Page 25 of Big Daddy Firemen

“It’s not bad at all,” Daisy responded. “I just feel silly. I’m a grown woman. It shouldn’t bother me to stay at my own house.”

The next question came from Cane. “Are you still scared over that Bigfoot stuff?”

Daisy laughed a little before admitting, “Yeah.”

Cane leaned up from the backseat enough so that Daisy could read the grin on his face. “Good. We’ve been coordinating thiswhole thing with Bigfoot to drive you right where you need to be—with us.” He winked.

His joking made Daisy feel a little better, but she was still embarrassed. They probably thought she was just like the Littles that lived in Big Cedar.

There was nothing wrong with Littles. She’d just never considered herself to be one.

But you sure wouldn’t know it by the way she was acting, she realized. She was afraid of Bigfoot—who wasn’t even real! And she couldn’t even handle a bad date by herself. She’d had to call the guys to bail her out!

She sank lower in her seat and crossed her arms, starting to pout.

From the driver’s seat, Austin shook his head. “Don’t be grumpy, little girl. We’re almost home. You need to get ready for bed and then hit the sack. You’ve had a big night and maybe you’ll feel better in the morning.”

They stopped by her house first so she could gather her stuff before heading over to the firehouse.

Thirty minutes later, Daisy was ready for bed.

She was getting ready to settle into the spare room when a knock on the open door startled her. She looked up to see Walker standing there.

“Hey,” he said

“Hey,” she said back.

“Mind if I come in?”

“Not at all.”

She brought her legs up on the bed and chewed on the inside of her cheek as she waited to hear whatever Walker had come to talk about. She wasn’t sure why, but tears seemed to be mounting behind her eyes, threatening to escape at any moment.

Walker grabbed a chair that rested against the wall and brought it near the bed, positioning it across from Daisy. He sat down and smiled as he looked into her eyes.

“What’s on your mind, pretty girl?”

She smiled. “I don’t know, actually.”

He let a few seconds tick by before he nodded and continued. “Well, I think I might know. And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He reached out, took her hands, and held them in his while he said, “Don’t take what that idiot said to heart. You’re beautiful and your body is perfect.”

And there it was. The dam broke. Daisy started sobbing as she fell forward. Walker had to scoot up to catch her against his body, but he was able to wrap his arms around her in time and hold her tightly as she sobbed.

“Shhh. It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay,” he said in a soothing tone.

“What if I’m gross and frumpy forever?” she cried.

“You’re not gross and frumpy now!” he said. “Honey, you’re just perfect. In every way.”

“But… the way he looked at me. He thinks I’m a fat pig who?—”

“He’s an asshole. His opinion is irrelevant,” Walker said.

This actually drew a laugh through the tears, causing Daisy to momentarily smile. That faded quickly, though, when she said, “But I’m not pretty, Walker. I know I’m not.”

“You hush with that kind of talk. You’ve had a rough night. It’s okay to feel how you feel. But under ordinary circumstances, saying something like that would get you a sore bottom.” Walker stood, still holding her.

Daisy gasped. Her stomach turned over in a nervous somersault. How was he able to just pick her up like that? He was holding her as if she weighed nothing.

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