Page 33 of Daisy
“Thank you, Daisy. I appreciate your offer, but I need to keep Marley here with me, where I can protect her,” Luke looked at Marley lovingly. “Beau and Rosco will help me keep her safe and protected. Besides, you need to get back to your life, now that you are finally living it,” Luke gave her a hug. “I love you, Daisy. Now go and enjoy your life. If something comes up that I need to take you up on your offer, I’ll call you.”
“Alright Luke, if you are sure,” Daisy replied reluctantly. “I love you, too. Please take care of yourself, brother.” She turned to her younger brothers. “Don’t let him try to take all this on by himself. Let me know if you all need anything, okay?” Beau and Rosco both nodded before giving their big sister a hug.
Ace then led Daisy out of the conference room and out to the waiting SUVs Hawk had rented. Tank had driven Daisy’s Sequoia back from the cabin site. Ace took the keys and led Daisy to the passenger side. He opened her door and assisted her into the seat and buckled her seatbelt around her. He placed a kiss on her lips before closing the door. Ace rounded the front of the vehicle and climbed into the driver’s seat. When he had adjusted the seat and mirrors, he looked towards Daisy.
“Are you ready to head home, sweetheart?” Ace questioned. Daisy looked over at Ace and gave him a smile and a nod of her head. She was so ready to head home and begin living her life for the first time in over 20 years. The rest of the team piled into the SUV’s Hawk had rented when they arrived in Virginia Beach. The team was flying back to base, but they had to get Daisy’s car back so she and Ace would make the 4-hour drive together. Ace placed the SUV in reverse and backed out of the parking lot. He was ready to get his woman home and begin their amazing life together. He needed to make sure Hawk gave him a few days off to spend with her after the awful ordeal she had just endured. He has plans for their time off, plans to make his relationship with Daisy more formal.
Chapter 26
The next morning Ace was up bright and early. He slipped out of bed leaving Daisy fast asleep. He needed time to get his plans set in motion. He was going to need a little help from his team to make it all work. As soon as he was down the stairs, he pulled out his cell phone. It was time to wake up.
“Tank? Ace here…Yes, I know what time it is, but I need a favor. This is big man,” Ace related to Tank all the things he needed his friend to do. “I know I’m asking a lot. I really appreciate this man and I will return the favor when your time comes.”
“Ace, I’m not expecting to find a good woman like you, Deadeye, and Hawk have done,” Tank sighed into the phone. “It’s just not going to happen.”
“Tank, I thought the same way, until I met Daisy on that plane,” Ace said with conviction. “Don’t lose hope, your time will come. There is a woman out there just for you and someday, hopefully soon you will meet her and be just as sappy as we are.” Ace chuckled.
“Okay, Ace if you say so. I’m glad to help,” Tank ended the call without a good bye.
Ace headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for him and Daisy. It was the first part of his plan for an epic day. He was about to load the tray to take up stairs when he heard Daisy enter the kitchen.
“What are you doing up so early? I thought we were going to sleep in today,” Daisy said as she placed a kiss on his lips while wrapping her arms around his waist. Ace returned the embrace and deepened the kiss. They were lost in each other for a few moments before he releasee her to turn back to putting the food on plates.
“I meant for you to sleep in. I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed,” Ace told her as he placed their plates on the table. He led her to a chair and pulled it out for her. He made sure she was settled before he took his seat. Ace had prepared a feast for them: pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. He had them glasses of orange juice also. Daisy was impressed, not only with the food, but at the presentation as well. He had placed a vase in the center of the table with a few yellow carnations in it.
“Thank you, Ethan. It looks delicious,” Daisy gave him a warm smile. Daisy wondered how she had gotten so lucky. It wasn’t that long ago that she lived her life for the moment, knowing she would never have a happy life. Now, she was looking forward to the future, a future with Ethan.
After they had eaten, they headed upstairs to get dressed for their morning exercise routine. They headed over to base and ran through their routine. Daisy challenged Ace to a race near the end of their run. She knew there was no way she could outrun him, but the chase was fun. They ended their morning exercise laughing at the fun they had.
Back at Daisy’s they showered, which took longer than it should have as Ace couldn’t keep his hands off her body. When they were finally dressed, Daisy headed down stairs to kick back in the den and relax a while. Ace, however had other plans.
“Come on darling, I have something I want to show you,” Daisy was wondering what in the world he had up his sleeve now. She happily headed out to the door behind him despite not knowing where they were going. She would never have blindly followed anyone else, but with Ace she was more than happy to comply. She trusted him unconditionally, which for Daisy was a very big deal.
After a short drive, they arrived at Walton’s distillery. Daisy gave Ace a questioning look. He smiled before getting out of the driver’s side and rounding the SUV to open her door. As he helped her out, he placed a kiss on her forehead before leading them to the door. They had arrived just in time to take the first tour of the day. As they began the tour, Ace leaned into Daisy.
