by Sonya Clark
“Got anybody in mind?”
She placed her beer bottle on the coffee table and moved a little closer to him. “He’d have to be able to sing different kinds of music. And he’d have to be good looking. That’s a must.”
“So you’re looking for a pretty boy?”
“Maybe with a beard.” She stroked the whiskers on his jaw. “But not a boy.” She leaned close, so close the warmth of her body teased his senses. “Definitely a man.”
“I might know someone who’d fit the bill.”
She held his gaze for a long moment then scooted back to the corner of the couch. “Wade.”
He angled his body to face her, one arm resting on the back of the couch and his hands clasped. “Daisy.”
“I shouldn’t have-”
“Told me what you want? That’s exactly what you need to be doing.”
A frustrated groan escaped her. He said, “Look, there’s something I’ve been putting off but I’m getting some unbelievable pressure so I can’t put it off any longer.”
She looked at him with alarm. “What is it?”
“My mother wants you to come for Sunday lunch.”
“Shit. Really?”
“As far as she’s concerned I’ll always be in high school. My only consolation for that is knowing Chris will forever be in grammar school.”
Daisy laughed, the sound loosening the tension in both of them. “Sunday lunch with the family. I don’t know. I mean, are we a Sunday lunch with the family kind of, um.”
“Couple? Yes. I think we are. I’d like us to be.”
“I don’t know, Wade.” She worried her thumb between her teeth and stared at the floor. “The summer’s almost over.”
“You think I’m going to leave as soon as Becky gets me another gig.”
“Aren’t you? I mean, this is what you do.”
“I’ve told you I don’t want to live on the road anymore, and I meant it.” Wade moved closer to her and cupped her face in his hands. “This is what I want. Right here, with you.” A surprising peace fell over him as he said the words. Truth had a way of doing that, he supposed. The knowledge settled into him with a rightness that he hadn’t felt in years. Maybe ever. He kissed her softly, and she opened her mouth under his in fragile welcome. Long, slow, drugging kisses followed, like falling into something so perfect, so pure, it almost didn’t feel real. But it was very real. The slide of her tongue on his, her eager hands digging under his clothes to get at his skin, her breathy moans as he worked his way down her body - those things and so many more told him just how real this was, how real she was. Wade wasn’t dreaming or wishing or writing a hopeful song. He had an amazing woman in his arms, and he never wanted to let her go.
Chapter 31
Daisy rubbed her palms down the front of her dress then checked her makeup in the rearview mirror again. Rocky Top may have been the nicest bar in town, but it was still a bar. The Sheppard family was firmly middle class, church-going, conservative. Wade may have been the black sheep of the clan but he would still always be accepted. His younger, waitress girlfriend? Maybe not so much.
Wade came around the truck and opened her door. Daisy stayed where she was at. “Your brother has arrested my brother twice. Twice. I checked.”
Wade did a lousy job of suppressing a grin. “I knew I should have worn that Make It Legal t-shirt Willie Nelson gave me when I played Farm-Aid a couple of years ago.”
“Your brother is a deputy and mine occasionally deals pot. Your other brother is career military and my sister.” She stopped. Aside from truly lousy luck with men, she could find nothing about Deanna to criticize. But she knew other people would not think that. “She’s a single mother and she doesn’t have a college degree.”
“Hank doesn’t have a college degree. Neither do I, for that matter.”
“Your mother is a well-respected citizen who’s worked at a bank for decades. My mother has a history of substance abuse, child neglect, and general worthlessness.”
Wade leaned into the cab of the truck. “Momma likes to flirt with her preacher.”
Daisy widened her eyes in horror. “That does not compare at all!”
“Daisy, get out of the truck.”
“Your father’s worked for Brittain Utilities for decades. Been an excellent role model for his sons and by all accounts a good husband. I don’t even remember my father.”
Wade reached across her lap and unlatched the seatbelt. “Sweetheart.”
