Page 80 of June 7

"You and me," she whispered.

Love had captured her heart. Forever.

Chapter Thirty One

Daisy stood at the beach's edge, her toes barely touching the sand as the waves crashed against the shore. Her heart raced, and her breaths came in shallow gasps as the vast expanse of the ocean stretched out before her.

"Babe." Bane took her hand in his. "You don't have to force yourself. We can go back to the duplex."

The icy fingers of fear tightened around her chest. She remembered the beach and how she used to run in the sand. The warmth would cover her toes, and the wind would sing to her.

But her father had stolen those memories from her. He'd stripped any joy she'd had and thrown it out to sea.

Daisy's gaze flickered to Bane. She sought strength from his unwavering presence.

"You're the strongest person I know." She squeezed his hand. "Nothing scares you."

He rode motorcycles with men who demanded respect and backed each other without question. From the outside, people feared bikers, but she knew them from the inside.

While Bane hadn't had a family growing up, he'd found the perfect family in the Havlin Motorcycle Club.

He lifted her hand and brought her fingers to his lips.

She brought his hand over to her lips and kissed the back of his fingers in return, reading his mind. "You'll never lose me."

While he never pressured her to walk out on the beach since the first time he'd asked, she understood how her fear of the ocean worried him. She never wanted to make him struggle with her decisions.

Turning her attention to the ocean, she inhaled deeply. There were plenty of things that scared her. Going back to work and swimming in the pool had triggered her back to the night Mr. Owens tried to kill her. She'd fought with her terrors and had found peace, finally being able to work without the constant reminder of that night.

She'd spent every minute waiting for the police to show up and arrest her or Bane for the murder of Mr. Owens. But day after day, nothing happened.

Bane was right when he told her no one would understand what happened at the pool that night. People still viewed her as the daughter of a murderer.

Slowly, she was starting to forgive herself.

It wasn't her fault for the decisions other people make.

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