by Sabrina Sol
“Yeah, with my mom and Alex. I was thinking I’d tell her afterward. Wait… How did you know about our dinner?”
His friend’s dark complexion paled. “Uh, maybe you better sit back down for this.”
Chapter Nineteen
Head down, Daisy dragged her feet up the driveway to Alexa’s bungalow-style house. She carefully took each step as if she was plowing through mud instead of cobblestone.
“You’re here.” Brandon’s voice made her look up. There he was. The father of her baby. He looked different. Or did he? Maybe it was just her pregnant imagination making her see things.
“I’m here,” she said and tried to smile.
Brandon raised his eyebrow. “So you know?”
“I do. Amara told me. You?”
“Dante,” he said, with a sheepish half grin. “I’m sorry.”
She waved off his apology. “This isn’t your fault. Who knew Alexa and your mom could pull off a surprise engagement party right under our noses?”
He nodded. “Well, almost a surprise. So, are you ready to go inside?”
Daisy looked at the house and then looked back at him. “No. But I will. Let’s get this over with.”
When Daisy was seven years old, she threw herself an engagement party. She’d invited all of her stuffed animals and personally set out a feast of Oreo cookies, Pop Tarts, and Hawaiian Punch. And when the pretend guests started asking why her fiancé hadn’t yet arrived to the party, she told them the truth—she didn’t have a fiancé because she was never going to get married because she never wanted to end up like her parents: divorced. She just wanted to get dressed up and throw herself a party.
Today, though, she didn’t even want the stupid party. Especially after she and Brandon walked through the door and were inundated with hugs and kisses and, well, love.
Daisy smiled through at all. If she didn’t, she would cry.
She’d never felt so fake, so conniving. The genuine and heartfelt congratulations from her dad, Lorena, and others tugged at her conscience. She could feel the guilt rising in her throat like bile.
She spent the next hour swallowing that guilt and pretending she didn’t hate herself as much as she did. It didn’t help that Brandon kept disappearing, leaving her to answer questions about wedding dates and wedding locations and wedding dresses. The few times she did see him, he looked as miserable as she felt and she wondered how she’d ever get up the nerve to tell him her news.
“Daisy, have you had anything to eat?” Lorena pulled her away from a group of L.A. Cuchara employees who were trying to convince her to spill the secret details of Christian and Mira’s upcoming wedding.
“Not yet. I’m not really hungry, though.”
“You need to eat. Stay here and I’ll go make you a plate.”
She grabbed Lorena’s arm. “That’s not necessary. I can do it myself. Besides, I was going to go look for your son.”
Lorena nodded and Daisy left her to chat with some guests who had just walked into the backyard. The thought of putting any food in her mouth made her stomach flip. But when she walked inside and saw her mother and stepfather standing in Alexa’s foyer, the flip became more of a twist that became more of a knot.
She clenched her fists at her side and walked over to them. “Mom. Oliver. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Well, it was so last minute I almost didn’t make it. But luckily I was able to cancel my other appointment,” she said after pecking Daisy on the cheek.
“Congratulations, Daisy,” her stepfather added stiffly and patted her shoulder.
“Thank you,” she muttered.
“I have to say I’m a little surprised, Daisy. I would’ve thought this would’ve been a bigger celebration. With all of Brandon’s celebrity customers and everything, I almost expected to see a red carpet on the driveway,” her mother said as she surveyed the foyer and attached living room area, which was decorated boldly with black and white prints and splashes of the same ruby-red shade as Alexa’s signature lipstick.
She should’ve known that it was the lure of attending a Hollywood party that made her mother make the trek out from Calabasas rather than the chance to celebrate her only daughter’s engagement—fake or not.
“Well, I guess Brandon’s mother and sister decided to keep it simple so we could celebrate with only our closest friends and family.”
“How…sweet,” she said.
“Can I get you guys something to drink?” Daisy asked before her mother could question anything else. She looked around for Brandon. Where the hell had he disappeared to? She needed a buffer. Quick.
Her stepfather answered for them both. “Sure, I’ll take a beer and your mother will take a lemonade if you have it.”
“I have no idea if we have it, but I’ll go look. Why don’t you have a seat outside on the patio with the rest of the guests while I get those drinks?”
But her mother didn’t budge. She folded her arms across her chest and planted her feet on the tile floor. “I’d like to meet my future son-in-law first, if you don’t mind. Or am I going to have to wait until the day of the wedding?”
Daisy almost laughed. If that were the case then her mother would be waiting a very long time indeed. Then a glorious thought occurred to her. No actual wedding meant Daisy didn’t have to worry about having to deal with her mother over guest lists, or menu options, or anything at all wedding-related. All she had to do was soldier through the next two hours and then it would be at least another few months until she’d be forced to talk to her mother again in order to tell her she was going to be a grandma.
Oh, God.
Daisy’s moment of giddiness disappeared and real nausea threatened to spill her secret all over her mother’s black Jimmy Choos.
“How about I go find Brandon and grab those drinks and meet you both on the patio?” She didn’t wait for an answer, but instead walked briskly toward the kitchen.
