Page 83 of Christmas of Love

I parked my car with a sense of urgency as my heart pounded against my ribcage. I'd been looking for Daisy since I arrived in Buttercup Lake. I went to her house and didn’t see Foxy.

And I couldn’t believe that Foxy actually popped into my head when the driveway was empty, but that was Daisy. She had this magical way of enlightening your views on life. A car wasn’t just a car. It had personality and a vibe all its own.

I shook my head at the thought of getting to see Daisy again. I missed her so much it hurt, but I couldn’t tell her why I'd stayed in Madison longer. She deserved to hear the truth from my lips, in person.

The weight of my revelation grew heavier with each passing second, and I was relieved to find out from my mom that Maya had noticed Foxy parked down the street from the coffee shop, and Abby confirmed it and had been instructed to keep her here.

That was precisely how the Sunshine Breakfast Club’s network functioned. There were literally eyes and ears everywhere, but that also led to trouble at times.

Like now, I didn’t know what rumors were swirling around town about me, but I was certain they weren’t accurate.

As I pushed open the door, the comforting scents of coffee and cinnamon filled my senses. It was a stark contrast to the chaos stirring inside me.

Christmas cheer in every form adorned Abby’s coffee shop, from the Christmas carols softly churning through the speakers to the sparkling garlands wrapped around all the beams, but all I could focus on was Daisy.

Sitting alone at a table, lost in a book.

Daisy looked beautiful as always, but there was a tightness around her eyes, a telltale sign of her worry. My heart ached, knowing I was the root of it.

A faint smile touched her lips, and she shook her head as if to disagree with whatever she’d just read. She leaned back and smiled, taking a sip of her drink before muttering to herself.

She closed the book and shot up from her seat.

I hesitated for a split second, gathering my thoughts. How would I tell the love of my life that my world just got turned upside down? That I had a son I never knew existed with a woman I’d tried to get away from? The weight of this secret that I’d been carrying since I found out felt like a two-ton boulder sinking me into the floor.

But I had to do it. I had to tell her.

“Daisy, I heard you were here,” I said.

Her gaze snapped to mine, and I caught my breath at the stunning look in her gaze. Our eyes connected, and I felt that magnetic pull to her that I’d craved. I slowly approached her table.

“Hey.” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she sat back down. “I was about to drive to Madison.”

My brows shot up in surprise as she motioned for me to take a seat. “You were?”

She laughed softly and nodded. “It turns out I’m not very patient.”

“No way…” I teased, feeling the lightness between us that had always been so refreshing. “Listen, I’m so sorry for missing dinner. I’d heard you’d made me an amazing roast.”

Embarrassment ticked through her gaze as her smile grew. Daisy leaned over the table slightly. “I ate the whole thing in two days. Most of it, the first night.” In a hushed voice, she continued. “I also learned that I eat my emotions.” She straightened in her chair but didn’t take her eyes away from mine.

“I’m so sorry, Daisy. My world has been turned upside down and right side up again, and everything I thought I knew about my future has been blown out of the water.”

She narrowed her eyes on me in a state of nervousness, and my stomach twisted. “Are you back with Brielle?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“I’m not going to beat around the bush. I heard you went into a hotel with Brielle.”

I nodded. “That’s true.”

Horror dashed through her gaze, and I reached for her hand. “But not because of that.” I took a deep breath, searching for the right words.

“Please just tell me whatever it is you have to say.” She glanced around the coffee shop. “It doesn’t matter if people hear because they’ll somehow know by tomorrow anyhow.”

I laughed tenderly, keeping her hands in mine. "I don't know where to start.”

“From the beginning,” she said simply.