Chapter 12
‘I’ll find Blake,’ I suddenly said before Henry could get fully out of his car. ‘Back in a min!’ I hurried off before Willow could stop me. I knew it was shitty to leave her to deal with both Sarah and Henry but I needed a minute to get my thoughts together.
Henry was on the farm! He’d tracked me down.
I was annoyed at myself for telling him I was staying with my cousin.
I had mentioned the farm a few times while we were together, and he must have remembered that and looked it up.
Now he’d driven out here. I had no idea if he was ready to have a go at me or try to talk me into going back with him but either way, I was in no hurry to find out.
I wasn’t sure when I’d become such a chicken but after running out of our wedding, I was now doing it again.
This time, just across to Willow’s cottages as my pulse raced.
I banged on the door where Blake was staying and called out his name.
The door opened and Blake stood there wearing a surprised frown. ‘What’s up, Daisy?’ he asked, taking in my harassed appearance. ‘You changed your hair.’
‘Oh.’ My turn to be surprised as I touched it. ‘Yeah, I did.’
‘It really suits you.’
That flummoxed me for a moment. ‘Thanks. We have a problem, though… Sarah and Henry have just turned up at the same time on the farm.’
Blake stared at me.
‘Your ex, Sarah, is here! And so is the man I left at the altar!’ I repeated, hoping he’d cotton on fast as they were both waiting for us with poor Willow. ‘What do we do?!’
Blake’s eyes widened. ‘I told her I’d think about meeting her. She’s just turned up?’
‘They both have,’ I repeated.
‘I wished I hadn’t told her where I was now.’ He looked as agitated as I felt.
‘My phone is still off. I told Henry I was here but I didn’t think he’d even remember where it was! I feel bad – I left Willow with them. We can’t hide or run, I guess…’ I trailed off, wondering whether we could actually try to do that.
Blake sighed and came out of the cottage, closing the door behind him. ‘No, I guess we can’t. Shall we face them together?’ he asked, understanding floating between us. We both didn’t want to do this, for different reasons.
I felt a bit better that I wasn’t alone in this. I nodded. ‘Okay.’ I took a deep breath and together, we set off walking back towards the farmhouse.
As we drew nearer, I saw Willow and her dad were outside now with Sarah and Henry. It looked like a stilted conversation was being had. Maple saw us and came bounding over with a bark, clearly excited by all the people on the farm.
‘Hey, girl,’ I said, giving her a pat as she came over, weaving in between us. Blake had to move over to avoid walking into her and then I didn’t see my shoelaces were undone so I tripped a little bit.
‘You okay?’ Blake grabbed my arm to steady me as Maple ran back towards Willow at her whistle.
‘Your laces,’ he said, gesturing as we stopped.
He kept a hand on my shoulder as I bent down to tie them back up.
When I stood up, we were suddenly really close together.
He caught my gaze and smiled reassuringly, rewarding me with a flash of his dimples again.
‘It’ll be okay,’ he promised in a low voice.
I smiled back gratefully. ‘You too.’
Blake let go of me and we set off again, walking towards the group, who were watching us closely. Henry and Sarah walked away from Willow and my uncle towards us. Willow and Adam stared at us all like they couldn’t believe what was happening.
Neither could I.
I reluctantly met Henry’s piercing gaze when we stopped in front of them.
But it was Sarah who spoke first. She put her hands on her hips as she glared at Blake. ‘So, you thought you’d get your own back and find someone else?’ she asked, gesturing angrily towards me.
I glanced at Blake in surprise. I realised we were standing close together after he’d stopped me from tripping, and he’d waited with me while I re-tied my shoes. Blake looked down at me, also shocked.
‘I suppose I asked for that, but seriously, Blake? After all we’ve been through! You could have let me explain everything before you jumped into bed with her!’ Sarah continued furiously, not waiting for a response.
Both Blake and I flinched. Before I could defend myself, Henry stepped forward, giving me an incredulous look, his face turning red.
‘You can’t seriously have left me for this man?
I won’t believe it! I know that you love me.
We belong together. You don’t belong here, with this man, it’s madness, Daisy!
You need to come with me now so we can discuss this. Right now.’
I stared at him, my stomach plummeting at that tone I recognised all too well.
It was the one he used when arguing in business meetings like his word was fact and the rest of the world was wrong if they didn’t agree with him.
He had jumped, right along with Sarah, to the conclusion that something was going on with me and Blake.
‘I said come on,’ Henry reiterated.
‘How dare you speak to her like that!’ A low growl came out of Blake, causing all three of us to stare at him in surprise.
