by Ashton Johns
“I didn’t sleep great is all, and I need to head into the office to collect my stuff.”
“No, I refuse to believe my girl, who was brave enough to go on a national TV show, is worried about facing that vulture. Tell me what’s got you in a pickle?” she asked all spritely.
I shrugged my shoulders and took another mouth incinerating swig of coffee, to which my pop immediately closed his newspaper and grimaced across the table. “No more secrets.”
Fudge! He’d made me promise that in a moment of emotional weakness.
“I know I promised that I wouldn’t let Kade and the show get me down, but, I… well… He wrote me a letter and I’m wondering what it said.”
“Then just read the damn thing,” my dad told me like I was stupid before picking his paper back up.
“I would but I don’t have it any longer.” The last thing I wanted was for my mom to feel bad that she’d thrown it away by accident.
“I don’t get why you’re so concerned, Dais. You said he was the last person on Earth you wanted to hear from.”
“I know, but-”
“You said,” she pointed, “that ‘Kade Sutton can go to fudging hell,’ when we were on the banks of the Seine.”
God, she was right. I did say that. “Yeah, well-”
“You said,” she began again.
“Alright! Jesus, Mom, I know what I said, but I can’t help how I feel about him. I know he hurt me, but he started his letter with the words ‘I Love You.’ What if he means it? What if he explained everything in that letter and I go on with the rest of my life thinking he’s a butthole and I’m wrong? What if—”
“Oh lord above, enough with the melodramatics,” my dad burst in, shutting me up. “Give her the damn letter, Heather. I’m trying to read the newspaper.”
I didn’t know what I was hearing, but my eyes flitted between my parents.
“I was going to get more out of her than that, Robert!”
“I know, but she was getting all… screechy and I want to read the news.”
The conversation continued between them like I wasn’t there, and they hadn’t just confused the poop out of me.
“Stop talking,” I said calmly. My mom, sensing she’d lost the advantage she was gaining with my dad, reached into the pocket of her apron and handed me the letter she’d claimed to have thrown away. “Why did you say you’d trashed it?”
“We needed to see how you really felt about him. I’d say there’s unfinished business on both sides according to his love letter, so I’m expecting you to be the Daisy I raised, one with manners and good grace, and hear what he has to say before you completely condemn him.”
As I took the letter off her, it felt like it weighed a thousand tons in my hand. I stood up and left the kitchen, retreating to the privacy of my own room to read it. When I put my hand on the door to close it, I heard my dad shout, “And your brother ripping his balls off will be the least of his worries if he upsets you again.”
Two hours later, I was still in my room and my mom had clearly had enough. The anticipation over what I was going to do was killing her as much as me, and by the time she’d knocked on the door to ask, I’d read the letter so many times I could have rewritten it backwards.
“Well?” she asked, throwing her hands up in frustration.
“I don’t know. I just don’t know if I’m ready to see him.”
“But what about the things he alluded to in his letter, his reasons? You know that wretched woman. It’s not a stretch to believe what she was up to.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know!” I screamed back at her, grabbing my coat and purse.
“Where are you going?” she wailed, following me out of the door like some deranged person. Although, let’s face it, I was the deranged one.
“To the office. I’m going to get my stuff, and maybe I can take some of this frustration out on the snake who deserves it.”
Leaving her standing, completely flustered and looking like she was about ready to strangle me with her apron strings, I pushed past her and headed for the office, in the perfect mood to deal with Meredith and Lydia.
There were no paps holding the building under siege. It was like a regular day. I drove past three times, wondering whether I could be bothered to go in and get my belongings. I didn’t really have anything of value in my drawers apart from a few pictures of my family and friends at the shelter that didn’t deserve to be trashed.
What I really needed to do was put this building in my past, face up to the women who had caused me so much upset and close it down with no regrets. I would not let that woman chase me away like I’d done something wrong. I had friends who worked here and I did not want the last thing they saw of me to be that disastrous eviction from the mansion.
