by Kitty Parker
…
He visits Cletus every Sunday. He drives the two hours to the Penitentiary and goes through all of the metal detectors and signs in and is shown to one of the stools with the phones and glass window in between the visitor and inmate.
Every time he sees Cletus in his dark blue jumpsuit, Cletus is grinning and Jack is relieved that he seems to be doing well enough considering where he is. But Cletus's always been like that. Cletus likes being out – obviously – but if he's locked up, he's just as comfortable. As asinine as it sounds, being in a room with bars on the wall is just as much a home to him as any other shitty place they crashed in.
"How you doin'?" Jack asks as he asks him every week.
"Doin' alright," Cletus nods and Jack knows he's probably telling the truth.
Even though he's never been locked up, Jack knows what it's like in there. Guys have to find a group to stick with if they want to keep themselves safe. More than once, Cletus has hooked up with the white supremacist gang and he's probably done it again. Jack can't say anything though; can't judge him for it. Cletus's just trying to keep himself alive. Cletus takes care of Cletus and that's the way it is.
"How 'bout you?" Cletus asks. "Lookin' good, baby brother."
"Yeah?" Jack's not too sure why he would be but a certain blonde instantly pops into his head and he wonders if Cletus can tell that just by looking at him.
"Got someone keepin' your bed warm?" Cletus then grins.
Jack just shakes his head. Daisy is in his head now and she won't leave because hell, he's been thinking about her being in his bed – or him being in hers – for a while now even though he knows they're not even close to that yet and who knows if they ever will be? Jack can't even bring himself to kiss her again even though he wants to pretty much more than anything. He doesn't even know if he will kiss her again. He probably needs Daisy to actually tell him that she wants him to kiss her before he makes another attempt.
"You need me to send you anythin'?" Jack then switches subjects. It's not right talking about Daisy – or even thinking about her – in a place like this anyway.
…
Daisy's already there, sitting at the top of the bleachers, the same spot she had been sitting in the week before, and Jack climbs up the steps to sit down beside her. They're the first two there again and she reaches into the cooler, pulling out a bottle of water for him. He'll probably never understand how this girl knows exactly what he needs before he even knows it himself.
Her hair's up like he likes – and it's damn hot out with the sun beating down on them – and she's wearing blue jean shorts and a green tee-shirt – GATORS MOM written in white lettering on the front of it. When he sees it, he can't help but smirk a little.
She notices him looking at it and her cheeks blush. "Tavon's mom had it made for me. I couldn't not wear it."
Jack just smirks again and she laughs, elbowing him playfully in the side.
"Bakin' cupcakes for the team and wearin' mom shirts," Jack teases.
"Shut up," she laughs more and the blush on her cheeks deepen.
God, she looks so beautiful that afternoon. Jack wants to just lean in and take another taste of her but he won't – especially not here in front of other people. So he just smirks and turns his head, taking a sip of water, trying to ignore the way it's ninety degrees out here today but the sound of Daisy laughing makes him want to shiver.
The Greene family arrives shortly after – Johnathan and Annette, Maybelle and Nathaniel, and Shawn stands down at the sidelines like he had the week before. Jack wonders why Shawn doesn't sign up to be a coach to one of these teams.
What he told Daisy a few weeks ago is true. He's never really been into football – not like so many other guys down here – but watching Matty, he can't help but get into the game, smiling and clapping when he scores his third touchdown of the game and each time, Daisy leaps up to her feet from beside him and cheers until her throat sounds hoarse. The rest of the Greene family is like that, too – cheering and yelling over bad calls and they're all just so damn proud of that kid out there on that field and Jack thinks that Matty's probably one of the luckiest kids in the world. Because even though the kid doesn't have a dad, he has all of this other family out here, loving him and supporting him, and who needs some dad who doesn't even care about him when he's got all of that?
