Forever Love at Wildflower Lock (The Wildflower Lock #4)

Chapter 70

70

Daisy had hoped that a shower would help, that the cold water would wake her up and make her see with absolute clarity that she had made the right decision. But unfortunately, it didn’t. Instead, it just made all the memories clearer in her mind. The look of betrayal and disbelief in Theo’s eyes. The anger that it had transformed to. Heather had been right about her. Of course she had. Heather was perfect. Beautiful, smart, a family woman who knew before she was even married what she wanted her future to be. She was the type of person Theo should end up with. Of course, Daisy had ruined that chance for him, but there were plenty of lovely people out there. Someone would be good enough for him, and he would find them, get married, have the family he dreamed of, and she would become nothing more than a distant memory. A barely significant chapter in the story of his life.

‘God, you look like crap. Now tell me, what the hell is going on?’ Claire wasn’t normally the one to offer the hard truths to Daisy; that was Bex’s job. Claire would offer the softer mothering approach instead, but at that moment, she didn’t look soft at all. ‘Have you lost your mind?’

‘Don’t you start,’ Daisy groaned as she walked over to the coffee machine. She wasn’t planning on opening the café that day, but that wasn’t going to stop her from having several double espressos.

‘I’m just trying to work out what happened,’ Claire said when Daisy was sat back on the sofa. ‘You two are perfect together, living your crazy lives on these boats of yours. He adores you. And you adore him. At least, I thought you did.’

‘Oh, I do,’ Daisy said. After all, there was no point in lying about how she felt – Claire would see straight through it. And her feelings weren’t the reason she had ended things. Not directly, anyway. ‘He’s the best person I’ve ever known. But that’s just me being short-sighted. I have to think about the future. I have to face facts.’

‘What facts? Theo wants to marry you.’ Claire’s face was a crumple of confusion.

‘Yeah, so much so, he didn’t even think about the ring he was giving me. And I’m not saying I’m mad at that. I get why he wanted me to have it, but maybe it was a sign that neither of us wanted to consider. I mean, if he ignores something that significant, then it’s not meant to be, is it?’

‘Do you know how many thoughtless things Ian has done in our marriage? And by thoughtless, I mean he just didn’t think? It’s not malicious. Just sometimes people don’t think. Do you not remember the day before our wedding when he took a friend’s last-minute ticket to see Green Day because he’d booked the day off work and totally forgot it was to sort out the wedding venue?’

Daisy let out a brief chuckle. She remembered that day as clearly as if it had been the week before. Claire and Ian had booked a fairly nondescript barn for the reception and, given their budget, had opted to do everything themselves, from putting up lights and colourful bunting, to securing large, flowing drapes which hung from the ceiling. Only Ian’s mishap meant Daisy and Bex were working on it until gone midnight.

‘If anyone was going to read into signs as to why they shouldn’t get married, then surely that would be one?’ Claire said. ‘I could have called it off then and there. God knows my mother wanted me to. But then think of all the years of happiness I would have missed out on.’

‘But that’s different,’ Daisy said. ‘You and Ian were born to be together. You knew that from day one. You’re soulmates.’

‘What does that mean?’ Claire said, looking Daisy straight in the eye. ‘We fell in love young and ridiculously quickly, yes. But it takes more than that to make a relationship a happy one that lasts. We both make mistakes. We’re human. But any relationship, whether it’s marriage or not, is about forgiveness and tolerance and compromise.’

A slight snort left Daisy’s lips. ‘Compromise is just a nice way of saying no one gets what they want,’ she said, quoting her mother.

Claire frowned. ‘I don’t see it that way at all. Neither does Ian. For us, a compromise is a way we get to make sure the other person is happy. It isn’t about someone losing out at all, and it doesn’t have to be,’ she said. ‘If anything, it’s the opposite. I’m happy when I can make something work that means Ian is happy too. That’s what being in a relationship is about, isn’t it? Wanting each other to be happy.’

Daisy recalled Theo’s words to her from the night before. How he’d said that all he wanted to do was make her happy. And she felt the same way, too. She liked to do things she knew would make him smile. Like when she shut up the shop a little earlier, even though she might miss out on a few sales, because she wanted to get back and make sure the Narrow Escape was tidy the way he liked it. Or when he got up every weekend to work with her, even though he had a full-time job of his own, so they got to spend more time together. Making him happy was what made her happiest too.

A slight warmth began to fill her, but Daisy shook her head and forced it down. Two years wasn’t that long into a relationship really, was it? And of course they’d wanted to spend so much time together, given all the months he’d lived away. But that would change, wouldn’t it? The honeymoon stage would always have ended at some point. Better now than ten years down the road.

‘You know what, I think I should probably open up now,’ Daisy said, standing up and downing her drink in one. ‘You don’t want to hang around here with me. You must have more important things to do.’

‘Actually,’ Claire said, pushing back her shoulders and giving Daisy a look that was almost withering, ‘being with you right now is the most important thing I have to do. And as I’m a dab hand at making cappuccinos, I’m going to stay and help, and don’t you dare try to stop me.’