“I thought we could learn about making moonshine, being as you are named after the Dukes of Hazzard which was somewhat about running shine and hiding from law enforcement,” He chuckled at the annoyed look Daisy gave him, but she wasn’t really upset. It was actually an interesting tour. They got to see an actual working moonshine still. They learned about the ‘mashing in’ process. How that mixing grain such as corn with sugar and other ingredients depending on the flavor they were making and letting it sit for a number of days caused fermentation. Once it was done, they moved it to the still where it was heated, the steam traveled through a coil and into the condenser where the final product was released. The head, or the first bit of alcohol that comes out is very toxic and it was discarded. The final product is dependent on the alcohol proof. They were shown how they tested the proof with a device, but were also shown how old timers used a method of shaking the product in the jar and could fairly accurately predict the proof by the number of bubbles it produced. It was a fun tour. Some of the other tour members had a blast joking and teasing the tour guide. When the tour was over, they headed into the store and tried some samples of their products.
“What do you think, sweetheart? Apple pie or plain shine?” Ace asked Daisy after they had tried several different versions. Daisy thought for a moment.
“I guess it would depend on the situation or setting, but I definitely like the Apple pie,” Daisy took another small sip. “It is almost like having dessert, you know?” Ace agreed whole heartedly. He purchased several jars, which surprised Daisy. She hadn’t really ever known Ace to drink much. She gave him a questioning look, but he ignored it and continued on with his purchase. When they were done, they headed out to the car.
“Why did you buy all that moonshine?” Daisy questioned when they were in the car. “Are you a secret alcoholic?” Daisy laughed at her joke. Ace gave her a glance with a smile before turning back to look at the road.
“It will all be revealed in good time, darling. Just be patient,” Ace vaguely answered her question. Daisy was wondering what had gotten into him. He had been evasive and cryptic all day. Before she could question him further, his cell phone began to ring.
“Hey Hawk,” Ace answered the phone. Daisy’s heart dropped a little. Was he getting called up for a mission? Damn! He just got back. She was hoping they would at least have the weekend together before he had to return to work. Then she began to focus on what he was saying to Hawk.
“Yeah we are on our way. We should be there soon. Are the boys excited?” Ace listened to the response on the other end. He laughed at something before continuing. “That sounds like them. Alright man, we will see you in a few.” Ace ended the call and put the phone back in his pocket. Daisy waited patiently for him to fill her in, but he just kept driving. Daisy wanted to be annoyed, but before she had time to question him, they were turning in to Lynnwood Park Zoo. He parked next to a familiar SUV. Hawk got out of the driver’s side and headed around to the passenger side to open Charlotte’s door. The poor woman was very pregnant and struggled to get down out of the high setting vehicle. Once she was out and steady on her feet, Hawk opened the back door of the SUV to get the twins out. Ace headed over to assist him with the stroller and getting the boys buckled into their seats. Another familiar truck pulled up and Deadeye and Elise got out to join the party. Daisy was nicely surprised. Apparently, Ace had the whole day planned.
Once everyone was ready, they headed into the zoo. It was a small zoo, but was just right for the twins. They got to pet some goats, a calf, and even a lizard. Ace convinced Daisy to touch the lizard, too. It felt scaly and a little slimy, but not as gross as she had anticipated. The group had a great time. Charlotte got tired and they decided to rest and have a picnic lunch. Elise had brought a basket with plenty of sandwiches, raw vegetables, and fresh fruit for dessert. They spread several blankets out on the ground. The twins were too excited to eat. They ran from blanket to blanket getting attention from everyone.
“Boys you need to eat. You will be whining you are hungry later when we are trying to have fun,” Charlotte tried to get the boys to settle down. Joshua climbed into Ace’s lap and began to eat his sandwich. Daisy got him some carrot sticks and put them on his plate. The little boy gave her a big peanut butter and jelly smile. Jesse had finally settled into Elise’s lap. They were blessed with a few minutes of quite while the boys were eating. Charlotte sighed loudly after a time.
“I’m so tired today,” Charlotte leaned against Hawk. He gently rubbed her arms with his hands. “I am more than ready for this little girl to make her appearance.” Charlotte sighed again. Hawk gave her a gentle hug.
“It won’t be long, love. Lily will be here before you know it,” Hawk said encouragingly. Charlotte rolled her eyes before replying.
“It won’t be fast enough for me. My feet are swollen. My back is hurting and I have to pee every five minutes. I swear she is laying right on my bladder,” The group chuckled. They all felt bad for Charlotte, but after all it was part of carrying a baby. They enjoyed a few more minutes of rest before the boys got riled up again. With the renewed energy, they were more than ready to run off some steam. Elise made a suggestion.
