night helping us get our place together. It was sweet, and I am happy because I don’t want Eric to leave. I’ve forgotten how much I enjoy him being around. I’ve missed him and how close we used to be. I hate that we lost all that time. Even back then he didn't see me the same as I saw him. Things are different now though. We’re both adults who no longer live under our parents’ roofs.
I get up from the bed as Eric starts messing with the channels on the TV making sure it’s working right. I close my bedroom door. He looks my way lifting his eyebrows.
“You’re driving me crazy,” I blurt out.
“I’m sorry?” he says, looking adorably confused. He drops the remote onto the bed.
“You keep touching me and grazing past me. Earlier before my brother and Noelle got here I thought you were going to kiss me.” I lick my lips. I’d wanted him to so badly. But I needed him to make the move because I would never be able to handle being rejected by him. I need to know that he wants the same thing that I do.
“Do you want me to kiss you?” His eyes drop to my mouth.
“Well. Not like that.” I scrunch my nose. “You’re supposed to kiss me because you want to. Like you’re…” my words trail off as he moves toward me in three steps. His hands go into my hair, titling my head back. My eyes meet his.
“Been waiting my whole life for this,” he says before his mouth is on mine. I gasp as his tongue slips past my lips.
He groans when I tangle my tongue with his. He lifts me off the ground, pinning me to the wall. I wrap my legs and arms around him. My body needs to be as close to his as possible. I’ve waited so long for this. I rock against him, my whole body buzzing with need. Trying to get the friction it needs to stop the ache that I’ve had for so long for him.
“Eric?”
“Yeah, babe.”
“I don’t know what I was going to say.” I kiss him again. This time it’s him that thrusts against me, hitting my sex. He’s hard. I get a thrill knowing that I’ve turned him on. His mouth moves to my neck, kissing and sucking. I rock my hips with him, wishing there weren't any clothes between us.
