"You are going to start a fire in the carpet at the rate you are pacing, baby," Austin says. She knows, but she can't help it. Her father had just phoned to say they would be here in ten minutes and she is nervous. It's not like a normal meeting with a new partner. When someone new comes into the family they are the outsiders. No one knows them and the family is on one side while the new person is on the other side. But, this is different. Technically she is the new person. Daisy has already built relationships with everyone in the family. Even Sharon likes her and Sharon does not like anyone. From what Austin has told her everyone loves her and thinks highly of her. This is by all rights her family just as much as it's Cleo's. What if Cleo does not like her? What if she does not like Cleo?
What if she is one of those horrible stepmothers who acts all nice to her in front of everyone else but is an utter bitch to her when they are alone? What if she talks shit in her father's ear and breaks down the relationship Cleo has just gotten back with her father? Maybe it's too early to meet her. Maybe she should call off this meeting and postpone it to another day or never. Fuck! What is she going to do? Austin grabs her shoulders suddenly and dips his head making her look at him. "No to all the questions in your head except the positive ones. Daisy is amazing and you will love her. She will love you too. You guys will grow close and you will cherish the relationship the two of you will form," he says sternly.
"You promise?" she whispers. "I promise, baby," Austin says. He believes that. Cleo lets her body relax a bit and breathes out. He is right. She is just overthinking and getting into her head. Then her body stiffens and her anxiety soars when the doorbell suddenly goes off. "Breath, baby. Just breathe," Austin says. Cleo takes a few deep breaths and then nods her head. She trusts Austin. "You want to come with me or wait here?" he asks. "I will wait here. My legs are not working," she squeaks. "Ok. I will be back soon," he says then walks out of the den. Cleo has to focus on her breathing. The house is so dam big that she can't hear anything even when she listens carefully. So all she can do is wait in the middle of the den. She is still in Daisy's pajamas, she would have liked to have gotten dressed up nicely for Daisy, but she has no clothes and Sharon is taking her sweet time in sending some clothes over for her. Dam that best friend of hers.
She sighs in relief when the den door starts to open, glad Austin is back. But, her relief does not last when a sweet-looking lady with white hair pops her head in. "Oh, Cleo...look at you," she says softly, her chin wobbling and her eyes tearing up. Cleo's emotions bubble up too and her chin wobbles. She likes the lady immediately. "Oh, you don't know who I am. How silly of me. Introductions. My name is Daisy. I married your father five years ago. I was never able to have any children but I have spent a lot of time with you over the past six years and I feel like you are my daughter...I...I tell people I have a daughter when they ask if I have children. I also feel like Austin is my son and I love you both so much...look at you. Oh, you are so beautiful," she says. Her voice is warm and comforting. The type of voice that would soothe a worried or sad child.
Cleo blinks her eyes in the hopes of getting rid of her tears but it only makes them fall down her cheeks. "I..." she tries to talk but she can't. "Do you need a hug, dear?" Daisy asks. Cleo nods and puts her arms out. Daisy rushes up to her and hugs her tightly. They stay like that for a long time, both women crying and swaying in each other's arms. Daisy gives good hugs and Cleo feels safe in her arms. She knows now she never had anything to worry about, Daisy is lovely. Austin and her dad peep through the door and then smile at Cleo who smiles back at them and then waives them away. She wants to talk to Daisy alone. She wants a moment with just her and Daisy to get to know each other and start building a bond.
"How are you coping, dear?" she asks. "I am doing alright. It's a lot... every day...every second I feel like I learn something new," Cleo says wiping her cheeks and sitting down when Daisy does. Daisy reaches out and takes her hands in hers. Her hands are soft and delicate and her nails are a pretty light pink. "I can just imagine how hard all this must be. But, you have a whole family behind you and Austie. You are not alone."
"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.
She wants to ask Daisy more questions but honestly, her eyes keep darting to the door in the hopes Austin appears. She feels like she has been away from him for too long. Isn't that strange? With not one memory about the man it's him that she is reaching out for. It's him that she wants close. "Um...Daisy...I have a lot more questions I would like to ask you. I want to get to know you. I want to build a relationship with you. A real one. A close one," she says. Daisy looks at her and starts crying again as she nods. "I would like that, Cleo. I always hoped we would be close once you woke up. You can ask me anything. I will tell you everything. I am available for you anytime, you just ring and I will pick you up even if it's the middle of the night," Daisy says.
