Chapter 11
Daisy
I felt bad watching Cruz finally see the real me. He looked so confused. I knew I should have just told him the truth, but it was kind of nice not being me for a change.
Maybe he was the only person who ever really saw the real me.
I’d been so surprised by his lack of response that I hadn’t known how to handle it. I wanted to shut him out because I was scared, but I hadn’t seemed to be able to. No one looked close enough to see my flaws, but Cruz had.
He made me nervous and skittish in a way I wasn’t used to.
He never demanded I talk or explain myself.
He didn’t put rules in place to dominate me.
He hadn’t even asked the hard questions.
And when I’d pulled away when he’d tried to kiss me, he hadn’t made me feel bad for it as if there was something wrong with me.
He was patient and kind under that calloused exterior.
But none of that changed the fact that meeting the Alpha and his family and seeing their excitement just felt normal. This was within my comfort zone. I could handle this a whole lot better than my mate.
I could stand before a crowd of thousands and pour my heart out through my songs easier than standing vulnerably before Cruz or becoming intimate with him. It was really screwed up and wasn’t sure what exactly it said about me.
“I still can’t believe it. Daisy Brooks is right here in Collier, in my living room,” Lily said.
“Could we have your autograph?” Audrey asked.
I smiled warmly. “Of course you can.”
The four older girls ran off and each returned with a Daisy Brooks item. Cammie had a T-shirt. “I was going to wear this to your concert in Cheyenne. Mama got tickets for the two of us for my birthday. Wait. Are you still having the concert?”
“I am,” I told her.
“Then why are they saying it’ll be canceled on the TV?”
“It’s just a misunderstanding. I have no plans to cancel.”
“Maybe you should tell your fans that. You could update your blog or post it on social,” she suggested.
Lily was watching me closely.
I had a blog? I didn’t even know that. And I didn’t have access to any social media. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. But I just smiled, not wanting to alarm her.
Next, Willow thrust an album in my face to sign.
“She’s my old soul,” Lily explained. “My sweet book-and-music-loving girl.”
Audrey had a book of stickers and cards for me to sign. When I thumbed through it, there were dozens of pictures of me.
Cruz had mostly been talking to Thomas, but he came up behind me and looked over my shoulder at one of the pages.
“That doesn’t even look like you, all glammed up like that.” Then as he walked back to Thomas, I could have sworn I heard him mumble, “Much prettier in person.”
I bit back my grin, but I knew I was blushing. I also was well aware that Lily was watching.
Lastly, a small girl came over and handed me a teddy bear. It took me a minute to realize the bear was decked out in a Daisy Brooks T-shirt and glammed up in sparkles.
“What’s your name, sweetie?”
“That’s Lilah,” Audrey answered for her.
“Do you like my music too, Lilah?”
She eagerly nodded. “I like the one about running through the woods.”
Ronnie had yelled at me for writing it because he knew it was more about my wolf than me.
Since Knox didn’t know anything about that part of my life, he fought for the song and surprisingly won.
He didn’t see the wolf behind the words the way Ronnie and I did, but that just made it more universally connecting.
For Knox, it reminded him of his childhood, growing up in the country and playing in the woods.
Jonny had a different connection to the song.
For him, it was about sneaking out and meeting Cassie in the woods late at night.
And Cash shared that him and the boys used to head to this place in the woods where they’d sit around drinking and dreaming of the future.
Who knew what Jed thought. He wasn’t much into sharing.
“That’s one of my favorites too,” I admitted.
From what I could tell, on top of the four older girls, Lily and Thomas also had twin toddlers.
“And who are these little cuties?” I asked.
“This is Terra, and this one is Tommy.”
Terra was running all over the place, but Tommy hadn’t left his mother’s arms since I arrived.
Maybe it was because he was the only boy in their family, or maybe there was more to it, but the girls seemed strong and independent whereas he was attached to his mother.
And when she did finally set him down on a blanket on the floor, he just laid there squirming.
I tried not to stare, but when she said that the babies were twins, I was shocked at the night and day difference between them.
“You have a beautiful family,” I told her.
“Thanks. We are so excited to have you here. But I have to know . . . Why does your management team seem to think you’re missing? I mean there’s a two-hundred-thousand-dollar reward for information on your whereabouts.”
I groaned. “It’s a long story.”
“Hold up. I need to make a phone call.”
Within fifteen minutes, Sydney arrived.
