Page 111 of Almost Always

“Thinking about how lucky I am.” He arched an eyebrow and she continued. “I’ve got an incredible group of friends who are so amazing that every single day, I thank whoever put them into my life. Then there’s you.”

“Here I am.”

Chuckling, she swung their arms back and forth. “When we were kids, you were everything to me. The day I realized that I was in love with you, I was so afraid of what that would mean if you knew.” She sighed softly and he tugged her to a stop. “It was easy to love you then. It’s easier this time. We might be older,our lives and experiences might have made us into the people we are today. But, at the heart of it, you’re still my first love and I am so happy that fate pushed us back together.”

Even now, he was amazed that he hadn’t noticed the way she felt about him before. Especially since he’d been battling his own feelings for her. When her head tilted to the side, Rafferty realized he’d been staring at her. So he cupped her face in both hands and leaned in, grunting when their hats bumped and stalled his movement.

“Fucking sun protection, getting in the way of my romantic move,” he grumbled and tore off her hat with one hand while flipping his around with the other. Then his mouth was on hers, arms sliding around her waist to hold her against him.

It wasn’t even a particularly hot and filthy kiss, but it was perfect. He slowed the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers.

“I’m thankful that I was brought to you too. You’re the love of my life, Daisy. That was the case when I was nineteen and has never changed even after all these years.”

“Not even your ex?” He heard the doubt in her voice.

“It was nothing like this. She gave me the greatest gift of my life, but what I felt for her was not even close.”

“What isthislike?”

With a soft chuckle, he pushed her hair behind her ears and set the hat back on her head, shading her eyes. “Greedy for praise, aren’t you?”

She smirked, eyes still fixed on him. “Only if it comes from you.”

“Thisis the real deal. The kind of love that they write songs about, the ones that inspire poetry and tales that nobody ever believes. It’s so deep in your marrow that nobody else could ever replace it. It’s the kind of love that makes you shake when you’re apart, makes you feel like you’re missing a limb. The kind oflove that burns you up from the inside when you’re standing too close, like you’re near the sun. And with you, Daisy, I want to be Icarus flying too close to the sun because it’d be worth it to get my wings singed so I could be with you.”

“Are you still calling me dangerous, hotshot?” she asked, voice husky as they stared at each other.

“Yes. And I’m the guy that runs into the burning building every single time. But you are exactly the kind of danger I’ve been waiting for.”

There was a flicker of something in her eyes before Daisy launched herself at him, arms and legs wrapping around him. He laughed and grabbed her hips, holding her steady against him.

“You’re the love of my life too, Raff.”

“I know,” he whispered and kissed her, his hands on her ass.

This was exactly what his life was meant to be like—a kid he loved and was so proud of, a woman that filled him with joy and gratitude every single day, and a group of new friends that welcomed him into their fold without a single moment of hesitation.

Who knew moving to a small town would make all of that come true.

CHAPTER 33

The Fourth of July getaway was unexpected, but the best holiday she’d had in a long time. It was even better having Rafferty and Callahan there, because she knew they had the time of their lives. As someone who had a tough time relating to other women, thanks to the bullying she suffered her whole life, it was wonderful to have so many incredible new female friends.

The bonus was watching Cal relax and bond with everyone. During the fireworks, Lachlan gave him his noise-cancelling headphones so he could stay inside and do his own thing. She knew they were good people—kind and generous and honest—but she never realized how incredible they were until then.

It was effortless, like Daisy, Rafferty and Callahan had been part of the group for a long time.

Two days after they got back Cal was off to summer camp with Indigo. With the house to themselves they fucked everywhere, Daisy spread out on every flat surface he could put her. It got to a point where Boots hid in Callahan’s bedroom and only came out for his meals. She wanted to feel guilty for scaring the dog, but being able to connect with Rafferty that way was everything she had been waiting for.

When they weren’t stripping each other naked, they were working. They met with the auction winner, spent the day getting to know Mrs. Woodrow and learned what she was trying to create. While they had offered to do up a private garden, when they discovered that it was a smaller one in a public park, she was even more excited. The initiative was to build the space and invite Wildes residents to help grow it. Eventually, it could expand into a bigger plot of land, but they were starting with a small area for the summer.

Daisy didn’t know what working with Rafferty would be like, but she shouldn’t have been worried. While he had his plans drawn up and ideas sketched out, he was receptive and interested to hear her thoughts. They redesigned and restarted multiple drawings before they were happy with the way it turned out. While he handled the paperwork for permissions and getting the town council to sign off on work, Daisy met with suppliers to get everything they needed.

Everything was going well, except for one thing.

So, the night before Callahan was due back from camp, she’d brought up almost being calledmamaduring their getaway. It wasn’t so much as worry but she didn’t want to assume her place in their lives. Her relationship with Rafferty had grown since their reunion and she knew that being with him was everything they both wanted. They referred to each other as family too, but there was this voice in the back of her head saying otherwise.

And while hearing Cal slip-up a couple of times warmed her, she wasn’t sure if it was a conscious thing or an accident.

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