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Her eyes showed aze intently focused on what I was saying I leaned across the table, needing to feel close to her Reaching for her hands to hold them in mine
I recited from her book, “Have you ever met someone that you felt like you already kneith every fiber of your being? Knowing it was physically i it was the first ti that he was a co it in your heart, in your mind, and in your soul that this person was a part of you Someone you possiblyto you I locked eyes with the guy across the room and a sense of deja vu hit me, I felt like I had seen hih in er I felt a pull towards hi fro I The way he looked at ht possible There was a predatory, yet captivating glare in his eyes As if I was the answer to every question he ever had”
Her eyes widened in disbelief, tears pooling immediately
“I felt every single one of those things you described in our love story, Daisy Every last one of them And yes, the second I laid eyes on you… you answered every question I ever had”
Tears fell fro to hold her anyway I could I reached across the table, rubbing her tear-stained cheek with my thumb
“I need to make amends with you I can’t pass my ninth step in my recovery until I do I know I’ve said this to you a hundreds, thousands, possiblyheart and soul, baby, I auilt of everything I did to you To my family, my friends, the car accident Before I could lovefor you to forget, I’ive”
She sniffled “I forgave you a long tiave you the moment I left your hospital room”
“I know it’s going to take tiain Fuck… it’s taken alain But I need you in my life”
“Austin, I—”
“I’ ere I don’t want to go back to the past I want to move forward in the future with you I want to be your best friend, Daisy Iin this world Your love, your kindness, your s your voice, even your snoring,” I chuckled
“I don’t snore I have allergies,” she giggled, sniffling again
And it was still the sweetest sound I’d ever heard
“Your allergies then I miss those too I just… I Miss You If we could be friends again Start fro with a clean slate If we could start in a new place, find our way back to whatever we’re supposed to be to each other I know in my heart, as well as in my mind, body, and soul that you’re meant to be in my life one way or another And you know that too You wouldn’t have written it, if you didn’t”
She took a deep breath I wasn’t surprised in the least that she was hesitating I couldn’t blah The e, all-consue for years and years
“Let’s eat lunch, and then I’d like to show you so Can we do that?”
She nodded, pulling her hands away
We ate in couing emotions swirled all around us I paid the bill and alked out toover the center console for her hand, kissing it before placing it inhelp myself, I needed to feel her
As soon as I drove intoFrorin when she looked out theParking e we made our way into my house
The home I purchased with a family in mind
The same one I wanted with her
Only her
She slowly stepped inside through the garage door, is froht to the sliding glass door to gaze out at the dock she loved soshe had already left a piece of her soul on the wooden planks I watched herthe pictures on the walls and the shelves
“This isn’t what I wanted to show you,” I stated, grabbing her hand
I led her to the guesthouse I had built specially for her after I read her book She peered around the spacious open roo space with huge bay s that overlooked our dock and the water She took in every last picture of all our happy hout the years that were scattered all over the walls She walked over to the reading chair in the corner and picked up hertiht it up to her cheek, snuggling into it as her eyes began to water Placing it back on the chair, she continued over to the bookshelf that held all of her books that she’d also left behind I pulled every last one of thee
“I made Lucas’ company build this room for you after I read your book I wanted you to have a happy place atat her as she continued to explore the room with her hand over her heart
She stopped dead in her tracks when she sahat I really wanted her to see I cah to where she could feel my warmth, love, and devotion for her
“See, baby, you’ve always been with me Even when you weren’t,” I ht Sparkle Briggs doll sitting on the shelf with a picture of us beside it
Her hand went over her mouth as fresh tears erupted
“I bought her on my way to rehab I never needed you more than I did back then I prayed that she couldher Hoping thatthat this ti to be happy, forever With me”
“I-I don’t knohat to say”
I turned her to facedown her beautiful face I resisted the urge to kiss them all away, so I wiped the for so I hope she’d find
“Okay,” she whispered
I pulled away her hair, caressing her cheek with my thumb
“Okay, what, baby?”
“Okay, we can try to be friends again”
I sainstho ain Where she belonged I would prove myself worthy of her love and trust I didn’t care if it took the rest of my life
She was mine
There wasn’t a chance in hell that I was ever going to let her go I loved her too fucking much
Epilogue
Austin
Four and a half years later
“You ready?” I asked irl
She stopped building her sand castle and looked up at , silky brown hair from her mama and the freckles sprinkled across her nose froht blue eyes she shared with both of us She fervently nodded, standing up, brushing off the sand fros and her purple two-piece bikini that Briggs insisted was the cutest thing she’d ever seen
“Hold on, Ahter
She walked over to us from her beach chair and helped Amari
wipe off the sand
“Turn around, baby girl,” she said, wanting to tie Ah on her head so it would be away from her face
Briggs strapped on her life vest and I ainst her chest Aht-s’ parents, and I was already trying to knock her up with a third To give her the big family that she always dreamed of
It took a little less than a year for her to tell h I told her every fucking day We started off as friends like we did e firstall the tiht like old times The first time we kissed was on my birthday, exactly what I wished for when I blew out ether for three months by that time, but it felt like we’d never parted ways It was as if nothing had changed between us
The first tiue and fingers, was on her birthday It was threeorgasht then and there, she actually begged ive her what she wanted I told her she couldn’t get ain until she told me she loved me
Sound familiar?
She finally said it the day I received oddamn time I asked her to marry me and knocked her up on our dock out back We were married on those same wooden planks less than a nant
I was paranoid as fuck with her pregnancy Since she had suffered a nancy I barely let her lift a finger I waited on her hand and foot, giving into her every crazy request Turned out her pregnancy was normal, and she went full term without any co the only child for as long as we could Finally getting the baby girl that I’d dreamt about for years
Ae of her ht pink, her favorite color Briggs bought her some pink clip-in hairpieces instead She was so das doll” that she stole off of herit was hers now She took it everywhere, and it s s iive-a-fuck attitude”
“I’ in front of me with her arms up in the air
I picked her up, placing her on my back Her little arms wrapped around my neck while I held on to her under her butt I crouched down kissing Michael on the forehead Grabbing Briggs’ chin to kiss her pouty pink lips
“I love you,” I rasped against her mouth
She smiled “Be careful”
“Always am”
I kissed her one last ti my surfboard, we made our way into the water
“You ready, baby girl?” I asked, lifting her higher on my back
She nodded “Yep! Let’s do this,” she replied, enthusiastically kicking her legs at my sides