Page 157 of Bitter Rival

After that flight from Miami, I did a lot of soul searching and came to the conclusion that my seatmate was right.

There are no guarantees in life or in love. But you shouldn’t let your fears get in the way of your happiness.

Beckett made me happy, happier than I’d ever been.

I love him. I choose him. And it’s just that simple, and that complicated.

So I’m ready to risk it all for love, and in true Daisy style, I’m going for the all or nothing approach.

After getting out of my lease, I spent a week going through all my belongings. I only kept the essentials and the things that hold sentimental value. The rest I donated.

And then I said my final goodbyes to Brooklyn and to the people who have helped me along the way.

All this time I thought I was on my own. But that’s not true. I’ve never been alone. I’ve always been lucky enough to have people in my life who care about me.

“How are you feeling about everything?” Anna asks as we sip oolong tea on her sofa.

My bag is packed and waiting by the door, ready for my imminent departure and I’m ready to take a leap of faith.

“I feel like it’s a new beginning and I’m ready to trust my heart again. I feel like I’m going home.”

Where Beckett is waiting for me.

Before I leave, I hug Anna goodbye, promise to stay in touch and wheel my bag out the door and down to the waiting Uber.

The flight from New York felt like the longest six hours of my life.

When I reach the baggage claim, I check that it’s the right one before positioning myself near the carousel so I’ll be ready to grab my bag as soon as it drops.

Now that I’ve made my decision, I can’t get to Sutton Ridge fast enough.

I wish I could teleport but sadly I don’t have any superpowers, so I open my Uber app and type in the Sutton Ridge address then stare at the screen, waiting for a car to accept the ride.

I look up from my phone as my bag takes a loop around the carousel and step forward to grab it.

Someone wrestles it out of my hand and I go on the defensive, ready to fight them for it if necessary. “Hey! That’s my?—”

“Step aside, princess. I’ve got it.”

My hand falls to my side and I gape at the man holding my bag. Tall and muscley with dark, tousled hair and arctic blue eyes.

My Heathcliff. My Darcy. My girlhood crush.

I’m so shocked to see him standing before me that it takes me a good few seconds to utter a word. “What are you doing here?” I blurt out.

His brows raise. “The question is…” His gaze roams down my body before returning to my face. “What the fuck took you so long?”

I cross my arms over my chest. “You said you’d wait.”

“And I kept my promise.”

“You did. But I was planning to surprise you today.”

He smirks. “You know how much I hate surprises.”

“You would have loved this surprise. I asked Callie to keep it a secret. I can’t believe?—”

“Hey, Daisy?”

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