“What do you mean, is that it? Wasn’t that enough?” Daisy asked heatedly as she raised up to look Ace in the eyes. “I ruined his fucking life, Ace. He’s stuck in a God Dammed wheel chair for the rest of his life. He was seventeen, Ace. Seventeen!”
“Daisy, I know it was awful, but you didn’t cause him to wreck his car. You weren’t in the car, were you? You couldn’t know that would happen anymore than he could have. It was an accident,” Ace asserted.
“But I did know. I had been having the same dream for a week before the accident. Luke was in his car, bright lights blind him, an explosion of glass and metal, then utter silence. I could see him, motionless, bleeding. I ignored the dreams. I ignored Luke when he warned me not to go. He wouldn’t have been on that road at all if I hadn’t called him. The drunk kids from the party wouldn’t have hit him head-on. Two of the teens in the car that hit him died. And I caused it all,” Daisy shivered as the weight of her actions cascaded over her like a tidal wave from a tsunami.
“Daisy, you were a kid. You couldn’t know that was going to happen even with the dream. I am no expert, but it sounds to me like you have been living with and not handling very well survivors’ guilt. You. Did. Not. Cause. That. Accident,” Ace growled. “You are not responsible. Luke didn’t seem to be harboring any ill feelings toward you. He wasn’t depressed or anything. He was solely worried about you. Luke loves you. He wouldn’t want you putting yourself in danger. He needs you to be here for him, not to be out trying to be a hero and getting yourself killed.”
Daisy laid so still and quite that Ace, if he hadn’t heard her rapid breathing and hadn’t feel her racing heart against his chest, would have thought she was asleep. He gave her the time she needed to process what he had said. Ace hoped he had been able to reach her; to knock some sense into her. After a long while, he heard her quiet plea.
“Will you go with me to see him?” Her voice was so quite that he could barely hear her.
“Of course, I will. I would love to meet your brother properly,” Ace informed her. Daisy sighed in relief, unsure why it meant so much to her for Ace to be willing to meet her paralyzed brother. Daisy snuggled into his chest, inhaled his manly scent, and relaxed against him. It felt as if the weight of the world had finally been lifted from her. Ace would help her carry the burden. For the first time in a very long time, Daisy was looking forward the future.
Chapter 14
The next day Daisy and Ace were in her SUV headed for Virginia Beach to visit Luke. They had gotten up at 4 am. They ran through their morning workouts and then packed their clothes and loaded up the SUV. Then they headed out since it was at least a four-hour drive on a good day. Ace didn’t want them to be in a hurry. He wanted to be able to take their time as they drove up. Riding in the car would give them plenty of opportunity to talk and deepen their relationship after last night’s heavy discussion. Daisy had called Luke last night and asked if she could come up the next day. He was thrilled she would be coming to visit. He insisted on having a party to celebrate her coming home to visit. Daisy wasn’t really looking forward to it, but with Ace there she would deal.
They arrived around mid-day. Luke had called a few times to see where they were and how much longer before they got there. Since Ace was driving, so Luke didn’t worry about distracting Daisy while she was driving. Ace heard the excitement in the man’s voice when he talked to Daisy about her visit. It was very obvious to Ace that Luke loved his sister and only wanted the best for her. Ace hoped that Luke would approve of him, because Ace had decided that Daisy was his, whether she knew it or not. When they arrived at Luke’s beach house, several cars were already there. Daisy groaned and threw her head back in the seat.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Ace asked concerned at the distress he could see on her face. With her head still resting on the headrest, Daisy rolled her head to the side to look at him. She huffed out the breath she had been holding since seeing all the cars in Luke’s driveway.
“Can we just turn around and go back to my place?” Daisy questioned. She was pretty sure that her mother was here. That was the last person Daisy wanted to see after all the shit she had been through in the last week, but she knew that Luke wanted them to be a close family, so for his sake she would have to make the effort to be civil.
“If that’s really what you want or need to do, then yes, but you should really see your brother, first,” Ace told her. “We drove a long way, you know.”
“I know and I do want to see Luke, but not all these other nosey fuckers. I know he means well, but I didn’t want to have to deal with Mom and all her drama today. Not to mention all the old high school friends that know what happened,” Daisy sighed heavily and closed her eyes for a few moments, trying desperately to gain the courage to climb out the SUV and face her past. When she heard and felt her door open, she opened one of her eyes to see Ace standing there waiting for her. When she started to get out, Ace stopped her.
“I will be right beside you. If at any time, you are getting overwhelmed, let me know and we will be out of here, ok?” Ace assured her as he helped her down from the vehicle. Daisy nodded. She never thought she would be the type of woman to let a man tell her what to do or to even depend on one, but she was now more than willing. She had had to be strong for so long, it was nice to have someone looking out for her, someone to help her carry the load. As she moved to head toward the house, Ace halted her progress and pulled her to him. She allowed herself to melt into his warm embrace for a moment. He placed a finger under her chin and raised her face until she was forced to look at him.
