41. Daisy
***Daisy***
Istared down at my phone during a forced break from the marina chaos.
The Oopsie Daisy Bakery’s social media account was open, completely under my control, and only my control.
I’d never been interested in the media side of things but I’d done enough TV shows and broadcasts to know a little about PR.
What Brooke had been doing had killed some of the momentum online for the bakery and I wasn’t surprised.
She’d only posted about herself. It’d taken me far too long to take control.
Thinking about Kacey calling me brave, I decided that maybe I was brave.
I was either brave enough, or stupid enough, to feel hopeful about having some kind of relationship with three men at the same time.
If I was brave enough to face all of Sweetwater Cove after being seen with Max and Wes that morning, I was brave enough to take control of my business’ online presence.
I turned on my camera and made sure I still looked put together before hitting record.
Sending out a holiday message to everyone and inviting them all to the bakery when it reopened the next day, I kept a smile on my face that felt real and warm.
With the lake in the background, the video felt charming and welcoming.
I’d never posted anything of myself before and it was scary to do but I had to take control. Of my business and my life.
Posting it left me anxious enough that I shoved my phone away and went for a walk down the main strip.
I was headed back to the marina but I took my time trying to blend in with the tourists because although I was being brave, I was still scared of seeing how the locals would look at me once the gossip reached them.
I was mid-thought about potentially dressing normally to blend in when a white sign in the window of Sweetwater Sweets and Treats caught my eye.
Moving out of the throng of people, I had to nearly press myself against the glass to avoid being in the way.
The sign was smaller than a notebook sized sheet of paper but the message was huge.
The owner was retiring at the end of the summer.
A buzz went through me as I read and reread the note.
When the summer ended, the bakery would close for good.
I slowly pulled out my phone and snapped a photo while ignoring the constant vibration of incoming notifications.
The owner was motivated to sell the building so they could retire to California with their children.
Everything around me faded into nothing more than white noise.
My heart had even slowed. Was it a sign?
The rest of the day was spent thinking about that sign. By the time Wes shut the bar and grill part of the marina so everyone could enjoy the fireworks my brain was practically smoking.
“Hey, sweetheart. Did you miss me?” Flynn had just come back from picking up the kids from Charlie’s mom’s house. They were already exhausted from a full day and struggling to keep their eyes open.
I smiled at the way the kids were all piled into a wagon with Hank on top of them. “I missed all of you, of course.”
He dropped the wagon handle and wrapped me in a tight hug. “But me more, right?”
I rolled my eyes and let him hold me for a few moments longer. I’d worked myself up all day and I needed to be held in a soothing embrace. Not that I thought Flynn would appreciate his hold being called soothing. Enticing, maybe, but not soothing. “Of course, I missed the kids more. Duh.”
He tugged the end of a curl and winked. “Sure.”
I got the kids settled in a more comfortable position in their wagon, with Hank squeezed in beside them instead of on top of them.
He was even sitting up like they were. While I handed them juice boxes and headphones that Wes had insisted on Max showed up with Wes right behind him.
We were sitting on the dock in front of the shop, set up in the only private spot that hadn’t been commandeered by others.
Because of where we were, though, I felt like we were on display.
I sat in my camping chair and stared at the darkening sky.
I was feeling melancholy after thinking and overthinking about the shop closing in town.
It forced me to really consider how I felt about the guys and how they felt about me.
I was being insane by even considering thinking about that soon to be empty shop.
I had no business imagining something permanent.
No one had mentioned anything about what happened after the summer ended.
Yet…the hope that had been blooming inside me was loud about not wanting to leave.
I’d grown attached to the kids, to their fathers, and to Calloway Cove.
It was hard to imagine waking up alone in my home without morning cuddles from still sleepy kids.
I’d miss working across from Wes each morning.
I’d miss Max just showing up with something I hadn’t even realized I needed yet.
I’d miss Flynn insisting on coming home before his brothers to have more time with me than they got.
“Hey. What’s wrong?” Wes sat down beside me and made a face before standing up and pulling me to my feet. “Your chair is the good chair.”
I thought he was going to put me down in the other chair but he surprised me by pulling me down into his lap. I gasped and then buried my face in his neck when I felt people staring. “Wes!”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and grunted. “It’s fine, Daisy. Now tell me what’s wrong.”
I lowered my voice to an urgent whisper. “What are you doing?”
“Staking my claim?” He laughed at the sour face I sat up to shoot him. “If you hadn’t noticed, baby, I’m letting you and everyone else know that you’re mine.”
Flynn grunted. “He means ours.”
I looked to Max for some normalcy but he just winked at me. “Get used to it.”
I had to be dreaming. I reached down and pinched myself just to wince when it hurt. Definitely awake, then. How were they the same men from earlier in the summer? Was it all about the sex for them? I didn’t understand.
Wes pressed my head back down on his shoulder and took slow, deep breaths until I had no choice but to relax.
“You feel right, Daisy. Right in a way that made me try again, that made Flynn decisive, that showed Max he could be happy without blowing his life up. Right enough that sharing you is better than missing you.”
My heart expanded in my chest and cracked itself open for them. The tiny bit of hesitation that had been keeping me from falling completely for them went up in flames. Afraid of how much I’d confess if I opened my mouth I just pressed into him even tighter.
They were claiming me. And I was going to let them. I was brave. Brave enough to take the leap. That closing bakery suddenly felt very important.