the right moment (Sea Breeze: The Next Generation #6)

Chapter 29

Chapter twenty-nine

Daisy

I stood in the kitchen washing dishes with my momma like always. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail like mine to keep it out of our faces. The others sat in the living room playing catch-up with Brent. Brent hadn't been surprised at all by Larissa's pregnancy, but then I don't think any of us were. Larissa and Ash already had one child in Lily, but it was obvious that there would be more to follow. There usually was with this family.

"Daisy?" Momma continued looking down at the dishes in the sink as she spoke. I wiped off a plate with a towel and placed it in the cabinet above my head.

"Yes?"

"What's going on with you and Reagan?" I nearly dropped the cup in my hand. I knew it. I knew I couldn't hide this from her. I also should have seen this coming, but I think a part of me was still hoping that I had a good enough poker face to keep mine and Reagan's relationship secret.

"Nothing, why?" I lied.

"Because I thought you were going to crawl under the table at dinner when your daddy and Preston grilled you and Jimmy about that ride home." I shrugged my shoulders and placed the cup where it was supposed to go. If only she knew how badly I wanted to crawl under the table right now.

"It was embarrassing, that's all. I don't like talking about boys in front of them. I never have because they act like I'm still the fragile, innocent child I was so many years ago." She nodded and handed me the last cup. The faucet turned on and I watched as she ran her hands under it. She had such fine hands. They looked like they belonged on a doll, but those hands were also firm and safe.

"True, but that doesn't explain the twinkle in your eye whenever someone said his name." After I finished drying I used the towel to wipe down the countertop once before tossing it into the sink. I grabbed a paper towel from the roll and dried my hands.

"I always have a twinkle in my eye, Momma. You tell me that all the time." She rolled her eyes and started towards the laughter and chattering voices in the living room.

"Alright, I'm gonna let this go for now, but Daisy, trust me when I say to be careful about who you give your heart to. Not all of them can be as good as your daddy and your brother." I nodded and watched as she disappeared into the other room. I let out the breath I'd been holding back and pulled my phone out from the pocket in my dress. I had a text message. I unlocked my phone and opened the message without reading the name in the notifications bar.

Corey: Hey beautiful, how's dinner?

The flying feeling in my stomach grounded itself a little bit when I saw that it was him. I texted him back quickly that it had been wonderful. I'd texted him that I got a surprise visit from my brother and that I'd had amazing food. I probably gave him more detail than he was hoping for, but I didn't care.

"Daisy, get in here! Or I'll tell Brent all about your new boyfriend." Warning signals and sounds went off in my head and I pressed "Send" before running into the living room to stop Jimmy from saying anything. Ugh, could he act his age for once. Just once?

Reagan

Four hours and a stack of papers later, I laid in my bed. I had my arms behind my head and was staring at the ceiling. The room was dark and quiet as I lay there thinking. I thought about Donovan's story. Thinking about someone not caring or hurting Daisy made my chest burn with red hot anger. How could anyone treat her that way? She was so beautiful and so kind. Sure, she could be a bit sassy, but that was mostly my fault. I provoked her. Truth is, I like her sassy. It adds a fire to her blue eyes that makes a hell of a force when mixed with the softness of her personality.

Speaking of her eyes, it all made sense now. The haunted look and the flashes of brief pain that I see whenever I look into her eyes are a result of her childhood. She was like me, damaged. The only difference was that someone had repaired those damages before they became permanent to the point of agony. I hadn't had anyone to pull me out in time to save me from that. My childhood had left a permanent scar that was never going to go away and there was nothing no one could do for me now.

I turned and looked at my phone sitting on my bedside table. I pulled it off, turned the screen on, and looked at the time. It was almost one-thirty in the morning. I had work tomorrow, but my restless mind didn't seem to give a shit. I unlocked my phone to look at my messages. I pulled up Daisy's conversation and read the last text she'd sent. It was the one saying that she'd needed help out behind the bar. I don't know why, but that night I'd jumped up and ran to the back like my seat had been on fire. Amara had questioned me and had begged me to come back, but when Daisy had texted me I hadn't been able to see anything else. It was in that moment I knew that this woman could ask me do anything for her and I would say yes. It didn't matter what it was, the answer would be yes.

I typed up a simple message for her to read when she woke up in the morning. I may not get a response until then, but at least I could go to sleep knowing that I'd reached out to her. She was becoming more than my partner's little sister to me. She was becoming an infatuation.

I had thought about our kiss often since it happened and how her lips had been so accepting and so generous at the same time. I thought about how perfect her body had fit in my hands. I thought about how needy she'd been for my touch and my lips. It made me want to drive to her apartment right now and knock on the door, hoping she'd let me go further than a kiss. But instead, I sent the text I had typed and closed my eyes to go to sleep. Even if I didn't hear from her at all, at least I could say that I had made that effort. I never made an effort for anyone, but Daisy was different. She would always be different.