Chapter 31 Miles
“Are you sure you don’t want to play tonight?” Daze asks as she walks over and wraps her arms around my waist.
Smiling, I drop a kiss to the end of her nose as I loop my arms around her shoulders. “I’m sure, babe. This is your night.”
Daisy narrows her brow as she says, “But it can be your night too, both of our nights, even.”
Laughing, I lean in, brushing my mouth against hers as I whisper, “Nope, tonight is all about you, Daze. The band can wait.” I kiss her again, deeper this time, as she sighs into my mouth. Smiling, I pull her closer, still kissing her.
“But they’re all coming, right?” she now asks around our kisses.
I pull back, huffing out a sigh as I say, “Yes, they are all coming. Is it okay if I kiss you now?”
She smirks, her hand moving to the back of my neck as she pulls me back to her. “Yes. Kiss me.”
With a smile, I do, kissing her long and deep this time.
When I eventually pull back, her cheeks are flushed and she’s breathing a little harder than usual.
“I’m so damn proud of you, Daze,” I whisper, my thumb brushing across her cheek.
“Everything you’ve done here looks amazing, and I know it’s going to kick it when you open. ”
“It’s all because of you,” she whispers, squeezing her arms around me.
“Nah,” I say with a shrug. “Anyone with money could have helped you, babe. You’re the one who took that money and created something amazing.”
“You are amazing,” she says as the bell above the door to her shop rings.
“Well, shit, hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
We both turn to see Lacey and Jonah standing in the doorway, a huge smile on Lacey’s face. Daisy squeals, letting go of me as she all but runs over, throwing her arms around Lacey in a warm embrace.
It’s weird, but these two still haven’t seen each other since we got the band back together.
Even though it’s been a couple of weeks now, I think we all wanted to take this thing slow.
I know I was scared about fucking everything up again, and a couple of nights ago, the others had mentioned they felt the same.
We all knew that what we had together was awesome, but we also knew how quickly and badly it could all fall apart. And none of us wanted to go through that again.
It’s the first time I’m seeing Jonah too, and when he walks over, smiling as he pulls me into a hug, I exhale a sigh of relief, grateful he isn’t pissed at me.
“Daze, this place looks amazing,” Lacey says when they finally let go of each other.
I watch as she takes in the shop, and I can’t help thinking how amazing she looks these days. Back when I last saw her, Lace was in a really dark place, although none of us exactly knew why. We knew some shit went down, but she refused to tell us what. I don’t know if Jonah knows. I hope he does.
But since reconnecting with her and the guys, it’s been amazing to watch her shine again. To see that spark we all knew she had come alive again.
Despite what the media or Isaac or anyone said, there was never anything more than friendship between us guys and Lacey. She was like a sister to us, and we were all super protective of her. Still are.
“Thanks,” Daisy says, a huge grin on her face as she links her arm through Lacey’s. “You look great. It’s really good to see you again.”
Lacey smiles, bumping her shoulder against Daisy’s as she glances up at Jonah, the two of them sharing a smile. “It’s really good to see you too,” she says, turning back to Daisy.
“Where are the other two?” I ask, just as the door opens and Sutton and Dean walk in.
“Speak of the devil,” Lace says with a grin.
Dean smiles, his brows raised as he lets out a wicked laugh and says, “And he shall appear.”
“Daisy fucking Carmichael,” Sutton says, walking toward my girl, arms open. “Come here, you.”
Daisy laughs as she steps into his embrace, giggling even more when Dean walks over and joins the hug. Jonah chuckling as he and Lacey watch.
My life in the band might have been a totally separate part of the life I had with Daisy and my brother and our surfing crew, but it’s not like they didn’t all like each other.
Daze went to school with these guys. She was there when we got together, and she was there when we made it big. She was part of why it fell apart too, even if that’s something none of us wants to focus on anymore.
“How’s it going, Dean?” she now says, punching him in the arm.
He smirks at her as he says, “It’s going good. Took this guy back, huh?” He’s teasing her, his tone light.
“Always,” she responds, smiling back at him.
He nods, looking around at her shop now. “Place looks good.”
“It does,” she replies, rocking on her heels as she looks over at me. I give her a wink just as my brother and parents walk through the door.
Tonight is both a soft opening and a party to celebrate Daisy’s new business. She’ll officially open next weekend, but tonight is all about celebrating what she’s done. She had originally asked us to play, to make it a celebration of the band getting back together too, but I hadn’t wanted that.
We have a few nights lined up at Lisa’s bar in a couple of weeks, and that will be our big celebration of being back together. Tonight is all about Daisy, and that’s all I want it to be.
Plus, there’s a part of me that’s still nervous about Silent Daydream being together again. Making it big was always such a massive dream for all of us, and when we did make it, it blew our minds. We never expected it to turn into a nightmare, but that’s exactly what happened.
“Daze!” Kai shouts, wrapping his arms around her as he lifts her off the ground, planting a kiss on her temple.
I laugh, shaking my head at my big brother, who has always been this lovable goofball. He grins at me, letting Daze go as he now pulls me into a hug. “Little brother,” he says, slapping me on the back. “You done good.”
“Thanks, Kai,” I say with a smile.
He glances over at the guys from the band, who are talking and laughing with our parents, before turning back to me. “So it’s really happening, huh?” he asks.
“I think so, yeah,” I admit, those nervous butterflies once again taking flight.
Kai squeezes my shoulder, giving me a knowing smile. “It’ll be different this time, Miles. You know that, right?”
“I hope so,” I reply with a shrug.
“No,” he says, the word firm. “You’ll make sure it is. You’ve grown up since all that shit happened. Things have changed, and you and Daze are in a good place. I know you won’t let it happen again.”
