Page 88 of Almost Always

Love you too. Thank you for all the pictures, I’m glad you’re having the time of your life.

Pia

Glad you’re having the time of yours too.

Even though they left a little later than they should have, they arrived at the Bower residence on time. The plan was for Wyatt and Rafferty to work the grill while the women lounged around. And because the gorgeous farmhouse that Wyatt had restored had the best view, they could enjoy the sunset together. She’d done that multiple times with Monroe, and she was excited to have Rafferty with her this time.

Monroe and Wyatt welcomed them with open arms, excited about meeting the firstdateshe’d brought to their house. As suspected, the men were instant friends, laughing over something they didn’t bother to share as they went on a tour of the house while Roe and Daisy set up the bar. When the menreturned, they toasted to each other and the women dropped onto the couch on the porch while the grilling began.

“Glad you have that glass to catch all your drool,” Monroe said and Daisy laughed.

She hadn’t even realized she was staring, but it was impossible to take her eyes off Rafferty. After everything that had happened that day—his tongue, his fingers, that filthy mouth and the fashion show—it was a miracle she’d allowed them to leave the house. Introducing her childhood best friend to her current best friend was important, and in a way she knew that Wyatt would be a good friend for him to have.

She took a sip of her wine. “He’s distracting.”

“I say that about my husband regularly too. But this is something else. You’reglowing.”

“Happiness will do that to you.”

“Oh please, I know whathappinesslooks like. This is a post-sex glow.”

Daisy blushed, swigging from her wine as she stared out at the open land at the back of the Bower home. Thanks to Rafferty’s beard, her thighs were still raw and stung slightly every time they rubbed together. It was the most unexpected twist to her day, but she was glad that he’d finally stopped being a gentleman.

“Do we call it tongue sex?”

Roe gasped and almost choked on her wine. “Don’t be so polite, it’s a tonguefucking.”

“That. It was glorious.”

“Is that why you were almost late?”

“Maybe?” She laughed. “It happened in the greenhouse, in the middle of repotting.”

“Holy shit. You let him distract you from repotting? Oh my god, you found someone equally obsessed with plants too!”

“Ha haha,” she deadpanned, but Roe wasn’t wrong. When it came to her garden and greenhouse, Daisy didn’t like being interrupted. She was meticulous about a lot of things and followed a process only she knew. So if someone broke through that barrier of concentration, she had to start over.

Snorting, Roe shrugged. “Need more details, right now.”

“It’s hard to connect the boy I once knew with the man he is now. Because Roe…holy shit, he said some filthy things while making a mess of me.”

Roe faked a swoon. “Good, because you deserve to be tongued into a mess and reminded that you’re fucking perfection.”

“You say the nicest things.”

“Only because he’s saying all the naughtiest things.”

They clinked glasses and chuckled, taking big swigs of their wine. She grabbed the bottle and topped up their glasses.

“And things have been good.Reallygood. I love his kid and their furry horse of a dog. Being with them has felt…amazing.”

Roe tilted her head. “I can hear thebut.”

“What if it’s all temporary?” she admitted softly.

“Honey, I want you to listen to me, okay? And I meanlisten,” Monroe said, locking eyes with her. Daisy swallowed her wine and nodded. “For the first time in a long time you’ve found someone who sees you for who you are. And it’s in every text you’ve sent me over the past few months and written all over your face right now. Besides, he moved to your town with his kid and that feels more permanent than anything else in the world. I don’t have to look at him to know that he’s crazy about you, because that’s exactly how Wyatt looks at me. You, him…this thing, it’s not temporary.Youare not temporary.”

Blinking back the tears, she nodded and glanced over to see Rafferty watching her. His smile faltered and forehead crinkled when he saw her expression. The minute he took a step forward,she shook her head, mouthedI’m okayand smiled. Not a fake one to appease him, a real one because she loved how he could read her so clearly.

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