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“I did. But I’ve spent enough time helping create new dishes and stepping in when we were short-staffed that I know my way around a kitchen.”

A grin tugs at my lips as I rub my hands together. “Well, now I’m intrigued.”

“You should be.”

“So, what’s on the menu?”

The second the words leave my mouth, I realise exactly how that sounds, but Daisy doesn’t falter with her response. “What do you feel like?”

My eyes scan over her pretty face as the word “You” sits on the tip of my tongue. Thankfully, I manage to swallow it down before voicing it out loud.

I’d have to be fucking blind not to notice how stunning this woman is, and not the overly made-up kind of beauty like Amanda was.

Daisy’s all-natural. Fresh face, flawless skin, big brown doe eyes, pouty lips, and don’t even get me started on those stripper tits of hers. Just the thought of them has me stifling a groan. But she’s not here for that. She needs my help, not another complication, so I have to taper down my desire and keep my head in the game.

“Fuck, darlin’,” I say over a mouthful of food. “You weren’t lying when you said you could cook.”

Daisy lifts one shoulder as she stares down at her plate, using her fork to push her food around. She’s barely eaten a thing.

I reach across the table and place my hand on hers. “Hey. It’s going to be okay.” When her eyes finally meet mine, I see the tears glistening in them, so I put down my fork and stand. “Dais,” I say as I round the table and gently wrap my fingers around her wrist, tugging slightly. “Come here.” She moves without effort, and as soon as she’s on her feet, I wrap her in my arms and rest my chin on the top of her head. “It’ll work itself out. I promise.”

“You don’t know that.” She sniffles into my chest.

“Don’t underestimate my brother. He’s a fucking shark in the courtroom. This is personal for him now, and trust me when I say he’ll move mountains to get you the result you’re after.”

“We can’t predict what Jason will do.”

“We can’t, but that doesn’t mean we won’t fight him every step of the way. And if all else fails, we can disappear.”

She draws her face back and stares up at me. “We?”

“Yeah, Dais, we. I have money to do that. We can vanish and never be found.”

“You would do that for us?”

“Yeah, I would.”

“Why?”

I pause for a moment, thinking carefully about my answer. “I’d like to say it’s because I feel responsible for everything that happened at The Meridian, but if I’m being honest, it’s more than that.” She blinks a few times, studying me, and the truth of what this really is settles between us. “I don’t know exactly when it happened, but somewhere along the way, looking out for you and Jonah stopped feeling like something I had to do and became something I wanted to do. I care about you, darlin’. I care about you both.”

“You do?”

“I do,” I admit as my eyes flicker down to that sweet mouth of hers.

I already know what she tastes like and how pillowy soft those damn lips are. And Jesus Christ, I want to kiss her again so badly, I ache inside. But this isn’t the time or place.

So instead, I reach up and lightly skim my thumb over her plump bottom lip, dragging it down slightly as I make a silent promise to myself. One day, I’m going to kiss the fucking shit out of her mouth again. But next time, it won’t be a stolen kiss; she’ll want it as much as I do.

The thought roots itself deep in my chest as her eyes search mine, like she’s trying to figure out everything I’m not saying, and for a second, the world around us disappears. I let my hand fall before I lose the small amount of restraint I have left, releasing my hold on her waist and forcing myself to take a step back. Because wanting her is no longer the problem; it’s knowing I have to wait for her that is.

Two weeks have passed, and Daisy, Jonah and I are still hiding out at Poppy’s grandparents’ house. The shit has hit the proverbial fan, but thanks to Spencer Prescott, we have an ace up our sleeve. There’s a reason he’s the best in the business. He’s not only thorough, but he’s also surprisingly quick.

That fuckface Jason retained legal counsel and filed his Response to the Initiating Application within a day of being notified, challenging the orders giving Daisy interim care of Jonah and putting forward his own proposed parenting arrangements. I wasn’t surprised. A man like him wasn’t going to accept losing control without a fight.

To him, it will never be about what’s best for Jonah. It’s about making sure everyone knows he’s the one holding the power.

News flash … he isn’t.