A Secret Love (new chapter every weekend)

Chapter 2

Daisy let herself into her aunt's apartment and dropped her purse on the small table near the door. She went in search of her aunt and found her in the kitchen, removing a pan of brownies from the oven.

"Hey, you," Peggy said, placing the pan on the counter. "What's new?"

"Well, let's see." Daisy pulled out a chair and sat down at the island. "I ran into Shawn's best friend, Jason, last night. We hung out, got drunk, and woke up married."

Peggy raised an eyebrow at her niece. "When you go wild, honey, you go wild."

Daisy buried her face in her hands and groaned. "I'm screwed."

"I'll say."

"Not helping, Aunt Peggy."

Peggy grabbed Daisy's hands and pulled them away from her face. "Let's talk about it. First, describe Jason to me. I want a mental image in my head while we talk."

"He's about 6'2" with broad shoulders, " Daisy said. "He has gray eyes and short dark brown hair. Oh, and when he smiles he has dimples."

"Sounds handsome."

"He is," Daisy exhaled.

"Tell me everything that happened," Peggy encouraged her. "Can I get you anything to drink first?"

Daisy told her no and then shared what she remembered about last night and this morning.

"I agree with Jason," Peggy said. "Hold off on the annulment, give the marriage a chance. Too many people now days are getting a divorce."

"Shawn is going to be pissed when he finds out," Daisy said.

"Let him be pissed." Peggy leaned against the island. "It's your life and you should be allowed to live it with whomever you want."

"I don't want him to turn on Jason." Feeling a headache coming on, Daisy massaged her temples. "They've been friends for years."

"If your brother ends his friendship with Jason over your marriage, well, then he wasn't much of a friend to begin with and Jason would be better off without him."

Daisy nodded. "You're right."

"You're darn right I'm right." Peggy took Daisy's hand. "Open that big heart of yours and let him in. Marriage can be a wonderful thing. It takes a lot of work, but it's worth it."

"Do you think you'll ever get married again?" Daisy inquired.

"I think so." Peggy smiled. "If the right man comes along. What is your man doing?"

"He's taking care of a few errands," Daisy answered. "We're heading home today."

"I'm going to miss you, sweetie."

"I'm going to miss you too," Daisy said, a lump forming in her throat. "Come and visit me soon, will you?"

"Of course."

"Oh, and not a word of this to anyone," Daisy said. "Please."

"My lips are sealed," Peggy said with a wink.

Hours later, Jason shut his laptop and returned it to its case. He stood, stowing the case in the overhead compartment. Turning, he glanced at Daisy, who was sitting across from him. She had her eyes closed and her earbuds in. He could hear the faint sound of classical music.

Sitting back down, he gazed at her intently. Love surged within him. The need to hold her close and kiss her swept through his body. He restrained himself, for now. They needed to talk.

After checking the time, Jason reached out and laid his hand on Daisy's knee. She opened her eyes and then removed the earbuds, putting them away. "We'll be landing soon," he informed her.

"Then we should talk."

"I agree." Jason sat back, clearing his throat. "I have a friend, no one you or Shawn knows. He's working overseas and plans on being gone for a month. He called me earlier and asked me if I would keep an eye on his place while he's away. I offered instead to house sit for him."

"So we're going to live in his house for a month," Daisy said.

"That's right," Jason said. "We won't need to worry about your family or mine finding out we're together."

"What do I tell everyone?" Daisy wanted to know.

"Tell them you're house sitting for a friend of a friend," Jason said. "Stick as close to the truth as you can."

"All right," Daisy said with a nod. She slipped out of her chair and settled into the one beside him. She gazed into his eyes. "I've been doing some thinking about us."

"And?" Jason muttered, his heart skipping a beat at having her close.

"And I want you to know that I'm going to give my all to this marriage." Daisy lowered her lashes. "I'll try to be a good wife to you."

Her words had Jason reaching for her, needing to kiss her. He brushed his lips against hers. "I'll try to be a good husband to you," he whispered.

Daisy smiled weakly. "I have no doubt you will be a great husband." She glanced down at her hands and sighed heavily. "I guess we should take our rings off. We can't wear them around everyone."

Reluctantly, Jason took off his ring and held it out to Daisy. "Keep it safe for me."

"If you will do the same with mine," Daisy said, slipping off her ring.

"Deal." Jason stuck her ring in the inside pocket of his suit coat. "If all goes well, in one month we'll give them back to each other and then we'll sit everyone down and tell them about us."

"I'm not looking forward to that conversation," Daisy said.

Jason wasn't looking forward to it either. He decided to talk about something else. "Did you leave your car at the airport?"

"No," Daisy replied. "A friend dropped me off."

"Then I'll give you a lift," Jason said. "You can pack tonight and move in with me tomorrow."

"Does your friend know about me?" Daisy queried.

"Yes," Jason responded. "I felt it was safe to tell him, since he doesn't know your family and barely knows mine."

At that moment, Jason's cell phone rang. He retrieved it from the clip on his belt and checked the caller ID. It was his sister. He accepted the call. "Hey, Kimber."

"Hey, big bro," she said. "You got a minute?"

"For you, I've got all the time in the world," Jason said.

"You're so sweet," Kimber cooed. "Anyhoo, I need to borrow your strong back and muscles. I have some boxes that need to go to storage."

"I'll be over tomorrow afternoon," Jason promised.

"Thank you, brother dear," she said. "Love you."

Jason told her he loved her too and ended the call.

A/N:  Thank you all for your support. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)