14. Daisy
CHAPTER 14
daisy
I finish my gardening before I go inside to ditch my sweat-stained dress and freshen up. The faint sound of running water travels through the wall as I dig through my closet. I give up on finding a clean dress after a while and dart out to check the laundry, assuming the coast is clear with Landry in the shower.
I’m bending over to sift through the dryer when I hear a strangled noise behind me.
“What the hell, Daisy?” Landry demands angrily, making me flinch and hit my head on the inside of the dryer.
This time I’m the one growling as I rub my head. I grab the first clean clothing item I find, the Camellia High Football T-shirt I got from work, and I pull it down over my bra. Landry’s already turned so that his back is facing me by the time I stand.
“Sorry, I thought you were in the shower,” I tell him.
“I turned it on but realized I’d forgotten my clothes,” he mumbles.
“Then you only have yourself to blame for having to see me in my underwear this time,” I reply, shutting the dryer door with my hip. “And if you don’t want to see my panties again, I suggest you close your eyes while I walk past you.”
I glare at him, but he does as told and keeps his eyes shut tightly, presumably until I slam my bedroom door behind me. I rifle through my dresser until I root out a pair of old jean shorts. The cutoffs hit me mid-thigh, so I rarely wear them in public. But I’m too frustrated to look for anything else today, so I slip them on.
Landry knocks on my door a few minutes later, and I finish re-braiding my hair before I swing it open.
“Are you rea—” His voice cuts off abruptly as his gaze runs over me, his eyes trailing down my legs and back again. “What are you wearing?” he asks with a frown.
I shrug. “I couldn’t find a clean dress, and I had to change after someone got my other one all sweaty.”
“But you never wear shorts,” he mutters absently.
“Well, I’m wearing them now. Unless that’s a problem? Are you going to start telling me what to wear now that we’re married?” I cross my arms over my middle.
“No.” He looks down at his feet as he continues. “I already feel bad enough for saying you should wear a sweater to work every day, as if it’s your fault those boys can’t stop ogling you.”
I blink at him. I used to think I had plenty of patience, but this man is absolutely maddening.
“I don’t even know how to reply to that,” I blurt out.
“Wear whatever you want. I don’t care,” he grumbles before adding, “I mean, it’s not my place to say anything.”
“How flattering,” I retort sarcastically as I step out from my room.
He sighs and walks ahead to open the front door for me, then backs away and gestures for me to go first. I think I hear him mumbling something, so I stop and turn my head. “What now?”
His eyes flutter up to mine suspiciously, and he shakes his head. “Nothing.”
We’re both silent on the drive to the hospital, which feels strange after the comfortable stride I thought we’d fallen into over the past month or so. Once we’re in the NICU, Landry directs me to wash my hands thoroughly. He trades friendly greetings with the nurses, introducing me as his roommate before he leads me toward a pair of pink-adorned bassinets. I watch carefully as he wheels one of the carts over to a set of rocking chairs.
His mouth turns up into a proud smile as he inclines his head in an invitation, and I peer over the edge to find the two babies snuggled up together. He knew they’d be in the same bed, I realize, and it only makes the girls (and Landry) that much cuter.
“What’s your preference? Chunky and snuggly or a wide-eyed and wiggly?” he asks.
“Oh, let’s start with Princess Pen,” I reply, and his smile grows wider.
He reaches in to pick up the smaller of the two and hands her over to me. “Here you go, wide-eyed and wiggly.”
My heart expands to fill my chest when I look down into her tiny, blue eyes. Penelope squeaks and squirms in my arms as promised, staring up at me the whole time as if we were having a silent conversation. I glance over at Landry after a while, and my breath catches in my throat at the sight of him with a baby lying on his chest. He strokes Charlotte’s back and kisses the top of her head before leaning down to murmur into her little ear. Charley lets out a grunt and curls in, as if he’s been tickling her with his beard, and he chuckles, making her bounce over his chest.
Forget the shirtless car washing— this is the kind of stuff that could tempt a woman to extend inappropriate offers to her platonic roommate. And all the hot-and-cold moods in the world couldn’t stop me from thinking he’s the sexiest man alive and fantasizing about what our fictional babies might look like.
That could also be my ovaries talking for me again.
“You good, Blondie?” he asks me after he catches me staring.
“Amazing,” I say dreamily, unable to care whether he sees through me at this point. “Thank you for bringing me with you. They’re beautiful, and I love them, even though they aren’t really my nieces.”
He shrugs. “Technically, they are. At least for now.”
“You’re right, they are.” I smirk at him. “Does that mean I get to hold both of them before we go?”
“It does,” he confirms. “And I think we’ll get to feed them, too.”
I let out a wistful sigh as I return to playing with Penny’s tiny fingers. “This isn’t even fair, you know. What’s the recommended treatment for baby fever, Doc?”
He chuckles. “Sorry, that’s more of your brother’s specialty.”
