15. Daisy
CHAPTER 15
daisy
“What in the …”
Loren blinks and turns her head to the side in confusion as she holds up another lacy, little number for our appraisal. She gasps when she realizes there’s an opening where most undergarments make it a point to hold it together, then she stuffs it back into a gift bag.
“Tenley Jean! I can’t believe you made me open this in front of our mamas and everything,” Loren scolds her, making the others laugh.
I’d be lying if I said my own cheeks didn’t feel warm after that one. This evening is proving to be quite educational for me.
Loren and Landry’s older sister Lilley had put together a quirky Pride and Prejudice themed bridal shower earlier today, complete with tea, sandwiches, and scones. But now that the more distinguished guests had come and gone, including such acquaintances as the assistant district attorney’s wife, the party has morphed into a less formal Bridgerton bachelorette soiree. The guys had all gone on some sporty excursion to celebrate Blake’s last weekend as a free man, but the ladies were more comfortable hanging out at home, especially since the twins had only recently graduated from the NICU and Tenley was fresh out of the maternity ward with her brand-new baby boy.
And I’ve been enjoying every second of it. I guess I hadn’t realized how much I’ve been missing my mom and sisters and the busyness of a full house.
Tenley smirks at Loren. “I told you I’d get you back for teasing me about my wedding dress.”
“Yeah, well, joke’s on you because I’ll probably text you all the details after I wear it,” Loren says, sticking her tongue out.
“Eh, it’s good for business,” Tenley replies smoothly, and Loren moves to toss a throw pillow her way before stopping abruptly.
“No fair, you’ve got a baby in your lap.”
Tenley grins. “That’s also my new excuse for lying around and letting JD handle everything.”
I furrow my brow. Tenley’s never struck me as anything less than amazing at multitasking and balancing motherhood with her busy career as a midwife, so it’s surprising to hear her admit to having to rely on her husband for anything.
“Milk it while you can,” Tenley’s mom says. “Then again, you could probably sit on a throne all day and that man would gladly finish all of the chores in time to lay a bed of roses at your feet.”
“And thank God, because I couldn’t even keep a teenager alive without him, much less a newborn,” Tenley mumbles.
“But I thought …” I clamp my mouth shut once I realize I’m about to blurt my thoughts out loud.
Tenley raises a brow at me as she adjusts the baby in her arms. “Thought I’d know what I was doing with one of these things since I’ve been delivering them for the past decade?” She pauses to laugh. “I actually used to think I wasn’t meant to have kids at all, but I guess I just needed the right guy to come along and show me I wasn’t meant to do it alone.”
I sigh wistfully, because I’m starting to think I understand what she means.
“Don’t let her fool you,” Loren chimes in. “She wasn’t open to all this baby-making business until JD started coming up with reasons to take off his shirt around her.”
Tenley shrugs. “There’s a reason why our lawn is always so well kept, you know. And it’s not because I care about the grass staying short.”
The group cackles at her confession, and I stifle a smile when the image of Landry washing his Jeep flashes through my mind.
Loren opens my gift next, and everyone compliments the white linen gown I sewed for her. “You, um, might want to be careful with it. It’s a bit see-through,” I say quietly, and she bounces her eyebrows suggestively.
“Thank you, Daisy. It’s beautiful. I can’t wait to wear it and pretend I’m the protagonist in my favorite Regency romance novel,” she announces, waving the gown dramatically and making the skirt twirl.
“I would have thought you’d grown out of playing pretend by now,” Lilley begins. “But I suppose you aren’t playing alone anymore.”
Loren smirks. “I can’t help that my fiancé makes the perfect male lead. He’s just so smushy.”
“Smushy?” Jada asks.
“Blake is the perfect combination of sexy and mushy,” Loren replies contentedly.
Tenley hums. “It’s a Bourgeois thing.”
“Aaron is smushy, too. But he does the sexy part so quietly that no one suspects it. It makes it even better,” Jada says with a wink.
“I suppose Emmett is all marshmallow and fluff,” Lilley says thoughtfully, pausing to stand before she adds, “until the lights go out.” Then she saunters out the kitchen as if she just dropped the mic on us.
I laugh along with the others, grateful not to have the spotlight turned on me. I’ve got plenty of commentary to offer regarding my husband’s sex appeal, but I’m not supposed to be thinking it, much less talking about it. That doesn’t stop me from longing to dish about him to my sisters and friends, though.
