Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
T he sounds of quick moving footsteps, giggling and then something falling woke him up. He turned onto his back and stretched his arm out, but found the space beside him empty. Blinking into the semi-darkness of his bedroom, thanks to his blackout curtains being drawn for once, he glanced at where Daisy had been sleeping. Her scent lingered in the room and if the sounds from beyond the door were any indication, she hadn’t left yet. He smiled as the giggling got louder then faded away. He heard her voice, followed by Boots barking and was glad that she was still there.
He would have definitely liked to have woken up with her in his arms. They’d started the night with her facing him and while she snored quietly, he stared at her. He’d pinched himself a few times to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. The idea that his first love, the woman he thought he’d never see again, was lying in his arms was baffling. When she snorted and flipped over, pushing her ass against his crotch, he gasped out a quiet laugh because that was enough proof that she was really there.
Daisy Heroux with her bottomless chocolate eyes and ridiculous body that fit so perfectly against his.
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he thought back to the night before. He’d been attempting to kiss her pretty much every single time they were together since that first meeting. He knew none of those moments were the right one, but he hadn’t expected last night to be it either. His hands twitched at the memory of holding her up and his mouth lifted on one side because that kiss? Truly the best kiss of his life. She’d completely bewitched him with her intoxicating and beautiful self.
I shouldn’t be surprised, really. She did it once before.
He straightened out the bed and got ready, then opened the bedroom door. Boots charged in and head-butted his thigh. Giving him a rough scrub and a kiss on the snout, he walked down the hall and was hit with a wave of cinnamon, sugar and vanilla. He glanced at his dog and found him happier than usual as he trotted off to the open French doors.
He poured himself coffee and took a sip as the sound of his son laughing loudly reached him. Pulling his phone out of the duffel he’d dropped on the floor on his way in last night, he leaned against the doorjamb leading onto the back porch and smiled.
Daisy and Cal were lying on their stomachs on a blanket with a book open in front of them. Their feet were in the air, kicking back and forth. Boots lay in the space between them. His heart was rioting at that point, taking in how easily they all fit together. My family , the thought echoed in his head. Holding his phone up, he took a couple of pictures, drawing their attention with the loud shutter sounds. His son grinned and was on his feet immediately. He set his coffee down and kneeled as Cal crashed into him.
“I’m sorry about my behavior yesterday,” his son mumbled.
He squeezed him tight and pulled back to kiss his forehead. “Why are you sorry?”
“For not saying bye when you left.”
“That’s okay.”
It wasn’t the first time it had happened and he knew that it wouldn’t be the last. Cal was usually distracted when the calls came in, so he was rarely ever there to see him off. So to be present as he walked out of the house had to have been scary.
“I was scared when you had to go and I was afraid that if I said bye, you might not come back.”
And there it is. Fuck me.
Tapping his chin, he lifted Cal’s head and smiled. “I understand. I have a question and I want you to be honest, okay?” His son nodded slowly, eyes wary. “Would it be better if I quit firefighting?”
“No!” The protest was instant, before he’d even gotten the last word out.
“If it scares you and makes you sad, it’s not worth it, son. You are the most important person in my life and your happiness matters.”
“And Miss Daisy?”
They glanced to where she was standing with the blanket folded over one arm, her other hand resting on Boots’s head. He smiled and she returned it before he turned to his son. “She’s very important to me too, but she knows that you’re the most important one.”
Cal swallowed hard. “I like that you’re saving and helping other people. I like that my dad is a hero.”
His heart clenched at the honesty. “Okay. But if it ever starts to scare you a lot and you want me to stop, you must tell me.”
“You’re my hero even if you’re not fighting fires, okay?”
He chuckled and kissed the top of Cal’s head. “I know. But you must promise to tell me if that changes.”
His son nodded and then looked back at Boots before tapping his thigh. The dog followed Cal into the house, leaving him alone with Daisy. Blowing out a heavy breath, he stayed in that position for a minute and weighed the situation at hand. This was the first time Cal actually said I’m scared and that meant he needed to rethink all of these life choices. Sure, being his kid’s hero was a big deal. But not at the risk of scaring him and almost dying.
Shuffling feet snapped him out of his thoughts and he stood up as Daisy set the blanket to the side. “Was looking forward to waking up with you,” he said, reeling her towards him, hands on her waist.
“I know. I couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to wake you up.”
