Chapter Sixteen
DAISY DROVE AROUND FOR THE next hour after her little bawl session on the side of the road.
Pathetic, she told herself. She hadn’t seen the guy in years and still allowed him to have that kind of effect on her.
She reminded herself she was no longer a weak teenage girl. She was a woman now. Strong and independent. A woman who had done a damn good job with the life she’d been given. No one could take that from her, especially not Jameson Kingston.
And yet, regret prickled. She had run out of her own gallery because of him.
Him, who was more beautiful than ever.
Him, who was the most beloved rock star of the 21st century.
Him, who had once broken her heart almost beyond repair.
She hadn’t been prepared for that, to see him after all this time. She and Jess most definitely needed to come up with a better screening system. Or maybe she’d invest in state-of-the-art security.
By the time Daisy pulled into her parents’ driveway, she’d mostly managed to wipe the tear streaks from her cheeks and fix her makeup.
Still, her heart sagged when she put the key into the door and turned the knob.
It was still sad when she placed her bag on the foyer table and greeted her father, who was sitting in his office just off the entry.
But all sadness evaporated when she saw the most beautiful pair of blue eyes peeking from around the corner.
“Mommy!”
Daisy crouched and scooped Amelia into her arms, smothering her with kisses until the girl squealed. “Stop, Mom!”
“What? Are you getting too old for sloppy kisses?” Daisy teased.
Amelia shrugged. “Maybe when I’m nine.”
Daisy set her down with a smile. “You’ll be nine in a few months.”
“I know. So you’d better get them in while you can.”
Daisy kissed the top of her daughter’s head and looked into the same blue eyes she had seen just hours ago.
Their resemblance was undeniable, more so every day. She pushed the thought away, as she always had, and let Amelia tug her toward the kitchen.
“Nani, Mommy’s here!”
Daisy’s mother swiveled in her chair, getting up to kiss her daughter’s cheek. “Hi, honey.”
“Hi, Mom.”
“Everything all right?” Dena asked, studying her face.
Daisy blinked once, then nodded. “Yep. We just have to head out soon.”
“You’re not staying for dinner?”
Glancing at Amelia, who was glued to the TV, Daisy shook her head. “Kevin’s coming home tonight. I need to let Ron into the apartment.”
“The bird?” her mother scoffed. “You’re taking my grandbaby away for a bird?”
“Mom, she’s here all the time. I thought you’d be happy to have some alone time with Dad.”
Her mother waved a hand. “Oh please. That man’s driving me crazy. Amelia’s the only reason he hasn’t gone completely off the rails.”
“Thanks for watching her, Mom. We’ll see you on Monday.”
Her mother pouted. “Monday?”
“Fine, come over on Sunday for lunch. Stay the weekend if you want.”
Dena brightened, pulling her famous chicken lasagna from the oven. “I think I may.”
“Of course you will,” Daisy muttered, eyeing the bubbling cheese.
Her mother pulled out a Tupperware container and supposed, “I’ll pack some up for you and Amelia.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Daisy called to her daughter, “Come on, Amelia. Grab your schoolbag.”
“But Nani said I could stay forever.”
Daisy shot her mother a look before kneeling beside her daughter. “But Kevin’s coming home today. Don’t you want to say goodbye?”
That did it. Amelia sprang into action, bag packed, shoes on, goodbyes given. Daisy hugged her parents, collected the food, and headed out.
Ronald opened his door almost immediately, Kevin bundled in his large hands. “Ready, girls?”
“Yes!” Amelia beamed. “Mama bird is gonna be so excited.”
Together, they went upstairs. Daisy unlatched her bedroom window and lifted Amelia so she could watch. The nest was full of twitching heads, unusually quiet.
Of course, Daisy thought. Now they behave.
Mama bird darted forward, pecking at Ronald’s hand until he opened it. When Kevin tumbled back into the nest, her shrill cry filled the room. The little bird was welcomed with chirps and wings.
Daisy kissed her daughter’s cheek. “All is right again.”
With Amelia still in her arms, Daisy patted the old man on the shoulder and said, “Thank you for healing Kevin and thank you for appeasing your crazy neighbors.”
Ronald shut the window, smiling. “Anytime, sweetheart. You’ve got a good heart. You too, Amelia.”
Amelia blushed, tucking her face into Daisy’s neck as they walked him out.
As Daisy placed their dinner on plates and heated it up, she heard a familiar beep that only indicated one thing.
Amelia ran to where her school bag was hanging and retrieved the iPad mini that Matt had given her during Christmas.
Daisy wasn’t a huge fan of the device, afraid it would absorb her daughter, but she couldn’t mistake that it enabled her to better maintain a relationship with the only man, apart from her grandpa, she had in her life.
A man who FaceTimed Amelia almost every night when he was away in New York.
“Matt!” Amelia sang, grinning at the screen. She flopped onto the couch, chattering about her school day, helping Nani with her lasagna, and Kevin’s return. She left nothing out.
“I miss you. When will you be back?”
There was a pause, a quiet question from him that Daisy couldn’t hear, then Amelia glanced toward her. “Do you want to talk to Mom?”
Daisy mouthed, “No,” but Amelia pushed the iPad toward her hands. She was hesitant to take it but ultimately did, not wanting her daughter to sense anything odd.
Daisy forced a smile. “Hi.”
