Renegade Reject (31 page)

“Who’s she talking about?” Ice asks.

I shrug. “No damn clue, but whoever he is, he’s an ignorant ass if he doesn’t love her back.”

Ice turns back to me. “Let it go, Daisy.  If you don’t, all that hate and anger you’re holding on to will just keep building.  The resentment will eat at you until there is nothing good left inside you.  Preach has changed.  He’s trying I see it.  Everyone sees it.  You will too if you just open your eyes,” she says before standing up and leaving the room.

I stare down at my hands, trying to keep my tears from falling.  No one understands.  No one knows just how badly he hurt me.  Can I really just let it all go and forgive him for everything?  Lying down on the bed, I bury my face in the pillow and let the tears fall. 

PREACH

I’m walking down the hall, my stomach tied in knots.  I can’t remember the last time I was this nervous.  I could really use a drink right now.  A little liquid courage would be a fuckin’ Godsend at the moment.  It’s been nearly three hours since I left Daisy with Ice and Skittles.  I almost went to her when Ice came out of my room, but she told me to give her a little time.  Well, that time is up.  We’re gonna talk, or at least I’m gonna talk, and she’s finally going to listen. 

I’m near our room when I hear Mary’s voice through the barely cracked door.  “Daisy girl, I heard what those girls said to you, and I think they’re right.”

“Don’t, please don’t.  I can’t bear a lecture from you too.”

The pain in Daisy’s voice slices right through me.  She sounds so alone, so scared.

“You need to listen to them.  If not, you’re gonna lose something very special.”

Daisy’s quiet for a second before she responds.  When she does, I have to strain to hear her whispered voice.  “Do you remember Adam, the boy that was supposed to take me to the Spring Fling my freshman year?”

“I’m nearly sixty years old.  I have trouble remembering last week.”

Daisy lets out a snort before she continues.  “He asked me to the Spring Fling, but he decided to take Leah instead.  He didn’t even tell me, just never showed up to get me.”

“I remember now.  I also remember telling you that Leah was nothing but trouble, but you didn’t listen to me.”

How right she is.  That bitch should have had a neon sign on her forehead, warning everyone of the world of shit she would bring their way.

“You were right, but we’re not talking about Leah.  We’re talking about Adam,” Daisy says. 

“What about the little prick?”

“I was so upset when he didn’t pick me up that I ran to your house and spent the night crying on your shoulder.”  She’s quiet for a long moment before she tells the rest of her story. 

“A few days later, he asked me to the movies.  He said he’d made a mistake with Leah, and I was the girl he really liked.  I was so excited that I went straight to your house after school to tell you.  Do you remember what you said to me?”

There’re a few seconds of silence, and I can only assume that Mary shakes her head in the negative. 

“You said that I could do what I wanted to, but if I went to the movies or anywhere else with him, that I was an idiot.  You told me that when he hurt me the first time, it was his fault.  But if I let him hurt me again, it would be my fault.”

“This isn’t the same.” Mary’s response is almost instantaneous. 

“But it is.  I keep going back over and over letting him hurt me.  It
is
my fault.  Can’t you see that?”

Oh hell no. Fuck no.  I push the door open and rush into the room.  “None of this shit was your fault.  Every damn bit of it was mine.”

Two sets of eyes swing to me.  Daisy’s is full of shock and fear, but Mary’s is full of hope.  She slowly looks back to Daisy and says, “Be happy, my little flower.  Blossom with that love I see in his eyes right now.” She kisses her cheek and leaves the room.

“Talk to me,” I plead as I walk toward her. 

She looks up to me, tears streaming down her face.  “You hurt me when you were with Leah, but it was something I should have gotten over by the time I came back.  But when I saw you with her at Dad’s party, all that pain and anger came rushing back.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” I know the words are not enough, but what the hell else can I say.  I am sorry, a sorry motherfucker.

She shakes her head.  “You didn’t do anything wrong.  I hadn’t even been here for three years.  If you wanted to be with Leah, it was none of my business.”

“It was always your business, and it will always be.”

“After that, you just kept hurting me over and over.  It became a habit for you.” She folds her knees up to her rounded stomach and hugs them tightly.  “Nothing hurt worse than when you made love to me then went straight to Leah.”