"Thank you, Daisy, and thank you for loving my dad so much and looking after Austin too
He speaks highly of you. Although, he says you tell me to listen to him all the time."
"You should listen to him. That man loves you so much and he has always had your best interests at heart. Listen to him and you won't go wrong."
"Thank you...I think I will."
"Good."
Cleo smiles at her as she smiles back and then her eyes dart to the door again. "Could we continue our conversation outside, with Austin? Would that be OK? I kind of need him close right now," Cleo says. "Of course! I am sure your father is holding him back by now anyway. That man has never been very good at staying away from you," Daisy says. "Wanna hang out with the lamas?" Cleo asks standing too and taking Daisy's arm when she offers it. "I love your lamas... but you do overspend, dear," she says as they walk out of the den. "I see you are in cahoots with, Austin," Cleo says laughing as they walk into the kitchen and out to the patio.
"That's music to my ears," her father says as they step out. "All good, baby?" Austin asks coming close to her. She lets go of Daisy and latches on to Austin. "Yes, all good. You were right. Daisy is wonderful," she says. "She is the love of my life, darling. She makes me very happy," her father says pulling Daisy into his arms and kissing her cheek. They look so in love. "So not an evil stepmother?" Austin asks with a sly grin. Cleo's eyes widen and then she looks over at Daisy who is looking back at her, she does not look upset. "Oh, Daisy...I...I. Sorry. I don't have the best experience when it comes to mothers. I never have. I was just worried. But, I am not anymore and I like you...sorry," she says quickly.
Daisy cocks her head and smiles at her, her eyes flicking to Austin suddenly as if she is asking permission for something. Cleo sees Austin nod out of the corner of her eye. "It's alright, darling. I was worried too, to be honest. Everyone spoke so lovingly about you that you almost sounded too good to be true. But, now that we have met and spoken - I know they were not embellishing. You are just lovely," she says, her eyes flicking to Austin for a second again and then back to Cleo. "Also...I am not the only experience you have had with a good mothering influence."
"You are not?"
"No dear," she says looking at Austin again. Cleo turns her head and looks at Austin too. "My mother," he says with a soft smile, "you grew close to her and you loved her very much. You guys were like this," he says holding up his hand and twisting his fingers around each other.
"I got on well with your mother?"
"My whole family. My siblings say they like you better than they do me."
"I don't remember them..." she says feeling a lump form in her throat. "They remember you, darling, and when the time is right you will meet them. You will get to know them all over again and we will have family dinners and parties. It will be happy," her father says. "You know them too, Dad?" Cleo asks him. "Yes. We are all one big happy family. Christmas is crazy and you don't want to know what family holidays are like. Someone always ends up breaking something. It pandemonium," he says.
"That sounds nice... it's what we always wanted. We always spoke about having a family like that."
"Well, we got it, darling. Austin and Daisy gave us family and it's fucking fantastic."
Cleo lets out a watery laugh because she is somewhere between happy and sad. Happy she has one of those big crazy families but sad because she can't remember anyone and missed out on so much. Austin put his arm around her and she hides her face in his chest. He is amazing and she is starting to understand how lucky she is to have had him by her side through all of this.
"Come on, we brought lunch. Let's eat!" Daisy says rushing inside. Her father follows and they come out with platters of food. Austin goes inside and grabs a few beers and Cleo wanders inside in an attempt to help and is handed a few plates and cutlery while Austin loads his arms with condiments. They sit outside on the patio table while the lamas mill around trying their luck at getting a few bites of salad. Austin shoos them away while Cleo secretly passes them a lettuce leaf or two. They talk for hours and Cleo asks Daisy a million questions that Daisy answers happily. She learns all about Daisy and the life she has built with her father. They have a wonderful life and are very happy. "We have an announcement," her father says eventually while Daisy beams.
"It's been a hard ten years and now that I have you back I don't want to miss a dam thing. So Daisy and I have spoken and we are going to move to Salt Lake City. I have already secured a warehouse for my business and Daisy has started looking at houses," her father says. Cleo does not think her smile could get any wider. "Why don't you just move into one of the guest houses on the property? There is enough space and they are far away enough to give you guys a little privacy but close enough for you to drop in or for Cleo to walk over for a visit whenever she feels like seeing you," Austin says.
