Daisy Does It All (Clover Park, Book 2) Contemporary Romance (The Clover Park Series) Read online

  A corner of his mouth kicked up in a charming, lopsided smile. “Dance with me. It’s the least you can do for the man who gave you the sperm you so desperately needed.”

  “So desperately needed?” she blurted way too loud. She lowered her voice. “More like drunken—”

  “Bliss,” he said, spinning her into his arms. He began an exaggerated tango, leading her one way only to pivot suddenly and lead straight-armed the other way.

  She burst out laughing. “You’re nuts. Did you take lessons from Jorge?”

  “Not a one. I’m good, though, aren’t I?”

  “Sure,” she managed to say before he whirled her around. The song ended and changed to a slow dance that could’ve been a waltz, but he pulled her close, swaying slowly. She told herself she should pull away, but the heat coming off him was intoxicating, and it felt so good to relax into his arms, to just be held. She rested her cheek on his chest and breathed in his clean scent. He always smelled like he was fresh from the shower. She sighed.

  He stroked her long hair and murmured close to her ear, “Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, I’ll get you yet.”

  She looked up into his gorgeous face, with sparkling hazel eyes, perpetual stubble along his jaw, and a ready smile. “Now why do I feel like Little Red Riding Hood?”

  He flashed a toothy smile and lunged for her neck. She squealed and squirmed, but he held on and chomped gently down her neck.

  She smacked his arm because she liked that a little too much. “Back off, Big Bad Wolf.”

  He continued their dance as if nothing had happened. Trav used to be big and bad. He’d been an angry rebel, a year behind her in high school. As a teen, she’d admired all the trouble he managed to get in and out of with hardly a mark on him. She hadn’t hung out with him then, preferring older guys with cars. Now he was very special to her for one six-month-old reason. But that didn’t mean she wanted to marry him.

  Trav spoke softly in her ear. “What’s it going to take for you to say yes?”

  She stiffened. He just wouldn’t stop pushing her for more. Her track record was horrible in the relationship department. Her head hurt just thinking about all that pain and heartbreak. The bad boys who cheated on her, the men who left her, and the worst, Max, who took off after she lost their baby. She pushed that pain down. She had Bryce now. And he couldn’t be part of her relationship wreckage. She wouldn’t let that happen.

  She tried to pull away from Trav, but he held onto her arms, forcing her to stay. Fine. Clearly at marriage proposal number three, it was time to be blunt.

  “You don’t love me.”

  He looked confused. “You’re the mother of my only child; of course I love you.”

  She shook her head. “You love Bryce. You don’t love me. We did this all backwards, and you can’t change that. I barely remember the night we hooked up. Do you?”

  He hesitated. “Parts of it.”

  “See? And now you can’t separate me from Bryce. I’ll never know if you love me for me or because of the baby.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “You want the truth? Love is something made up by corporations to sell more cards.”

  “If you really believe that, then you’ve never been in love.”

  “So you’ll say yes if I give you some sappy declaration of love?”

  She pursed her lips and thought very hard, You are an idiot. She only kept it to herself because she didn’t want to fight.

  He dropped his hands and released her. “Dammit, I want him to have my name. He’s an O’Hare. I want him to have a family, two parents that live with him.”

  “He does have family; look around.” And with that she made her escape, overheated as usual from Trav. He was always too close, too demanding, too…sexy. She was listening to her brain nowadays, not her libido.

  She stopped at the refreshment table for punch. A few minutes later, she searched the room for her mom and Bryce. Her mom was handing Bryce over to Trav. Daisy sighed. Trav did have a way with Bryce. Her son slapped both hands on either side of his daddy’s face and gave a delighted two-toothed smile. His daddy smiled back. She instantly forgave Trav for his pushiness. She loved him for loving Bryce. Just not the in-love kind of way.

  She headed over to the happy pair. Love was overrated anyway.

  Her mom blocked her path before she could get to Bryce. The older woman with long, wavy blond hair and blue eyes resembled a more polished version of Daisy plus twenty-something years. Daisy braced herself.

