Daisy's Back in Town by Rachel Gibson Read Free Book Online Page A

Steven at the courthouse. Her mother and his parents standing with them. Steven squeezing her hand to keep it from shaking. She'd loved Steven Monroe for years before she married him. Maybe not a hot burning kind of love. Maybe she didn't crave him like a drug, but that kind of love didn't last. It burned out. The love she'd felt for Steven had always been warm and comfortable, like coming home cold and tired, curling up in front of a fire. That kind of love lasted, and it would last long after Steven's passing.
    She remembered riding with Steven in his car, on their way to tell Jack about their marriage. Her pregnancy had made her sick to her stomach. What they were about to do made her chest tight. She'd started to cry even before they pulled onto Jack's street. Again, Steven had held her hand.
    She and Steven had been through a lot together, and everything they'd faced had brought them closer. Their first few years of marriage while he was attending school had been rough financially. Then when Nathan turned four, Steven got a good job and they decided to add another child to their family only to find out that Steven had a low sperm count. They'd tried everything to conceive, but nothing worked. After five years, they decided to give up and were happy with their lives.
    The room suddenly went dark and Daisy was jarred from the past. A spotlight shined on the center of the dance floor, and she tried to push all thoughts of the past from her head. led and the Rippers picked up their instruments and Jimmy and Shay danced their first dance as husband and wife.
    When Daisy had decided to come home and tell Jack about Nathan, she hadn't counted on the memories. She hadn't even known they were there, locked away, waiting for her.
    Daisy moved away from the dance floor and placed her empty glass on a table. She headed to the bathroom in the bar down the hail, and while she washed her hands, she looked at her reflection. She was no longer a scared, heartbroken girl. She was a lot tougher than she'd been growing up. While she wasn't here to relive memories, she wouldn't hide from them either. She was here to tell Jack about Nathan. She would tell him that she was sorry and hope he'd understand. Although she was fairly certain he wouldn't understand and would make things difficult, she still had to do the right thing. No more putting it off. No more hiding.

    She reapplied her red lipstick and dropped it into her purse. Let Jack do his worst. She might even deserve some of it, but she'd survive. She'd lived with just about the worst that life could deal her, and nothing Jack could do would be as bad as that.
    Daisy stopped in the bar and bought a glass of wine, then made her way back toward the banquet room.
    Jack stood in the long hail with one shoulder shoved against the wall. He held a cell phone in one hand, the other was in the front pocket of his pants. He glanced up and watched her as she moved toward him.
    "That'd be fine," he said into the phone. "I'll see y'all first thing Monday."
    Her first impulse was to hurry past, but she stopped in front of him instead. "Hey, Jack."
    He disconnected and put the phone in his pocket. "What do you want, Daisy?"
    "Nothing. Just being friendly."
    "I don't want to he 'friendly' with you." He straightened away from the wall and took his hand from his pocket.
    "I thought I made myself clear last night."
    "Oh, you did." She took a drink of her wine, then asked, "How's Billy?" All she remembered of Jack's brother was a pair of shiny blue eyes and sandy blond hair. Other than that, she couldn't recall much about him.
    He looked over her head and said, "Billy's good."
    She waited for him to elaborate. He didn't. "Married? Kids?"
    "Yep."
    "Where's Gina?" His gaze met hers and, in that suit, his eyes appeared more gray than green.
    "At Slim Clem's, I imagine."
    "She's not here?"
    "I don't see her."
    She took another sip of her wine. She was going to be pleasant if it killed her. Or him. "You didn't