to be that guy. For Kylie and for you. But she’s Kyle’s daughter and my family deserves to know her too.”
“Being family doesn’t give you automatic rights to someone’s world,” Darcy pointed out. “It is a position that has to be earned and respected. I’m not saying that I’m not open to eventually everyone meeting, later on down the road, but for now I want Kylie to meet the one uncle of hers that I know will keep her wellbeing at the forefront.”
Here came the part that had been stressing Darcy out. The one thing that she knew would play on all of her insecurities, the reason she’d wanted a little warning before she met with Gage. Darcy knew how deeply it hurt to be abandoned, how unsettling and scary it was to have strangers coming into your home suddenly, and she refused to let her daughter experience that kind of instability. If that made her come off as a snarling mama bear, she was okay with that.
“I think the hardest person for me to become comfortable with Kylie knowing is your mom.”
Gage let out a pent up breath. “I agree taking it slow is the best for Kylie, and my brothers would agree, but letting us all get to know her and leaving my mom out of it? That’s going to be rough, and you know it.”
“If it was just about me, I wouldn’t care. But after how your mom treated me, I can’t gauge how she’ll react to this. So, I’m not comfortable with her meeting Kylie until I know that she won’t do anything to make Kylie upset.”
He was quiet for a long moment, imploring her with his eyes to change her mind. Finally, he walked to the window to stare out at the rose garden. Even from the distance, she could feel the emotions building and turning inside him.
He wanted to say her demands were unacceptable, that he’d hurt his loved ones. He looked lost and ready to run, and she almost offered him the out. Told him that as long as he promised to keep Margo in check, she could meet Kylie. She could handle Margo’s snide remarks, as long as Kylie didn’t have to.
But she knew from experience that no one could keep Margo in check. And opening Kylie up to that kind of censure wasn’t a possibility.
Darcy stood too, going to stand beside him. They remained silent while watching Fancy prance around and entertain the Heirloom Bloomers.
“You’re asking me to tell my mom she has a grandchild, but she has to wait to meet her?” He stared blindly out the window. “She’s going to be crushed.”
Darcy’s firsthand experience with how Margo behaved when she was crushed was reason enough for her caution.
“I know how hard it will be,” she said, then waited for him to turn her way, and when he did the torn look in his eyes was enough to floor her. “But this isn’t about Margo’s timeline, or even mine. This is about Kylie, and when she’s ready to meet everyone.”
❀❀❀
Friday afternoon, Darcy lugged the picnic basket out of the truck, her body rebelling from what felt like an endless week. She’d spent the first half of it obsessing over Gage changing his mind, and when he didn’t call to cancel—or confirm—she distracted herself by eating her way through a batch of Jillian’s tester cakes. Vanilla bean cake with mango mousse frosting—the star for tonight’s scheduled cake tasting. And the reason her dress fit so tightly.
That Gage was scheduled to meet them here, at West Hills Duck Pond, only made it worse. The sun was high, there were a few scattered clouds overhead, and all of the flowers were in full bloom, making the main strip of town a shopper’s utopia.
She had been stubborn the other day, offering her demands and leaving no wiggle room. But she knew better than to cut an Easton any slack. You give an inch and they walk away with everything you hold dear.
“Did you remember to bring the duckies’ bread?” Kylie asked.
“It’s in the picnic basket.” Darcy unstrapped Kylie from the back seat. “Did you remember your windbreaker in case it
“Being family doesn’t give you automatic rights to someone’s world,” Darcy pointed out. “It is a position that has to be earned and respected. I’m not saying that I’m not open to eventually everyone meeting, later on down the road, but for now I want Kylie to meet the one uncle of hers that I know will keep her wellbeing at the forefront.”
Here came the part that had been stressing Darcy out. The one thing that she knew would play on all of her insecurities, the reason she’d wanted a little warning before she met with Gage. Darcy knew how deeply it hurt to be abandoned, how unsettling and scary it was to have strangers coming into your home suddenly, and she refused to let her daughter experience that kind of instability. If that made her come off as a snarling mama bear, she was okay with that.
“I think the hardest person for me to become comfortable with Kylie knowing is your mom.”
Gage let out a pent up breath. “I agree taking it slow is the best for Kylie, and my brothers would agree, but letting us all get to know her and leaving my mom out of it? That’s going to be rough, and you know it.”
“If it was just about me, I wouldn’t care. But after how your mom treated me, I can’t gauge how she’ll react to this. So, I’m not comfortable with her meeting Kylie until I know that she won’t do anything to make Kylie upset.”
He was quiet for a long moment, imploring her with his eyes to change her mind. Finally, he walked to the window to stare out at the rose garden. Even from the distance, she could feel the emotions building and turning inside him.
He wanted to say her demands were unacceptable, that he’d hurt his loved ones. He looked lost and ready to run, and she almost offered him the out. Told him that as long as he promised to keep Margo in check, she could meet Kylie. She could handle Margo’s snide remarks, as long as Kylie didn’t have to.
But she knew from experience that no one could keep Margo in check. And opening Kylie up to that kind of censure wasn’t a possibility.
Darcy stood too, going to stand beside him. They remained silent while watching Fancy prance around and entertain the Heirloom Bloomers.
“You’re asking me to tell my mom she has a grandchild, but she has to wait to meet her?” He stared blindly out the window. “She’s going to be crushed.”
Darcy’s firsthand experience with how Margo behaved when she was crushed was reason enough for her caution.
“I know how hard it will be,” she said, then waited for him to turn her way, and when he did the torn look in his eyes was enough to floor her. “But this isn’t about Margo’s timeline, or even mine. This is about Kylie, and when she’s ready to meet everyone.”
❀❀❀
Friday afternoon, Darcy lugged the picnic basket out of the truck, her body rebelling from what felt like an endless week. She’d spent the first half of it obsessing over Gage changing his mind, and when he didn’t call to cancel—or confirm—she distracted herself by eating her way through a batch of Jillian’s tester cakes. Vanilla bean cake with mango mousse frosting—the star for tonight’s scheduled cake tasting. And the reason her dress fit so tightly.
That Gage was scheduled to meet them here, at West Hills Duck Pond, only made it worse. The sun was high, there were a few scattered clouds overhead, and all of the flowers were in full bloom, making the main strip of town a shopper’s utopia.
She had been stubborn the other day, offering her demands and leaving no wiggle room. But she knew better than to cut an Easton any slack. You give an inch and they walk away with everything you hold dear.
“Did you remember to bring the duckies’ bread?” Kylie asked.
“It’s in the picnic basket.” Darcy unstrapped Kylie from the back seat. “Did you remember your windbreaker in case it
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