Page 102 of The Girl I Once Loved

“What does it look like?” She half-laughs, half-cries.

Yup.

It’s official.

The bride is having a total meltdown.

“Daisy, look at me,” I plead sweetly, grabbing her hand in mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Take a deep breath in,” I tell her while performing the action to show her how it’s done, since Daisy’s current notion of breathing is hyperventilation. “Now out,” I exhale. “Deep breath in. And then deep breath out. There you go,” I praise as she keeps at it. “Mom, can you grab Daisy some water? Maybe with a bit of sugar, please?”

“On it,” my mother retorts with pure resolve in her tone, as if fetching us sugar water was the mission she was meant to carry out as her life’s purpose.

I guess the bride isn’t the only one who’s losing it a little bit.

“You’re doing great, Daisy. So great,” I continue to reassure her.

“I don’t think I can do this,” she whispers, fear in her eyes.

“Youcando this, Daisy. I know you can.” I smile comfortingly. “Forget about everyone who is waiting outside for you and focus on the one person who actually matters—Derrick. Can you do that for me?”

I watch my sister swallow dryly, her eyes scanning all the exits in the room to make a quick getaway.

“Talk to me, Daisy. Tell me what you need?” I ask, needing to pull her attention away from any exit strategy she can come up with.

When her frantic blue eyes meet mine, I see such open vulnerability in them that my heart begins to chip away at its edges, needing to do anything and everything in its power to ease her anxiety.

“Tell me, Daisy? Let me help you,” I supplicate.

“What if I’m not marriage material?” She finally confesses what has been plaguing her mind. “What if…what if…I’m just likehim?”

“Him?” I parrot, not fully understanding what she means.

“Grant. What if I’m like our father?” she whispers, low and unsure.

“You, Daisy Ames, are nothing like him,” I assure her with utter conviction. “Is that what’s been bothering you? That you might be like him?”

“Yes,” she chokes out nervously. “Everyone always keeps reminding me how alike we are. What if they’re right? What if I’m like that cheating piece of shit, too? What if I’m not cut out to be someone’s wife?”

“First of all, when did you start giving credit to anyone’s opinion but your own? And secondly, even if you do share his genes, in no shape or form does that mean you’ll end up like him. Family is everything to you, Daisy. You don’t have a selfish bone in your body. His sins are not yours to bear. You are your own person. You always have been. The best person I know,” I tell her and mean it.

Daisy has always been my hero.

So if she needs a minute to realize how amazing she is, then I’ll make sure to remind her, every step of the way.

“I do love him,” Daisy admits, her lower lip trembling. “I love him so much. I don’t want to hurt him. Ever. Derrick is everything to me.”

“Just hearing you say that means that you are lightyears ahead of being like our father. You are going to make an amazing wife, Daisy. I have no doubt in my mind that you and Derrick are going to be very happy together. You know how I know that? Because you two already are.”

Daisy takes in another deep breath and gives me a shaky nod.

“You’re right. Of course, you’re right. I’m just being silly, I guess.”

“Not at all. This is a big step, Daisy. And I’m so damn proud of you. So proud to call you my sister.”

“Hey—”

“I know. I know. No tears.” I laugh, giving her hand another soft squeeze. “Now, are you ready to make this wedding your bitch or not?” I arch a teasing brow.

“Look at you…being all badass and cursing inside a church,” she teases back, looking more like the Daisy I’ve always looked up to.

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