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“When you said that to her, what did she say?” he asks, ignoring my question.

“She said she didn’t want to. But how can she make a decision that important so quickly? It’s not just that people are talking but that from now on, we’ll always be second-guessed.Are they really together? Is this another joke?”

“So what? You know the truth, and so will those closest to you. Bryce, I’m going to hold your hand when I tell you this.” He does exactly that, humour glinting in his eyes. “You’re far more obvious than you think you are when it comes to Daisy. I’ve known for a long time that there was something there for you. Even if it was only from afar, you were interested. The only reason I kept it to myself was because I knew you weren’t ready to talk about it. Every time I tried, you were quick to clam up.

“I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say that even if you had told us from the beginning that the relationship was a show for your mother, we wouldn’t have believed you. Johnny’s the only one who didn’t see it, but Daisy’s his twin. He’ll always see things differently.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry or both. It could go any way at this point.

“Screw you, Darren,” I mutter.

He squeezes my hand and chuckles. “Screw me? Screw you, Bryce.”

“I still left the decision up to her, even if you do have a point. It felt right to give her control, considering I did get her into this mess, even if it wasn’t intentional.”

“You need to give your girl more credit.”

“I know.”

“Does she know about that?” he asks.

I follow his stare to where it’s been glued to my forearm. The clear wrap over my most elaborate piece feels suffocating, but this is one time I’m not going to risk fucking up the healing process.

“I only did it last night” is my answer.

“Is there a love language that specifies getting tattoos for your significant other? If there isn’t, there should be.”

“Isn’t that just acts of service?”

He gives his head a shake and releases my hand to scratch his jaw. “No. Too broad. You’re not going out and buying her a puppy. You’re altering your body.”

“Okay then. Let’s hear an idea.”

“What about love codes?”

My jaw goes slack. “Did you actually just come up with that on the spot?”

“I did,” he says through a smug smirk.

“Love codes,” I repeat, testing the feeling of it on my tongue. “I think Daisy would love that.”

“What about you?”

“I’d say yes, but you’re already a cocky ass without getting any extra praise from me.”

I might as well have just told him he was an artistic genius. The proud expression on his face is nice to see, though. He’s got light back in his eyes.

I’m beginning to think it’s back in mine too. While I might have dimmed it with my own actions, even just talking about Daisy is enough to fill me up with warmth. I don’t regret forcing her to take the time to think things through.

I’m not interested in her for only a few more weeks or months. I want her for the rest of them. And I need to know that she’s sure about taking that step with me sooner rather than later.

“You say the nicest things . . .” He cuts himself off and shoves off the couch, staring past me at the front window. An incredulous grin flips his entire expression into one that immediately has me on alert. “There’s no way.”

“There’s no way what?” I ask, shooting to my feet.

Darren sets his hands on my shoulders and brings me to the centre of the living room, directly in front of the window.

The laugh that comes out of me is so rare that it makesDarren’s hands tense on my shoulders. I feel the vibrations of the laugh all the way down to my toes and deep into my very bones.