I get why you say it, but she might not hear it how you mean it.

Tears threatened me at the words. He was right. She wouldn’t know what I meant, and I never want her to think badly about herself.

But the kind, caring words from Kye made my heart break. Not only for him now but for the boy he had been. The one who thought he was the problem, the root of all the bad things in his life. Did he really spend days thinking he deserved what happened to him?

Daisy

Thank you

Kye

You’re fucking killing it as a parent.

Bailey is amazing.

My heart jumped, but I tried not to show it to the girls.

Daisy

I hope that means she being good.

Kye

Currently racing Liam and winning

Daisy

I don’t even know if I want to ask what type of racing. I’m almost worried she’s driving your car.

Kye

…can she reach the pedals?

Daisy

NO, KYE IT’S A JOKE

Kye

Right, yeah, of course. Maybe in a year or two?

Forget it. Fox is making some sort of car setup for Liam, so we will just make a second one.

My heart squeezed at the thought. Kye, being in my life, our lives, for another year or two sounded way too appealing. He would be gone again soon, back to his life that had him traveling endlessly and never home. He would leave, and I would be right here.

Not that I hated where I was. I was proud of it, but that didn’t mean I didn’t think about the what-ifs. Six years later, I still think about him constantly. I had too many nights laying in bed, staring up at my ceiling, wondering what life would be like with Kye there with me. I knew I had to keep my distance. I couldn’t risk Bailey getting close to him just to have him go again, but I wanted to. I wanted to go right back to the apartments and drag him upstairs to bed.

I took a deep, clarifying breath. I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t.

We wrapped up dinner. Carly going on about the diner, Ash debated on having another kid, Scout about her wedding, and Quinn about the garage, but I tried to stay quiet. Most weeks, I was relieved to be here with them, but tonight, all I could think about was getting home and trying to make it through the week without crying.

I knew I would have to spend a lot of time with Kye, and I already knew the mess I was going to be at the end of it. It was Scout’s wedding, though, and I would not bother any of them about this. I knew they would listen and probably even play buffer between Kye and I this week, but I wouldn’t make them.

I pulled my shoulders back and smiled as Carly joked about something. I could spend one week with Kye and then get back to my life.

But I knew it wasn’t just a week—it was a reminder of everything I couldn’t have. I knew this week would test my resolve, and by the end, I would be left picking up the pieces of my heart again.

One week with Kye, I repeated in my head. I could handle one hundred and sixty-eight hours with Kye before going back to my life.

THIRTY-SIXKYE

I made it to Holt’s track late the next day. Everyone turned to watch me pull in with a small shake of their head.

“I should’ve known you wouldn’t be here on time,” Scout said.

“Listen, I overslept. Give me a break because I just got in yesterday.”

She only shook her head, the oversized sunglasses most likely hiding an eye roll.

“Miss the wedding by one second and I’m going to ruin your life.”

“Who says you aren’t already?”

She lunged, grabbing my arm as I stepped away. She only used it for leverage, though, punching me hard in the stomach.

I bent over with a grunt. The problem with Scout was she was small but knew exactly where to hit to knock the breath out of a grown man.

“Wow, I leave for fifteen minutes and you two are already fighting like children,” Carly said, but I didn’t look up, still catching my breath. “I swear, if my own kids are this bad together, I’m making you two babysit all the time.”

I finally stood up, but it wasn’t Carly who met my eyes. It was Daisy. She stood next to Carly, her eyes wide as she looked at me. Her hand adjusted nervously in Bailey’s, but she didn’t say a word.

“I didn’t know you two were coming today,” I said. She looked beautiful in another light sundress that showed off every curve of her body. I could feel the heat creeping down my spine, and I tried to ignore it.

Her chin tilted up to me, her shoulders pulled back, and I gave a soft smile, loving that some things didn’t change.

I still knew Daisy. Maybe I didn’t know everything about her life, but I knew her, and I knew she was putting on her proud face.

“Is that a problem?”

“Not even a little. I just wasn’t expecting you.”

“I am friends with everyone,” she said, the words tight but proud.

“Then you should absolutely be here.”

Without a word, Bailey took off, running to where Liam and Lily were playing off to the side.

“Alright, Scout,” Fox said, breaking the weird tension. “It’s your week. What are we doing today?”