Page 38 of Almost Always

He almost leaped onto the table in excitement. “Can we, Dad? Can I go learn about flowers?”

“After school.”

His son deflated instantly, slumping into his chair with the most epic of pouts. “But…flowers are more interesting thanschool.”

Daisy hummed and said, “Actually, you learn everything you need to know about flowersinscience class, which will help you explore further later.”

Cal didn’t seem to believe that, but because she held some kind of power over his kid, he nodded and returned to his breakfast. He knew they’d talked about not confusing his son, but it was clear that Cal was enamored by Daisy. On top of that, watching her interact with him warmed his heart. She was being herself, the same girl he’d known back in the city, and she had both Ames men wrapped around her finger.

“What flower do you think I’ll like?” Cal asked.

The smile she directed at him was dazzling and his son pretty much swooned. “I think you’d like lilacs and peonies.”

“Are they pretty?”

“Most definitely. Lilacs can be found in different shades of purple, hence the name. And peonies are the most beautiful.”

Cal’s eyes were wide and sparkling and he totally understood the feeling—she had that effect on him too. “That makes you a peanises.”

She snorted and reached out to dust Cal’s face. “Pee-uh-knee,” she said slowly, nodding as Cal repeated it back to her. “There you go. One peony, two peonies.”

He snorted. “Pretty flowers have weird names.”

“Son, you need to finish up or we’re going to be late,” Rafferty said and Cal grunted, shoveling the last of his eggs into his mouth. When he took his things to the dishwasher, he felt Daisy watching him. “What?”

“It’s hot. You being a dad.”

“Daze,” he grunted, feeling warm all over.

“What? You’vealwaysbeen hot, the girls in school liked reminding you of it often.”

“Younever said that before.”

“I’m saying it now.” She shrugged and stood up. “Come on, finish up or we’re going to be late,” she added with a wink and joined Cal at the sink.

She’s going to be the death of me.

As expected, it took some more convincing to get Cal to school. Rafferty promised that they would visit the flower shop afterwards. It was only once Indigo arrived that Cal got out of thecar, everything and everyone else completely forgotten at that point.

At Wildes Fields, the largest park in town, they put Boots on his leash and let him set the pace for their walk. Being an older gentleman, the dog liked to stroll and stop often, sniffing and staring at absolutely nothing. When they reached the cordoned off section where dogs were taken off their leash, Boots was nervous then excited once other dogs came over to sniff him.

Backing away, they sat down on a bench outside the fenced area. Daisy bumped her shoulder against his and said, “Boots reminds me of my first day of school in New York.”

“Are you saying I need to get him a friend?”

“Wouldn’t hurt. It helped me.”

“Don’t even think about putting this idea into Cal’s head.”

She smirked. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try.”

Shaking his head, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. The breeze wrapped her lavender scent around him and he sighed happily. They sat quietly for a while, the sound of dogs interacting and people chatting carrying the weight.

“Wanna do lunch with me sometime? Or even dinner?” she asked.

He glanced over and saw the earnestness in her eyes. “Are you asking me out, Daze?”

Pink tinged the tops of her cheeks and she nodded. “If you’re into that sort of thing.”

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