“I’ve got you sweetheart,” Ace declared, then lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers in a gentle chased kiss. When he pulled back, she laid her head on his strong broad chest for just a moment, drawing strength and courage from him. When she felt him place a soft kiss on top of her head, she raised her head up, turned, and headed toward the house. Ace kept his arm around her waist as they walked down the driveway and around to the back of the house. The sound of music and laughter was coming from that direction, along with the delicious smells of grilled meat. As soon as they rounded the end of the house, Luke called to them.
“Daisy! Ace! It’s about time you got here. I was thinking of sending out a search party,” Luke chuckled as he moved across the patio to greet them. Luke was in a motorized chair that moved surprisingly well on the cobblestone patio. Daisy bent over to wrap her arms around her brother in a tight embrace. Ace kept his hand on the small of her back in silent support. When they had finished their greeting, Ace shook Luke’s hand.
“Ace. It’s nice to meet you in person,” Luke gave Ace a friendly smile.
“You too, Luke. I’ve heard lots of good things about you,” Ace returned the smile.
“Daisy!” An older woman shrieked from the other side of the patio. She hurried across the patio, nearly knocking down a couple of people on her way. When she had reached them, she grabbed Daisy in a tight hug. When she pulled back, she eyed Ace but turned to Luke, instead.
“Why didn’t you tell me Daisy was going to be here?” the woman demanded. She was about Daisy’s height, a little heavier around the middle. Her hair appeared to have recently been colored with a cheap box color. She had on bright red lipstick and had caked on her make-up. Her rose scented perfume was strong, almost nauseating. Ace could feel the tension in Daisy since the woman had appeared on the scene.
“I didn’t want to get your hopes up unnecessarily. You are always so disappointed when we have plans and she gets deployed. I wasn’t going to risk it this time,” Luke calmly told the woman.
“I am surprised you’re here Daisy. You ruined Luke’s life, took his dream of the military, and then you hardly ever come around. Why are you here now?” Daisy’s mother asked cattily in a loud voice, ensuring everyone in the backyard would hear her.
“Mom. I have warned you about talking to Daisy like that. It was not her fault and you damn well know it. It was an accident. Shit happens. Daisy is not to blame. It was 20 years ago it’s past time to stop talking about it. If you say anything else, I will ask you to leave,” Luke admonished their mother. Daisy was standing rigidly in Ace’s embrace, not saying a word. Her face had paled and was pinched in a tight frown as if she were a statue made of stone. Ace moved closer to whisper in her ear.
“You ok, sweetheart?” Ace whispered so quietly, Daisy wasn’t quite sure he had actually spoken, but she nodded in response. She was still unable to speak for the huge lump in her throat. She knew her mother would bring it up. She always did when they got together, especially if there were other witnesses. She relished in beating Daisy down. It had become her favorite pastime after hunting new men.
“So, Daisy are you going to stand there like an idiot or are you going to introduce your boyfriend? I have to say I’m shocked to see you with one. You’ve never brought anyone home before. Of course, it is hard to find anyone that wants to be with a nerd anyway. I mean look at you, no make-up, frumpy clothes, and your hair always tied up on top of your head. You are going to have to start putting some effort into your appearance if you want to keep him on the line. He’s way out of your league, dear,” Joyce scowled at her daughter as she finished her tirade. Before Daisy could get a word in, Luke and Ace had moved between her and her mother.
“Don’t. you. Ever. Speak. To Daisy like that again,” Ace growled. “Daisy is a very beautiful woman. She doesn’t need all that junk covering it up. I think you should take a long look in the mirror before you comment on anyone else’s appearance.” Daisy could feel Ace shaking with his anger. She was little shocked, but at the same time very turned on. No one other than Luke had ever defended her before. Oh, some people would go by giving her the look of pity but had never said anything to their mother. Daisy settled her hand on Ace’s back to let him know she appreciated the support and his defense of her.
“Why are you here? You don’t have any right to speak to me that way,” Joyce snarked.
“Mother, I invited Ace and I would say you are the one that has no right to be speaking like you are. Daisy is your daughter. You should be more respectful of her. Mom, Daisy has done nothing but help you. I don’t know why you continue to hold on to the past. I was having this BBQ so we could have a nice afternoon with family and friends, but if you can’t be civil you can leave,” Luke finished in a harsh voice.
“Oh, Luke honey. I’m sorry. Please forgive your mother. I was just so shocked to see Daisy. She hardly ever comes around and it hurts me so. I’ll be good. I promise. Forgive me?” Joyce cooed.