“I work in a bar,” she said in a small voice. “I’m not the kind of girl you bring home to meet the parents. Not nice parents like yours, anyway.”
He shook his head. “I work in a bar, too. You’re my girl. That makes you the kind of girl I take home to meet my parents.” He cupped her cheek and tilted her head so she was forced to meet his eyes. “Look, we’re here. They probably heard the truck so they know we’re here. It’s too late for me to fuck the nervous out of you.” She laughed, and it cracked the tension in her limbs somewhat. “So just try not to let all that stuff bother you because in the end, it doesn’t matter. You’re not dating them, you’re dating me. And I─”
The front door swung open, revealing Chris in the doorway. “You two coming in or what?”
Wade stiffened. He took her hand and stepped out of the way so she could exit the vehicle. After one last bracing breath, Daisy left the safety of the truck, squeezing his hand.
“Mornin’, Chris,” Wade said.
“Afternoon,” Chris said with a sneer. “Momma’s not happy you weren’t in church this morning. I guess we should be grateful you showed up for lunch.”
“I’m sure she’d also be grateful if you didn’t act like a dick in front of our guest.”
Chris dropped his eyes to the dark red wood of the porch floor, chagrined. “Sorry, Daisy. Nice to see you.”
“It’s okay. Nice to see you, too.” That tension Wade had momentarily dispersed returned and brought friends. Of course Chris wouldn’t think to be on his best behavior. That was for guests you respected. She tried to pull her hand from Wade’s but he wouldn’t let go.
Chris got out of the way and they entered the house. A short foyer led immediately into the living room, where Mr. Sheppard watched TV and a teen girl sat curled up with a book.
“Hello, Daddy,” Wade said.
His father responded with a barely audible grunt, gaze still on the television. Wade tightened his grip on Daisy’s hand. He cleared his throat and raised their joined hands. “This is Daisy McNeil. I’m sure Momma told you I was bringing a lady friend.”
Mr. Sheppard spared her a quick glance. “Hello.” That was it. Before the word was all the way out of his mouth, he returned his attention to the TV. He never looked at his eldest son.
Jesus. They really were a pair, weren’t they? She slipped her other hand to his forearm. I’m right here, she would have said if she could. I’m right here.
Wade nodded, and she wasn’t sure if it was in acknowledgment of his father’s dismissal or her show of support.
The teen girl looked up from her book. “Hi.” She wagged her fingers in a friendly wave. “I’m Lori. Hank’s my dad.” Lori was a sweet-faced, pretty girl with long strawberry-blond hair swept up in a ponytail and light blue eyes. She wore jeans with the cuffs rolled up and a Dr. Who t-shirt.
Daisy smiled, drinking in the warm welcome on the girl’s face. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Wade led her to the loveseat to sit next to Lori while he perched on the arm. “Hey, punkin. You been here all weekend?”
Lori found a bookmark and slid her book under the furniture. “Mom and Todd went to Gatlinburg for a long weekend. It’s his birthday and they couldn’t get away for their anniversary, so they went now. The boys are with their grandparents.”
“Heard from Hank lately?”
The girl’s eyes widened and she nodded. “He wants me to come to Germany and spend Christmas vacation with him. Says he’ll take me to London too.”
&n
bsp; Wade let out a low whistle. “That sounds like a damn good way to spend the holidays. Your mom gonna let you go?”
Lori rolled her eyes in the way only a teen girl can. “It took some doing, but yeah. I have to keep my grades up, which, no problem there. Daddy said he would pay for my plane tickets so all I need is spending money. Babysitting and tutoring will take care of that.”
Daisy said, “You tutor?”
Lori nodded. “Keeping the football players in passing grades so they can play is good money.”
Daisy smiled. “I hear you. I do the same thing at the college in Danville.”
Wade shook his head. “While going to school yourself and working at Rocky Top?”
Before Daisy could answer, Chris stuck his head around the doorway. “Lori, Momma wants you to come help her in the kitchen, please.”