  “Dorothy Marie Garner, what were you thinking?” her mom demanded. “Turning Travis down cold in front of everyone. Couldn’t you at least have said maybe?”

  Daisy threw her hands up. “I’m not going to pity marry him.”

  “Pity. Ha! He’s a good man. He’s Bryce’s father. You can’t ask for better than that.”

  “Mom, it’s none of your business. Seriously.”

  “Why do you have to make everything so difficult?” her mom asked. “Let Trav take care of you and Bryce. He owns his own business that’s doing very well, I hear. You won’t have to work unless you want to. You can live in a house instead of that mess of an apartment. He’ll help smooth out your edges.”

  Daisy nearly choked on her anger. “My edges? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just that…” Her mom paused, choosing her words carefully. “It’s no secret that you’ve always needed a little help to keep the road smooth. I mean, you have no career to speak of. If only you’d finished college or at least held down a job for more than two years. When I was your age—”

  “I know I haven’t always had my life together,” Daisy said through clenched teeth. “I’ve made some bad decisions.” She took a deep breath, her chest aching with the knowledge that her perfect mom had no faith in her firstborn. “I’m trying very hard to make a good life for Bryce. And I don’t want Trav or anyone else to do that for me. I want to do it on my own.”

  Her mom’s brows drew together in a concerned look. “But, darling, are you sure you know how?”

  Daisy saw red. “I’ll figure it out!”

  She stormed off to Trav, collected Bryce and the diaper bag that doubled as her purse, and headed for the door. She stopped, realizing she had to bundle them both up, and went to the coat rack for her down parka and his bunting. So much for the dramatic exit.

  “Let me help,” Trav said, appearing at her side.

  Without a word, she handed him Bryce, and he slipped the baby’s legs into the bunting and maneuvered in his arms. His fingers deftly did up the snaps faster than she ever could. He was a whiz with the baby gear.

  She zipped up her coat and held out her arms for Bryce.

  Trav handed him over and pulled the hood over Bryce’s head. “You okay?”

  She blinked back tears of frustration from the fight with her mom, from sleep deprivation, from the relentless pursuit by the guy she impulsively, drunkenly hooked up with one sad and lonely Thanksgiving weekend. Lust, liquor, and a rebound hookup—she’d just been dumped the day before—not her finest hour.

  She’d immediately left town. Trav had called her, repeatedly, but she let the calls go to voicemail. He just didn’t get that it was a one-night stand. It had to be; she wasn’t ready for more, not then, not now. She’d gone from regret over her impulsive nature to terrified with the surprise pregnancy. She’d freaked over the pregnancy all the way until she held her beautiful baby in her arms.

  Daisy called over her shoulder to Trav as she headed toward the exit. “I’m fine. Night.”

  A moment later, she heard footsteps behind her. She sped up.

  “Wait,” Trav said.

  She didn’t slow, but knew her fate was to deal with him over and over and over again. Bryce tied her to him forever. She unlocked the tomato red station wagon. She still couldn’t believe she drove a station wagon. It was a gift from Trav for Bryce’s safety.

  Trav caught up with them.

  She wiped away a tear that had managed to escape and turn
ed to Trav. “Can we talk later? I’m having kind of a shit night.”

  He held Bryce’s blue blankie with the embroidered teddy bear on the corner in one hand. “Well, I got a loud ‘no’ to my marriage proposal, so I know a little something about shit nights.”

  His tone was light, but she knew she’d hurt him. He handed over the blankie.

  Bryce relaxed into her shoulder; the boy was worn out from his busy night. She cuddled him close. “I had a fight with my mom.”

  “We need to talk,” he said flatly.

  Completely out of patience, she snapped, “Make it quick. Bryce needs to get to bed.”

  He didn’t react to her tone. He never did. Calm, steady, always in good humor. It made her want to shake him. That was the problem with Trav. He always felt distant, like the real Trav, the Trav who was an angry, rebellious teen raising hell had been buried so deep that all that was left was this pleasant but distant guy.

  “This won’t take long,” he replied.