As she turned the corner past the dining room, she saw Brandon and Pilar standing at the island counter. Brandon appeared to be looking through a pamphlet while Pilar stood next to him, her hand on his shoulder and her eyes focused on the side of his face. The way she looked at him sent bolts of uneasiness straight to Daisy’s convulsing stomach.
“I can’t wait until we leave,” Pilar drawled. “I’ve always wanted to go to Miami.”
The bolts intensified.
“It’s a beautiful city,” Brandon said while still looking at the pamphlet in his hands.
So, they were going to Miami. Huh. She didn’t know what bothered her more—the fact that he was going there with Pilar, or that he didn’t tell her he was going at all. No wonder he wasn’t kicking her out when his mother left tomorrow. He wasn’t even going to be in town much longer anyway.
But he probably expects you’ll still be here when he comes back, legs open and ready to welcome him home.
“I hear the hotel we’re staying at has four different pools. And wait until you see the bikinis I found online—”
Daisy had heard enough. She stormed into the kitchen and walked right up to the island. “I, for one, would love to see your bikinis, Pilar. Oh, but I guess I’ll have to wait, though, since apparently I’m not going to this amazing hotel with four pools.”
Brandon’s head shot up, and the smug look on Pilar’s face sickened her. But it was the guilt on Brandon’s that really made her want to hurl. She turned on her heel and headed for the bathroom, but Brandon caught her wrist before she could even leave the kitchen.
“Hey, it’s not what you think. Let me explain.” His voice was loud, but then dropped as he realized they had a patio full of guests just a few feet away.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” she replied, not caring about her volume.
“Maybe I don’t have to, but I want to. Remember the Miami deal? I found out today that it’s a go. Alex, Pilar, Dante, and I were thinking of flying to Miami next week to get the ball rolling. I’ll only be gone a f
ew days.”
“That reminds me, guys,” Pilar’s stupid voice called out from the other side of the room. “I set up a meeting with your Miami realtor for Tuesday. Daisy, the realtor says she can email you the listings since you’re not going to be there.”
Daisy’s heart fell. “A realtor?”
Brandon grabbed her hand and pulled her farther back into the kitchen. “Pilar, can you give us a moment, please?”
Pilar and her fake breasts sauntered out of the room, but not before giving Daisy her best, equally fake, smile. It was obvious the woman thought she knew something. Perhaps Daisy should’ve gone after her to get the truth, since Brandon wasn’t going to give it up that easily.
“So now you’re moving to Miami?”
“I don’t know,” he said, running his fingers over his short hair. “Maybe.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“Tonight, after the party. I literally just found out about this a few hours ago. Nothing is definite yet.”
“But you have a realtor. So that means you’re considering it.”
“Of course I’m considering it. When we were building N.Y. Cuchara, I moved to an apartment just down the block so I could be there around the clock. When we were building L.A. Cuchara, I moved here for the same reason. So, yeah, that was the plan.”
“Then why not tell me it was still a possibility? You said you thought the deal was dead.”
“I thought it was.”
“So me staying here with you was your backup plan? Until what? Until something, or someone, better and shinier came along?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“No. But since you’re not saying anything else it means I’m right.”
At that moment, the bile she’d been trying to push down ever since she’d walked in on Brandon and Pilar started to force its way back up. She covered her mouth and ran away from him, up the stairs and into Alexa’s master bathroom.
Afterward, she gargled some mouthwash she’d found in the medicine cabinet and splashed cold water on her face. Looking into the mirror, she couldn’t help but shake her head at her reflection.
Silly, silly girl. You knew this would happen eventually.
Deciding she couldn’t do much more to fix herself up, she walked out of the bathroom half expecting to see Brandon waiting for her. Instead, she saw Lorena and immediately broke down into tears.
She pulled Daisy into an embrace, which only made her cry harder. Lorena ushered her to the bed to sit down and then left her to get tissues from the bathroom. Then she just let her cry on her shoulder until all that was left were strangled breaths.
“Do you want me to go downstairs and get you some club soda or some tea?” Lorena asked softly.
“No, thank you,” Daisy mumbled. “Can we just sit here for a while?”
“We can sit here all night if you want. I told Brandon to let everyone know you weren’t feeling well. They’ll be gone soon. Your papi wanted to come say good-bye, but I told him that you would call him later.”
“What about my mother?”
“Well, she didn’t say too much. I think she already left, though. I’m so sorry I invited her. If I had known it would make you this upset, I would have never—”
“I’m not upset because of her. I’m upset because Brandon is moving to Miami.”
“Oh, he’s not moving there. He just told me that he’s going over for a few days to get his new restaurant started. I guess he might go back and forth, but he can’t move. You two have a wedding to plan and a baby to get ready for.”
Daisy’s head shot up and she looked at Lorena. “You know I’m pregnant? How?”
“A mother knows these things. You’ve been tired a lot and not eating the same things you used to eat. I followed you up here and, well, I heard you get sick. It all makes sense now. When did you find out?”
“This afternoon. I haven’t had a chance yet to tell Brandon.”
