Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
DAISY
“I think we should reschedule dinner. I think I’m coming down with something.” She covered her mouth, and I knew she was pretending to cough.
We were going to my parents’ for dinner and had decided to tell them we were together. We were both on the same page on that front, or at least I thought.
“What’s really bothering you, besides your fake cough? I don’t need to be hearing to know that wasn’t real.”
She scowled at me and I kissed her nose. She was smiling when I pulled back. “What if they hate me? What if we tell them we’re together, and they don’t approve? What if they hate me?”
“Oh, baby. No one could ever hate you.” She rolled her eyes, but I continued. “I’m serious, Kai. You know my parents love you, and they’ve thought we were together this whole time. It won’t be a shock to them, and they are not going to hate you. If they do, then we deal with it, okay?”
She pouted. “That is not helpful, Daisy.”
I laughed. “Please relax. Trust me, they will not hate you. You’re the favorite. If anything, they will hate me for corrupting their good daughter.”
“You spend too much time around Drea. Is she teaching a drama class I don’t know about?”
I nudged her shoulder and smiled. “You’re funny. Are you ready to go?”
She visibly sighed and nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Want me to help you relax before we go? We don’t have a lot of time, but I can be quick and effective.” I winked.
“As… amazing as that sounds, I’m going to decline. The last thing that would help me relax is sitting through a dinner knowing their daughter had just made me come. It’s bad enough I’ll be trying not to think about how fast we can get back home. Let’s go, horn dog.”
She grabbed me by the belt loop of my jeans and brought our mouths together. My hands instantly went to her waist, and I was tempted to text my parents and cancel our plans. All I wanted was to stay home and do exactly what we were doing.
I pouted all the way to their house when she ended the kiss.
Her hand on my leg as she drove softened me a little, but I was being stubborn, so I couldn’t show weakness.
Until we stopped at a red light and she leaned over to brush a piece of hair behind my ear before kissing my neck. Then I couldn’t stay mad anymore.
“Cheater,” I said, but there was no bite to it. She winked and carried on driving, as if I wasn’t a horny mess beside her.
“So, girls, what’s new with you? How’s work going?” my mother asked as I was finishing the little bit of mashed potatoes on my plate.
I looked toward Kaia, who raised her eyebrow and nodded to me like she wanted me to answer.
It would’ve been easier for her to say it since she could talk, but I understood why she wanted me to tell them.
They were my parents after all, and even though I swore they loved her more than they loved me, Kaia wasn’t comfortable enough to share this news with them.
I put down my fork and brought my hands up. “Work is good. The store is still doing amazing after the renovations. Kaia’s office is almost ready, and we’re dating. How’s it going with you?”
“I’m sorry. What was that?” My mom’s eyes couldn’t have gotten any brighter than if she actually lay on the sun.
I smiled. “You know what I said. Kaia and I are dating.”
She clapped and ran over to hug Kaia, who almost fell out of her chair. My dad smiled but didn’t try to knock us over, thank goodness.
My mother showered us both with hugs and kisses before asking me to help her clear the table. I groaned but obeyed anyway. I reached for Kaia’s wrist and squeezed it three times before I kissed her on the cheek and stood up to compile all the dishes.
When we got into the kitchen, I barely had time to put the dishes in the sink before my mother asked me every question in her brain. “Okay, tell me. When did it happen? Where did it happen? Tell me everything!”
I made a face and shook my head. “Mom! Calm down. It happened at Drea’s Christmas party. Before Christmas. I’m not telling you everything.”
“Right in time for Christmas? How romantic! How did it happen?”
I rolled my eyes and told her the clean version of the party. The kiss, our conversation, the next day when we decided to give things a real try. She smiled the entire time, and honestly, I did too. I couldn’t help it.
My life had been amazing since I’d met Kaia, but dating her had transported me onto a cloud. I found myself getting tingly on the inside more often than not, and at all hours of the day, I’d think about her or just want to always be near her.
“I’m so happy for you, baby. You know your father and I love Kaia. She’s been good for you. You are more outgoing when she’s around, and you smile more. I love to see you two together.”
“Thank you. I really like her, Mom.”
She smiled. “Oh, honey. I can tell. Long before tonight, I could tell there was something going on and you two hadn’t figured it out yet. But why now? You two have had eyes for each other since I’ve known you and Kaia together.”
I groaned. Mothers always sensed things like that. Kaia did say she’d liked me for a while, so maybe my mom was right, although I’d never tell her that. My feelings hadn’t just started, either, but I didn’t know what they were, exactly, or I didn’t acknowledge them until recently.
“It’s complicated, mom. We are best friends, and I don’t know her reasoning, but I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, and after my last relationship, I didn’t want that rejection and I didn’t want to get hurt again.”
“I understand that. So can I ask, what happened to break that strand between friendship and something more?”
I grinned, thinking of that night and how it changed us for the better. “I think it was when she moved in, honestly. I’d been noticing things about her that I hadn’t paid attention to in the past. And then, at the party, there was mistletoe.”
