34. Kye

THIRTY-FOUR

KYE

"Are you okay?" Jax asked, making me look away from Daisy to him.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired from the trip."

"That's not what I was talking about."

He was talking about Daisy running into me after six years of not seeing her. Six years of avoiding everything about her from the crew talking about her to seeing her when I was in town. I couldn't bring myself to face anything having to do with her. The cruel twist of fate that took her away from me and now it would put her here in front of me without a chance of getting closer. It was an unbearable torment.

I wondered if she ever thought of me, if she ever missed me the way I missed her. It was an easy thing to wonder, but now she was close enough to ask and I wished I could.

"Daisy? Yeah, we are good. We even just had a polite conversation. One where I got ratted out about the tattoo on my hands that I had been doing well at hiding."

He laughed. "Bailey?"

"Yes, pointed it out immediately."

"Yeah, she's observant. And tough. She's a great kid, though. That's the one I tell you is best friends with Liam and Lily. Daisy's done well with her."

"You told me about their friends, but failed to mention whose kid she was. Why didn't anyone tell me?" The anger and regret were coming over me, and I could feel my temper flaring. I had gotten it under more control as I got older, but any one of them could have told me what Daisy was going through. It wasn't like they never talked about her, but they failed to mention one of the biggest things in her life.

"She asked us not to. Ash said she seemed sad anytime we brought you up, so we tried to not do that too much around her either. It just seemed like it would help you two keep your lives separate. You looked fucking miserable anytime something about her was mentioned, so we just got the hint and stopped mentioning everything."

"I could have come back, though."

"To what? Take care of her? Take care of Bailey? We've obviously done what we could to make sure they are both okay. She doesn't take help easily, though."

"I don't know. I could have at least come back to help through the funeral."

"She was dating someone, anyway. Not that it lasted after Bailey came around. That guy ran for the hills and Daisy was too busy to care."

"Is she with someone now?"

"Yeah, but I don't actually know how serious it is. He seems…fine."

"Fine?"

"Yeah, like a good guy, a simple guy. He's a cop, so I'm assuming her dad likes him, and he seems to want to be a family guy, so he likes Bailey enough. I don't know if it's serious yet." He smirked. "She makes sure not to bring him around us much, so that's about what I know."

"Why? How long have they been dating?"

"Maybe four months? The gossip is that he tried for a long time to get her to go out on a date and finally she caved one day. He's been trying to move for more, but she's taking it slow. The girls don't like him much, but I don't know why."

"The gossip, Jax? Really?"

"I have a pregnant wife whose friends pile into the apartment to tell her all about the outside world anytime they can. I overhear stuff."

"Damn, we need to get you out more."

"I currently can't be more than ten minutes from my wife and child, so maybe we can do that after the baby comes."

"Fine, fine. We will wait. Or just load everyone up and go to the track."

" That we can do."

"I'm serious. We should do that this week."

"And I'm a hundred percent in. Ask Scout, it's her week. Well, hers and Chase's, but I'm assuming Scout would be there faster than any of us. She wants the wedding, but she hates everything leading up to it."

I rolled my eyes. He wasn't wrong. Scout would always take a chance to be at the track. Even on her wedding day, I bet we could get her there.

I looked at Daisy as we went outside. She was dating someone. A cop, at that. I guess it made sense. I'm surprised she wasn't already married or something. She had only grown more beautiful and still kept her head up high, the prom queen that would never let anyone see her trip. I admired it, though. She was always trying her best, and no one could claim otherwise.

We made it through the doors just in time to watch Bailey jump into the pool, fully clothed, with a yelp of joy.

"Bailey, no," Daisy yelled, running to the edge. Her face fell, and I could see the exhaustion now.

"Can she swim?" I asked, running to the other side, ready to jump in.

"She's a great swimmer, and that's the problem. She will not get out now. Bailey, come on."

She only laughed, splashing back and forth from each side. She was a good swimmer and knew to stay out of Daisy's reach.

"I should not have bought swimming lessons for you," she groaned. "Bailey, come out, now. You are going to go dry yourself off before dinner."

I couldn't help smiling as she spun around in the water, grinning.

"You think this is funny?" Daisy said, staring daggers at me.

"I mean, yeah, a bit," I said.

Suddenly, the entire crew was laughing behind her.

"You guys," she said. "Stop laughing. I can't even control her."

"We aren't laughing at you, Daisy. We are laughing with you," Quinn said. "No one here is expecting you to control her. She is uncontrollable, and unfortunately for you, it's adorable."