I roll my eyes, slightly disappointed he didn’t take the opportunity to tease me. “Really, because I feel like you’d be more helpful in this situation,” I mutter.
Landry snorts and continues staring down at Charley. “I’m not biting on that one. I’ve already pissed you off enough times today.”
That makes my smile grow wider again.
We sit that way for a while longer before a nurse brings over a set of bottles, and Landry swaps babies with me. We’re almost done with their feeding when he pulls out his phone to read a text.
“Son of a bitch, they’re really going through with it,” he mumbles to himself.
“What?” I ask.
“Loren and Blake—they’re actually getting married … in a month,” he adds in disbelief.
“That’s awesome though, right?”
He huffs. “I just … I don’t know. I guess I figured they’d stay engaged forever. I never imagined them throwing together an actual wedding, especially not this fast.”
Penny coughs and chokes on her bottle then, and he shifts his attention back to her. I glance over every so often to find him looking uneasy. A nurse comes over to tell us it’s almost bath time, so we finish the girls’ feedings and get our goodbye snuggles. Landry still seems lost in thought as we walk out to the car.
“Hey, are you okay?” I ask when he cranks the Jeep and shifts into drive.
“Fine,” he replies shortly.
“Are you sure? You don’t?—”
“I just need some time to wrap my head around this,” he cuts me off.
I shake my head. “I don’t understand why you’re letting it bother you so much.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I frown at his curt tone. “But I hate seeing you so upset.”
He pounds his fist lightly on the steering wheel. “I just can’t see this going well, okay? My mind doesn’t work the way yours does. You might be able to find the good in everyone and everything, but I only know how to panic and prepare for the worst-case scenario.”
I reach over and place a hand over his where it rests on the gearshift. “Hey, nothing bad is going to happen, okay? They love one another, and they’re going to get married and raise the twins together, and everything’s going to be great.”
He lets out a loud exhale. “How do you know that, though?”
My stomach clenches when his voice cracks. “I don’t. But all this constant worrying is making you miserable. It has to be worse than allowing yourself to hope now and getting let down later, right?”
“You’d say that, since you haven’t gotten let down enough times before,” he replies.
“And you might think that, but you’re probably wrong,” I retort. “Look, I’m not saying you don’t have the right to feel the way you do. But you have to change the way you react to these things if you want to fix your relationship with your family, especially with Loren.”
He opens his mouth to say more but shakes his head and clenches his jaw instead. I figure that’s at least a step in the right direction for him, since he’s more apt to lash out than to talk through his feelings right about now.
The rest of the ride home is quiet, but I can’t help feeling like he needs me to push him just a little further, like this is one of those times I’m meant to help him learn something about himself.
“Landry, wait,” I begin once we’re back inside the house. He stops and turns to face me. “I’m sorry. The last thing you need is me telling you what to do.”
He stares at me before he answers. “Why are you apologizing to me after I was the one who was short with you?”
“Because I wanted to make you feel safe enough to tell me what’s so scary about the idea of Loren getting married, but I think I made you feel worse instead.” I wait a second before adding, “What are you worried might happen?”
He shrugs. “I guess … I’m afraid they’re only getting married because of the babies. I worry one or both of them will regret their decision later, that they’ll grow resentful of one another and allow it to destroy their family.”
“Like your parents?”
“Yeah,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I suppose it’s possible the same thing could happen with Blake and Loren. But I honestly don’t think it will,” I offer.
“Because you only look at the bright side,” he says dryly.
“I’m not saying that to be optimistic,” I correct him. “I’m saying it because they remind me of my parents, and because they’re obviously meant to be together. I also think you have it backward. Blake didn’t propose because of the twins; the twins only exist because Blake and Loren can’t help how much they love one another. And even if I’m wrong, they still deserve the chance to make it work and figure it out on their own.”
I pause and close in the space between us as I reach out and tug his arm. “You supported me when my family couldn’t, and it’s made all the difference. Just think what your love and encouragement can do for Lo.”
He licks his lips and stares down at me before finally letting his arms fall to his sides, and I wrap him up in a hug. I hear his shaky exhale as he reluctantly embraces me, eventually resting his chin over my head. We stand there for a full minute before he pulls away.
“Thank you, Daisy,” he rasps.
I lift one shoulder. “Anytime.”
“You, uh …” He clears his throat before continuing. “Do you still want to grab dinner and take a crack at that study guide?”
“Of course, if you’re feeling up to it,” I reply, smiling hopefully.
His expression relaxes, though he doesn’t return the smile. “Only if you’re buying.”
I snort out a laugh and shove him playfully. “Fine. But I’m thinking something more along the lines of corndogs instead of surf and turf.”
“Well, we can’t exactly go out for steak and lobster with you dressed like that, can we?”
This time he shoots me a genuine smile before he inclines his head toward the door, making me sigh inwardly. Living with a man like Landry could be dangerous indeed.