"Austie?"
"He says he hates it when I call him that, but he won't answer to anything else the silly boy."
Silly boy...
Why does that spark something inside her? "I do, but I don't know most of them," she says. "But, they know you and they love you very much. Now, I can't tell you about them as I have strict instructions from Austin, but I can tell you that they simply adore you."
"I know I have met them in the past, but I can't remember them unless there are some like you who came into the picture after my coma."
"Oh your father and Austin warned me that you are a sly girl," Daisy laughs, "you won't trick me into divulging any information. I trust Austin's plan and I won't be swayed. We can gossip about me and your dad. Ask me anything you like," Daisy says. Cleo lets out a soft laugh, she likes Daisy, she is sweet. "OK. How did you and dad meet?" she asks.
"Oh! It was at a fun fair. The crazy man decided to go on a roller coaster and then got sick in a trash can. I took pity on him and got him a coke. He asked me on a date and well...the rest is history," she explains. Cleo smiles, that's a really sweet meeting.
"When did Dad tell you about me and when was your first visit?"
"He spoke about you on our first date. He speaks about you all the time. I think that's what made me fall for him to be fair. The love that tumbled out of him when he spoke about you made me see what a good man he was. It broke my heart to hear about what happened to you but I could not help feeling grateful you were still alive. I knew you would wake up one day. You were born a miracle according to your father and so slipping away in a coma simply was not the way you would leave this earth. I met you after we had been dating for six months. Your dad wanted to make sure we were serious before introducing me to you and when I saw you...oh, Cleo, I just had so much love for you."
Cleo can feel she is crying again. It's a silent cry with just tears. It's not sad either. They are happy tears. Daisy is really lovely and she is happy her father found love and a little happiness while she slept. It also feels really good to hear how Daisy feels about her. She never did anything other than sleep in a bed and Daisy's love for her still developed. Her love has no conditions and it's a good feeling to have. She feels like she does not have to prove anything to Daisy - she can just be herself. Daisy is the opposite of her mother.
"I missed your wedding. I wish I could have been there..."
"Oh, you were a sweet girl, in spirit. I got you a maid of honor dress, it's in my cupboard at home. Austin says you would hate it. It has puffy sleeves and is yellow."
Cleo laughs and nods her head. "Sounds like the perfect maid of honor dress," she says. "It is. We saved you a seat at the main table and Shaz said a speech on your behalf. That was a mistake - Shaz is terrible at speeches. I have pictures! You want to see them?" she asks taking out her phone. "Yes please," Cleo says shifting closer. "OK, that's your dad and I," she says pulling up a photo of her and her dad. They look so happy.
"You were a beautiful bride and Dad looks so handsome."
"He does, doesn't he? Oh here is Austin and this is one of Shaz. This is of Austin and Shaz, oh and look there is Sophie and even Decon," she says going through the photos. They all look so happy and Cleo can see they all had a great time. However, she does notice that the only photos Daisy shows her are of the people she has already connected with so she suspects Austin has had his hands on these photos already. But, Daisy trusts Austin and follows his instructions as does her father. Austin is respected very much by her family. He must have done a good job at watching over Cleo all this time to gain so much trust from everyone.
Daisy
Start from the beginning