Fuck, fuck... “If I could take it back, I would.”

“But you can’t, and that’s the problem.  I’ve got to figure out in my own head how to get past it.  If not, Grams is right, and I’m gonna lose something very important to me.”

My heart skips a beat when I absorb the meaning behind her words. “Am I that important to you?”

She looks at me, shock written all over her face.  “Of course.  You know how much I love you.”

“You still love me?”  Yeah, I sound like a fuckin’ pussy, but I couldn’t care less.  I need to make sure this woman loves me as much as I love her. 

She nods.  “I never stopped.  How could I? You’re my dream, at least part of it.”

Shock ricochets through my body as I take in her words.  “What the hell are you talking about?  What’s the other part?”

“I wanted a big wedding.  Since I was little, I wrote all about it in my diary.  I was going to have a princess dress and wear baby’s breath in my hair.  All my family and friends were going to be there, and we’d have a huge party.  I’d tell our kids and grandkids about it.  Now, I’ll have to tell them all that I didn’t even know I was married until after it was over.”

Shit, another fuck-up.  I sit down beside her and pull her into my lap.  “You’ll have your wedding, and you’ll be proud to tell our kids and grandkids about it.  I swear it.”

She puts her face into my chest and lets out a nearly silent sob.  “I love you.”

“I love you too, Little Flower.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

PREACH

I spend nearly an hour with Daisy, just holding her and letting her cry.  I’ve been through a lot of shit in my life; my father’s abuse, prison, damn near drinking myself to death, but nothing compares to witnessing the pain I caused my woman.  I swear her tears feel like acid, burning a hole straight to my heart. 

When she finally cries herself to sleep, I lay her down on the bed and go to talk to Ice.  Screw waiting until tomorrow.  Daisy’s getting her date tonight.  Since I don’t know shit about this kind of thing, I need Ice’s help. 

As I walk into the common room, I see her and Mary sitting at the bar.  I make my way straight to them.  I hesitate for a second, wondering how I became such a pussy, but then I remember the sound of Daisy crying and think
fuck it
. “I want to take Daisy somewhere special tonight.”

Both look at me.  A big smile spreads across Ice’s face.  “You two finally get your shit straight?”

Did we?  I’m not sure.  “I think we’re finally heading in the right direction.”

“About damn time,” Mary says, taking a swig of her beer. 

“So, where the hell should I take her?”

The women talk amongst themselves for a moment before responding to me. Mary nods to Ice, and she gives me my orders.  “Daisy loves
Buena Comida’s
in Kansas City.  Take her there for dinner, and then spend the night at The Wintergate.”

“Mexican food and a hotel?  That’s it?”

Mary shrugs. “Daisy’s a simple girl.  She doesn’t need you to spend a ton of money.  All she wants is to spend some time with you.”

I know she’s right.  Daisy has never asked me for anything.  Even when she was younger, all she ever wanted to do was go for a ride on my bike.  “Alright, you two go help her get ready, but don’t tell her what we’re doing.”

They don’t even respond, just get up and head straight to my room.  I slide into Ice’s empty seat and motion toward the prospect for a drink.  When he goes to grab a beer, I shout out, “No, just give me a bottle of water.”

“I see you’re hanging in there,” Timber says as he takes the seat next to mine. 

I nod.  “Yeah, man.  Hanging on as fuckin’ tight as I can.”

DAISY

The sound of the door flying open wakes me.  I have no clue what the heck is going on when Grams and Ice come rushing into the room. I sit up and shake the sleep from my brain.  “What’s happening?”

Ice grabs my leg and gives it a little shake.  “Get up.  It’s time to get ready.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, as I’m lead across the room to the closet.

They both ignore me as Ice takes a suitcase from the closet and hands it to Grams. 

She lays it on the bed and flips it open.  She rummages through the few clothes that Preach brought from my apartment.  After looking through everything, she turns to look at Ice and me.  “There’s nothing here, just jeans and tee shirts.”

“That’s not gonna work.”  Ice shakes her head then rushes toward the door.  “Just wait a second.  I have something.”

“What the hell is going on?” I shout as she leaves the room. 

“You got a date, and we’re helping you get ready,” Grams says as she picks out panties, a bra, a pair of jeans, and my old AC/DC tee.  She places them all in the suitcase and turns toward the dresser holding my makeup.  “That will do for tomorrow.  Now, all we need is your makeup and stuff.”