“Then tell him tonight and then tell him that you need him to be around more. Now that there’s a baby coming, he can’t be working so much.”
“I can’t tell him that, Lorena. I have no right to tell him that.”
“Of course you do. You’re going to be his wife.”
Daisy took a deep breath and pulled away from Lorena. “No. No I’m not.” And then she took Lorena’s hands and finally told her the truth about everything.
When she was done, she offered her the box of tissues. “I’m so sorry for lying to you. You have to know that he only did this because he loves you and he was worried about you.”
She braced herself for the woman’s angry outburst or tears of betrayal. But there were neither. Instead, Lorena smiled and patted Daisy on the knee.
“No te preocupes. I won’t kill him if that’s what you’re afraid of. I guess I think something was not right between you two when I first get here. But lately, I see things are different. He’s different. And that’s because of you. So I may not like that it happened this way, but how can I be mad or sad? I don’t have the cancer anymore and I’m going to be an abuela.”
Daisy smiled, but that didn’t stop the tears from starting again. Lorena pulled her back in for a hug. “Aye, why are you crying again?”
“Because I can finally answer your question.”
Lorena let go so Daisy could look at her. “Which question?”
“The one you asked me the first night you came here. You wanted to know when I knew that I was in your love with your son. I didn’t have an answer back then because I was just pretending. But now…now I know.”
“So tell me. Tell me when it was that you knew that you were in love with Brandon?”
“When I realized I could never force him to stay with me because of this baby. I love him too much to make him be something he doesn’t want to be. He’s going to Miami, Lorena. And I’m not going to stop him.”
Lorena let out a big, long sigh. “I learned a long time ago that I need to let my son follow his own dreams. But I know him. He will do the right thing by you.”
“And I’ll do the right thing by him. I’ll never keep this baby away from him. And I also promise that whatever happens between me and Brandon, you and Alexa will always be my family.”
“Thank you…mija. Is it okay if I call you that now?”
“Yes.” Daisy nodded furiously. “I would like that very much.”
This time they both started crying.
Chapter Twenty
Brandon stood outside the bedroom door. He’d raised his hand to knock but stopped. Perhaps he should go back downstairs and give Daisy more time to calm down? He’d hated the way she’d looked at him when he told her he wasn’t sure if he was moving to Miami. They should’ve talked about it more. She had every right to be pissed off.
Even his mamá was mad at him. She’d come into the kitchen after the last guest had left, slapped the back of his head, and told him to go upstairs and make things right with Daisy.
But as he stood there, his hand mid-knock, he realized he had no idea how to do that because he had no idea what Daisy wanted from him.
Guess it was time to find out.
He knocked lightly and she told him to come in. His heart sunk at the sight of her. It was obvious she’d been crying.
“Let’s talk about this,” he said as he walked toward her. “I’m sure we can—”
“I’m pregnant.”
The words hit him like a knockout punch. The air wooshed out of his lungs, and he stumbled backward a few steps. She slowly lifted her head to meet his eyes then squared her shoulders. He knew she was challenging him to deny it was his. And perhaps if had it been any other woman, he would’ve.
But not Daisy. He knew in his heart that she was carrying his child. What he didn’t know yet was how he felt about it.
“I’m sorry to tell you like this,” she said after he still didn’t respond. “I just found out at my doctor’s appointment today and wanted to tell you tonight. But given everything
that’s happened…well, I figured I couldn’t leave without you knowing it.”
“Are you…” He couldn’t bring himself to ask the question.
She nodded. “Yes, I’m keeping it.”
Relief quickly replaced the shock. “Okay. Good. I’m glad.”
“You’re glad?” Her chin quivered and she hugged herself.
Glad wasn’t the right word. He knew that. But what else could he say at the moment?
Just tell her what you’re feeling.
That was the problem. He had no idea. “So now what?”
Disappointment shone in her eyes. Maybe he’d said the wrong thing?
“Well, first I’m going back to your house to start packing. The charade is over. I told your mom the truth about us.”
More relief. “So that’s what the slap in the head was for? Did you tell her about…?”
“She had already figured it out. She’s happy, I think.”
He smiled at the thought. “Of course she is. This is her dream come true.”
“And you?” Her shoulders squared again.
He thought about the question. If he was being honest, he’d never considered the thought of being a father. Not because he hated the idea, but because he figured he’d be too busy doing other things with his life. Perhaps that was why he’d become a serial dater—preferring to spend his time with women who were as career-oriented as he was, or too self-absorbed to even want to be a parent.
“Obviously, this isn’t something I expected. I guess I’m going to need some time to get used to the idea.”
Her gaze fell, and he knew she was disappointed with his answer again. He rushed to try to make it better. “You don’t have to leave, Daisy. Stay so we can figure things out.”
“Brandon—”
“Look, I know this isn’t how we planned for things to happen, but it’s happening. So why don’t we make the best of it? I don’t have to move to Miami. You and the baby can move in with me and—”
“And what? We can pretend to be a family like we were pretending to be engaged? I’m tired of pretending, Brandon. I just want to go home—my home. Besides, me being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to change your plans. I’m perfectly capable of doing this on my own.”