And with all of that, it probably doesn't matter much, but Matty's got him, too. So does Daisy. He meant it. He's not going anywhere. Only an idiot would leave these two behind and he's so tired of living his life stupid. He's ready to be different.
…
The Gators win their second game of the season and Johnathan takes them all out for pizza again. This time, Tavon and his mom join them because as Matty has already declared, he and Tavon are best friends and Jack doesn't mean to brag but he wonders how good the Gators would be without this kid as running back and the other one as quarterback.
Johnathan's tractor has broken down again and Jack agrees to come out to the farm to take a look at it for him. He has no idea why the thing keeps breaking down but he's not going to tell Johnathan to just buy a new one. Tractors aren't exactly something that's cheap and being a farmer is hard enough without adding even more expenses to it. And Jack's not bragging but he can pretty much fix damn near anything.
Besides, he likes going out to the farm. He's always liked being in the open air, away from most people. It's why he loves going into the woods as much as he can to go hunting. He's just never really liked people because the only people he's ever really known have been nothing but drunks or tweakers or mean as hell – obviously nothing like the Greene family. He still can't figure out why they're so open to him being around them; why Johnathan invites him out to the farm for his help and advice on his machines and equipment and why Annette always gives him a glass of fresh lemonade whenever he's there.
They must know by now how their daughter feels about him and he wonders if they can tell now that something has happened between them and he can't figure out why they're fine with that. They're good people. Don't they see that Jack isn't?
…
He hears Daisy's voice when he steps in through the front door and then he hears a male voice responding. Coming up the stairs, he sees Daisy standing in the doorway of her apartment and Jimmy is standing in the hallway. Neither seem too happy with the other. Daisy sees him – her eyes flicking in his direction – before looking back to Jimmy and Jack goes to open his apartment door but doesn't go inside. He stands in the doorway, ready to help Daisy out if she needs him to.
"It's football, Jimmy, and Matty really wanted to start playing this year and he's your son, too," Daisy is saying. "I don't know why you can't help out-"
"Because I never agreed to all of this extra money you're asking for," Jimmy interrupts and he's holding up a piece of paper in his hand.
"It's not that much extra and you know it," Daisy frowns at him. "I just thought you could help out with the equipment fee. You should see him, Jimmy. He's really good. I left you a message about all of this, asking you to come to his game. If you just saw him once-"
"I'm not paying for this," Jimmy shakes his head. "If you want him playing football and if you want to push him like all of these other crazy ass parents who think their kid can go pro, fine. But you are going to handle all of the finances that go with it."
Daisy just stares at him and Jack feels anger bubbling in his stomach, rising up his chest. He wonders how angry Daisy would be if he just turned Jimmy around and punched him in the face. The guy definitely deserves it.
"I already pay you support once a month. You make it work from that because I'm not paying anything more than that," Jimmy says and with that, he turns away. His eyes lock with Jack's for a moment but he probably sees murder in them because he quickly looks away and hurries himself down the stairs.
Daisy exhales a deep breath and seems to completely deflate.
"Wan' me to kill 'im?" Jack asks.
&nbs
p; She shakes her head, her lips not even twitching at the joke though Jack's not too sure how much of him was joking at making the offer.
"It's his wife," she sighs. "Jimmy just goes along with her."
"Why you always stickin' up for 'im?" Jack can't help but wonder. He then wonders if she still has feelings the pCasey. Father of her child, high school sweetheart. That guy's a lot of things in Daisy's life.
Daisy turns to look down the stairs as if she can still see Jimmy. "He wasn't always like that. Not at all. Not until he married her. When I knew him… he was the sweetest boy in the world and he… he did love me. And I loved him. It just all got so messed up…"
She trails off and doesn't say anything else and Jack watches her closely. Does she still love him? That's what he's wondering.
Without saying anything else or looking at him, she steps back into the apartment and closes the door with a quiet click. Jack looks at it for a moment and then figuring she just wants to be left alone, he goes into his apartment and closes his door with its own click.