Those of us without a baby to nurse join Lilley in cleaning up after that. Then a few more of the guests say good night, including Loren’s mom, and we’re left with the other half of the wedding party: Loren, Tenley, Lilley, and Jada, Blake’s good friend and legal secretary. I settle on the couch with one of the sleeping twins in my lap while Jada takes the other. Lilley hands each of us a glass of wine before she goes back into the kitchen and returns with a large teapot.
“All right, for our next bachelorette activity, we’re playing a game called Spill the Tea ,” Lilley announces, looking pleased with herself as she presents the teapot filled with slips of paper. “Girls, you’ll take turns picking a random question related to your love life in which you must answer truthfully. Lo-Lo, our blushing bride, you’re first!”
Loren grins as she reaches into the pot, obviously loving this, as corny as it seems. And I kind of love her all the more for it.
“A proper lady never kisses and tells … but there are no proper ladies present tonight, so tell us about your first kiss,” she reads aloud. She bites her lip and bats her eyelashes before she answers. “There was this party when I was thirteen. I was hiding out in the pool house because I was tired of being a wallflower when the most popular boy in my class stumbled in looking upset because his younger brother had swooped in on his date. And since my own brother was busy making out with my best friend at the moment,” Loren’s eyes dart over to Tenley, who scoffs, “I suggested we get our first kisses out of the way, too. The boy agreed, and we kissed.” She pauses to grin before she continues. “And it was so good that we kissed again. But we were young and stupid, and we spent the next eighteen years or so pretending we were rivals when we were secretly pining for one another.” She shrugs shyly, holding the rest of us captive with her story. “But one night he let his guard down, and I let him kiss me again … and then he knocked me up with freaking twins, and we lived happily ever after. The end,” she finishes on a sarcastic tone, making everyone laugh hysterically.
“That man is such a sap,” Jada says, sighing and reaching into the basket for the next paper. “Okay, let’s see. A lady’s secret garden must be kept safe from both the birds and the bees alike. Who gave you the talk , and how did it go?” She blows a raspberry. “I’d already found out more than I should have from some of my classmates, but my mom sat me down when I was about twelve and told me the rest. It was painfully awkward, especially because she used a lot of those corny euphemisms like tending the garden and getting deflowered , but at least she was honest about it.”
“It’s all fun and games until you’re the one giving the talk though,” Lilley says, casting a quick glance at her sister. I realize she’s probably worried the mother-daughter aspect of Jada’s answer might be triggering for Lo, so she swipes another question from the teapot. “It is a debutante’s duty to appear charming and graceful at all times, especially when she’s being called upon by an eligible bachelor. Provide us with a cautionary tale about your most embarrassing dating moment.”
Lilley tells us a short story about getting gassy on her first official date with Emmett, which apparently reminds Tenley of JD on their first date. After another round of giggles and a topping off of our wine glasses, Lilley passes the teapot to me.
I shift Charley’s weight in my arms before I dip my free hand into the pot for my own question, hoping I get something I can answer. But I gulp when I open the slip of paper. “Sometimes the mood strikes when we least expect it, whether we’re in the garden at the ball, on the stairs within listening distance of the servants, or on the chaise lounge of the library during a house party. What is the most scandalous place you’ve ever made love?” My voice cracks by the end, and I can feel myself starting to sweat.
Truthfully, I’m not embarrassed to admit I’m a virgin. In fact, I’m proud of myself for keeping my vow and managing to stay chaste this long. My family taught me to see my sexuality as a privilege, one most gratifying when saved for marriage. I was also raised to deem any man who couldn’t see my celibacy as a gift or respect my choice to wait as unworthy of me in the first place. And I wholeheartedly believe all that.
The fact that I still haven’t found a man who loves me and agrees with that philosophy by the time I’m old enough to be invited to this kind of party with a bunch of other married and experienced women is the part I’m having trouble swallowing.
“I … I, uh … C ,” I spit out awkwardly.
Loren glares at me in confusion. “ C ?”
“Final answer.” I nod vehemently.
“You know this wasn’t a multiple-choice question, right? We’re gonna need more than that.” Loren smiles and stares expectantly.
I blink down at the paper, feeling my face heat and my eyes water.
“Hey, it’s okay if you don’t want to answer,” Lilley says, reaching over to pat my arm softly. “If you’re not having fun, honey, then we’re not having fun.”
