Page 15 of Before You Can Blink
“Pshaw.” My mother’s arm waved through the air. “Mrs. Sullivan was my mother-in-law. Betsy is just fine, honey.” Then she turned her sharp gaze on me, snapping, “Jett! Offer to take the girl’s coat.”
Clutching it closed over her midsection, Daisy protested, “I’m fine, really.”
With an eagle eye, Ma’s gaze swept over my female companion before lifting to meet mine. “She pregnant?”
A rush of heat crawled up the back of my neck as I shouted, “Ma! No!”
For crying out loud, we hadn’t even slept together yet, and the odds of that happening decreased with every minute Daisy spent inside this house.
The woman standing opposite us shrugged, unbothered by her completely outrageous and inappropriate question. “What? I’m not judging.” Speaking to Daisy, she added, “If he’s anything like his father, he’s gonna need a little ‘whoopsie’ to get his ass to the altar. These Sullivan men sure know how to drag their feet, and sometimes they need a little nudge, so keep that in mind.”
“Jesus,” I breathed out, eyes lifting to the ceiling as I shook my head. What had I done wrong in a past life to deserve this?
“Don’t act so surprised,” Ma huffed. “Doesn’t take a fancy college degree to do the math between our wedding date and your birthday.”
“I was premature,” I clarified to Daisy.
A snort sounded from my mama. “Yeah, that’s what we told folks. Though I’m not sure anyone believed it when you came a month ‘early’”—she used air quotes for emphasis—“weighin’ nine pounds.”
Daisy’s hand came up to cover her mouth, and her entire body began vibrating as her eyes shone with mirth.
“Are youlaughing?“ I asked in disbelief.
“Sorry.” She tried hard to look contrite but failed miserably, the corners of her lips turning upward.
Voice low, I muttered, “We’ll see if you’re still laughing by the time dinner is over.”
“Coat, Jett. I know I raised you to have better manners than this.” The words were accompanied by a tsk.
Daisy rushed to explain. “That’s my fault, Betsy. Things got a little messy during our art session today in my classroom, and I’m afraid I’ve got paint on my clothes.”
“Life’s messy, darlin’. No need to apologize for it,” came my mother’s reply.
“I’ll try to remember that.” Letting me ease the heavy coat from her shoulders, she made a show of sniffing the air. “Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious.”
“Nothing better than a savory roast on a cold winter’s day.” Ma wagged a finger in Daisy’s direction. “I’ll give you the recipe. Fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Though she drove me nuts, I could admit my mama knew her way around a kitchen. In fact, Naomi Saddler was thinking about opening up a restaurant on Main Street that featured barbequed meats and classic countrycuisine, and she’d asked my mother if she would be interested in taking up a part-time position as a cook until she found more permanent staffing. Betsy Sullivan didn’t do anything by half-measures and had countered by offering to become a silent partner in the business. When she told me about her plans to use my pop’s life insurance to set herself up financially long-term, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Solid advice,” my girl—fuck could I even call her that with the casual thing we had going?—replied with a smile.
Then, an even bigger question entered my brain: Did I want her to be my girl?
As much as I wanted the answer to be yes, it wasn’t fair to ask someone as sweet and pretty and kind as Daisy to tie herself to a rough and rowdy rodeo cowboy like me. She deserved more than I could give her.
All I knew was I wasn’t ready to let her go. Not yet, anyway.
After what felt like an eternity later, we finally walked out the door and into the now pitch-black winter night.
My heavy breath created an icy puff before my face as I turned to Daisy. “Ready to run?”
Light laughter fell from her kissable lips. “Are you kidding? I haven’t had that much fun in ages.” Both hands rose to her cheeks. “I’m gonna be feeling the ache from smiling so much come morning.”
I was absolutely blown away that Daisy not only handled my ma’s strong personality in stride, but she enjoyed her company. Damn, this girl was something else—something my mother made sure to note when Daisysnuck off to the bathroom, along with a warning not to let this one get away.
“It’s refreshing to meet someone who speaks their mind,” she mused.
“A novelty that’s sure to wear off with time,” I countered.