…
He and Martinez go to the diner once again for lunch and when Jack asks about cupcakes that day, the waitress says they haven't been delivered yet. He can't help but frown at that but just when he's thinking about using his lunch break instead to go back home and check to see if Daisy's alright, the door opens, the bell tinkling, and Daisy steps through the door with a large cardboard box in her arms.
Jack is quick to get to his feet and she gives him a grateful smile when he easily yet carefully takes it from her arms.
"Thank you," she says, out of breath.
"Would be easier if you drove here," Jack can't help but point out to her and he wonders if or when she'll ever drive a car again.
"No, it's alright," she smiles with a shake of her head. "It's not that far of a walk."
Jack tries not to frown at the flush of her cheeks or how she's still catching her breath.
"Which ones do we have today, Daisy?" Martinez asks, suddenly appearing over Jack's shoulder, looking down at the box, nearly licking his lips, as if he can see straight through it.
"Pumpkin spice for fall and chocolate peanut butter," she smiles at the man. "I was going to make banana because I know they're Jack's favorite but I wanted to try something new for the season and I can make him banana cupcakes anytime," she explains.
"I didn't know you knew that the banana was my favorite," Jack can't help but say as he carries the box to the counter.
Daisy gives him a soft smile. "I notice a lot of things," she says and that's all she says and he wonders if maybe, she's trying to tell him something more but he can't figure out what.
…
Being sick is one of the worst things in the world, in his opinion. He hates just lying around, coughing, feeling dizzy. Feeling useless. He may be a hunter and that takes a certain amount of patience, staying out in the woods for however long it may take to track an animal, but when he's sick, he has no tolerance for it and wants it to be done as quickly as possible.
Jack knows exactly how he got sick but he's not going to blame the kid. Matty was coughing a couple of days ago and it wasn't like the kid was hacking right in his face but Matty's the only person he's been around lately with a condition like that. Matty's right as rain now because it seems he's passed it right along to Jack.
And now, Jack's lying on his bed, closing his eyes and feeling as if he's on a roller coaster, the entire earth moving up and down and back and forth and his head is spinning.
There's a quiet knock on the door and then "Jack?" in her soft, sweet voice.
He almost groans. He doesn't want her to see him like this. He doesn't need to be babied and that's exactly what Daisy will do because that's exactly who Daisy is.
But he can't talk without coughing so he just lies there, keeping his eyes closed, hoping she'll just think he's asleep but Daisy knows better and after a moment, he feels the mattress dip down slightly as Daisy sits down beside him.
"I've brought you some soup. It will help with your throat," she tells him gently.
He can smell it – smells like chicken – and he groans even as his stomach grumbles.
"Come on. You need to eat," she says.
He wants to argue with her. If he wants soup, he can get it his damn self but he's too tired to say all of that and he finally opens his eyes, focusing them on her. She gives him a smile and with a cough, he manages to push himself up a bit more. Daisy scoots in closer and he almost wants to slap himself for being too weak to stop this girl from feeding him but Daisy guides the spoon to his mouth and he slurps it up and it feels too good, pouring down his throat to stop her right now.
"Can take care of myself," he mumbles.
"I like taking care of you," Daisy murmurs in reply, feeding him another spoonful.
And he wants to call her crazy for that. He wants to ask why she let him have anything to do with her and Matty in the first place. He wants to know if she liked him kissing her and if it would be alright if he was to kiss her again. He has a thousand questions in his head for her but he can't get any of them out.
"Why?" He asks though it sounds more like a croak.
Daisy doesn't answer right away. She feeds him another spoonful of soap and wipes at his chin with a napkin and he hates feeling helpless but having Daisy take care of him like this isn't the worst thing in the world, he's able to admit.
She then shrugs her shoulders. "Because sometime on our way to getting to this point right here, I guess I kind of fell in love with you," she informs him, her voice strong but soft.
