Something to Believe In (The Renegade Saints Book 4) (11 page)

W
hen I walked into the room where dinner was being served, I was happy to see Daisy and Bree sitting together. Bree needed friends and Daisy was sweet to everyone, which made her a good choice. It wasn’t like I’d tried to stay away from her because she was an asshole, quite the opposite in fact. As I crossed the room toward them it dawned on me they didn’t look like strangers. It wasn’t like they appeared to be lifelong friends or anything, but they definitely seemed to know each other.

“Do you two
know
each other?” I asked.

Daisy’s eyes widened a fraction as she immediately turned to Bree, who nodded her head. My antenna went up as I wondered why my question had made her uncomfortable. It wasn’t as if I’d asked anything unusual.

“Daisy and I know each other from group,” Bree explained. “It’s a small world.”

She didn’t need to elaborate, since I knew exactly what group she was referring to. It was a suicide bereavement support group she’d been attending for the last few years. Daisy coughed uncomfortably as her eyes flew up to meet mine before she dropped her gaze back down to the table. Bree noticed and reached across the table to take Daisy’s hand.

“It’s okay,” she assured her. “Tyson understands.”

A look of relief crossed Daisy’s face. “It’s been my experience that some people get uptight when suicide comes up,” she said softly. “It’s like a dirty secret, something people don’t talk about.”

I nodded my understanding. It had taken a couple of years to talk Bree into getting counseling. From there, it took the counselor almost six months to talk her into joining the support group. More than most people, I got how certain tragedies made people uncomfortable. In my case, the shame of another person’s actions had weighed almost as heavily as the acts themselves.

“Trust me, I get it,” I assured her.

I wanted to know exactly who she lost, but I could see she wasn’t super comfortable so I decided to let it drop for the moment. Figuring she probably wanted the subject changed, I moved on.

“You mind if I sit with you?” I asked.

I addressed it to both of them, but it was Daisy I was looking at.

She nodded. “Of course.”

“Cool. I’m going to go load up on salad and soup. Don’t let any other fuckers steal my seat.”

When Daisy chuckled, I winked at her.

I walked away completely stunned at my own behavior. I didn’t wink at chicks, ever. It was so unlike me I could hardly comprehend that I’d done it. From controlled man to creepy winking fuck in the blink of an eye. Daisy was getting under my skin in a huge way.

I silently assured myself that I had everything under control.

I didn’t believe it for one hot second.

I was proud of myself for being able to sit directly next to her at dinner and act kind of normal. Ian came over and sat with us as well. I’d been reticent to open up to him at the beginning, but I’d misjudged him entirely. Like me, Ian was dealing with his own issues. I got that. He already got along well with Daisy and within five minutes of being at the table, he and Bree were like long lost best friends. I was pleased with him for being so outgoing. It was almost like he could see that she needed kindness, and he gave it to her in spades.

Gavin and Leah joined us a few minutes later, and the mood at the table went up that much more. Gavin was thrilled to have his sister there, meeting his girlfriend. I could see he was proud as fuck. Still, he took the time to gesture to Daisy with his neck before giving me the thumbs up, which I took to mean he was also proud of me for actually apologizing.

Cole also gave me an approving nod, while Flynn chose to text.

Flynn: Glad to see you lost it.

Me: I’ll bite. What’d I lose?

Flynn: The giant stick up your ass.

I snorted when I read his response. Looking across the dining area to where he was sitting with Tessa and our manager, I flipped him the bird. He blew me a kiss in response, which was typical Flynn.

Flynn: Seriously, she’s perfect for you.

I shook my head before turning my phone upside down on the table so I couldn’t see if he texted again. I was trying to be her friend first so she would learn to trust me, but Flynn was acting like I had just given her a ring or some shit. The fucker was always putting the cart before the horse. If, and only if, I could handle baby steps with Daisy, and she could deal with me, then maybe something more could happen.
Maybe
.

While Gavin was busy telling Leah something about Bree, I felt Daisy watching me from out of the corner of my eye so I turned and looked at her.

Leaning in I asked, “What’s up?”

“You’re doing it,” she said with a warm smile. “You’re being friendly.”

I damn near told her I was ready to be a lot more than just friendly, but I held my tongue. I needed to gain her trust so I wound up asking her if she wanted to go with a bunch of us to the movies after dinner. When her eyes widened in surprise, I felt a twinge of conscience. Daisy didn’t know me as the guy who liked to hang out and do fun shit. In fact, she’d met a side of me no one else ever had because I’d never been so threatened by anyone before. I was determined that she would get to know the real me.

“Sure,” she answered enthusiastically. “What’re we seeing?”

“The new
Fast and Furious
movie,” I answered.

For one second I thought she might change her mind about coming, but that was squashed when her face lit up.

“Yes! I love those movies. I always knew I wanted to work in the music business but my backup dream job was to be a defensive driving instructor and racer.”

I was shocked enough that I could only blink at her like an idiot.

“Really?” I asked incredulously.

She gave me a cheeky grin. “What, you don’t think a girl can drive fast?”

“No, no,” I assured her emphatically. “I just… can’t imagine you being a speed demon.”

“Well, friend,” she teased, “if you’re not chicken, I’ll take you for a drive at some point. Trust me, you’ll have no doubt afterward about how much of a speed demon I am.”

