Chapter 2 Daisy

Conrad laughed and shook his head. “It will be a tight fit, but I think we’ll manage.” He pulled her in for another quick kiss before they each worked on the other’s remaining clothing items. It was a shame that he had to wear a shirt at all, Daisy thought, because Conrad’s chest deserved to be put on display. Her eyes moved down to his strong thighs and the even strongest evidence of desire between them. It was going to be a tight fit indeed, but like he’d said, they would manage. They would even enjoy it. “You’re blushing,” he said, touching her cheek. She looked up at him and grinned. “I’m just admiring the view.” “And what exactly is it about the view that made you blush?” Daisy laughed and placed her hand on his chest, feeling the steady heartbeat beneath it. “Now you sound like you are fishing for compliments.” “Oh no, you’ll compliment me all on your own after I have my wicked way with you.” But there was absolutely nothing wicked about the way he kissed every inch of her skin and worshiped her with his mouth until she cried out in ecstasy. There was nothing wicked about the way that he gently shifted inside her, as if he never wanted to leave. Daisy didn’t know that it was possible to make love to someone that you were not in love with, but there was no other way to describe this. They were so in sync, and when she cried out for the second time that night, he was right there with her. She wasn’t sure how many hours she had slept, only that it was the best sleep that she’d had in years. Every part of her body hummed at the memory of her earlier pleasure, and Conrad looked so gorgeous even as he slept. But this was not her reality. It had only been a beautiful interlude. She got out of bed and got dressed before placing a kiss on his forehead. Goodbye beautiful stranger, she thought, then left the room to pass through the lost and found and to apologize to Trevor. **** It had been two and a half months since her perfect night with Conrad, and Daisy still daydreamed about him at least once a week. It helped to take her away from thoughts of James, who was still texting her and trying to explain. The crazy thing was, if he had just apologized two months ago instead of supplying ever growing excuses, then she might have forgiven him. Might, being the key word. And just as she thought about James, an urge to vomit hit her and she had to rush to the bathroom. She washed her face after she was done and looked in the mirror, taking in her pale skin and bloated face. This had been going on for almost two weeks now and she couldn’t ignore it anymore: something was wrong with her, and it wasn’t the early and long shifts at the diner like she’d originally thought. The only other reason to explain her symptoms, aside from fatigue, was something she didn’t even want to think of. And there was only one way to find out. 30 minutes later, after a quick trip to the pharmacy and Daisy was staring at the two sticks that could change her life forever. Please be one line. Please be one line. She muttered the statement over and over as if that would affect the outcome. Daisy felt like she had been waiting for ages for the tests to give her a result, rather than the few minutes it took. She bit her lower lip and stared at the first test, then the next. A part of her already knew the outcome, but she was just hoping that she was somehow wrong. That the nausea and missed period only resulted from her working too hard at her new job. She had been filling in for a chef on maternity leave at a nearby diner, and it was hard work, but she’d been grateful for the experience it was giving her. A small step closer to her ultimate dream, unless she had ruined it all without even knowing it. “Come on.” She whispered, focusing on the first test. As if her sheer will could conjure a response, another faint pink line appeared, bleeding through on the test screen. Daisy’s heart stopped, and she saw her entire life flashing before her eyes. Only it wasn’t her past, it was the future. A future that included a little boy or girl waiting to be tucked in. Helping her child with homework. Teaching them how to ride a bike and nursing their bruises when they fell off it the first time. Never in a million years had she thought that she would be a mother at twenty-two, still having a long list of things she had wanted to accomplish before starting a family. But she had made her bed and her life was about to change. Drastically. Daisy looked at the other test, which confirmed the news. A bout of nausea hit her hard. She emptied the remaining contents of her stomach and tears welled in her eyes when she finally came up for air. It was official. She was pregnant. She thought back to her last time she had been with James and there was no way this child was