  ~ ~ ~

  Trav’s chest ached as he watched Daisy tuck their son into his car seat. He’d never get tired of that sight. Mother and child, so close like that. He didn’t know if he’d had that with his mom as a baby, but, as a kid, they’d watched Peter Pan together, and every night when she tucked him into bed, he would say, “I wish I could fly right out that window to Neverland.” And she’d say, “Me too,” then she’d sprinkle pixie dust over him and say, “Think happy thoughts and fly in your dreams.” It was his best memory of her.

  The only gaping hole in his son’s life as far as Trav was concerned was not having his parents together. Like a family should be. Like he'd always wished his own family had been.

  Daisy shut the car door gently and turned to him.

  “I’m not giving up on us,” he informed her.

  “There is no us,” Daisy said.

  The woman was maddening. He hadn’t missed the tears. He knew she was exhausted. If only she would let him in. He wanted to make life easier for her. Get rid of those dark circles under her eyes; get some of that bubbly personality back.

  He held his palms up. “You won’t give us a chance. What are you afraid will happen?”

  She heaved a long-suffering sigh that pissed him off, but he tamped down the anger, knowing it never got him anything but trouble.

  “I’m not afraid of anything,” she said. “Okay, say we got together and it didn’t work out. Bryce would suffer.”

  “And what if it did work out? Then Bryce could have a normal family.”

  She pushed her long, blond hair out of her face and blew out a breath that left a puff in the cold air. She was beautiful even when she was tired, frustrated, and on the verge of anger, like now. Always so beautiful. He’d had a thing for her since he moved to Clover Park sophomore year. Not that she’d ever noticed the skinny kid a grade behind her. Junior girls didn’t give sophomore boys the time of day. Now it was different. They were responsible adults with a child. Bryce was all that mattered now.

  “Bryce doesn’t know any different,” she said. “This is a normal family to him.”

  “I want more for him. A real family. Two parents that live with him.”

  “I just…don’t want to be in a relationship with anyone right now. I’m on my own for the first time in my life. I’m working hard to get out of debt and provide a good life for Bryce. I need to show everyone, including myself, that I can do this. I’ve spent too much of my life letting other people fix my problems. If I take the easy way, I’ll never know what it feels like to be independent.”

  “I never said being with me would be easy,” he said, keeping the tone light. “I leave the cap off the toothpaste, and you really don’t want to see this bedhead in the morning.” He pulled his hair up and snarled.

  “Trav, you know what I mean. Be serious.”

  He paused, serious now. “You could still be independent. We can do this on your terms. I’d never stand in your way.” His voice came out raspy over the tightness in his throat. Annoying. He cleared his throat.

  She frowned and looked at the ground. “No one has faith in me, with good reason. I’ve made some bad decisions.” She met his eyes, and he read the pain there. “Impulsive, spur-of-the-moment decisions that ended with me out of a job, homeless, penniless. Seriously, up until Bryce, my life has pretty much been a disaster. If it wasn’t for my family, I hate to think where I would’ve ended up.”

  She’s too hard on herself. It wasn’t like she’d been into drugs or drinking. She just hadn’t found her niche. Hadn’t yet found the right person to share her life with. But he knew this was it. He was her person. Their little family was her niche. You couldn’t have a miracle like Bryce and not know that together was where their family belonged. But he didn’t say any of that. He knew when to let up. That didn’t mean he was giving up on her.

  He peeked in the back seat at his sleeping son. “Goodnight, little man.” He turned to her. “Night, Daze.”

  She looked relieved that he was leaving, which left a sour note.

  “Night, Trav.”

  He stepped back while she got into the driver’s seat. He usually had an easy way with women. Flirt, get a laugh out of them, enjoy each other for a while. But now…now when it really counted and his son’s future was at stake, he struck out. He was starting to feel like a loser. But, as his big bro Ry used to coach him, Winners never quit.

  Daisy turned on the car and powered down her window. “No more marriage proposals. Okay?”

  He winked. “Not unless you’re the one asking.”

  She laughed. “Fair enough.”

