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FORTY-EIGHT

FARRON

THE COTTAGE

Day 556

“Farron, where are you taking me? I have cankles now and can barely keep up,” Daisy complains lightly, making me roll my eyes. She does not have cankles; she’s just being dramatic. However, her poor little feet are ridiculously swollen.

“Trust me, it’ll be worth it,” I say, smirking as I glance her way. She rolls her eyes in return, and I can’t help but chuckle. Adrian is following a few steps behind, watching over us but trying to give us as much privacy as possible.

We’re walking slowly from the Alden farm, and I take a moment to really look at Daisy. She’s going to have this baby any day now. I’d estimated her due date was two weeks out, but it could happen earlier. She’s carrying well, but I know the strain it’s putting on her. Knowing she’ll be raising this baby without Eric must be hard, even with all of us here to support her. It’s not the same—it never will be—and the thought aches in my chest.

Despite everything she’s lost, Daisy pushes forward. Every single day, she moves through the grief, determined to find some light. I don’t know how she does it. When the darkness pulls me under, it feels like an army is needed to drag me back to the surface. But Daisy… she’s resilient in a way I can only admire. She’s my hero and my best friend.

The guys brought me peace and happiness, but I would never have connected with Daisy without them. For so long, I kept everyone at arm’s length. After my parents… after Holden left… I built walls so high that I didn’t think anyone could tear them down. But they did. Adrian, Kenji, and Theo broke through, piece by piece, until I let them in. I love them—deeply, wholly—and I’m grateful they love me just as I am.

Because of them, I’ve started to let others in, too. Daisy was one of the first. She’s feisty in this quiet, subtle way, but she’s also sweet and funny. She makes it easy to care for her.

As we approach the Hill property, I take her gloved hand in mine and guide her toward the cottage. When we’re standing outside, I stop and place my hands over her eyes.

“Okay, close your eyes. I have a surprise,” I say, my excitement bubbling over in my voice.

“Your gloves are already covering my eyes, dumbass,” she retorts with a laugh.

“Well, just close them anyway,” I reply, grinning. Her laughter warms the chilly air around us.

“Okay, now open them,” I say, stepping to her side. Daisy looks at the cottage and then back at me, confusion clearly etched on her face.

“Um, yeah, Farron…it’s your cottage. The same one we’ve been standing in front of,” she says, raising an eyebrow. “The same one we’ve spent so many nights in together. Are you feeling okay?” she asks me, her hand coming up towards my forehead.

Clearly, I didn’t set up the surprise very well. I smack her hand away from my face before grabbing hold of it again and guiding her inside, excitement thrumming in my chest. We step into the front room, and I pause, letting her take it in. The furnishings are still here, but all my personal belongings have been moved out and relocated to the main house. We’ve all ended up in Kenji’s room, mostly because it’s the biggest. Pa offered me his room, but I couldn’t bring myself to take it. My parents’ room remains untouched, and it always will.

Now, standing here in this cottage, this place that’s witnessed some of my darkest moments but also some of my happiest, I’m filled with a strange sense of relief. I’m thrilled to pass it on to someone else. Someone who can raise their child here. Someone who can make it a home.

“I haven’t told you yet, but I’ve moved into the main house. This one’s empty now,” I say, glancing at Daisy. She’s standing still, her hand resting on her belly, her brow still furrowed in confusion.

I take her hand again and lead her through the cottage, past the empty kitchen, and into the hallway. When we step into what used to be my bedroom, I watch her expression shift, understanding dawning over her features. The room is brighter now. The guys have started painting it a soft, soothing yellow color. There’s an old tarp spread across the floor, cans of paint lining one side, and brushes scattered about.

On one wall, the beginnings of a mural take shape. It’s rough, barely more than an outline for now, but I can tell where Theo’s going with it. A meadow scene with wildflowers, rolling hills, and a big oak tree in the center. The tree’s branches stretch outward, framing the wall like an embrace. I glance at Daisy, and her hand is pressed to her mouth.

“Theo’s idea,” I say quietly. “He thought the baby should have a calm room with happy colors.”

Tears spill down her cheeks as she looks at the room, her free hand drifting to her belly. “This is…” She chokes on the words, shaking her head as if she can’t quite believe it.

“It’s yours now,” I tell her, squeezing her hand again. “All of this. We’ll finish the renovations before the baby comes. You deserve it, Daisy. You both do.” Daisy doesn’t say anything, and my nerves start to rise as I wonder if maybe I’ve made a mistake in a surprise like this, if maybe she didn’t want to leave the home she and Eric had built for themselves here.

“I just figured that you and your little bean deserved to have a place to yourselves, one where you weren’t in a house with a ton of other people. I know the cottage isn’t huge, but I think you can make it work. The other bedroom here has always basically been unused, but it’s there, so there’s room as the years pass, and you need your own space. The guys and I are going to do everything we can the next few days to get it all ready for you, so I promise you don’t have to stress about it,” I say. I know I’m rambling, but Daisy still hasn’t spoken, and I don’t know how to stop. “Plus, you’ll be right by me! So Aunt Farron and all three uncles will be just a couple hundred feet away, available any time you need us. And?—”

Daisy finally cuts off my word vomit by throwing her arms around me. Her hug is tight, her belly pressing gently against me, and I freeze for a moment before wrapping my arms around her. She’s trembling, her breath hitching against my shoulder.

“I can’t believe you did this for me,” she says, her voice thick with emotion. “You don’t even know how much this means. For me, for the baby… I just—thank you, Farron.”

I swallow hard, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “You don’t have to thank me, Daze. You’ve been through so much. You deserve this. You deserve to have something good.”

She pulls back slightly, her hands still gripping my arms, her face streaked with tears but glowing with something that looks a lot like hope. “You’ve been my anchor through all of this. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Well,” I say, forcing a teasing grin to lighten the mood. “You’re not going to have to find out. I’m stuck with you, remember? You and that little bean.”

She laughs, wiping her cheeks. “You’re the best, you know that?”

“Don’t let the guys hear you say that. They’ll get jealous and think you’re trying to steal me away,” I reply with a smirk.

Daisy snorts and turns back to the mural, her hand drifting to her belly again. “This is going to be a beautiful room,” she whispers, her voice almost reverent. “I can already picture the baby crawling around in here, learning to walk, growing up surrounded by all this love you’re giving us.”

I watch her, the weight in my chest lifting just a little. For the first time in years, this cottage feels like it might finally hold more light than shadows. It’s not just a house anymore—it’s a future, a home waiting to be filled with laughter and love.

“Come on,” I say gently, tugging her hand. “There’s still more to show you. And after that, you can start telling me how you want the rest of the place fixed up. I mean it, Daze—this is your home now. Make it yours.”

As we step back into the hallway, her laughter fills the air, warm and light, and for the first time in what feels like forever, this place feels alive again. Hope thrums quietly in the walls, and I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, we’re all going to be okay.