“What are you talking about?  What date?”

Grams stops what she’s doing and smiles at me.  “Preach is taking you out tonight.”

Tonight?  “He said tomorrow.”

“I guess he changed his mind,” she says with a shrug before turning back to the dresser.

I watch as she starts to pick through my stuff, but jerk my eyes to the door when Ice walks inside.  “Don’t pack her make-up yet.  We’ll need it.”

She throws a red dress on the bed, followed by a pair of badass gold heels, then heads my way.  As soon as she gets near, she starts ripping my clothes off.  I struggle to stay dressed, but she has my shirt off before I can stop her.  My pants come next. She bends down and pulls them off quickly.  With that done, she walks back over to the bed. 

“Hey!” I shout as she leaves me standing in just my bra and panties.

She looks over her shoulder.  “You can handle the rest.”

I stare as she pushes the dress aside and pulls out a sexy, white lace underwear set.  She tosses them at me and says, “Hurry up.”

I barely catch them before they fall to the floor.  “Can someone tell me what the rush is?”

Ice looks toward Grams.  “You didn’t tell her?”

She nods back.  “I did, but she’s being stubborn.”

Now, wait just a damn minute.  “I’m not being stubborn.  I just don’t know what the hell is going on.”

Grams’ walks over to me and places her hands on my shoulder.  “The man you love wants to make up for the fact that he treated you like shit.  Take my advice and let him.”

I think for a second then nod.  If he wants to do this for me, I’ll let him.  Everyone is right.  It’s time to let the past go. “Okay.”

I quickly change my panties and bra before Ice hands me a dress.  “I bought this about a year ago, and it’s been hanging in my closet ever since.  It’s got an empire waist, and you are a lot shorter than me, so it should fit over your belly.”

I slide it over my body and am shocked by how soft it feels.  It’s a little tight across my chest, but everything I own is now that I’m pregnant.  “It fits.”

Ice doesn’t bother replying, just leads me to the bed and sits me down.  There, she spends the next hour doing my makeup and fixing my hair.  After she’s done, she leans down and helps me into her favorite pair of Jimmy Choo’s and leads me to the mirror across the room. 

I stare into the mirror and take in the way the dress flows around my belly as I run my hands over my baby bump.  It’s noticeable, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.  I’m proud of my baby, and I don’t want to hide her.

“Nope, you need something,” she says as she starts digging through my stuff.  She shakes her head then rushes out the door again.

I look towards Grams. “Where’s she going?”

She shrugs as she starts to put my makeup and perfume in the suitcase.  “I don’t know, Daisy girl.”

We are both silent until Ice comes back into the room, carrying her ‘stripper case’.  “I have just what you need in here.”

She tosses it on the bed and starts digging through it.  Within seconds, Preach’s bed is covered with boas, crops, and more than a few G-strings.  Finally, she pulls out a fake rose.  It’s red with black paint lining the edges of the petals.  “This will work.”

“You’re not putting a plastic flower in my hair,” I say, shaking my head. 

She gives me a look that says to shut the hell up.  “Just trust me.”

A minute later, I’m back in front of the mirror, staring at myself in awe.  She was right, so right.  The flower made all the difference.  “I sort of feel like Cinderella right now, the biker babe version.”

PREACH

Timber and I are still shooting the shit when Ice walks into the common room.  “She’s ready.”

My dick goes from soft to hard in an instant when I turn my head and see Daisy walk into the room.  She’s wearing a blood red dress that stops just above her knee.  It flows from her body, hugging her tits but leaving room for our child.  It’s cut just low enough at the top to give me a glimpse of what I’ll be feasting on tonight. 

Her gorgeous blonde hair is starting to grow out, nearly reaching her shoulders now.  She has it pulled back on one side, with some sort of flower propped behind her ear.  On any other woman, it would look fuckin’ ridiculous.  On her, it looks incredible. 

Her shoes are the icing on the cake.  Never in my life have I noticed a woman’s shoes before, but these damn near bring me to my knees.  They’re bright gold, tall as hell, and have some sort of string that crisscrosses around her legs to mid-calf.  I imagine them digging into my back as I pound into her and have to adjust my dick.