Her breath caught. Her cheeks flushed.
“But I’m not supposed to have those thoughts or say those things anymore,” he added quietly, straightening. “So—I’ll get to the reason I came up. Amelia’s begging for dessert before dinner. And before I give in, I thought I’d check with you first.”
Daisy heard him, but her mind was still tangled in the way his voice had dipped onbeautiful.
“Daisy?”
She blinked, pulling herself from his spell. “Dessert. Right. Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Okay. I’ll see you down there?”
She nodded, avoiding eye contact as he made his way out of her room. Once gone, she sat down on the edge of the bed, smoothing the skirt of her dress, grappling with the switch that had just been flicked on inside of her.
By nightfall, the backyard buzzed with chatter and music playing from the outdoor speakers. Friends filled the space… bandmates, their partners, and a few close mates from Jameson’s world. The energy was easy and laughter was perpetual.
The air smelled of grilled steak and roasted vegetables, as Jameson manned the barbecue while Lenny mixed drinks, the two moving in sync like they had done it a hundred times before. Strings of market lights glowed from above, casting everyone in a soft, yellow haze that made the evening feel almost enchanted.
They ate outside, the night warm and full of something that Daisy could only describe as peace. After dinner, Sean surprisedDaisy with a FaceTime call. Kyler immediately snatched her phone, pulling Lenny and Jameson into the frame as the three of them joked and reminisced about the “good old days.”
And Amelia—she was the star of the night. She chatted with everyone, danced barefoot across the patio, and had somehow convinced half the table to join her by the end of a song. That girl had never met a stranger in her life.
And Daisy? She watched.
She watched this group that was bound together by music and years of shared stories, and by love that had weathered distance and constant change. She watched Lenny trail after Anna like a devoted puppy, Kyler and Riley curled up together near the fire. She watched Amelia twirling under the string lights, her laughter carrying across the backyard.
But mostly, she watchedhim.
She told herself not to stare, but her eyes found him anyway. They always did.
It had been months since they’d been in the same space for more than five minutes, yet somehow, time had changed nothing. The pull was still there. Always quiet but magnetic.
Earlier today, she’d seen where he came from. She’d stood in his boyhood room and smelled the rosemary from his mother’s kitchen. She’d seen the boy who once called her from that little cottage, guitar resting on his bed, promising her the world.
And now here he was, the man who’d kept his promises in ways she could never have imagined. The man who had clawed his way back from darkness, who’d learned to lead with both heart and humility, who’d chosen accountability and grace over pride.
She saw him with their daughter. He was steady and whole.
And for the first time in a long time, Daisy didn’t fight what she felt. She embraced it.
Because the truth was simple.
She didn’t just love who hehad been.
She loved who hewas now.
Her heart had spent years trying to protect itself from him—and maybe, finally, she was done running. Running from what was already hers.
Today she had walked through his past. And somewhere between the old bakery and him twirling Amelia on the patio, Daisy realized she didn’t want to just visit his world… she wanted tobelongin it.
As the night dwindled down, everyone helped clean up before heading out. Daisy tucked Amelia into bed, brushing a stray curl from her forehead and whispering a soft good night before retreating to her own room.
Wrapped in nothing but a robe, she lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, willing sleep to come. But she was wide awake, her heart beating with that quiet, aching energy that came from wanting and knowing in the same proportion.
Her mind spun with realizations and conclusions. Before, those thoughts had been tangled in fear—fear of being hurt again, of repeating history. But now, there was only peace. However things played out, she was clear-minded. She was ready.
Accepting that sleep wasn’t coming, Daisy slipped out of bed and padded down the stairs, the old wood cool beneath her bare feet. In the kitchen, she poured a glass of water, then wandered the dim hallway, studying the artwork that lined his walls.
Not bad, she thought with a half smile. But not hers.
