“I know. But my parents were a team too.” She stops for a moment. And then it turns into a long moment.
“Yeah?” I prod her.
She takes a deep breath. “Yeah. So. They never quite realized their Chip and Joanna farmhouse dream.”
“What happened to them?” I probably shouldn’t ask, but I do anyway.
“They died in a car accident a little over a year ago. My father had just upgraded the farm. New milking barns, new concrete silage bins, reseeded about a hundred and fifty acres and put in a water pivot to keep it green all summer so we could sell organic milk. He invested everything we had—”
“Oh, fuck.”
“Yep. And then they died and I didn’t know what to do with it. It’s just a lot harder to make money with cows than I ever understood. So I fucked it all up and we went broke.” She throws up her hands. “And now?” She looks like she wants to cry. “This is my life.”
“I’m sorry, Daisy. I really am. I wish I was there when that happened. I would’ve helped. Not that I know anything about cows.” I laugh. “Can you imagine me milking cows?”
She laughs. Sniffles a little. “I’d actually pay money to see that, Vic.”
“Listen, I know that I’m fucking things up for you. I get that. But I’m not doing it to be mean, or to take her away from you, or to boost my ego. I just like her. And I never thought I’d have kids. I never thought I’d be like Spencer. But suddenly these two girls appear in my life and there it is. That possibility is suddenly a reality, or at least an opportunity. So if I come off as… eager, it’s not because I’m trying to take something from you. I just think…” Now it’s my turn to sigh. “After all the shit me and my family have been through—and whatever you know about us, that’s just the tip of the iceberg—after everything we’ve been through, I think we all want a little less drama. We all want what Ronnie has. We’re tired of being whatever this town thinks we are. And you’re my way out, Daisy.”
“Me?” She looks over at me and laughs.
“Yeah. I’m not the prince in this scenario. You are.”
She shakes her head and looks out the window. But her smile is reflected in the glass.
“So, since our child is going to spontaneously spend the night at my sister’s house tonight, do you want to have dinner with me?”
She looks over at me, surprised. “You want to have dinner with me?”
“Is that shocking news?”
“Umm. Kinda.”
“Yes, let’s have dinner. Go home after work, wash up, and then I’ll pick you up at nine-thirty. You can wait that long to eat?”
She sucks in a deep breath, takes her time to think about my question, then finally—“Yeah, I can wait.”
“Cool. Then it’s a date.”
We’re just entering downtown when those words come out of my mouth. And then, before things can get too silent and go awkward, I’m pulling up in front of Sick Boyz. We get out, smile nervously as we say see ya later, and then she crosses the street and I go inside.
A date.
I have a date.
And regardless of that one night we had seven years ago, Daisy Lundin is not the kind of woman who dates men like me.
Mothers hate tattoos.
Mothers hate motorcycles.
Mothers hate me.
But I don’t care.
I’m finally getting my second date with Daisy Lundin.
CHAPTER TWELVE - DAISY
My shifts fly by. I am so distracted by Vicious Vaughn, I can barely function. I mess up two orders, spill a drink, and my tips for the day suck. But I don’t even care because he was… nice today.
Who knew?
I mean, Sunday night I thought for sure we were headed to a long, sick court battle over our daughter. But today things look totally different. Maybe the girls were right? Maybe Vic Vaughn being Vivian’s father is a stroke of luck?
That lawyer guy calls. Alec Steele. Him, I’m not sure about. He’s very aggressive and not at all personable. All he says is, “Vic is the father. We have the results. I’m texting them to you now…”
I glance at them. There was no possible way Vic wasn’t her father, because I wasn’t having sex with anyone else at the time, but it’s comforting to see it in black and white.
By the time eight o’clock rolls around I’m pretty excited about my date and not so much dwelling on the fact that this is going to be my first night away from my daughter since she was born.
But I’m starving. So I change out of my uniform and then hurry outside to catch the bus home. Ironically, the closest bus stop is right out front of Sick Boyz. Vivi and I never used that stop, obviously. We would walk down to the next block and catch it there. But I linger outside the Pancake House wondering if I should go over there and see him before I go home to change.