The baby sighs in my arms, and I swallow hard again. “I just …”
“Daisy,” Tenley calls out across from me, and I glance up at her. “She’s right. You don’t have to talk about anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. But don’t you dare think any of us are going to judge you for your answers, either, especially if you don’t have one. Personally, I find that kind of thing pretty admirable for an unmarried woman.”
“You do?” I ask, my voice still wobbly.
She nods. “Absolutely. In fact, I regretted not saving that to share with JD. We both did. So we did the next best thing and made the decision to save our first time together for our wedding night.”
The tension in my stomach loosens just a bit. “You did?”
“Yep. And it was perfect.”
“So that’s why you only had a three-week long engagement,” Jada says, snickering.
“Exactly,” Loren pipes up, rolling her eyes. “And they skipped out on a wedding reception so they could leave the church and go straight home to play hide the sausage.”
“First of all, we both know JD and I weren’t the only couple running off to play that game,” Tenley begins, making Loren blush. “And secondly, don’t be so crude, Lo. We’re talking about a sacramental act, the unitive and procreative joining of our bodies and souls … which means we weren’t just hiding the sausage, we were baking cream pies,” she says, smirking.
Jada nearly chokes on her wine at that one, and I can’t help but smile.
“See? You can’t say anything more embarrassing than that,” Loren points out.
I lift one shoulder in a shrug. “Then the truth is that I don’t have any lovemaking experience to speak of … because I’ve been waiting to share it with my husband.”
My next husband, hopefully.
I look around at their surprised expressions.
“Well, I agree with Tenley. I think that’s pretty badass of you, Daisy,” Loren volunteers. “And I have a whole new respect for all that chastity and celibacy stuff, since Blake and I have decided to wait until our wedding night, too.” A collective hush falls over the room until everyone starts cackling. “Hey, I’m serious. You guys just said we weren’t going to judge one another!” she protests.
“Hmm, it’s a little late to make that claim, though, Mama,” Jada says, lifting her arms to gesture to Penny.
“I mean, we’re doing what Ten said. We’ve been waiting since the last time—the time we conceived the twins,” Loren clarifies. “And it hasn’t been easy, thank you very much.”
“Aw, I imagine that’s been hard on both of you, especially Blake,” Tenley coos, barely getting it out without snorting.
“Or are you struggling because he’s used to you being so easy ?” Lilley adds.
“Both,” Loren admits with a pout, and the rest of us laugh again.
“All right, Daisy, why don’t you just pick another one?” Lilley tells me after we all settle down. “There should be plenty of other questions you’ll be able to answer.”
“Okay.” I nod and reach in for a second scrap of paper. “This one says, when a lady and a gentleman are found in a compromising position, the result may be a hasty marriage or a duel for her honor. Tell us about a time when you were caught …” I trail off, realizing I can’t answer this one, either. “Um, sorry.”
“How about I take that one?” Tenley offers cheerfully, and I force a grateful smile. “The thing about having a teenager in the house is that he knows too much. Pauvre bête ,” she goes on, shaking her head. “A while back, JD and I were home alone, compromising the couch, when Ethan surprised us by coming back early. We thought we’d spared him, but the poor kid accidentally slipped on my calecons on the floor before he could make it out unscathed.”
Her story elicits another round of riotous laughter, and Lilley prompts me to pick again after they settle down.
“Okay, but I’m giving up if I get another spicy one,” I say, smiling. “Here it goes: Many claim love at first sight, but most of us know it’s in his kiss. Tell us about your last kiss and whether you knew it was true love.”
If I thought my expression had given me away before, I was wrong. My cheeks are on fire by the time I finish reading, and I’m pretty sure I audibly gasp at the end. I can’t tell them that the last kiss I shared was at my wedding … with Landry. But I can’t lie to them, either. And I have to say something this time.
“Daisy?” Loren questions me after a second. “You okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” I squeak. “Just thinking about my answer.”
“Do you … have an answer?” she whispers and smiles encouragingly, but I can tell she’s only trying to save me from the embarrassment again.
“Mm-hmm,” I repeat. “I mean, yes, I’ve been kissed before.”
“Oh. Well, if you don’t want to share?—”
“I kissed Landry,” I cringe and blurt out. “Or maybe he kissed me. I’m not sure.”
Loren gasps, and Lilley clicks her tongue before declaring, “ Mais gah, look who’s spilling the good tea now.”