“Hey.”
She stepped into the kitchen, turning her back, out of Amelia’s earshot. Silence stretched until Matt finally chuckled. “This is… different.”
“Yes. Quite,” Daisy murmured.
They both laughed softly, then fell quiet again.
Daisy couldn’t help but feel tongue-tied.
This wasn’t what they did. It wasn’t their relationship.
When Matt was in San Francisco, he was present.
But when New York called, so did a separate life Daisy never asked about.
Three years together, and they’d learned to survive by not asking.
Her friends had judged her for giving Matt so much freedom when he was away in New York, but the truth was—it worked for them.
In the beginning, Daisy had been thrilled to find a man who cared not only for her but also for her daughter.
Yet as their relationship deepened and his job kept him in New York sometimes weeks out of every month, worry began to creep in.
Worry about what or who he might be doing there.
Her insecurities ignited fight after fight, breakups followed by makeups, until finally Daisy surrendered.
Her trust had already been fractured once, and she carried that into this new relationship. In her mind, most men weren’t trustworthy. So when Matt went to New York, they simply… didn’t speak. He lived his life, she lived hers, and she refused to let herself spiral.
Amelia never knew the difference. To her, Matt was the man who loved her and stayed present in her life. And Daisy intended to keep it that way.
“I miss you,” he said finally.
She bit her lip. “I miss you, too.”
“And I love you.”
“Matt…”
“You don’t have to say it. I just wanted you to know. I’m gonna hang up now. Not because I want to but because I’m following your rules.”
Her chest tightened. “Bye, Matt.”
“Bye, Daisy.”
She watched as his face disappeared on the screen. Daisy exhaled and returned to her daughter.
Daisy and Amelia ate her mother’s chicken lasagna and followed it by polishing off a tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. They finished up Amelia’s writing assignment due on Monday and after, watched a Disney Channel movie before calling it a night.
That was a typical Friday night for the Daniels girls. Simply hanging out, doing homework, eating good food, and watching movies.
Not the life Daisy had once envisioned, but she was content. She had her friends, her art, her parents’ support, and the love of an eight-year-old girl. If that was her forever, she could live with it.
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Daisy tucked Amelia into bed and read her favorite story, The Extraordinary Tales of Rawlinson Adams. Once her daughter was asleep, Daisy slipped into her pajamas and lay awake, replaying the day.
What if Amelia had been there? What if he had seen her? It wasn’t uncommon for her mother to drop her by the gallery.
Would he have cared?
Of course he would have cared, she thought bitterly.
She had kept his child a secret from him for all these years. And even though he had no interest in her at the beginning, the man still had a right to know he had offspring floundering about in the world.
It wasn’t as if Daisy hadn’t tried. She had a few times, but the universe had shut her down at every turn.
Daisy’s stomach churned with vacillation.
Why now, universe?!
While her family had questioned her decision to keep Amelia from her father, they ultimately backed her, all of them fiercely protective, agreeing that babies and rock ’n’ roll didn’t mix.
Daisy’s face was pressed into her pillow when her phone rang from the nightstand. She grabbed it and answered, “Hi, Jess.”
“Oh my lordy! Daisy, today was unreal. Can you believe it?”
She wasn’t sure if she did.
“Yes, it was interesting.”
“Like not only was Jameson Kingston in our studio, but you totally know him! How did I not know this, Daisy?”
“I don’t really know him, Jess.”
“Uh, the staring contest said otherwise.” She paused for a beat. “Have you slept with him?”
“Jess—”
“What? Perfectly reasonable question. I could feel the heat. And yes, I was eavesdropping.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“So is that a yes?”
“Jess,” she warned.
“Fine, fine. But if you ever want to discuss how fabulous he is in the sack, my ears are open.”
“I’m hanging up.”
“Wait! Don’t you want to know what happened after you left?”
Daisy’s teeth clenched. She didn’t want to… but she did. “Tell me.”
“They stayed a while. Bought two pieces. He paid, of course.”
Daisy’s pulse stumbled. “Which pieces?”
“She loved Purple Rain. Huge Prince fan, though I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the painting had nothing to do with the late singer but…”
“What about Jameson? You said they chose two?”
Jess squealed. “He bought The Picnic.”
Daisy’s heart pounded. “The Picnic?”
Jess continued, “Yeah, his choice was kind of surprising. I mean, it’s a great piece but not at all what I’d imagine for a rock star. Two kids embracing under an oak tree eating… what were they eating?”
She hastily replied, “Turkey sandwiches with homemade cranberry sauce.”
“Huh, how oddly specific.”
The painting was a piece from their youth, a symbol of what they once were and could never be again. Two kids, wildly carefree and so in love that it had broken them.
She pressed a hand to her chest. “Good work today, Jess.”
“Thanks! Oh, should I send them an invite to the party Friday?”
“No!” Daisy shot upright. Too harsh. “I mean, the list is finalized. No changes.”
“Not even for Jameson Kingston?”
Especially not him.
“No. Not even him.”
Jess was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment. “Whatever you say, boss.”
“Thanks again, Jess. See you next week for your shift. Have a good weekend.”
“Same. Bye.”
Daisy set the phone aside and curled into her pillow. Before sleep claimed her, she whispered a prayer: that she would never, ever see Jameson Kingston again.
But even as she said it, deep down she knew she would.