Jack just stares at her, having absolutely no idea what to say or even think to that. His head is too heavy and stuffed up to think of anything else except how stuffed up and heavy its feeling. He does know one thing though.
When he gets better, he's definitely going to kiss this girl again.
…
She's scared to be in love with him. She's only been in love once in her life but that was with Jimmy and it was high school and that's a completely different kind of love than the love two adults have for one another. And it's not as if she doubts that she has fallen for Jack Belton. She wants to be around him all of the time and she misses him when he's not and he's never that far from her mind. She doesn't doubt that she's fallen in love with him.
It's that a part of her doesn't want to be. She's still so scared of him because when she's around him, she just feels so much and he's kissed her but she has no clue what he feels about her and he can leave at any time. He's done it so many times now and he hasn't for a while but she doesn't trust him enough to think that he'll never do it again.
And that just confuses her even more because how can she be falling in love with a man if she doesn't even completely trust him?
…
Daisy has just served the boys plates of two pancakes each when there's a knock on the door. Going to the peephole, she sees that it's Tavon's mom and she opens the door to her with a bright smile.
"Good morning," she greets and instantly steps aside so the woman and toddler on her hip can enter the apartment.
"Good morning," Michonne Anthony returns her smile. "How was he?"
"He was great. They both had such a good time," Daisy says, closing the door behind her, and follows Michonne to the kitchen where Tavon and Matty are busy eating their pancakes.
"Hey, baby," Michonne smiles at her son.
"Mornin'," Tavon mumbles through a mouthful of pancakes.
Michonne, still smiling, looks to Daisy. "Matty's welcome to spend the night at our place anytime. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done. You've helped us out so much lately, watching Tavon as much as you have. It's just with Mike's new job and I've been trying to pick up as many hours as I can-"
Daisy is smiling at the three-year-old Andre and she's quick to cut Michonne off. "There's no reason to thank me. Tavon is no trouble whatsoever and he and Matty have fun together." She smiles as Andre turns his head shyly into Mic
honne's neck. "Would you like some pancakes? I have plenty of batter leftover."
Michonne seems to hesitate.
"Sit. I'm going to make myself some, too," Daisy says, already heading back to the counter. As she stands at the griddle, there's another knock on the door and she can't leave as the round discs are just starting to bubble at the edges. "Matty, can you get that, please?"
Matty obediently leaves the table – but not before shoving one more bite into his mouth – and hurries to the door. "Hey, Jack!" He exclaims happily.
"Mornin', kid," Jack greets with a little smile.
"Hey," Daisy takes her turn to greet him with her own smile as he enters the kitchen and Matty goes back to the table to eat the rest of his pancakes. "You want some pancakes?" She asks even though she knows he does.
She wonders if he's going to kiss her. Just lean down and give her a little peck like this is what they do. He comes over for breakfast on Saturday mornings and she makes pancakes. And she can imagine that coming true. There's no reason why it shouldn't. She likes having him over here – loves it, actually – and he seems to like coming over if his constant presence in her apartment is any indication of where he likes to spend his time.
Maybe, one day, he'll come over for breakfast in the morning or for dinner after he gets home from work, and he'll come over and simply lean down and kiss her and it will all be so casual and natural and maybe she just needs to tell him that that's what she wants.
"Hey, Michonne. Hey, Tavon," Jack greets.
Tavon – shy as always – just gives Jack a small smile and keeps eating. Michonne, her smile much bigger, sits Andre down on the chair beside her and then stands up, standing on the other side of the counter.
"Are you coming?" Michonne asks him and Jack blinks at her because he has no idea what she's talking about and Daisy hasn't told him.
She knows what most of the Gator parents think of her and Jack even though it's a small town and they all know the truth. They think Jack is Matty's dad or just Daisy's boyfriend and she's actually not sure about that one. They've gotten closer and they've kissed and she confessed to him that she's pretty sure she's in love with him and it's ridiculous to her that she actually doesn't know if he's her boyfriend or not or even completely sure how he feels about her.