"Jules, is—Oh! Just the one I was looking for!" I smiled when I saw them at the island. Jules smirked, knowing full well I'd had Dewayne deliver her here.
Daisy leaped from her stool and hurried over, her bare feet slapping on the tile.
"Good morning!" She threw her arms around my middle and hugged me tightly.
"Have you eaten yet? I'm a bit famished myself." I looked at Jules, who got up to make me something.
"I have. Jules was just telling me all about how you two met."
My smile started to slide off my face, but I caught it in time. "Is that so? What did he tell you?"
Before I could get an answer, Dewayne entered the kitchen.
"Sir, Neal is here. They want to know your plans for today."
"Neal?" Daisy rushed past us, hurrying to greet her cousin. I followed behind, abandoning the idea of breakfast, but not the conversation I'd be having with Jules on what he could and couldn't tell her. I'd gotten too close to spilling something last night. Neither she nor I was ready for the truth to come out.
I met both Neal and Daisy in the foyer, where they were talking animatedly. They turned when they saw me.
"Daisy just told me the good news. Max is gone?" Neal asked excitedly.
"For now, but I feel that once he returns, he won't be around us long." I looked from Neal to Daisy. She gulped.
"Let's just think about now," she countered. "I don't want to stress about the future. Neal wants to spend the day with us."
"Us?" I raised an eyebrow.
Neal shrugged. "I saw that boat out there. Thought I could get you to take me on it sometime. What do you say? Grab some beers, some snacks."
"Tuth?" Daisy asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Tuth," Neal agreed. "Make a day of it."
My plans had been to keep Daisy in my bed as much as possible today, not go out on my boat. But seeing her face so happy and eager made me happy and eager. "Sure, sounds fun. I'll have Jules pack us supplies."
One day of fun with Neal turned into a week of them coming over in the morning, the two coming up with outlandish ways to spend the day. When night would fall, Daisy would remember that she had to practice, so Tuth would take her to the studio, and return her to me later in the evening, where we made love until neither of us could keep our heads up, and would fall asleep from pure exhaustion.
It was bliss.
I never wanted it to end.
The next Monday, one week since I'd brought her here after our date, she insisted on returning home.
"Just for the day. I am... curious to see what the staff has to say. I told them I was spending time with Neal. I need to pack clothes and things to make sure it still looks that way."
I wasn't happy about her decision, but like every time before, I let her go, keeping my heart quiet.
She was coming back, I reminded myself.
Neal returned to our side of the lake shortly after dropping her off.
"Hey, you've got the day off, right?" they asked.
I studied their face. Why were they so excited?
"I do.Why?" I asked.
They flexed their bicep and slapped it. "Let's do that tattoo."
