“Mom, we just want to see you happy with someone who treats you well,” Aiden said, more serious now. “And clearly, Charles is that man.”
“Fine,” Grace said, and relaxed enough to put her arms around Charles’ waist in an open display of affection. “Yes, we’re . . . dating.”
Dylan popped a chip into his mouth, looking smug. “See, that wasn’t so hard to admit, was it?”
Daisy found herself enjoying the playful exchange between everyone. She’d grown up with a mother who’d always been so negative about everything, men included, and she’d never had any siblings to bond with. She loved how open and close-knit this family was, despite Aiden’s father’s selfish choices that had undoubtedly hurt all of them on varying levels.
“So, how about you boys, Charles included, head on out to the patio and fire up the grill for the chicken,” Grace suggested, “while Daisy and I get to know one another and make the side dishes.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Aiden said, grabbing a beer for himself from the refrigerator and then following Charles and his brothers out a sliding glass door to the patio.
“Are you good with cutting up lettuce for a salad?” Grace asked Daisy once they were alone.
“Sure. I can do that.” She set her purse on the counter and washed her hands while Grace retrieved the vegetables and set up a cutting board and knife for Daisy to use.
As Daisy shredded the lettuce and put the pieces into a big bowl, Grace checked on the scalloped potatoes she already had cooking in the oven, then started to prep the chicken for the barbeque.
“So how did you and Charles meet?” Daisy asked curiously.
Grace ducked her head sheepishly. “I can’t believe I’m going to admit this out loud, but we were matched on a dating website.”
Daisy tipped her head, not sure why the other woman was embarrassed about using a matchmaking site. “What’s wrong with that?”
After patting down the chicken with a paper towel, Grace rubbed seasoning over the thighs and breasts. “I suppose there is nothing wrong with it, but initially it just felt . . . tawdry.”
Grace made it all sound so scandalous, and Daisy laughed. “Tawdry?” she asked, prompting the other woman to explain.
Grace nodded. “I’m a very traditional woman, and back when I was a teenager, we didn’t have the internet, where everything feels so impersonal and people have the ability to pretend that they are someone they aren’t.”
Wow, Daisy could certainly relate to that, considering that’s how she’d met Troy . . . on the internet. And yeah, he’d led a secret double life she hadn’t known anything about, and she’d given up her job and nearly uprooted her life to be with him when it wasn’t even possible since he was married.
“Back then, we met boys that we were introduced to face-to-face,” Grace went on as she flipped the chicken over to season the other side. “Usually by a friend, or someone who knew the person well enough to vouch for them. And then we dated and got to know one another the old-fashioned way. I don’t do all that hooking-up stuff like the younger generation does, so the whole concept of meeting someone online made me cautious. But a girlfriend of mine suggested it, and it was Charles who contacted me after reading my bio and seeing my picture. And, well, I took a leap of faith and went out on a coffee date with him, and we’ve been together ever since.”
“That’s a great story,” Daisy said as she started dicing the tomatoes and tossed them into the bowl, too. “You two seem very happy together.”
“We are. More than I believed possible,” she admitted, giving Daisy a soft, I’m definitely in love smile. “After everything that happened with my husband, and then the cancer scare, I was wary and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to find love again. But I realized that sometimes you just have to put yourself out there, even at the risk of getting hurt. Because if you don’t, you might miss out on finding the person you were meant to be with, and for me, that’s Charles.”
It felt as though Grace was speaking directly to her, her fears the same as the ones that kept Daisy herself so guarded, and she had to swallow hard around the suddenly tight lump in her throat.
Done with the chicken, Grace went to the sink and scrubbed her hands with soap. “So, enough about me,” she said, waving a hand in the air as if to dismiss the conversation they’d just had. “We have far better things to talk about. Like the baby.”
The excitement infusing Grace’s voice made Daisy smile, but she wasn’t sure what the other women knew in terms of Daisy and her son. “I’m assuming Aiden pretty much told you everything?”
Grace laughed as she bustled around the kitchen. “Just the things that matter. Like you being pregnant, of course, and when the baby is due. And he did mention that your mother wasn’t happy about the news, but I’m going to reassure you right here and now that I can’t wait to be a grandma.”
Her enthusiasm warmed Daisy’s heart. “I’m glad, because I want this baby to have a family who loves him or he
r.” Because Diane had made it clear that she wasn’t going to be one of those doting grandparents.
“You have no worries there, honey,” Grace said softly and with understanding. “Both you and the baby are now a part of this family, whether you want to be or not.”
Oh, Daisy wanted to be. Desperately. Even if her belonging was just as an extension of the baby. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
“This baby . . . well, I know it was unexpected, but sometimes the best things in life aren’t planned. After everything that happened with the divorce, and Leo’s experience with the woman he thought he was going to spend his life with, my boys haven’t exactly been eager to settle down.”
Daisy continued tossing the salad with croutons and didn’t correct Grace’s assumption that she and Aiden were “settling down” together just because they were having a baby.
“So, are you going to stay home with the baby after it’s born?” Grace asked as she pulled down plates from the cupboard to set the dining table. “Aiden mentioned that he’s doing well enough at work that you could easily be a full-time mom, which would be an ideal situation.”