I shrugged. “I don’t know. It seemed easier. One more way to keep our lives separate.”

He nodded. “I see.”

“Come on. Tell me she’s wrong. Let me see,” I said, holding out my hands for his, needing to know if what Bailey said was true.

“See what?” he asked, looking past me to the doors.

I wasn’t going to wait or play this game. I grabbed his wrists, hiding the shot of excitement that went through me from touching him. I pulled his hands out of his pockets, bringing them up until his knuckles touched. The moment my skin met his, I sucked in a hard breath. All I wanted to do was thread my fingers in his.

Bailey had been right.

Clear as day. The letters on one hand read D-A-Z-E and on the other hand read E-E with one little daisy on the pinky finger.

I dropped his hand, stepping back like it hurt. Touching him did hurt, but seeing that was like a knife twisting in my gut.

I could feel how wide my eyes were, how hard my heart was beating, but he only stared, his face stone.

“When did you get that?”

“I’ve had it for a while.” His tone was hard and angry, like I was the one who had done something wrong.

“How long is a while?”

“I don’t know, Daisy, a couple years? Does it matter?” he asked, his face hardening into indifference.

“Yes, it matters. When?”

“Maybe four years ago.”

Even around four years ago meant he got it tattooed two years after he left.

“Why did you get it?”

He shrugged. It was like he was trying to act like we weren’t talking about anything of importance, but tattooing someone’s name on you definitely felt important.

“I don’t know. I guess I had too much to drink one night and missed you. A stupid, impulsive, permanent mistake.”

My mouth fell open. The words twisted like a knife, but it didn’t matter. My name was on his hands.

I didn’t have any tattoos, never being able to decide on one thing that I would want on my body for the rest of my life, but he seemed like it wasn’t a big deal to have my name on his hands.

He was branded with my name and acting like this was normal.

Not only that, but a place where everyone would see it.

“Kye!” I said, stepping back again.

Bailey walked around the corner. “I found one!” she yelled.

Carly followed, letting out a screech as she saw Kye.

“You’re here,” she cried, coming over to him, Jax trailing behind her. “Why didn’t you come see us first?” she said, tears actually falling now.

“I told you he was meeting us here,” Jax said.

“I just got in. I was going to be late if I didn’t come straight here,” Kye added.

She was nearly sobbing, Kye’s arms wrapped tight around her.

“Glad you made it,” Jax said. “If you haven’t heard, we have hit the point in pregnancy where everything makes her cry. Everything. So watch yourself.”

“I can’t help it. I haven’t seen him in two months and I missed him.”

Kye just shook his head at Jax. “At least someone missed me.”

“We all missed you,” Jax said, shaking his head. “Carly, why don’t you go sit with the girls outside by the pool? The water will feel great on your feet.”

Carly looked down. “My swollen, ugly feet that I can’t even see. You know I can’t make them look any better,” she cried.

“No, sweetie,” I said, stepping in with raised brows at Jax. “He meant you deserve a rest. Come on.” I grabbed Lily’s hand, still holding Bailey’s, who then grabbed Carly. “The girls are waiting for us, anyway. Remember?”

“No. I don’t remember anything. Ugh, this is it, Jax. No more kids. We’re done.”

We headed to the door, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking back at Kye. He was talking with Jax now, but his eyes still found mine.

He gave a tight smile, one that shattered my heart like he had done years ago.

I had stayed away from Kye for six years, thinking that my heart couldn’t take being close to him, that I would never be strong enough to be around him again.

And I was right.

THIRTY-FOURKYE

“Are you okay?” Jax asked, making me look away from Daisy to him.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired from the trip.”

“That’s not what I was talking about.”

He was talking about Daisy running into me after six years of not seeing her. Six years of avoiding everything about her from the crew talking about her to seeing her when I was in town. I couldn’t bring myself to face anything having to do with her. The cruel twist of fate that took her away from me and now it would put her here in front of me without a chance of getting closer. It was an unbearable torment.

I wondered if she ever thought of me, if she ever missed me the way I missed her. It was an easy thing to wonder, but now she was close enough to ask and I wished I could.

“Daisy? Yeah, we are good. We even just had a polite conversation. One where I got ratted out about the tattoo on my hands that I had been doing well at hiding.”

He laughed. “Bailey?”

“Yes, pointed it out immediately.”