  He stepped back, his smile frozen in place, and watched her pull away with his son. He turned for his car and let out a frustrated breath. He hated saying goodbye to Bryce so much. He wanted to see Bryce’s drooly, two-toothed smile every morning and tuck him in every night. He wanted him to have a rock-solid foundation. He unlocked his Toyota RAV4, bought especially for its safety and reliability when Bryce came into his life, and blasted Metallica all the way back to his empty house.

  Chapter Three

  The next morning Trav and his crew chief and friend, Rico del Toro, drove to the supply yard to stock up on rock salt. The weather reporters were going nuts about the snowstorm likely to hit at the end of the week. His plow and shoveling service kept his landscape business going in the winter months. Rico was the only one he kept on payroll, though. The rest of the crew was seasonal.

  “You’re pretty quiet over there, jefe,” Rico said from the passenger side of the truck.

  Even though Trav knew Rico from back when they were kids in New Jersey, before Trav moved to Clover Park at fifteen, he still didn’t want to talk about what was bugging him.

  “Enough with the boss shit,” Trav snapped.

  “Touchy.”

  Trav exhaled sharply. “It’s Monday. I’m not awake yet.”

  “I’m thinking someone didn’t have such a dreamy Valentine’s Day,” Rico teased.

  Trav snorted and glanced over. “And you did.”

  Women loved Rico, and he loved them right back. Not enough to stick around, but they generally knew that going into it. His rep was legendary.

  Rico puffed out his chest. “I don’t kiss and tell, but someone wanted a luscious caramel valentine. Bow-chicka-wow-wow.”

  “Geez, man, shut up.” He stopped at a light, last night’s disaster with Daisy fresh in his mind. He really did have to stop proposing to her. It was getting embarrassing. Maybe marriage wasn’t in the cards for them. The light changed, and he hit the accelerator hard.

  Rico grabbed the oh-shit handle. “Fuck. What is wrong with you today?”

  “Daisy turned me down again.”

  Rico clucked his tongue. “I told you not to ask her anymore. Have some pride.”

  “I do have pride,” Trav snapped. “I’ve also got a son who doesn’t have my name and who doesn’t have a family.”

  “Why are you so hung up on this? I thought you were doing the
…the—”

  “Coparenting.”

  “Yeah, that. You’re coparenting. Who cares what his name is?”

  “I do!” Trav hollered.

  Rico went silent.

  Trav turned on the radio, and they drove with hard rock blasting the rest of the way there. He parked the truck, turned off the ignition, and turned to his friend. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

  For all of his friend’s tough-guy machismo, he knew Rico was extremely sensitive. The man wrote ballads on his acoustic guitar as a hobby. He loved to sing about love even though he claimed he’d never been in love. He just “loved love,” whatever the hell that meant.

  Rico’s lips clamped together; then he socked Trav on the arm. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Trav grunted in reply. They walked to the small office to put in their order. No one was there. They waited for the guy who ran the supply yard, Stan, to show up.

  “Daisy’s got me tied in knots,” Trav admitted. “I don’t know whether I’m coming or going with her.”

  “Ay, you’re going about this all wrong. Women are repelled by desperation.”

  Trav raised a brow. “I’m not desperate.”

  “Sure smells that way.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Just back the hell off her,” Rico said. “She told you loud and clear she doesn’t want to get married. Keep cool. I bet if you back off, she’ll come after you.”

  “Yeah?”

  Rico nodded. “Yeah. You’re a catch, man. Women dig the stubble look.” He rubbed his own stubbled jaw.

  Trav laughed. “She’d be lucky to have all this.” He gestured to his bod and jutted out one hip.

  Rico grinned and raised his voice to a falsetto. “You work it, girl.”

  Trav matched his high pitch. “Bitch, you ain’t even seen what I can do.”

  “How can I help you bitches today?” Stan, a balding guy with a huge beer belly, asked.

  Trav startled and cleared his throat. “How ya doing, Stan? We’re gonna need a shit ton of rock salt for this coming storm.”

  Stan shook his head. “Right this way, ladies.”

  Rico did a monkey impersonation behind Stan, dragging his knuckles, knees bent, loping forward. Trav laughed.