Decision made.
I would go in there and close the door on that part of my life.
It should have been that simple, but when I walked up to the building and took a cursory, sentimental glance at Kade’s begging post, I felt the air whoosh from my lungs.
There, larger than life and more handsome than my brain could ever visualize, was Kade, with Brody waiting patiently beside him. Wearing shades and a cap I guessed he was trying to hide in plain sight, but I’d have recognized him anywhere. I’d dreamt about those long limbs and his lithe body often enough to know it was Kade who had his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall. He looked as handsome as ever and I knew I needed to hear him out or I’d never be able to erase him from my heart.
Forty-Nine
Kade Sutton
Fuck there she was. The woman I was most definitely in love with. The way my lungs felt like they might give out and my heart was desperate to be in beating distance of hers told me so. Mainly, it was the fact that I felt complete at the sight of her. I knew in that instant it didn’t matter where I ended up in life as long as Daisy was by my side. I only hoped she felt the same way but when she wrapped her arms around her waist, I knew the barriers were already there.
Pushing away from the wall I’d been leaning against I took a single step forward. Hesitant for fear my moving would scare her away. She was like a hunted deer, anxious and on high alert waiting to be snared and I hated that I made her feel that way.
“Daisy,” I called. It was a plea as much as an acknowledgment.
Back wearing her glasses, she pushed them up her nose and then straightened her back, elongating her neck. She looked elegant and defiant; she looked regal. Which was no surprise because she was my fucking Queen, whether she’d been crowned it on some damn TV show or not.
Taking a chance, I took another step. Brody was next to me and I was surprised that he hadn’t run straight to Daisy. He loved her as much as I did, but like always, he knew when I needed him. When I needed him by my side, to center me.
“Please don’t go,” I said as I spotted a slight movement of her foot in a pair of tartan patterned chucks. “I need to tell you everything. Explain things.”
My pulse raced as the moments of silence seemed to scream out that she wasn’t going to give me a chance. But, when she dropped her arms to her side, I felt like there might be a hint of hope.
“I got your letter,” she said, her voice soft yet sure. “That explains everything, so unless there’s anything else.”
When she shrugged my throat crackled with emotion. She was going to run. My letter hadn’t been enough.
“Please Daisy.” I held out my hands like I’d done many times before, begging for food or spare change. Now I was pleading for a future with her.
She shook her head and I thought that was it. The end. But, instead of turning and walking away Daisy opened her arms out wide and threw herself at me. Surprised and shocked but more than ready, I caught her.
When her body hit mine and her legs came around my waist, I wrapped her in my arms, pulling her closer. Desperately engulfing her in an embrace that I was going to make so safe she’d never want to leave it. My heart thudded against hers as
our mouths sought each other’s, anxious to be joined wherever was possible despite being in the middle of a sidewalk.
Hands grabbed, breaths mingled, and souls entwined as we kissed and touched, erasing all the shit that had happened to us. Not only the mansion but everything that had come before.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” I whispered against her lips. “So very sorry.”
“No,” Daisy replied, holding my face in her small hands. “You have nothing to be sorry for. It’s all on her that sorry excuse for a human being. She’s a fu-fu-fucking cunt.”
Shocked I leaned back and looked at her face, all crumpled with anger, and I probably shouldn’t have, but I bust out laughing.
“But she is,” Daisy cried, adjusting herself in my hold. “We could have lost each other because of her.”
Moving my hands to grab her ass and trying to ignore how hard my dick was, I nodded. “I know and she will get hers one day.”
Daisy made to put her legs down. “Yeah well, I vote she gets it now.”
“Nope.” I hitched her back up my body, anchoring her to me with my hands. “I don’t want her spoiling this for us. I have too much I need to tell you, we have too much to plan. Meredith Hennessy is not tainting anything else for us.”
