“And lastly, and don’t freak out.” He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a black velvet box. “This may never rest on your hand, but I want you to know fully of my commitment to you, Daisy. And one day, I hope when your heart fully heals, you’ll wear this ring and know that no man has ever loved you as much as I love you.”
He popped the box open, revealing a three-carat pear-shaped diamond, sparkling with all the hope in the world.
Daisy’s eyes began to well. It was beautiful. He was so hopeful. And she—she felt so unbearably dirty.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were stolen from her as Matt gently cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers.
And Daisy let him, knowing full well this would be the last time they’d ever embrace that way. For a second, silence swallowed everything. The garden, the party, her world—frozen. She stood suspended between guilt and emptiness until the sound came.
A shriek from Amelia split the moment. When Matt pulled back, Daisy caught a glimpse of movement, a white shadow retreating from the corner of her eye. Her stomach dropped. Who had seen them?
Amelia’s voice carried faintly across the yard. “Where are my parents? I want to open my gifts!”
Matt smiled softly. “Guess we should head back. We can talk more later?”
Daisy nodded, her throat tight. “Yes. Sure.”
But deep down, she knew “later” would only lead to heartbreak.
Daisy watched mindlessly as Amelia tore through one gift after another.
So much for being present.
The day had gone from nerve-racking to confusing, to utterly chaotic. Two men had professed their love for her, one of them even buying a ring.
It was a twisted little ride, and she desperately needed to get off.
She tried several times to catch Jameson’s eye, to get a sense of where his head was, but since Matt’s arrival, he’d kept hisdistance. He was doing what sheshouldhave been—focusing on Amelia, not the telenovela that had become her life.
When Daisy finally met his gaze, standing behind the crowd gathered around Amelia, there was no trace of the compassion he’d shown earlier. Instead, his expression had hardened into something colder. Dismissal. Disappointment.
Then he looked away.
A chilling turn.
What gives?she thought, her chest tightening.
When the presents were opened and guests began to disperse, Matt chatted with Anna and Jess while Daisy’s parents approached her, asking if they could start loading the gifts up.
“That would be great,” Daisy said. “Let me find Jameson and make sure he doesn’t need anything before we head out.”
She searched the house for several minutes. When she couldn’t find him inside, she looped around to the side yard and there he was. His back against the siding, eyes closed, a beer in hand, his jaw tense.
“Hey there,” she said carefully. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”
He didn’t move. “Well, that’s certainly a change.”
Daisy squinted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” he muttered. “What’s up?”
He finally opened his eyes, pinning her where she stood.
“We’re loading up the gifts,” she said, her voice cautious. “I wanted to make sure everything was squared away before we head out.”
Jameson gave a small, humorless laugh. “Sure. All squared away.”
“Jameson, what’s going on?”
