AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her eyes widen, but she leaves her bike on the rack as I pull mineout.
I do what I promised, calling into the wind while she laughs from her spot perched upfront.
It feels as though we’re kids again, only it’s better. My childhood was split between parties and red carpets and being afraid the other shoe would drop—that my dad would take off, that we’d loseeverything.
This is freedom. Knowing I have my own back, that the only person I need is a breath away and she won’t turn her back onme.
I stop outside an ice creamstore.
“I can’t believe I didn’t wind up with tire tracks down my back,” she pants as she hops off the bike and trips up to thewindow.
“I can’t believe you don’t trustme.”
“I trust you with mylife.”
What about with yourheart?
The question rises up fromnowhere.
She studies the menu, and I studyher.
“What are you getting?” she asks. “I’m going mint chocolate chip all theway.”
“Chocolate,” I sayabsently.
There’s something I need to say to her, a declaration burning in my throat that needs to be voiced, because it feels right. They call us up to order before Ican.
We head back to the hotel in time to change for thereception.
Daisy showers first, because she says she’ll need to dry her hair and take longer gettingready.
When I get out from the shower, there’s an email from Holt to me and Xavier suggesting a new way of organizing the associates. It’s as if he’s already thinking of being incharge.
Isnort.
Xavier will hateit…
But as I scroll down, I see Xavier’s response, and my amusementdies.
He likes theidea.
My hand clenches on the phone. While I’m here, Holt’s in the city, trying to suck up before Monday’s vote on the newinvestment.
Before I can decide on a path forward, the door opens and Daisy emerges from the bathroom. She’s wearing the black dress I bought her, her hair pinned up on one side, the other side loose inwaves.
It’s edgy and classy asfuck.
Everything on my mind evaporates: the deal, my boss, my heart thudding in myribs.
The only thing that matters isher.
I close the distance between us, brush the hair off her shoulder. “You’restunning.”
Color creeps up her cheeks. It's so unlike her—no matter what she said earlier about feeling as if she's not the most gorgeous woman in any room, her lack of confidence never shows—that I take a second to memorizeit.
“Ben?”
“Yeah.”