A quiet gasp escaped Daisy’s mouth. “Did you see the video?” she asked quietly as her face disappeared against my shirt.
“Hey,” I said kissing the top of her head. “Look at me.”
Slowly she lifted her eyes and peeked at me from under her long, dark lashes.
“Don’t be ashamed of what we are. What we have. The only shame is for the pervert who ordered it be filmed and the fucking douchebag who followed those orders. Not you, Daisy, never you.”
She lifted her head fully and gave me the brightest of smiles. “I love you, Kade.”
My heart felt full. Because of the beautiful woman in my arms, my world had gone from black, to grey and finally multi-colored with the joy and love she’d brought to it.
“I love you,” I replied, inhaling her scent vowing to always remember it and every second of that moment. How she had made me feel. The man she made me want to be for her. “So damn much, Dais’.”
Our lips joined again, this time in a hard kiss that felt like it was a stamp on what we were starting. And when Daisy finally sighed, contentedly, I felt the release of the fear I’d had on my shoulders for years.
“Let’s go home,” I whispered. “And you can tell me all about your trip.”
“Home?” she asked. “My parents are at my apartment.”
I shook my head. “My home, well my temporary one. I’ve got a small apartment over in the business district.”
“Oh, wow,” she breathed out, her eyes lighting up with pride. “That’s amazing, Kade. I’m so happy for you, getting your own place.”
“Well, like I said it’s just temporary, but it's nice and I’m pretty excited to show you.” I stole another kiss, and then placed Daisy back on the sidewalk.
“Hey buddy.” She immediately dropped to her knees and fussed over my boy who’d been waiting patiently by my side. “What’ve you been up to while I was gone, hey?”
Looking down at my two favorite beings on earth, I laughed and shook my head. “Well,” I said, putting my hand out for her to take. “Let’s just say the apartment isn’t the only surprise I have for you.”
With a beautiful smile she stood and hand in hand, with Brody trotting alongside, we left the sidewalk where it had all begun for us and moved toward our future.
Epilogue
Kade Sutton-King
“Please, Kade,” Claudia whined. “It will take you ten minutes, that’s all.”
“Nope,” I grumbled, cutting into my Christmas turkey. “It’s been over two years and there is no way they even care anymore. And for the love of God, stop feeding Brody. A doggie weight loss class is not in the business plan.”
“God, you’re so grumpy.” My sister leaned into Brody’s snout and started talking to him in a stupid baby voice. “Your daddy is a grumpster, a meanie grumpster. Yes, he is, yes, he is, yes he-”
“Claudia,” Dad snapped. “You heard your brother. He said no. He does not want to meet all your college friends and have photographs taken with them, and Brody is starting to waddle. Lay off feeding him snacks. Your mom is just as bad, and between you, you’re spoiling him.”
Claudia was in her first year of college, and while I loved her dearly, she was a demanding little princess.
“Yeah,” Noah added around a mouthful of food. “He’s finished being a celebrity. Although, he was pretty crap at it anyway. Brody was the real star of the show.”
With a grin, I threw a carrot at my brother and started to laugh, despite myself. Noah shook his head and continued to stuff his face. We’d become really close over the last couple of years since the show and spent a lot of time together. At least we had until a couple of months ago when he’d moved to New York to work as a sports journalist. Journalism had been his major at college, but hockey had been his priority, working to get drafted from the farm team he played for. Unfortunately, just three months after I left the show and became part of the family, Noah suffered a career ending injury to his ACL. It had resulted in him taking a cadetship at a sport magazine and then working damn hard to get his job as one of the junior sports writers for the New York Times.
“Boys, please,” Elizabeth chided. “Stop behaving like children. You’re both grown men for goodness sake, and Nicholas, I do not spoil that little cutie pie.”
Christ, even she was at the baby-dog talk now.
Noah and I giggled like little children, and I knew that if we’d grown up together, we’d have got into some real shit.