I look at my brother, my head tilting to the side as he grins at me.
“What?” he asks with a laugh.
Shaking my head, I grin as I say, “Dude, seriously, you are like the chilliest, most casual surfer bum, smart guy I have ever met.”
Kai laughs, throwing his arm around my shoulder. “Little brother, it’s okay to look up to me, alright? I get it. You wish you could be me. But don’t worry, you’re doing pretty good on your own.”
“And there it is,” I tease, jabbing him in the ribs with my elbow. “But thanks, Kai, seriously.”
“For what?” he asks, genuinely confused.
“For everything,” I reply, blowing out a breath. “I know I wasn’t the easiest person to live with when I came back here. But I seriously appreciate you putting up with me and my shit.”
Kai just laughs, squeezing my shoulder as he says, “Dude, you’re my brother. You know I’d do anything for you.”
“I know,” I tell him with a grin. “Same goes, you know. I’m always here if you need me.”
Kai’s grin widens as tips his chin at Lacey, who responds with her own smile and Jonah. “You know me, Miles. I’m cool.”
“Oh shit,” I say, shaking my head as Lacey now walks over and hugs Kai.
“Little Lacey Luton,” he says, wrapping his arms around her. “How the hell are you?”
“Still kicking it,” she says, looking up at my brother. “And you? You still fucking your way around the islands?”
He chuckles, giving her a small nod. “You know it. Wanna join the fun?”
I let out a groan as Jonah rolls his eyes and Lacey laughs, saying, “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. You might be too much for even me to handle.”
“Nah, never,” he says with a laugh. “But the offer’s there if you wanna take it. Anytime.”
She grins, glancing over at Jonah before turning back to my brother. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Alright, we getting this party started, or what?” Kai now asks, just as the door opens again and Nate, Sage, Alana and Flynn all walk in.
Alana lets out a shout when she sees my bandmates, running over to greet them before making the introductions with Sage and Flynn. Before she’s done, Owen, Sloane and Eli have arrived, quickly followed by Daisy’s mom and Matt and Malo.
As everyone is saying their hellos, I watch, taking it all in. Everyone I care about is here in this spot, celebrating the love of my life’s new business venture. I don’t care that it’s my money that created all this for her. I’m just so damn proud of her.
So grateful too. And while I know things with Isaac are still lingering, the asshole not getting the hint and just fucking off, I’m taking Daisy’s advice and trying not to react.
It’s hard, and a part of me half-expects him to show up tonight and ruin this for her.
But I know I have to stop reacting to him every time he pisses me off.
Daisy’s right. He’s doing it deliberately, provoking me and hoping for a reaction.
But this time, I’m not going to give him the satisfaction.
“You okay?” Daze asks, slipping her arms around my waist.
“Yeah, all good,” I say, smiling down at her. “It looks great in here.”
Daisy smiles as she looks around her shop. “It does,” she says. “I love having everyone here like this. It’s been a long time since these two crowds have been together.”
Chuckling, I drop a kiss on the top of her head. “It sure has.”
Daisy turns to look up at me, pressing up on her toes to give me a kiss. I slide my hand to the back of her head, holding her to me as I kiss her again.
“It’s going to be different this time around, Miles,” she whispers against my lips.
“I know,” I whisper back.
“Good,” she says with a smile. “Let’s go join the party.”
The night is a lot of fun, everyone hanging out and celebrating Daisy’s Flour Shop. There’s no sign of Isaac, thank fuck, and instead, the night is spent drinking, laughing, and tasting every flavor of cupcake that Daisy can come up with.
By the time we lock up the shop and roll into bed, it’s well past midnight.
“Oh god, I am exhausted,” Daisy groans as she flops back onto her pillow.
Chuckling, I roll over, covering her naked body with mine. “Welcome to owning your own business, babe.”
She huffs out a laugh as she says, “That wasn’t even the shop being open. It was just a party!”
I grin, dropping a quick kiss to the end of her nose as I say, “Yeah, but it’s a lot of work still.”
Her hands move to my hips, sliding up my sides as she looks up at me. “Do you think I’m going to be able to do this?” she asks, her question a whisper in the quietness of our bedroom.
“No, I know you’re going to be able to do it,” I tell her. “And you’ve got me, Daze. I’m always here to help you.”
“I know,” she says with a smile, her hands sliding onto my back. “But I want you to focus on the band too.”
“I can do both, babe. And no matter what happens, you will always come first.”
She smiles up at me as she drags her fingers down my back to my ass. “I know,” she whispers.
“Good,” I say as I close the distance between us, kissing her softly.
I feel her fingers dig into my ass, pulling me closer.
I’m already halfway to hard as I rest my forearms on either side of her head, my fingers brushing the hair back from her face.
“We should get some sleep,” I murmur, my lips still on hers.
“Uh-uh,” she says, arching her body beneath mine as she slides her tongue into my mouth.
Chuckling, I slip my hand down to her boob, my thumb brushing over her nipple. “I thought you were exhausted,” I whisper.
She hooks a leg around mine, pressing herself against my now fully hard dick. “And I thought you knew I never say no to sex with you,” she breathes out, gently tugging on my bottom lip with her teeth.
I huff out a laugh before kissing her, deeper this time, not bothering with words as I pinch her nipple, squeezing her breast before sliding my hand down her body and between us.
I already know she’s going to be wet. Daisy has always been so responsive to my touch, and when my fingers move between her legs, tonight is no different.
“Fuck, babe,” I moan, sliding a finger inside her. “You’re so fucking wet.”
“Miles,” she groans, arching into me.
I smile, pulling my finger out as I now position my cock against her, pushing in slowly as I kiss her deeply. “I fucking love you, Daisy.”