Page 112 of Almost Always

“Does it scare you?” Rafferty asked while they lay in bed.

“I think I was more surprised than scared.”

“I can talk to him.”

“And say what? You can’t accidentally call Daisy mama again?”

He scoffed. “Not say it like that, but the idea is the same.”

“No. I…” she trailed off, unsure of how to explain her thoughts. “I love that he sees me that way, that he thinks I belong with you two, but I don’t want to confuse him.”

“You’re not confusing him. You’ve been more of a mother to him in these past few months than she’s ever been in his whole life.”

“So you think it’s okay?”

“Yeah. But only if it makes sense to you. None of this is important if you’re not comfortable.”

She’d dreamed about it so many times as a young adult—having a family and a life with Rafferty—and knowing she had it all at the tip of her fingers was unexpected. At the same time, it felt right.

“I love our family, but it feels like a lot,” she whispered.

He nodded, brushing hair out of her face. “And we won’t use it until you’re ready, okay?”

“Okay.”

It wasn’t even a case of not being ready, because she craved the idea of being a mother. And while Callahan was an amazing kid and she loved him with every fiber of her being, she also didn’t want to get ahead of herself.

The original plan was that once Rafferty picked Callahan up from camp, they’d come to the flower shop and get dinner together. She’d been spending most of her time at the Ames house, so it made sense to end another evening there. Especially since her favorite kid was back. However, as she was wrapping up for the day she Rafferty called. Apparently Callahan was feeling quite miserable and he made the executive decision not to get her sick as well.

“I can bring soup,” she said as she locked up the shop.

“Your schedule is crazy and I don’t want you falling ill too.”

“He can’t bethatsick. Besides, my to-do list isn’t too bad.”

He scoffed as she climbed into her car. “I saw your color coordinated calendar the other day. It’s a miracle that I get any time with you at all.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. He’s sad he can’t see you too, but let’s give it a day, okay?”

Pouting, she agreed and drove home. It had been a few weeks since she’d tended to her garden or checked on her greenhouse, so in a way she was grateful that she was able to do that. She did multiple loads of laundry, watered her garden and spent a few hours with her fruits and vegetables before going to bed. Which was strange at first. After weeks of sharing the bed with Rafferty—and some mornings she woke up to Callahan and Boots between them—it was weird to fall asleep alone.

The next morning, after sending texts to check on her boys, Daisy drove out to see Mrs. Woodrow. Her staff had already carved out the area they were using and had cordoned off the space so nobody would trample their work. Her plan was simple—select flowers and plants that would grow in the summer and last through most of winter, so it wouldn’t require too much work from the residents. In the spring they could plant new things that would last until the next summer. It wasn’t foolproof, but she’d done it in her own garden and knew what would work.

“Ms. Heroux, it’s so good to see you again!”

“Please call me Daisy, Mrs. Woodrow,” she replied with a small smile.

“Only if you call me Harriet.”

“My father raised me better, but if you insist.”

Harriet chuckled and patted her back as they walked through the park towards the garden space. “So, your young man showed me the layout and I wanted to pick your brain about the plants.”

She smiled at Rafferty being called heryoung man. “I thought we could do a few summer-focused plants, but more perennial options. That way they’ll survive until late winter. Did you have any colors in mind?”

“Bright ones?”

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