Bailey spun again, smiling up at me.

"Are you going to get out like she told you?" I asked.

She shook her head no, her smile bigger than ever.

I kicked off my shoes, and pulled off my shirt. Luckily, I was still in my shorts from the plane and, unlike everyone else, had a change of clothes in the car.

"What are you doing?" Daisy asked, and I didn't miss the panic in her voice. I looked up, and her mouth dropped open, staring at me.

"Getting your daughter."

I sat on the edge and slid in. The water was a perfect temperature that I could hardly blame Bailey for not getting out.

As soon as she saw me in the pool with her, she screamed in joy, paddling the opposite way.

"Oh, man. This is the exact type of shit we would have done. I can catch you, Bailey. You better swim faster."

"Kye, language."

"Oh, shit." I shook my head. "Sorry!"

"Ohhh, shit," Bailey repeated, her lips sounding out the O, and I knew I was in trouble.

"Kye!" Daisy yelled.

"I'm sorry! I forgot," I said, grabbing for Bailey, who thought she was faster. "You don't stand a chance outrunning me."

I picked her up, pulling her back to the shallow end.

"Oh, shit," she said again.

"Listen, if we don't stop saying that, we are both going to be in trouble," I whispered to her.

"I'm in trouble for going into the pool," she whispered, sucking in a breath between each word like that was going to keep the words quieter. "So more trouble is fine."

I lifted her onto the edge, sitting her down so her feet were still in the water. My body shook with quiet laughter before I doubled over. My forehead rested on the cold concrete next to her as I tried to hide it, not able to stop as Bailey patted the back of my head as she laughed.

"Kye, what's wrong?" Daisy said. My back was to her, so she couldn't see the tears forming from laughing so hard.

I finally turned, calming myself. "I hate to tell you this, but at four years old, your child has the same plan for getting out of trouble that I did when I was a teenager."

"Which is?" she asked, arms crossed and clear worry across her face.

"If you're already in trouble, just do all the fun things at once, so you're only in trouble once. She said you're already mad at her for getting in the pool, why not cuss, too? Ahh, damn, Daze, good luck raising her because you're going to need it."

At my words, Daisy's mouth dropped open, and Bailey jumped over my head and back into the pool. I grabbed for her, but I was surprised when she resurfaced, her nose plugged as she blinked water from her eyes.

"Do all four-year-olds swim like this or is she just a daredevil?"

"No, not at all. She just thinks she's invincible."

"Me too, Bailey. Me, too."

I grabbed her, playing in the water for another few minutes before we really had to get out and change.

By the time I dried off, changed, and headed back inside, everyone was waiting for me, including Daisy and Bailey.

"How did you beat me getting ready when you have this unruly child?" I asked.

"Because she takes punishment well enough when she knows what she did and she hustled getting cleaned up. At least I have something under control."

"I think you are doing just fine. She's clean, healthy, obviously happy. Not much else you have to worry about."

"There's a thousand things to worry about."

I shrugged, knocking against Bailey, who was trying to get Liam's attention.

"Want to go eat?" I asked them.

"Yes," they both said together.

"Me, too. I had to eat dry crackers on the plane."

Daisy almost looked upset that I was helping, and I wondered if it was her old habit of appearances. If she was worried, she didn't look like a good enough parent with so many people around. I grabbed Bailey, picking her up and heading over to the table.

Everyone sat and ate, Liam next to me, with Bailey next to him, and Daisy on her right. Everything went fine enough, the crew catching me up on some things I missed, and Chase catching all of us up on the wedding plans for the week.

It was another hour later before I needed air. The room feeling crowded, and my eyes kept wandering to Daisy.

"I'll be back," I said to the table before getting up, and walking out to the back porch. The place had little fires going in two of the pits and I sat by one.

Daisy was here. Back in my life without any notice, and she had a kid.

I had never slowed down enough to think about her life. Sometimes, I wanted to believe she was married and happy. Sometimes, I wanted to think that she thought about me as much as I thought about her.

Most days, I wanted to not think about her at all.

It happened. I made it through days and weeks without her on my mind, but the moment I felt lonely, she flooded my memories until I couldn't think of anything but her.

The door opened, and the girl that took over my dreams and nightmares stepped out. Her dress blew in the wind, but she didn't seem to care as her head tipped back and eyes closed. A moment of peace, before her eyes opened and met mine.

She froze like she might go back inside, and I laughed.

"I already saw you, Daze. Might as well come sit down."

"I didn't know if you wanted to be alone," she said, heading my way.