his. It had been almost two months before Conrad, and they had always used protection. How could she have gotten so carried away and been so stupid? She wanted to scream, but there was nothing to be done now except plan the way forward. And later that evening, when her mother finally came home, Daisy decided there was no better time than the present to break the news. “Come again?” her mother said, looking at her like she really hadn’t heard her correctly. Daisy sighed. “I’m pregnant, mom.” “You’re what?” “I’m scared, mom.” Daisy said, feeling like she would cry for the first time since finding out. She needed her mother to hold her and tell that everything would be fine; but judging by the look on her face, that would not be happening anytime soon. “Does James know?” her mother finally asked after a long moment of silence. Daisy shook her head. “It’s not his.” “But you are not dating someone else, are you?” “I’m not. It was a one-time thing.” Daisy replied in almost a whisper, feeling shame over her actions. “It’s about to turn into a lifetime thing from the looks of it! Daisy Lang, how could you be so reckless?” Daisy had asked herself that same question repeatedly, but it brought no solutions. So, she remained quiet and let her mother get it out of her system. She paced the room for a few minutes before coming to stand in front of Daisy again and continuing. “You’ll have to pretend that it’s James’.” Daisy looked at her mother in shock. “What?” “You heard me, it’s the only way.” She stood up and walked away from her mother, trying to get some distance between them. She felt nauseous at the suggestion, and this time it wasn’t pregnancy hormones, but her conscience instead. “You can’t raise a child on your own,” her mother said firmly. “I know it is hard, mom, but I cannot and will not pretend that this baby is James’. It’s not even that I hate his guts. Doing this would just be wrong,” Daisy answered, trying to bite back a scowl. “I’m worried about you, Daisy,” her mom finally pleaded. “Raising a child alone is a lot harder than you think it is. Not only a financial point of view, but emotional as well. I don’t think you’ve thought all of this through.” Daisy sighed, feeling hopeless. She understood what her mother was saying, but she couldn’t agree with her suggestion. She would work two jobs, or even three, to support her child before she lied about something so big and consequential. There was just no way that she was going to trick James into helping to raise her child. “I have thought about nothing else from the moment I saw those two lines, mom. And I won’t even lie and say I’m not scared, or I have everything figured out, because I don’t. I’m scared out of my mind, but lying to James is out of the question.” Daisy kept her voice deceptively calm, observing her mom’s reaction with a critical eye. “James loves you-” “James cheated on me, mom!” Daisy cried out, cutting her mid-sentence. She looked at her mother in disbelief, wondering how she could have forgotten what happened. James didn’t care about her, he only cared about himself. But she still would not trick him into taking responsibility for her child. “Daisy, listen to me. You need to put your feelings aside and think about your future. You’ll be waking up alone in the middle of the night. You’ll be responsible for the medical bills and childcare all on your own. Your child will need the security and stability that two parents can bring.” It was so tempting when her mother put it like that. But this was her responsibility, and she would do whatever it took to make sure her child had everything that they needed, despite not having a father in their life. “I will make sure that this child has all they need, mom. And I will do it without bringing James into this whole equation.” Daisy didn’t want to fight with her mother over this. She needed all the support she could get. Just not the type of support that her mother was suggesting. After a minute of silence, it looked like neither of them was budging. Finally, her mom exploded. “You know what, fine. Go and do what you want.” “I need you to understand, mom-” “And I need you to start to behave like an adult,” Daisy’s mom shouted, interrupting Daisy with fire in her eyes. “You can’t afford to hold such high moral standards when you need to put that child first.” “Would you have done that to dad? If someone else had gotten you pregnant?” Daisy asked, trying to appeal to her mother. “I wasn’t the one stupid enough to have unprotected sex with a stranger. I know I taught you to have better sense than that!” “I’m sorry we can’t all be perfect like you!” Daisy threw back, instantly regretting it when she saw the look on her mother’s face. “You want to do this on your own? Then do it. But don’t expect me to support you and your