“Be right there.” She met Daisy’s eyes. “Don’t show fear.” With that, she left.
Daisy didn’t know whether to laugh or run away. Wade pulled her up from the seat and drew her over to a far corner. The walls there were covered in photo collages, all three Sheppard sons heavily represented. She had no trouble picking out Wade, even as a little boy.
He stood close and spoke quietly. “Hank and her mother were married the autumn after they graduated high school, just before he went to basic. Things were okay between them while he was stationed in the states but that first move to Germany was too much for her. She just flat refused to go. The got divorced. She remarried and they’ve got a couple of boys together. Everybody gets along but it’s not unusual to find Lori over here. Her step-grandparents are kind of intense. Todd’s a Brittain.”
“Wow,” Daisy said. The modern day Brittains were descendants of the town’s founding family.
“They’re not bad, just, you know, intense. Plus they have other grandkids. Over here, Lori’s the only one. Momma dotes on her.”
“Is Hank remarried?” Daisy studied the pictures. They were arranged in more or less chronological order. Sometime during Wade’s teen years, the tension between him and Chris became evident in their facial expressions and body language when photographed together. From there on out, any pictures with all three brothers had Hank in the middle.
“Nah, that pretty much cured him of wanting to get married.”
“What’s he do?” She turned her attention from the photos to Wade. “I don’t know anything about the military.”
“He’s a helicopter mechanic. Works on Black Hawks.”
“I think I know what those are.”
Wade grinned. “Fucking badass, is what those are. I did a USO tour in Afghanistan once and got to see him. We email and Skype sometimes but I was gone the last time he came home on leave. It’s been too long since we’ve spent real time together.”
Mrs. Sheppard appeared from a side hallway. “Wade, we missed you in church this morning. I was hoping you’d bring your friend in the kitchen to meet me but since you didn’t, I left Lori in charge and came out to meet her for myself.” She leveled Daisy with a look that made her want to wither into nothing, just a spot on the carpet, but Lori’s words came to her: Don’t show fear. So Daisy did her best to stay calm and impassive.
Wade held tight to Daisy as he kissed his mother’s cheek. “Daisy, this is my mother, Marlene Sheppard. Momma, Daisy McNeil.”
“Nice to meet you,” Daisy rushed to speak first. God, she hated that phrase, though. It was so meaningless.
“Well.” Mrs. Sheppard looked her up and down discreetly. “I understand you know my niece, Jillian.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“She tells me you’re going to college.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mrs. Sheppard glanced at Wade, who said nothing. “What are you majoring in, dear?”
“Human resources management, ma’am.”
Mrs. Sheppard raised her eyebrows. “Well. That’s a good field to be in. Lots of opportunity.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Daisy wanted to die. Burst into flames. Get swallowed by a sink hole. Kidnapped by a goblin king. Any damn thing that would get her out of this horrible conversation.
Lori saved her. She returned to the living room and announced. “Food’s on the table. Come on, y’all.”
Mrs. Sheppard patted Wade’s arm and moved off.
Daisy looked to Wade for some indication, any indication, of what he was thinking. He stared straight ahead and led her to the dining room, saying nothing. Tension radiated through his body. She stayed as close to him as good manners allowed in front of his family, not just for herself but for him, too.
Chapter 32
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Wade knew this would be uncomfortable but God damn...when the teenager displayed the best manners, the adults were really fucking up. He’d really thought Chris would keep his dickishness under control around Daisy, out of fear that it would get back to Megan. Apparently not. Wade had no idea what his father’s problem was, other than his usual disinterest in Wade. Surely that was no reason to be rude to a guest. As for his mother...it wasn’t what she’d said. More the way she’d spoken, and the way she’d looked at Daisy as if surprised she wasn’t wearing a tube top and cut-offs with her underwear hanging out.