“You’re on,” I chuckled.

After dinner we stayed in the same group we’d eaten with and got into two of the giant SUVs we had for the tour. A few other people joined us but since it wasn’t an official event, a lot were taking it as a night off. Lacey had bought out the theater, which meant we had it all to ourselves.

We raided the fuck out of the snack bar, racking up a bill that probably cost more than booking the entire theater did. Daisy surprised me, once again, by ordering a shitload of crap. As petite as she was, she had no problem damn near consuming double her weight in food. She’d eaten a huge salad and at least four different kinds of soup at dinner, but it didn’t stop her from asking to share a tub of popcorn with me. She also ordered herself a large soda and pretzel bites. Once she had the popcorn in hand, she loaded it up with what had to be the equivalent of an entire stick of butter. I was on board because I was a butter junkie.

When we got into the theater we sat next to each other without question. It felt like a date, which panicked me a little bit, but not enough to make me run. I took that as a win. The movie could’ve been the best or the worst thing in the world and I wouldn’t have known. This was because I spent the majority of the movie watching Daisy.

She lit the fuck up once it started, and I swear to fuck she wore a permanent smile through the whole thing. Which, naturally, meant I had a permanent hard on. Every time she leaned in and took a handful of popcorn—I’d strategically placed it in my lap to cover the hard on situation—I got a whiff of her fruity scent and got even harder. At one point I wondered if ripping off the bottom of the popcorn container and shoving my dick into it so her hand would find me the next time she reached in for a handful was a viable option.

There was no doubt about it. Daisy was the goddamn definition of different. I’d fucked my way around the globe and never once had I felt even a scintilla of the attraction I had to her. A part of me was screaming internally that I should do what I did best in situations I wasn’t in absolute control of, which was run like a pussy. Instead, I gave the voice the finger and put my arm on the back of Daisy’s chair. When she looked over at me, she was smiling.

I smiled back before using said arm to pull her a bit closer, at which point I dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

As loud as the movie was, I still heard her happy sounding sigh. It soothed me in a way nothing else ever really had. I wanted to hear it over and over again. It was, I thought, a good addiction to have.

T
rue to his word, Tyson was the epitome of friendly. For each of the ten days after movie night we hung out almost all the time. He also liked to text me to check in at regular intervals. Each day, I relaxed around him a little more, and he definitely seemed to be feeling more and more comfortable around me as well. The more we relaxed around each other, the more the sexual tension ratcheted up. It was the best kind of torture.

I was wrapping up my work for the day when the phone rang.

“How would you feel about spending the rest of the day with me?”

I was happy he couldn’t see me through the phone since I grinned like a complete dork.

“Sure,” I answered happily. “Are we doing anything specific, or?”

“Something specific. You wanna go with me to the mall?” he asked.

I chuckled as I leaned back in the office chair I was occupying.

“The mall?” I questioned. “What’s at the mall?”

“Daisy, Daisy, Daisy,” he joked, “what
isn’t
at the mall?”

“Uh, anything cool, I would think,” I chided.

He made a buzzer noise. “Wrong. We can’t be here in Minnesota and not go to the Mall of America. It would be un-American.”

I scrunched up my nose. “It would?”

“Yep. Also, I really need something I can only get at the mall and I really want you to come with me.”

I grinned and shook my head. “You realize there’s literally
no way
you won’t be recognized, right?”

He chuckled. “Oh ye of little faith. I guarantee I won’t be recognized.”

“You feeling confident enough to make a bet?”

“Hell yes I am,” he boasted. “How about fifty smackers?”

“I’ll take that action,” I laughed.

Then, a thought occurred to me.

“Wait a minute,” I said suspiciously. “Did Lacey get the mall to close down just for you?”

“Nope. It’s going to be crowded as fuck. In fact, it’ll probably be wall-to-wall Renegade fans who would definitely want to tickle my pickle.”

“There’s something so wrong with you,” I laughed.

“Most definitely,” he agreed. “Meet me in the lobby in ten minutes. Don’t be late.”

I hurried to tidy up my desk in the makeshift hotel office—a situation where more and more I was starting to yearn for a permanent desk—before leaving the room and heading down to the lobby.

A quick scan of the area showed Ty wasn’t there yet. Taking a seat in the reception area, I picked up a magazine and started flipping through the pages. Every few minutes I’d look around for him again, only to be disappointed. After ten minutes of waiting, I started to get cranky. He’d told me not to be late, but then he couldn’t be bothered to show on time or text me to let me know where he was?

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I pulled up my phone to check and see if I had service. Seeing full bars, I gritted my teeth. And then, I let out a yelp when something smacked into my elbow. Turning to where I’d been hit, I realized the elderly man who’d been sitting next to me for the entire time I’d been in the lobby had gotten up and banged my elbow with his walker.

“I’m so sorry, young lady,” he mumbled. “Need to get my damn eyes checked again. I can’t apologize enough.”

I smiled at him as I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it at all,” I assured him. “No harm, no foul. I barely even felt it.”

“That’s what the misses says when I bang into her,” he joked. “Course, she used to get around, so it’s not like she can blame me. It’s like a coal mine in there.”

“Um, okay,” I laughed uncomfortably. Grabbing my purse, I stood up. “I’m going to go look for my friend.”