Nodding, he brushed his nose against hers. “Thought we could do more of what we did last night.”
“You want me to brush your hair again, Daddy?”
He poked her in the side and she laughed, pressing against him more. “Keep that up, and I’ll want to do so much more.”
She shuddered, eyes darkening as her head tipped back to look at him. “There’s breakfast in the oven.”
“Thank you.”
“Nothing fancy, just pancakes.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
Smiling, she looped her arms around his neck. “He was really worried when he came out of his room and asked a lot of questions. Mostly about why I’m not scared and of course if I had another sleepover.”
He chuckled, reaching for his coffee with one hand. “What did you say?”
“That I am scared. But also that I trust you and know that you would be careful. That you’ll always come home.” He heard the wobble in her voice and sighed softly, pressing his forehead against hers. “You will always come home, right?”
The night before, in a lust haze, he’d said he could make whatever promises he wanted. But the truth was he couldn’t. “I… I can’t make that promise, Daze. You know that. But I will do everything possible to come home to you.”
“Yeah,” she said softly, squeezing the back of his neck before releasing him. As much as he didn’t want to let her go, he pulled his arm away.
“Thank you for talking to him. Dad would do the best he could back in the city, but he’s not good at hiding his worry and I know Cal could sense that too.”
“Maybe because we’re both worried about the same thing, it’s easier to talk about it.” She patted his chest and stepped around him. “Enough of that, let’s get some food in you.”
“I can’t tell if you’re aware of all the innuendos or not.”
“Considering how long you’ve known me, what do you think?”
Cal and Boots were on the couch distracted by the television, so he followed her into the kitchen. Before she could open the oven, he pinned her against the fridge. A gasp escaped her lips and he covered her mouth with his, swallowing the next sound. Her hands crawled up his body and gripped his shoulders as he licked into her mouth. They moaned together and he grabbed a handful of her ass, pressing against her some more. They had briefly talked about how it was okay for Cal to find out they were together, but this was probably not the right way.
Forcing himself to break the kiss, he pressed his hands to the fridge on either side of her and breathed heavily. Her head fell back against the surface and she smirked at him.
“Look at what you’ve started,” she said.
“I have no regrets, even if I can’t hide how that made me feel.”
Her eyes dropped to the front of his pants and he grunted as he adjusted himself.
“I love that I do that to you.”
“You’ve always done this to me, Hero. Always .”
She stretched up for another kiss and he grasped her jaw, holding her in place as he sank into her. She pulled away just as it was getting deep and grabbed the food from the oven to set it on the counter. He thought about his long list of work, groceries he needed to buy and how much laundry was still waiting for him, anything to distract from how hard he was because of her.
While he ate his delicious pancake breakfast, Cal and Daisy hovered nearby and whispered conspiratorially. Every so often, they’d glance at him and share a laugh. This was exactly why he had no issues with his son knowing that they were together. Then again, they had just kissed so maybe he was getting ahead of himself with their relationship status. Either way, seeing them like this was everything. Especially when their conversation ended with a complicated handshake that neither of them could follow.
“Why don’t you go get ready, I’ll keep your dad company.”
“Don’t take too long, Daddy. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us!” Cal announced before rushing off, Boots hot on his heels.
“Yeah, Daddy, don’t take too long.”
“Fuck’s sake, Daisy,” he groaned.
She grinned, climbing onto the counter. “Don’t like it, hotshot?”
“I like everything you want to call me. But that? That will send me to an early grave.”
She snorted, brushing her foot against his thigh. “That would defeat the purpose entirely.”
“Exactly. Now, you gonna share the plan with me?”
“Have you ever lived a day without knowing everything?”
He put the last bit of his breakfast into his mouth and slid the plate to the side. “Always been the one making the plans.”
“Then I’m really happy to be showing you what spontaneity feels like,” she said, scooting over so she was directly in front of him, her bare feet resting on the stool between his thighs.
“Do I get any hints?”
“Comfortable clothing,” she whispered, then slid into his lap. There was a brief moment of imbalance before he grabbed the edge of the counter and steadied them. She grinned and settled, their hips aligned perfectly. “Maybe something that might also protect watchful eyes from how you’re feeling.”
He grabbed her hips to stop any and all movements, narrowing his eyes as the corner of her mouth tipped up into a smile.
“I think I underestimated how dangerous you can be,” he said, thumbs sliding under the sweatshirt to tease the soft skin at her waist.
