“Jameson, the birthday girl and I were just about to take a dip in the Jacuzzi. Care to join?”
Daisy whipped around. A shirtless Jameson walked toward them. Her pulse spiked. She’d seen glimpses of his body when he lifted his shirt on stage, but nothing compared to this.
“When did you get here?” she managed.
“Mum just dropped us off. She’s actually inside at the ‘adult party.’”
Daisy snorted. Her parents had cleverly staged their own gathering indoors, complete with real booze and better food.
“Lenny and Ky are changing. Come on.” Jameson held out his hand.
Her fingers tingled as she let him lead her to the Jacuzzi. Anna jumped right in, while Jameson lingered, waiting for Daisy. “You gonna swim in that dress?” he teased.
Taking a breath, Daisy tugged the hem upward, sliding her yellow dress over her head. She felt his eyes on her and almost faltered. Daisy had noticed her body changing over the last few months. Her slim hips growing wider with curves and her small breasts getting fuller. Evidently, Jameson had noticed as well. His stare was wide, intense, and for one terrifying second, she considered putting the dress back on over the one-piece swimsuit.
“Get in already!” Anna yelled.
Daisy brushed past him quickly and sank into the steaming water. Jameson slid in beside her, his hand slipping under the bubbles to rest lightly on her knee. Warmth surged through her.
Anna, meanwhile, was cozied up to Connor, Sean’s friend. She and Ryan had broken up over the holidays. Apparently, he wanted to focus more on school, which Daisy couldn’t blame him for. The boy needed to graduate! And while he liked Anna, in the end, their age difference and the fact that he was planning on moving to Washington for college was a determining factor for their split.
Anna cried for a total of four hours, ate a tub of cookie dough ice cream, and was on her merry way. She hadn’t looked back since.
“This party’s awesome,” Jameson said, droplets running down his cheek. “You and Sean usually do it together?”
“Not for years. But now that we’re all friends, he thought it’d be fun.”
Jameson squeezed her knee. “I have a present for you.”
“Well, you better,” she teased, biting her lip. “Itismy birthday.”
He grinned. “Later. I want to see your face when you open it.”
“What is it?”
He gave her a stern look. “Now that would completely defeat the purpose of seeing your surprised face when you open it.”
Next, Daisy did something that shocked even her. She moved her hand over his and interlocked their fingers. “I guess I can wait then.”
The night blurred with cake, laughter, and too many kids in too little space. As the crowd thinned, Jameson found Daisy back in her yellow dress, chatting with Lenny and Kyler. He motioned for her, and she followed him behind the pool house into her mother’s garden.
When they were out of sight, he handed her a small wrapped box and whispered, “Happy birthday, Daisy.”
Taking the gift, Daisy cautiously unwrapped it.
“Jameson… are these—”
“I know it’s not Aerosmith, but…”
Her mouth fell open. “Two tickets to U2?!”
She flung her arms around him.
“And Lenny Kravitz is opening.Do you like it?”
“U2? Lenny? This is the best present ever.” She beamed.
His grin told her he knew exactly what he’d done. He must’ve saved for months, and that thought alone made her chest ache in the best way.