“You know Kade’s problem, Mom,” Noah said, taking a sip of his wine. “He needs to get laid. How long is it now?”
“Euw,” Claudia groaned. “Purlease, I do not want to think about my brother having sex.”
“That’s the problem, Claude. He isn’t.”
Noah roared laughing, and while I couldn’t help but smile, he was right. I was feeling real frustrated and was totally pissed, hence why I’d said no to Claudia’s request to meet her college friends. I never said no to Claudia, ever!
“Leave him alone, Noah,” Dad said with a smirk. “It’s bad enough he has to cope with blue balls, without you giving him shit for it.”
“Nicholas!”
“Dad!”
We all started to laugh as Dad shrugged his shoulders and gave us a ‘wtf is wrong with that’ look. God, I loved that man, and my Christmas gift to him last year had been to take his name. I was now officially Kade Nicholas Sutton-King. Yep, it was a mouthful, but I loved seeing my dad’s eyes light up whenever he heard it.
“What’s going on?” a sweet, sexy voice said at the doorway.
I turned to see my beautiful wife entering the room, and yep, my dick stirred. It had been six long weeks since I’d been inside her and I was sure my balls were actually a nice shade of deep purple, not blue.
“Oh God, Daisy,” Claudia cried. “They’re being disgusting and talking about you and Kade having sex.”
Daisy’s eyes widened as she looked at me, and then slapped my arm. “Kade!”
I pulled her into my side and kissed the top of her head. “I can’t help it, baby. I miss you.”
“Well, Kade,” Elizabeth said with a sigh. “If you’d pushed a six-pound baby through your meemaw, you’d want at least six weeks of abstinence.”
“Mother, what the hell is a meemaw?” Noah roared.
“Well if you don’t know, Noah, then I think we failed when we told you about the birds and the bees when you were seven.”
As everyone started to laugh and chatter, I turned to Daisy and stroked a finger down her cheek.
“Is he okay?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah,” she said with a contented sigh. “He’s perfect and I’m still not the only one who thinks so. I can’t get Princess to leave his side.”
Princess was our crazy little pug. I’d adopted her shortly after the show, and when I heard her name, I had to have her. It was fate. I was a King, Daisy my Queen and now we had a Princess and both she and Brody had played key roles in my marriage proposal. I was sure my plan was foolproof, but I was extra determined to get the right answer and using our fur babies to make that happen was merely a back-up idea. When I was down on one knee under the huge willow tree in my parents’ garden, Claudia sent the dogs to us. Both were carrying signs, Brody’s said, ‘please don’t break his heart’, while Princess’ said, ‘don’t leave me to be the only girl in our gang’. Needless to say, Daisy loved it, and me, so said yes and then climbed me like a little spider monkey. As for Brody and Princess, well they got on like a dream, but as the pug was attached to my other little boy, Brody had the run of the kitchen both here and at our place. So yeah, he was getting a fat old boy.
Our son, Joshua Cory Sutton-King, had come screaming into the world just six weeks and one day ago, and as Daisy said, he was perfect. He was a King through and through, although he did have Daisy’s heart shaped lips and her good nature; he was a real placid, smiley baby and we barely knew that we had him, but shit we were so glad we did.
As Daisy helped herself to some more turkey, I couldn’t help but stare at her. She was so beautiful, and I thanked God every day for bringing her to me. I’d thought at one point that I’d lost her, but thankfully she believed me when I said I loved her and explained everything I’d done.
I’d been waiting in my old spot on the sidewalk every day for almost a week before she finally arrived at the office to get her stuff. I was pretty sure she wasn’t back from Europe, but the day after I posted her letter, I made it my daily routine to wait for her. I couldn’t risk her coming back early and missing her. I found out later that the first three days that I sat there, she was still in London, but hey, it wasn’t like I wasn’t used to sitting on the street all day. It just happened that time, I had to wear shades and a cap to avoid being recognized and had clean clothes on every day.
