Chapter Thirty

The past couple of days have been difficult with headaches and I tend to forget recent memories, but it"s getting better each day. My soreness is going away, and the bruises I had will fade soon. Jasper didn"t like going back to work while I"ve been here, but I made a promise to him I wouldn"t do anything without calling him first.

It"s different, considering how independent I am. My dad"s even come over during trips from out of town. In fact, he should be here in a few minutes. My phone buzzes next to me on the couch and when I notice Jasper"s name, I do my best not to roll my eyes.

J: You okay?

D: I"m doing cartwheels. That"s okay, right?

J: I"m going to assume you"re being a smartass because you"re sick of me checking up on you. In case you aren"t, just lie to me. I know you aren"t used to me being so over the top concerned, but you know where I come from, Daisy Mae.

And now I feel like an asshole. I do know where his concern comes from, and I know it"s how hard all of this has been for him. It"s been hard for me too, but in many other ways.

D: I am, I"m sorry. Dad"ll be here in a few minutes, and I think he"s staying until you get off work. You won"t have to worry.

J: Alright, I"m going back to work. I love you.

I"m still not used to him saying those words so freely, or typing them as the case may be.

D: I love you, too. I"ll be good until Dad gets here. I promise.

There"s a knock at the door.

"Daisy. It"s me."

"C"mon in, Dad."

He opens the door slowly, looking around it, making sure I"m on the couch. "Hey." He waves. "Brought you a surprise today." He holds up a bag from Get Baked.

"Oh my God, I"ve missed it so much."

"Gabby"s missed you, too. She said she"ll be over some time this week."

This lifeline to the outside world is more than I could"ve hoped for. "Thank you. It"s not the same as texting each other. I can"t wait to see her. I appreciate you going to grab lunch."

"She said this is your favorite, so I hope she was right."

He reaches into the bag, and I smell my favorite food. My stomach growls loudly. "Yup, she was so right. Are you hanging out until Jasper gets off work?"

"I will, as long as you want me here."

He has a seat next to me on the couch, and I lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder. "I do, Dad. I always want you around."

Jasper

Landon"s SUV is still parked in the driveway when I get home. I wasn"t counting on him really still being here. There"s a surprise in my pocket that"s burning a hole in it, but if I have to wait for him to leave, then so be it. Barrett and I park next to each other, waving as we go to our own sides of the duplex.

As I open the door, Landon is standing there, surprise on his face when I almost hit him with the door. "Fuck. Sorry."

"No, it"s good. You didn"t know I was standing here. I meant to leave a few minutes ago, but we got to watching a movie and then she had to go to the bathroom."

"Dad, I can speak for myself," Daisy groans from where she lies on the couch.

"Thanks for taking care of her while I was at work." I put my hand out for him to shake. We"ve come to an uneasy agreement. Back when I broke her heart in college, he"d found me and threatened me. Like any good father would.

"Not a problem. If y"all need anything else, please let me know."

With those words, he"s gone, and I"m alone with my wife. That surprise in my pocket feels heavy. "Hey." I grin over at her. "I missed you." I walk toward the couch, leaning in, boxing her in with my arms.

"I missed you, too. What are you doing over here, trying to act like you have some game?" She laughs.

"I do have game..." I argue, putting one hand over my heart. I dip in, kissing her quickly on the lips.

She rolls her eyes when I pull back. "You keep telling yourself that, Hamilton."

"I have a surprise for you." It slips out. I can"t help it. I"ve never had a surprise for anyone before, and this is one I don"t want to hide from her.

"A surprise? What is it?"

"Oh, so now you wanna act like I have game."

She groans loudly, tilting her head back in exasperation. "Will you give me the surprise if I say you have game?"

"Yes." I smile widely, happy with myself.

"Okay, you have..."

In the middle of her saying it, I take my hand out of my pocket and present her with a ring box. Her eyes go from mine to the box, then back up to mine. "You want it?" I smirk.

"Jasper..." She licks her lips. "What is it?"

"Why don"t you open it?"

Her hands shake as she reaches out for the box, and then slowly opens the top. Her palm flies to her lips when she gasps. "Oh my gosh, it"s gorgeous. Whose is this?"

"Yours now." I swallow roughly. "It used to be my mom"s." I take the box out of her hand, turning it around so I can look at the ring I remember her wearing so often as a kid. A heart-shaped emerald surrounded by small diamonds. "She wore this as an engagement ring, and since we didn"t have time to get anything other than these wedding bands, I thought you"d like to wear it now. It was in the will leaving it to me, and I"ve been hanging onto it since I was old enough to know what it meant to get engaged." I reach forward, caressing her hand, before sliding the ring on her finger. "And now I wanna give it to you."

"Jasper. This is too much."

"No." I shake my head. "It"s just enough. You deserve more, and one day I"ll get it for you."