“That’s because you still think I’m the girl who lived next door.”
“What was wrong with the girl next door? I was in love with her.”
They froze and her eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t take the words back. They were different people now and it wasn’t like he was hiding that from her anyway.
She cupped his jaw, thumb tracing his bottom lip and said, “I was in love with the boy next door too.”
He surged forward and captured her mouth with his, finding his balance by stretching out one foot and grabbing the counter with a hand. She moaned against his mouth, her hands on his face as they devoured each other. Tongues fought for control and when she growled, he relented. Until the sound of Boots’s nails on the floor broke all contact.
“A challenge,” she whispered, sliding off his lap. He nodded even though he was worried this would backfire on him. “See who can go the longest without grabbing the other person for the rest of the day.”
“We know I’m going to lose. I can’t stop touching you.”
“Now is a good time to start practicing some of that restraint.”
He sighed and reached for her, but she moved out of his grasp, grinning as she backed away. He watched her go and once she turned the corner, closed his eyes and tapped into his resource of willpower and hoped like hell that he’d be able to keep it together for the rest of the day.
Thirty minutes and a whole lot of resisting her later, they piled into his car. Boots was stretched out in the backseat with Cal beside him. Daisy was in the passenger seat, poking and twisting every button and knob.
“Where are we headed?” he asked, squeezing her thigh so she would stop fidgeting.
She covered his hand with hers and grinned. “Home.”
It took them about fifteen minutes before they turned into a small driveway that led to a compact, but gorgeous green house. She hopped out and opened the back door for his son and dog, while he stood in the small garden in front to admire the home. White flowering vines crawled up the sides and over the roof, looking incredible against the dark green of the exterior. The windows and doors were also trimmed in white. The small pathway on the side seemed to lead to a bigger garden, but when she unlocked the front door, that was where his attention shifted.
“Welcome to my home,” she announced.
He walked inside and paused, taking in all of the gorgeous detail. It looked much smaller from the outside, but the open plan made everything seem brighter and more spacious. A large couch and coffee table were on his right, dining and kitchen straight ahead. French doors off the kitchen led into the back garden and he even caught sight of a small greenhouse. Stairs on the side led up to a loft space and big windows and skylights brought in so much natural light that the whole place was lit up beautifully.
“This is incredible, Hero.”
“My second big investment.”
Cal came charging in seconds later. “You have a greenhouse! And your garden is so pretty, but Boots pooped.”
Sighing, Rafferty handed him the keys to the car. “Bags are in the trunk.”
Then he was off again and she laughed. “I’m going to change and then we can go, okay?”
“Do I get to watch?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re already failing the challenge, hotshot.”
“I’m trying, but you’re impossible to resist.”
Gesturing to the couch, she smiled. “Sit and be patient. I’ll be back.”
He sat down as she went upstairs, the minute she was out of sight, he was on his feet again. He wandered through the space, peered into her bathroom and saw a large tub, watched Cal and Boots in the garden and rummaged around in her fridge. He’d never even considered a tiny home as a residence before. He’d always been fascinated by the concept, but with a kid it seemed impossible. Now with a large dog, it was definitely never going to happen. He loved that every inch of the space was personalized and had elements of Daisy.
“All right, let’s go!”
He turned and froze. He’d seen so many different versions of her since their reunion, but this was by far the most startling. In a good way, of course. Baggy black pants sat low on her hips, pushed even lower by the hands shoved into her pockets. A white T-shirt fell just above the waistband, flashing a little bit of her underwear, which he was surprised to see had a sensible thick band, unlike the pink lace she’d been wearing the night before. Her hair was loose and spilling down her shoulders. On her head, she was wearing his faded mustard cap. While they’d been missing the day before, her collection of necklaces were back. She wasn’t wearing a lick of makeup and yet her eyes sparkled and the gloss on her lips made his mouth water.
“I can’t promise that I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
“Seriously, in this outfit?”
“I don’t know what it is, but damn .”
She laughed and twirled, making him clench his hands so he wouldn’t grab her. She was right, it wasn’t the sexiest or most revealing outfit but it was the one that altered his brain chemistry. What she might not remember was that these clothes were reminiscent of the first time he’d realized he had feelings for her—casual chic, she called it back then. Comfortable, but still fashionable.
Honestly, Daisy could wear a paper bag and he’d be completely blown away by her.