Page 14 of Almost Always

“He never needs to know about those words. That was inappropriate,” the lady in front offered with a judgy scowl.

“Why?” Cal asked, matching her frown.

“Ma’am, please. This isnoneof your business.”

She started to argue, but Rafferty gave her his best ‘don’t mess with me’ glower and she turned away. Sighing heavily, he squatted to look his son in the eyes. “One day when you’re older, you might hear those words used more freely, but right now, they’re not for you.”

“Is that why they’re inappropriate?”

Nodding, he smoothed his son’s hair back and offered him a small smile. “If I leave you to hold our place in line, do you promise not to wander off?”

Cal thought about it for a minute and shrugged. “Yeah. But why?”

“I saw someone I recognize and want to say hi.”

“Okay. Can I order whatever I want?”

He laughed and shook his head. “Youmayorder two scoops of anything for yourself. Get me the peanut butter one in a cup.”

Leaving Cal in line, he moved around the other customers until he found the mustard cap tucked away in a semi-dark corner. Smiling, he shoved his hands into the pockets of hisjeans and moved towards her slowly. There was a part of him that was sure he was imagining it, that when he said her name, it would be someone else.

He still remembered the last time he saw her, everything so crystal clear in his mind. She was standing at the passenger door of her father’s car, tears in her brown and caramel eyes as she said goodbye to him. Daisy didn’t know it, but she took his heart when she left New York and he never got it back. Not the whole thing anyway.

He took another step forward, smiling at how well she was hiding herself. Her thick hair did most of the work and so did that oversized jacket. He could see her legs covered in dark jeans and black Converse on her feet. She was also muttering to herself. The words were unclear, but it definitely sounded like she was cursing.

“Hero,” he said softly, using the nickname he’d adopted after she’d mispronounced her surname as a shy and quiet six-year-old.

She went still and her shoulders tensed. After a long moment, she lifted her head and turned halfway to face him. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Daisy Heroux as an adult. His heart was riding a twisty roller coaster and his brain was definitely melting from the impact of this woman’s gaze. He knew there were words he needed to string together and say them out loud, but there was no way it was going to come out in the right order.

Daisy had always been pretty, but now she wasdevastating.

With wide eyes, she looked him over and turned fully so they were facing each other. One hand pushed the cap up slightly and his chest expanded with a deep breath. Her brown eyes swirled with caramel, reminding him of the day he fell so deeply in love with her.

She stared at him, like she was making sure he was real. “Rafferty?” she whispered.

“Hey stranger.”

Her eyes widened and the corner of her mouth kicked up in a smile. “It’s really you.”

“It’sreallyyou too.”

They started to reach for each other, fingertips brushing as he moved closer. Before they could make further contact, Cal appeared, practically crashing into Rafferty’s legs.

“Jen said you need to pay before I can eat my ice cream.”

He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and handed it to his son, who ran off to pay for their ice cream.

“You’re a dad.” She looked and sounded surprised.

He nodded, brushing his hair back. “Nine years and counting.”

She smiled, the action pulling at something in his chest. “I always said you’d be a great dad.”

“And I always said you’d be the most beautiful person in every room.” The words came out without his permission, but at her faint blush, he was glad he’d said it. Cal returned with two cups balancing on each other and a cone, along with the wallet held between his teeth.

He rescued his son before everything collapsed and Cal said, “You both ordered the same thing, so Jen said you can pick whichever cup you want.”

“PB & J?” they said at the same time and laughed. Daisy nodded and took a cup, adding, “Always been the most underrated flavor.”

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