Page 112 of I Saw Her First

“No way.” Daisy reaches for the wine bottle and wordlessly asks if Simone would like some. She nods her response, and Daisy pours a generous glass. “You should eat with us. We made way too much food.”

I love watching Daisy, making Simone feel at home. I can tell she’s really trying to make her comfortable, and hopefully if Simone is comfortable, Jess will find a way to be, too.

“Daisymade way too much food,” I correct, sending her a teasing smile. She gives a good-natured roll of her eyes.

“Well, now it won’t go to waste.” Her gaze flits to Jess, who’s standing stiffly at the end of the kitchen island. She seems to debate something for a moment, then pulls a beer from the fridge and pops the top, handing it to him. “It’s really good to see you, Jess.”

He takes the beer, lifting his eyes to hers. After studying her face for a long moment, he seems to soften. “It’s good to see you, too.”

It’s not until he finally answers that I realize I’ve been holding my breath. Maybe Jess isn’t glad to see me, and I can’tblame him for that, but just hearing him say that to Daisy makes my heart settle.

“Dinner’s getting cold,” Daisy says, gathering more plates and cutlery. She motions toward the dining room. “Let’s eat.”

The carving knife is still where I left it on the table, beside the turkey. I pick it up, then pause, glancing at Jess. I’m probably asking for too much too soon, but I hold the handle of the knife out to Jess hopefully.

He hesitates, looking from the knife to my face, then sets his beer down. When he takes the knife from my hand and turns to the turkey, I have to blink tears of relief from my eyes.

Jess is here. He’s carving the turkey for Christmas dinner, and he’s here.

Daisy beams at me as I sink into my seat beside her. Her hand finds mine under the table, and she links our fingers together. Her touch steadies my trembling hand, calms my jangled nerves.

We fill our plates quietly, then Simone raises her wineglass, glancing around the table. “I’d like to propose a toast.” She clears her throat uncertainly, and her gaze flicks to Jess, then back to the room. “To family.”

I steal a glance at Jess as I raise my own glass, tension twisting my chest, but his eyes meet mine, and he raises his beer with a quiet nod. There’s something so different about him tonight, and I have no doubt it’s because of the woman by his side. I watch her with interest, the way she silently encourages him, smiling as she eats and touching his arm on the table. The way he responds with a smile of his own, a warmth in his eyes I haven’t seen in years. It truly is amazing how finding the right woman can help a man heal, and relief floods me at knowing my son has her in his life.

“How long have you two known each other?” I ask.

“We met at Bounce when Jess started,” Simone answers. “But we only started dating a month ago.”

“Because I was an idiot,” Jess mumbles into a mouthful of turkey, and she laughs.

“You weren’t ready.” She leans over to press a kiss to Jesse’s clean-shaven cheek. “I didn’t mind waiting.”

He sighs, kissing her forehead and letting his eyes close for a moment. I haven’t seen my son like this with anyone since his high school girlfriend. Even with Daisy, he didn’t have this ease, this… love. That’s what it is. The thought makes me smile, makes me wonder if there could be hope for my son and me after all. I mean, I never expected he’d be here, on Christmas Day, carving the turkey, eating dinner with us. I could never have predicted this turn of events. But has he forgiven me? Has he accepted me and Daisy?

We finish our meals as the questions swim through my head, and Daisy rises to clear our plates. I push to my feet with a shake of my head.

“I’ll clean up. You did all the cooking.”

But Daisy puts a firm hand on my shoulder and nudges me back into my seat. “I’m on it.” She glances at Simone. “Would you mind helping me clean up?” She doesn’t say it aloud, but I know what she’s doing. Giving me and Jess a moment alone.

“Of course.”

Simone gathers our dishes and the two women head into the kitchen, leaving me and Jess in silence. The only sound is the ticking of the large, gold-rimmed clock on the wall behind me, counting down the minutes until… Until what? Jess leaves again?

“I’m sorry,” I begin, right at the same time Jess says, “That was good.”

Our eyes lock, and we both issue an uncomfortable laugh. It seems neither of us is sure how to navigate this.

“Yeah, Daisy is a great cook,” I murmur, and Jess nods slowly.

“Yet another thing I didn’t know about her.”

I swallow. “Jess, I am so sorry for what happened. For what I did. I should never have gone behind your back to get together with Daisy, and when you moved back home, I should have been honest. I should’ve come clean.”

Jess scrapes his palm over his jaw. “Yeah. You should have.” I wait for the yelling, the storming out, but it doesn’t come. In fact, he’s surprisingly calm. “It was not fun to find those pictures of you two.”

I grimace in shame. “God, I know,” I mutter, screwing the heels of my hands into my eyes. “If I could go back and do it over, I’d change everything.” I reconsider my words. “Well, not everything. Not falling for Daisy. I’m sorry, I know I should probably say that I wouldn’t have fallen for her if I could have helped it, but… I don’t regret that part.”

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