child. I raised mine. Now it’s time for you to do the same on your own. I want you out of the house in an hour.” “Mom—” “No,” her mother said, raising her hand for her to stop talking. “Do what you see fit, Daisy. You are an adult now, after all.” Daisy couldn’t believe that her mother was kicking her out, but she also knew how stubborn her mother could be when she thought she was right. There would be no convincing her to let her stay. And that was how she found herself at her Emma’s apartment with only a small duffle bag an hour later. The moment her best friend opened her door, the flood gates finally opened. Daisy couldn’t stop the tears streaming from her eyes, so Emma led her to the couch, patiently hugging her until the waterworks stopped. Daisy rubbed her eyes, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was. She would have opted for something stronger to forget the entire night, but water would have to do for the next few months. Emma said nothing as Daisy dug a water bottle out of the side of her bag, draining the bottle of its contents and tossing it haphazardly back on her bag. It bounced off, clattering to the floor, causing Emma to dissolve into giggles. “Now, spill. Why are you here drenching my sofa? Do I need to hire someone to beat the hair gel out of James?” she finally calmed herself enough to ask. Daisy couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s antics, which brought on the tears again. “I’m pregnant and mom just kicked me out and I don’t know what to do. I told her I could do it on my own, but I don’t think I can Emma, what am I going to do? How do I raise a baby on my own?” She spoke between sobs, and it was a wonder that her friend even understood her at all. “James?” was Emma’s only question, and Daisy shook her head. “It was just a one-night stand; I don’t even know the guy’s full name.” “I thought that was my thing!” Emma exclaimed, feigning outrage. Daisy managed a smile, but it was difficult to maintain with the general gloominess of the past hour dragging her mood right back down. She told Emma about what her mother had suggested, including the plot to trick James into supporting her child. “Is that something you’re still considering?” Emma’s voice was neutral, as if she was carefully navigating the conversation. “Of course not,” Daisy said with a frown. “We had a whole fight about it. That’s why she kicked me out. I am officially banned from my mother’s house because I won’t agree with her on this.” “I’m glad. Who would want scumbag James as a dad, anyway? All those hair products cannot be good for a baby!” Daisy chuckled at Emma’s attempt to make her feel better. She could see the love and determination on her friend’s face. Her child might not have a dad, but one thing that Daisy could promise them was the best aunt ever. “I’ll babysit as much as you need me to, and you are more than welcome to stay with me as long as you want. Just don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink.” Emma said. “Even when the baby wakes you up every night? Dishes are all you’re worried about?” Daisy asked with a small smile. “Oh please, you know I sleep like the dead. You’re on your own during the nights.” “Thank you.” Daisy said, sincerity dripping from her voice. Emma always knew just what to say to cheer her up. While Daisy was typically more serious, Emma brought an important balance to her life, complementing her in the way only a best friend could. “I know this won’t be a walk in the park, but we’ll just have to take each day as they come?” Emma blinked quickly at what she had just said before continuing with a deep grin. “And look at me, being a wise aunt already. I’m going to be so good at this!” “I really think you will,” Daisy promised, leaning back against Emma on the couch. “And you are going to be the best mom ever, Daisy. You’re already the most caring person I know. I’m here for you. We can even go to those birthing classes together if you want me to.” Emma punctuated her statement with a wink. “I couldn’t ask for anyone better to hold my hand through this,” Daisy said, winking back. “Again, thank you Emma.” “Just take care of your kidneys in case I need one in a few years. We can call it even.” Daisy laughed. While Emma certainly enjoyed a good night out, she really wasn’t that heavy a drinker. “At least tell me the father was cute so that my nephew will be cute too,” Emma wheedled curiously. Daisy playfully punched her friend in the arm, “All babies are beautiful!” “We’ll see.” Emma teased, making Daisy feel a thousand times better than when she’d arrived. Everything is going to be okay, she thought. Emma would step up and help her out. They would all be fine. And, for Emma’s peace of mind, good genes would be the least of their worries. Conrad had those in abundance.