Page 76 of I Saw Her First

I stand too, pulling my boy into my arms. Not a boy anymore; a grown man. I can’t remember the last time I held him, and my throat closes with emotion. He’s come to me to apologize, to repair things, and it’s all I could ask for. It’s all I’ve wanted for three years.

But it’s bittersweet, finally mending this rift between us. Because I might have Jess back, but now I have something else I care about—something so precious I still can’t believe it’s real.

Something I’m not sure I’m willing to sacrifice.

31

Weston

My heart is heavy as I plod down the stairs to the basement that evening. Jess will be home later tonight, and I have to tell Daisy things are about to get way more complicated. A better man would end the relationship to focus on his son, but it turns out I’m not the man I thought I was.

She’s not in the basement when I enter, but her bag sits on the coffee table with the Nikon poking out of the zipper, and the door to the darkroom is open. I step inside, glancing around at the space I created for her, the space she’s made her own, only to find it empty. There are stacks of prints on the table, with more pinned over the tub, drying. I let my gaze wander over the images, some familiar, like the surrounding neighborhood, and some I haven’t seen yet.

I stop short when I see an image of me, asleep in bed. Not just one, but several. I’m not used to seeing myself like this, and the details are incredible; the landscape of sheets across my stomach, the prickly whiskers on my jaw contrasting with the soft cotton on the pillowcase, the blissful look of slumber on myface as I no doubt dream of her. She must have taken these the other night, after we made love.

Fuck, she is so talented. Somehow she’s captured the texture of the room, the mood of the moment, the way I feel.

My heart clenches as I turn from the images. I don’t even want to think about how I feel, because it’s too much. It’s too much, too soon.

I drag both hands down my face, my insides churning. How will we make this work with Jess home? What was I thinking, letting this go so far?

The moment I step out of the darkroom and spy Daisy on the lounger outside in the yard, I know exactly what I was thinking. She saved me from the depths of my pain with her smile and her heart. She reminded me how good it feels to laugh. How good it feels to be alive. And I sure as hell don’t want to give that up.

Even if Jess will be home in a few hours.

Goddammit.

Daisy spots me through the glass door and saunters across with a grin, sliding the door open and stepping inside.

“Hey, you.” Rising onto her toes, she brushes a kiss over my mouth, and I let her. I let her circle her arms around my neck and pull me close, her bright, sweet smell washing over me. I let her tongue dart out and greet mine, let her hands roam my back.

And I’m utterly miserable when she pulls away, glancing at me uncertainly.

“Everything okay?”

No. No, it’s not fucking okay.

“Jesse came to see me today.”

“He did?” She clasps her hands together, eyes lighting with a surprised smile. “I was hoping he would.”

“He mentioned you’d spoken.” My brows draw together involuntarily. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She gnaws on her lip, dropping her gaze. “I’m sorry. I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure if he would reach out to you, and I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”

I give a slow nod. That makes sense, I guess.

“He said you encouraged him to talk to me,” I murmur.

“Of course.”

“Why would you do that, Daisy?”

Her eyes fly up to mine. “Are you mad?”

“Mad?” I stare at her, incredulous. “Why on earth would I be mad?”

She lifts a shoulder. “I know you told me it wasn’t my responsibility to fix things, but I had to try, Wes.”

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