“What is this emergency?” she demanded, looking a little frazzled.
Lily just pointed to me. “It’s Daisy.”
“Cruz’s mate? We’ve met,” she said without even turning to look at me.
“What?” Lily shrieked. “And you didn’t think to mention it to me?”
“I didn’t know you’d be so invested in Cruz’s love life.”
“Cruz is mated to the Daisy Brooks, and you didn’t think I would care to know that?”
Sydney’s jaw dropped as her head whipped in my direction.
I gave her an awkward little wave.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you again.”
“Daisy Brooks?!” she yelled. “You’re the Daisy Brooks?”
“Syd’s a big fan, too,” Lily explained to me before turning back to Sydney. “How the hell did you not know it was Daisy Brooks?”
“Just Daisy is fine,” I muttered.
“She was wearing one of those ski masks that covered half her face. We were playing in the snow and it was cold so I didn’t think anything of it. You’re telling me I was hanging out with Daisy Brooks and didn’t know it?”
They both stared at me. I wanted to melt into the floor or something.
For a moment, I remembered Ronnie’s warning about getting too close to fans. They can be obsessive and dangerous. Boundaries could be skewed if I was too nice. Never put a toe out of line or things could go from fun to really bad in the blink of an eye.
Is this what he’d meant by that?
Lily and the kids were one thing, but adding Sydney into the mix felt like the women were feeding off each other’s excitement.
Cruz seemed to pick up on my fear as he came over and stood behind me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I shook my head and kept smiling, but I was very grateful for his presence.
“Calm it down you two,” Thomas said, and the room filled with the warmth of Alpha power.
“Don’t you dare use that Alpha shit on me, Thomas Collier.”
“You’re going to piss Mama off with that,” Cammie warned him.
“I know what I’m doing,” he assured her. “If you would calm down for five seconds and actually look at her, you’d realize you’re making Daisy and Cruz both nervous.”
“I’m okay,” I told them.
“No, you’re not,” Cruz insisted, but when he laid his hands on my shoulders, all my nerves disappeared.
Lily and Sydney were watching.
“Aw. Did you see that?” Syd gushed.
“They’re true mates,” Lily confirmed.
“Okay, time to go,” Cruz said.
I grinned up at him. He had the ability to not only calm me down, but to make me laugh. Life just seemed lighter with him. I loved it. It made me never want to leave, but I knew I had a responsibility to so many others that it would be impossible to stay.
“They are fanatic nutcases the way they appear,” Thomas said. “But they do feed off each other and find trouble every time they’re together.”
The two women looked at each other and burst out laughing.
I envied how close they were. I’d never had anything like that in my life before, not even with my sister. It was beautiful.
“Sorry Daisy,” Syd said. “We really are big fans of your music. But I liked you before I knew who you are.”
“Yeah, and we really would like to get to know you, not Daisy Brooks the superstar, but Daisy, Cruz’s mate,” Lily explained.
My heart raced—Cruz’s mate.
That thought still weirded me out, but this time, it also thrilled me a bit hearing it said aloud and having someone else acknowledge it.
“I’d like that,” I told them.
“We still want tickets to your next concert,” Sydney added.
“We already have those,” Cammie announced.
Lily took a few steps away from Sydney.
“Lil! Are you kidding me? You got tickets without me?”
“I could only get three. I’m sorry. I told Cammie and Audrey they could go with me.”
Sydney crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Lily.
I laughed. “Stop worrying. I kind of have an inside connection that can get you all in for the Cheyenne concert. Or I could just do a free one right here in town as long as we keep it to Pack only. Ronnie will kill me if he finds out, but I think it would be fun.”
Cruz growled at the mention of Ronnie killing me. I wasn’t about to tell him that wasn’t a joke. The only reason he wouldn’t follow through with it would be because I couldn’t do any future concerts from the grave. Otherwise, he absolutely would.
The whole room went quiet as all eyes turned to me.
“Don’t tease me like that,” Sydney said.
“I wasn’t teasing. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. I’m not sure I can get my band here, but I can try. If not, just give me a guitar and I’ll solo act it.”
Lily grabbed Sydney’s arm and for a second I thought her head might actually explode.
“I think she’s serious. We have planning to do!” Lily squealed.
“Now I just need to find a way to reach Knox. Unfortunately, my little disappearing stunt has cut me off from everyone.”
“What do you mean?” Cammie asked.