“But what?” Sean bellowed.
Jameson broke free only to say the words Daisy hadn’t dared dream out loud: “I love her.”
Daisy’s mouth dropped at his admission. While his proclamation of love wasn’t exactly how she’d imagined it happening, she couldn’t help smiling.
“You love her?” Sean hissed.
Jameson simply nodded his way and said, “Yes.”
The next thing that happened was what Daisy had feared most.
Sean cocked back his fist and landed it squarely into Jameson’s face.
“Sean! Stop!” Daisy pushed Sean away and rushed to Jameson’s side.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I think I actually deserved that.”
“Damn straight you did,” Sean condemned before rushing out. They watched as he retreated, slamming the door on his way.
“Your lip is bleeding. Let me grab a towel.”
Daisy was on the verge of tears as she wiped the blood from Jameson’s smiling mouth.
Why is he so cheery?
“Why are you smiling? You know you’re the one who got sucker-punched in the face, right?”
Jameson grabbed her hand, stopping her from working on his lip. “I’m not happy because I got my arse handed to me. I’m happy because he finally knows. We’re free, Daisy.”
She instantly felt awful. She never realized just how much he truly wanted to come out of hiding and reveal their relationship. He was actually happy to have taken a beating if it meant they could be free.
More tears came as she professed, “I’m so sorry.”
Jameson wrapped her in his arms. “No tears,darlin’.”
She of course didn’t listen and continued bawling. “This whole time you’ve wanted this, and I’ve been so selfish!”
“Calm down, babe.” He chuckled lightly and tried to soothe her. “You had your reasons, but please don’t get down on yourself, okay? We both knew Sean would take this poorly. I’ll go talk to him a bit, make him understand. And if he doesn’tunderstand today, he will eventually, because I’m not going anywhere.”
Daisy shook her head and breathed him in. His presence alone soothed her, but his positive words gave her the reassurance that everything would eventually be all right.
“Come on.” He helped her off the ground. Grabbing her by the hand, he led her inside the house and upstairs to Sean’s bedroom. “Wait out here while I talk to him.”
Daisy nodded and let go of his hand. Jameson loudly rapped on Sean’s door. After knocking for a few seconds without an answer, Jameson slowly twisted the loose knob. The door quickly opened to a somber-looking Sean with headphones over his ears.
Jameson closed the door, leaving a small crack open.
Daisy eavesdropped from the hall, heart hammering as Jameson laid it bare.
“Hey, man.”
Sean must have seen him because he harshly responded, “What do you want?”
“I want to talk about what just happened.”
“As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing to talk about. It’s all pretty clear. You’ve been hooking up with my little sister when I specifically asked you not to! And then, to top it off, you lie about it. I asked if you were into her and you said no. I mean, how long has this been going on?”