“Oh my God! Mistletoe? How romantic!”
“It was just supposed to be a quick peck. You know, a little kiss under the mistletoe. But it opened a floodgate of emotions for both of us, and I decided I wanted to see where they would take us. I wanted to at least try, you know? I knew there was no way I could carry on without seeing what would happen. Even if she didn’t want any part of it. ”
“Well, clearly she really does.”
I nodded. “Thank goodness for that. I was scared, but I’d rather not live with the what-ifs.”
“Daisy Ann?”
Oh goodie, my middle name. That was always a good sign. “What?” I asked tentatively.
Her smile only grew. “You’re in love with her.”
It wasn’t a question, and my heart threatened to leap out of my body.
In love? With Kaia? I had always had love for her.
She was my best friend and the only person besides my parents whom I trusted with my life.
If I was being honest with myself, I was in love with her, but I was scared.
Could I trust her with my heart? Could I give her every piece of me and know it would be loved and cared for?
I’d like to think so, but somewhere deep down, I still worried.
After a few seconds of deliberating with myself, I nodded.
“I’m scared, Mom. What if she doesn’t love me and I lose everything I care about?
What if she decides to leave and wants nothing to do with me?
” I wiped at the tears sliding down my face.
I usually didn’t cry in front of anyone, not even Kaia, but I couldn’t hide anything from my mom.
She came over and gave me one of her magic mom hugs and kissed my forehead.
“Sweetie. I would bet my life savings that woman is just as in love with you as you are with her. I’ve seen the way she looks at you when you’re not paying attention.
It’s like she doesn’t want to miss a single second.
Like she has to see every blink you make, count every strand of hair, love you every second of the day.
Baby, Kaia is crazy about you. She’d be silly not to be. ”
I wiped more tears away. It was a nice thought, but she couldn’t know that for sure. “Thanks, Mom. I don’t think I’m ready to tell her just yet, so please keep it between us. I need more time.”
“Of course, baby. Whatever you want. Just think about what I said, okay? You won’t know unless you talk to her.”
I nodded and gave her a hug. I had no plans to talk to Kaia about this anytime soon. I wanted to enjoy our bubble of bliss for a little while longer before I made a love confession and it was all over.
We started on the dishes and moved rather quickly with me washing and her drying. When they were all cleared up, we wiped off the counters and packed the leftovers before heading back to the living room.
My heart grew a few sizes when we walked in on Kaia and my dad together in an embrace. When they parted, he kissed her forehead, and it looked like he told her to not give up on me. Tears threatened to escape, but I managed to keep them in long enough to clear my throat.
They turned around, and Kaia’s smile was evident. She came over to me and wrapped me in a hug. I reveled in it and breathed her in, not wanting to leave.
“Are you ready to go?” I asked.
She nodded, and we made our way to the door. We said our goodbyes and promised to come back soon.
“You girls be safe, okay? Especially once you’re home.” She winked and I wanted to throw up.
“We’re leaving now. Love you.” She shrugged and waved as I took Kaia’s hand and left my embarrassing parents behind us.
Kaia was still laughing when we got in the car. “What did you guys talk about?” she asked when she finally wasn’t doubled over from laughing so hard. I’m glad she found that funny.
I paused, not sure what to tell her. There was no way I could tell her I was falling in love with her.
I wasn’t ready for that conversation, especially when we had a car ride ahead of us.
She did look stunning in the dark of the car with the moonlight shining on her in the right way.
She looked like an angel sent to guide me through life and keep me safe. And she had.
“She was asking when the relationship happened and I told her about the party and then we talked about what happened after the party when we got home. She wanted details.” I shrugged, trying to hold in my smile.
Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. Not so funny now, is it?
“Daisy! You didn’t! I can never show my face again. She’s going to refer to me as the woman defiling her daughter for the rest of our lives.”
My grin finally popped through, but I bit my lip at “defiling.” That sounded like a great idea to me. “Yes, please. You can defile me any day, baby.”
She rolled her eyes. “Daisy, now is not the time for flirting. Why would you tell her we had sex?!”
I smiled, reaching out to grasp her chin before I kissed her, not caring if my parents were potentially watching us, and letting everything about her envelop my senses.
There was no denying the love I had for her, and I wanted to pour it all into that kiss.
Convey everything I felt and could feel for her without saying the words.
When we parted, I fixed the smear of lipstick on her lips.
“It’s always the time for flirting if I’m around you, darling.
Relax, I didn’t tell her we had sex. If I did, we’d be home a lot sooner so we could re-enact that night.
I just told her about how the mistletoe kiss turned into something more, and how maybe it was always meant to. That’s all.”
It could’ve been the moonlight, but I almost thought I saw a little shimmer in her eyes. Before I could think more about it, it was gone and she was starting the car.
“Let’s go home.”
I wanted to tell her I was already there, in that car, with her looking at me like I meant something to her. I didn’t. Instead, I smiled and nodded. “Home.”