"Oh, you have done so much for us already. We don't want to take advantage, son."
"You are not, dad. I built them for the family to visit or live in and stay as long as they want. You know that. Take a house, make it your own, and be close to Cleo."
Son? Dad? Austin and her father are very close and she can see the mutual love and respect between the two men. It makes Cleo happy to see that. Drake had been awful to her father and her father did not have the time of day for Drake. They hated each other and it had torn Cleo up inside. Her father looks at Daisy who smiles brightly and nods. "OK, then it's settled. We will move into one of the houses on the property," he says. Daisy looks so happy at the decision and Cleo feels pretty good about it too. "How many houses do you have on this property? I didn't see any when we came in," Cleo says. "We have...seven...eight if you include this house," Austin says.
"Seven? And they are all occupied?"
"Most of them."
"By..."
"Well, your dad and Daisy have one."
"And the others?"
"Family."
"What family?"
"Darling, trust your husband. Don't push yourself too far too quickly. You had a rough night last night and Austin is right to insist that you get little bits of information at a time so your brain can mull over information."
It seems Austin and her father talk a lot. It's also weird to hear people call Austin her husband. She was not married with the last memory she had. But, she was not with Austin either. She was with Drake and although Sharon had explained that he cheated on her and they broke up she can't help still loving him. She wants to speak to Drake, just to have the chance to hear what he has to say. Maybe they were trying to work things out, no one knows what private conversations they were having so she feels she needs to talk to Drake. But, she knows that will upset Austin and she feels kind of bad for how she feels and what she wants to do given that they are married and he has been so good to her. But, if Austin is really what he says he is he will trust her and give her the space to find some answers that will help her connect the dots. When the time is right she tell him she intends on reaching out to Drake. She is sure Austin will understand.
Daisy and her father leave in the late afternoon and Cleo feels really good about their visit. She has Daisy's number now saved on her phone, her list is growing. She is climbing this ladder one step at a time. Sharon finally arrives with a bag of clothing, but she looks tired and slightly frazzled. Which is odd as Sharon was always cool and laid back without a care in the world. "Would you like to join us for dinner? You could spend the night. Is that OK, Austin?" Cleo asks. She and Sharon shared an apartment and they were attached at the hip. They did everything together and honestly, she thought Sharon would be around more than she is.
"I would love that, but I can't."
"Why can't you?"
"I have responsibilities, Cleo."
"What responsibilities?" Cleo asks frowning. "Well fuck, I did not miss that face," Sharon says rolling her eyes. "What face?" Cleo asks now rolling her eyes too.
"That face. The one you pull when I don't give you enough attention."
"Oh? So the same face you pull when I don't give you enough attention."
"Exactly."
"Come on Shaz, just stay."
"I would, but I really can't and I need to go. Sorry," Sharon says looking at her watch. "You replaced me? You got a new best friend and want to spend time with them?" Cleo accuses. She does not mean to be bitchy but that scares her off although Sharon would have had every right to grow close to someone else over the years. "Fuck off, Cleo. You know I could never. But, I didn't stop living while you were asleep. I grew up and now I have responsibilities that I can not and will not neglect."
"What responsibilities?"
Sharon sighs and looks at Austin with raised brows. "She has had an eventful day, Sharon. It's information for another day," Austin warns her sternly. Sharon glares at him and Cleo giggles internally. No one can tell Sharon shit. She has always swam against the current and done what she pleases. No amount of warning is going to stop Sharon from spilling the beans. But, then Sharon sighs and her face turns soft. What the hell is this? Is Sharon listening to Austin? "Cleo. Soon, when the time is right and Austin gives the green light I will sit down and tell you all about my life. I won't leave anything out. But, we need to trust Austin right now, OK? I promise there is no best friend, you are my best friend. Always have been and always will be," Sharon says softly.
Cleo feels bad for pushing Sharon so hard right now and she is a little gobsmacked at how much she trusts Austin.
"OK, Shaz. I am sorry I pushed so hard."
"It's OK...you are still the same Cleo that's for sure," Sharon says pulling her into a tight hug.