"Is that why you are out here? To be alone?"

"I just get a little overwhelmed sometimes."

"I get it. I'm good with company. I won't be long out here if you need to be alone, though."

"No," she said, sitting down and smoothing her dress again. Another sign that she was still the girl I knew, not wanting anything out of place. The green of the dress brought out the greens and brown hues in her eyes, and showed off plenty of her long legs. "It's fine."

We sat in silence for a minute. For everything I ever thought about asking Daisy, I couldn't bring myself to ask one fucking question.

"So why are you still single?" she asked, and I could see how hard she was focusing on the fire, not daring to look at me.

I smiled because I only wanted to ask her why she wasn't. "Well, between traveling a lot and having this small issue that I still don't like people getting all touchy with me, dating isn't easy. I'm still the same. I never needed to date or worry about it. You did, though. What about you?"

"Aside from the dating pool going down to what feels like zero, I have been kind of seeing someone."

"Oh, yeah? Would I know him?"

She looked at me and bit at her lip. For a second, I thought she wasn't going to tell me, and my stomach sank.

"Fuck, I know him, don't I?" I asked with a scowl. "If you say Dean, I might have to leave. Even years of therapy can't erase the hatred I have for that man."

"No!" she said fast. "Not Dean, but you do know him."

"Thank fuck all my friends are with someone. Who is it?"

She chewed on her lip more, and I could only think of all the times that lip was between my teeth.

"Mark," she finally said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

The words took a minute to process, trying to think through all the people I knew in town, before I remembered how I knew the name.

My mouth dropped open before I broke out in laughter. "Mark? As in Mark you went on a date with while we were dating? Mark, who took you to the haunted house?"

"Hey! In my defense, I did not know we were dating for real."

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"We've just gone on a couple of dates. It's only been a few months."

I was still laughing, and it was making her laugh now.

"And here I am again. Showing up right in time to piss him off. I don't care how much I grow up, that will continue to be hilarious to me."

The moment I said it, I realized what I was implying. The image of everything we did in that haunted house came back all at once, along with a hard wave of wanting. A feeling that had died in me so many years ago, hitting me like it never went away. No one had ever made me want them like Daisy. All she had to do was look at me, and I was ready to do anything for one more second with her.

Her eyebrows jumped up and lips parted. "You really have impeccable timing."

"Does he know what happened that night?"

"He knows that I left with you, yeah."

"You told him?"

"I guess indirectly. I told my dad that I had left with you that night, and he ended up telling Mark."

"So basically, I'm getting arrested this week by Mark, no matter what I do?"

"What? No! He wouldn't do that. I think we've grown up more than that, Kye."

"Maybe you have, but I guarantee that guy hates me now. He will not be happy to learn I'm going to be around you all week."

"Why are you going to be around me all week?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "The wedding? All of us have plenty to do for it this week. I just assume I'll see you."

"Oh, right. Yeah, and I have to work and help Mark with his stuff." She leaned her head back, exposing more of her neck.

Six years of thinking of her was already threatening to come out. Six years of no one else because the only thing that could turn me on was thoughts of Daisy. The only person who didn't make me want to scream when she touched me was now five feet away, and I couldn't touch her.

"Where do you work?"

Now she looked confused. "I work at Carly's diner? I assumed you knew that."

I was already shaking my head. "No. Definitely didn't."

"Now that you say it, I've never seen you there."

"I've stopped by when I'm in town. I've never seen you there, and Carly never told me." I made a mental note to talk to Carly, because that was something they could have clued me in on. "Apparently, they took a lot of precautions to make sure I knew nothing about you or see you."

"Why?"

I stood up, reaching out to help her up when she moved to stand with me. I couldn't be out here alone with her any longer.

She slipped her hand into mine and I pulled until she was staring up at me. I didn't pull it away, my thumb running over hers once before I dropped it.

"I think we both know why."

"I don't think I do." Her words were breathless, and I stepped closer. My hands twitched to reach out and grab her, but I held them in place.

The back door opened and Scout stepped out, her hands on her hips. "I swear, Kye, you need to be tied to one of us or you run off."

Daisy gave a sad laugh. "She might not be the only one who thinks that."

"Come on. I'm sure Bailey's looking for you, too."

She nodded and walked past me, that all too familiar scent of lavender and mint hitting me like it had the night I met her. The night she had jumped into my arms and begged me for a kiss.

The night that changed my life forever.

Because it didn't matter how far away I was or how long we had been apart, I was still completely in love with Daisy.