His family were free to treat him like crap. Maybe he even still deserved it. They had no right to be judgmental toward Daisy.
The meal passed by in a blur. He barely tasted his food. Thankfully, Chris dominated the conversation, telling their father work-related stories about all the arrests he’d made lately. Lori looked ready to take her spoon and dig a hole to China to escape. If she started excavating, he’d be glad to help.
“Wade, help me clear the dishes, please.” Despite the please, his mother was not making a request. He exchanged a look with Daisy, who nodded almost imperceptibly. She rose from the table and strode to the living room with Lori, the two of them talking about books.
Wade stacked several plates and carried them to the kitchen. He cut right to the point. “What is your problem with Daisy?”
Marlene whirled on him, mouth open in shock. “My problem is not with her, it’s with you. Do you have any idea what you’re getting into with her?”
Wade stepped on the urge to shout and hurl invective. “If you think she’s not good enough just because she’s a waitress, you need to get over it. She’s a good person, Momma. She’s not some wild party girl. Working at a bar doesn’t define who she is.”
Marlene interrupted. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. You don’t need to tell me those things. I know she’s a good person. Jillian wouldn’t have her around the kids if she wasn’t. How much do you know about her past?”
The question surprised Wade, especially following on the heels of what sounded suspiciously like acceptance from his mother. “I know she didn’t have it easy growing up. What’s that got to do with anything?”
Marlene sighed and crossed her arms over her front. She was quiet for a moment, as if mulling things over. Finally she spoke. “Not many people know this. She kept it very quiet. I found out from a relative of the Hollisters. Daisy stayed with Megan and her father for a time.”
“There’s nothing you can tell me about Daisy that’s going to change how I feel about her.”
“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about you being able to deal with it.”
Wade sucked in a breath and tried to calm himself so he didn’t swear at his mother. “Get to the point, if you please.”
“Did you know that she had a baby at eighteen and gave the child up for adoption?”
Of all the possibilities swirling in his head, that was nowhere on the list. “Uh, no.” All the anger and righteous indignation bled out of him, replaced by...he didn’t know what.
“The boy who got her pregnant abandoned her. She had no support from her family. From what I heard, that mother of hers still gives her grief about the decision.”
“I...I don’t understand.”
“Things are different now. When I was growing up, it was very, very r
are to come across single mothers who’d had their children out of wedlock. People forced their daughters to give the babies up for adoption. I had a friend who went through that, Wade, and she never got over it. Even when she eventually had more kids. She still mourns that first child. Daisy may not have been forced. Chances are she knows enough about the adoptive family to know they’re good people, so that’s got to offer some measure of comfort.”
Wade’s head spun. He didn’t know what point to address or what to think. “You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“Damn right. This is the first woman you’ve brought home since Kristin. I asked around about her and since I found this out, it’s all I’ve thought about. I don’t like violating her privacy but I had no idea if she’d ever tell you and if you’re getting serious with her, you need to know. My friend, she never told her husband. He still doesn’t know to this day. The child never attempted to find her. Her husband doesn’t understand a lot of things about her because he doesn’t know about that first child. I don’t want you in that situation. They’ll never divorce, they don’t believe in it, but the marriage is not what it could be because there’s this huge gulf between them.”
“Momma, I don’t know─”
“And that mother of hers is a piece of work. No matter how far things go with you and Daisy, you’re going to have to deal with that. Even if it’s just through Daisy and how she is. That poor girl, she must have felt so alone.” Marlene dabbed her eyes. “And Chris told me that two years ago, an ex-boyfriend beat her so bad she spent three days in the hospital.”
The air went out of his lungs and his vision blackened at the edges.
“This girl’s life has most definitely not been a party,” Marlene said. She returned to rinsing dishes and placing them in the dishwasher. “I don’t know what your intentions are, but if you’re planning to go back on the road, you need to tell her sooner rather than later. Before she gets even more attached to you than she already is. She looks at you like you hung the moon, Wade.”