Page 73 of Pick Me This Time

I’d always made a point of putting up a front, and that front lasted to this day. No one at college or at work knew anything about my life either.

Breaking down some of the walls took some work, but as I focused on Daphne’s eyes, I just eased into it, finding the words starting to come easier the more I spoke. “It turns out my dad didn’t want to be a farmer. I never knew that. I always thought he was all-in on this life, but I found out this morning that what he was all-in on was my mom. She was the reason he did what he did.”

I was still looking at Daphne, but her face was getting hazy as I lost myself to my thoughts, voicing them out loud for the first time ever. “All these years, I thought he was pissed at me for leaving, but now, he says he never was. He was never angry. Never disappointed. He didn’t want me to feel trapped in Allisburg, but I used to. I used to feel like this place was a cage.”

“What about now?” she asked. “Do you still feel that way?”

I shook my head. “No. I definitely don’t, but it’s a lot to get my head wrapped around after believing it so fully for so long.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she offered as I blinked her back into focus.

Sighing as I shook my head again, I pursed my lips and shrugged. “I wish, but I’m pretty sure this is something I’m supposed to figure out myself.”

A soft smile spread across her lips. “I’m here if you need me, but for what it’s worth, I’m glad you had a conversation with your dad. When I spoke to him the other day, it sounded like he missed you. Like he needed to get a few things off his chest.”

I cocked my head. “Maybe it was talking to you that finally made him open up to me, so thanks for that. It was about time he and I got real with each other.”

“What about Fiona?” she asked. “Are you planning on getting real with her too now that she’s back in town? I mean, you guys have a lot of history and it seems to me that she might want an open conversation with you too.”

As I held her gaze, I realized that she seemed kind of jealous. I liked the thought of that a lot more than I should’ve, and I suddenly couldn’t resist the urge to be closer to her anymore. Sliding off the counter, I started closing in on her.

“Daphne LaSalle, is that a little hint of the green monster I hear rising to the surface?” I asked as I advanced slowly across the small kitchen.

She scoffed, but her eyes were glued to mine and I saw the mix of emotions in them. “The green monster? Why would I be jealous? You and Fiona were together for a couple years and you and I have only kissed a few times.”

“I seem to remember us doing a little bit more than just kissing.”

Her teeth sank into her lower lip as I stepped between her legs where she was sitting on the stool, her head dropping back so she could keep her eyes on mine. “Sure, but you probably did a lot more than kissing with her too.”

“Ten years ago.” I put my hands on Daphne’s hips. “We were kids and you were Eric’s little sister. I wasn’t allowed to look at you, but I wanted to.”

Her lips parted in shock. “You did?”

“So bad.” I brought my mouth to her ear, whispering against it. “Fuck, Daph. You did things to me, even back then. I just couldn’t do anything about it.”

“What about now?” she whispered in return. “I’m still Eric’s little sister.”

“Yeah, but we’re not kids anymore.” I pulled back to look deep into her eyes as I cupped her jaw in my palms. “You still do things to me. Things I’ve never experienced before.”

“Not even with Fiona?”

My head was shaking before she’d even finished the question. “Especially not with Fiona.”

I closed the final bit of distance between our bodies, spreading her legs wide open with my hips and pressing my front to hers. I knew that meant she’d feel how hard just having this conversation had gotten me, but that was exactly why I did it.

It looked like Daphne needed some reassurances from me, and strangely, I was more than happy to give them. I’d never felt the need to do it before, but as I lowered my mouth to hers, I had this burning desire to make her feel secure with me.

To let her know that these days, she was the only woman I could think of. Regardless of my past and how many women I’d been with, Daphne was the only one I could see a future with.