‘She’s not your property to command,’ Blake continued calmly but coldly, staring down at Henry with disgust, their height difference appearing even bigger now that Blake was angry.
‘What has it got to do with you? You two can’t be together?’ Henry looked between us both, shocked and disbelieving that I would choose to consider any man but him.
I spluttered but couldn’t get any words out.
‘Did you meet her in the few days we’ve been apart?’ Sarah demanded of Blake then. ‘It’s ridiculous; she can’t mean anything to you.’
Henry glanced at her. ‘They’re not together; Daisy took weeks to say yes to having dinner with me.’
‘We’re old friends,’ Blake blurted out. This time, I stared at him. He turned to me. His eyes were wide, his expression apologetic. He lifted his hands in the air then put them back down. ‘Aren’t we?’ he asked, his tone uncertain. I didn’t know what to say.
‘That’s right.’ Willow stepped over to us then. ‘They’re old friends. They went to school with my boyfriend, and are staying on my farm, for as long as they want.’
I felt like this was all getting out of my control but I didn’t know how to stop it. Henry was furious, Blake was glaring at him and Willow was looking at me anxiously. I was so confused.
‘Well, Daisy? Is this true?’ Henry said to me.
Taking a deep breath, I knew that if I said Blake and Willow had made that up, Henry would be proved right that Blake and I were just strangers, and he would assume that I would go home with him.
I panicked that I would have to leave when I was starting to feel better here so I went along with the pretence. ‘Yes, we are old friends…’
‘Is he an ex?’ Henry demanded. ‘Is this why you never mentioned him?’
‘Not an ex, but we have reconnected here, yes,’ I blurted out, my back up at his condescending tone.
‘So, I was right – you’re seeing each other?’ Sarah demanded of us.
‘I don’t believe this,’ Henry repeated, shaking his head.
A gust of wind blew across the farm then, and Sarah cried out as she clutched her hair. ‘I need to go inside,’ she exclaimed. ‘Please, Blakey. You can’t just end it like this!’
‘Good idea,’ Henry said quickly. ‘You two go and talk somewhere. Daisy, let’s go for a walk. I want to talk to you alone.’
‘Don’t speak to her like that,’ Blake told him again, glaring.
‘Maybe we should all calm down…’ Willow said worriedly. It did seem like Blake and Henry could easily come to blows if this carried on.
Sarah grabbed Blake’s arm. ‘Please, Blakey. Can we talk alone inside? I know you’ve done this to punish me. I get it. But she can’t mean as much to you as I do. And what about our business together?’ She stared up at him with glistening eyes.
I watched as Blake’s chest sagged. He was clearly torn.
I felt bad for him. He’d stuck up for me and lied to Henry to help me and now he felt terrible for lying.
Pushing aside my nerves, I did what I needed to do to help him in return.
‘It’s okay,’ I said, looking at Blake. ‘Go and speak to Sarah in your cottage. Henry, let’s go for a walk.
’ I glanced at Willow. ‘It’ll be fine,’ I promised her although I wasn’t at all sure it would be.
‘I don’t want to leave you,’ Blake said. All eyes were on us but for a second, I didn’t notice them as I met his earnest gaze.
‘It will be okay,’ I said softly.
Henry let out a loud puff of air. ‘Can we go, please?’ he said impatiently, starting to walk away. I remembered then all the times he had walked on ahead of me like he couldn’t bring himself to match my slower pace.
‘Finally,’ Sarah said, starting to move towards Blake’s cottage.
Blake kept his eyes on me. ‘Well, I guess, I better…’
Somehow, I found myself reaching out to give his arm a gentle squeeze. ‘I’ll see you later,’ I said.
‘You will,’ he promised me. It made me feel a tiny bit better.
‘Daisy,’ Willow said as I started to follow Henry. ‘Make sure you do what you want to do, yeah? I’m here if you need me.’
I nodded, grateful that people cared about me here. ‘Thanks, Willow.’
It felt way too soon to face Henry but I had no choice.
Like he always did, he’d bulldozed in, giving me no chance to work out how I felt by turning up here.
And now I’d fallen into a lie that Blake and I weren’t strangers but old friends that were reconnecting.
Sarah thought we were seeing each other and neither of us had denied it.
Everything felt like it was swimming out of my control. I didn’t like being sucked back to feeling like I wasn’t in charge of my own life. I’d had five years of it. And was just starting to think about what I wanted again.
But now, Henry was here and I was scared that I’d go back to who I was before our wedding. So, I needed to go along with the pretence that I was dating Blake. And hope that would make Henry give me the time and space I needed.