There was no way he was going back to Norfolk today.

Or tomorrow.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Carter called his father and let him know what was going on and asked him to take care of Teddy before calling Kirk and telling him he was going to have to handle things at the shop for a few days. Once that was taken care of, he knew he’d have to find a place to stay and get at least a couple of changes of clothes to tide him over.

Luckily, there was a small shopping center not too far out of town, and he got everything he needed relatively quickly and then wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He could ask about crashing on Chris and Heather’s couch, but that wasn’t particularly appealing. What he wanted was to stay at Daisy’s so he could take care of her, but considering how they had just left things, he knew she wasn’t going to be particularly open to that.

Driving down Main Street, he pulled over and considered his options. There was a hotel—which was more like a B & B—at the end of the block that he could check in to, and as much as it wasn’t his kind of thing, it seemed like the logical choice. He was just about to pull away from the curb when someone knocked on his window and scared the shit out of him.

Chloe.

She pulled the door open and climbed into the truck before he could even blink.

“What the hell is your deal?” she demanded.

Carter’s eyes went wide at the accusation. “My deal? What are you talking about?”

She huffed with frustration. “You can’t keep doing this, Carter! You can’t keep bailing on Daisy and the baby like this. You’re either in or you’re out. It’s that simple.”

For some reason he completely unleashed all his frustration on her.

“Simple? You think any of this is simple? I’ve been trying so damn hard to make this work with Daisy. Okay, fine, for a little while there I freaked out, but show me a guy in my position who hasn’t.”

“Carter—”

“And then I’ve done everything she’s asked of me—every damn thing—and it doesn’t seem to make a difference that I can jump through all the hoops and follow all her damn requests, and at the end of the day it isn’t going to change anything. I’m not the guy she wants!”

Chloe twisted in her seat to face him even as she huffed again. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

He simply stared at her because this he had to hear.

“For all the time you’ve spent with Daisy, do you really even know her?” she asked but then didn’t wait for an answer. “Daisy’s the town’s good girl. She’s the sweet girl, she goes to church, she was raised by ultraconservative parents, and never broke a single rule in her entire life. Everyone imagined she’d marry some ultraconservative guy and get married, have a couple of kids, and own a house with a white picket fence and a dog.”

None of this was making Carter feel any better.

“The thing is, no one bothered to ask Daisy if that’s what she wanted,” Chloe went on. “I think for her whole life, she did what she was told and never questioned it, but it was never who she wanted to be.”

“Then she should have done something about it,” Carter argued.

Daisy gave him a bland look. “She has.”

“Great. So… what… I’m her big act of rebellion? That’s it?”

Another huff of frustration. “Oh my God! Just shut up and think about it for a minute. It wasn’t that you were an act of rebellion, Carter. You were the one who made her want to be someone different from the girl everyone knew. You were the one who gave her the confidence to take a difficult situation and turn it into something amazing. You bring out the side of her she was always afraid to let be seen.”

He shook his head. “Then why…” He stopped and collected his thoughts. “If that is how she feels, then why hasn’t she ever said anything like that to me? Why has it all been about the ways that I have to change or how it all has to go her way? If I’m so damn good for her, then why won’t she try things my way once in a while? I would never hurt her. She has to know that.”

“She’s the one who’s pregnant, and you’re the one who’s walked out on her twice after she let herself trust you.”

Carter grew very still, realizing this was true.

“Plus,” Chloe said in a different tone, patting him on the arm, “she’s a hormonal nightmare. And she’s had a lot to deal with.”

He sighed. “I thought by leaving I’d give her one less thing to deal with—after all, everything about who I am seems to cause her grief.”

But Chloe shook her head. “It’s not grief, Carter. She’s just trying to find a way to make everyone happy. Unfortunately, she thinks that by asking you to conform to what other people think you should be, that it’s going to be the solution. It’s crazy and not particularly logical, but maybe cut her some slack.”

Raking a hand through his hair, he leaned his head back and stared up at the truck ceiling. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“You’re supposed to go back to the hospital and plant your ass there until she gets released. Then you’re supposed to go home with her. And maybe spend some time talking to her parents so they can see that just because you work on cars and shit, that it doesn’t make you a bad person.”

Hell, he could do that. He’d just been respecting Daisy’s wishes and keeping his distance.

He was silent for a few minutes until Chloe finally asked, “So? What are you gonna do?”

Straightening in his seat, he looked at her with a smile. “I guess I’m going back to the hospital.”

***

Carter stepped off the elevator and was about to make a beeline for Daisy’s room when he spotted her parents. While all he wanted was to go and talk to Daisy, he knew he needed to at least put in an effort here first.

“Mr. and Mrs. Phillips,” he said as he walked over and hoped the smile on his face didn’t look forced. “It’s good to see you.”

To their credit, they only looked mildly irritated for a brief second. Daisy’s father stood and shook Carter’s hand. “If you’re hoping to go and see Daisy, you’ll have to wait a little bit. There’s a doctor in with her right now.”

Carter sat down beside the two of them. “Is everything all right? I thought they had everything under control and she was going to go on bed rest?”

“You mean she didn’t call you?” her mother asked, her voice a little uncertain.

He shook his head. “Um… no. Why? Is something wrong?”

To their credit, they only glanced at one another before looking at him again. Mrs. Phillips reached out and took one of Carter’s hands in hers. “Daisy started having strong contractions about an hour ago. Her doctor had hoped to give her something to make them ease up, but she didn’t get back here in time and Daisy’s water broke.”

“What?” he cried, jumping to his feet. He looked over his shoulder toward Daisy’s room. “But… but that’s not good, right? It’s too soon!” When he turned to walk away, Mr. Phillips stood and gently grasped his arm. For a minute Carter didn’t know what to do. “So… so what’s going to happen now? Is she all right? Is the baby all right?”

“That’s what we’re waiting to hear,” her father replied. “C’mon. Sit with us and I’m sure the doctor will be out any minute with an update.”

With no other choice, Carter sat. For a long moment no one spoke.

“It’s going to be all right, son,” Mrs. Phillips said as she took Carter’s hand again. “Daisy’s had a good pregnancy, the baby has been growing perfectly, and right now we’re at the perfect place should she need help.” She squeezed his hand. “We have to have faith.”

He nodded because his throat was too tight to speak.

“We’re glad you’re here, Carter,” Mr. Phillips said.

“I should’ve been here earlier,” he finally said. “I hate that I wasn’t here when Daisy needed me.”

Mrs. Phillips laughed softly. “Well, we know our daughter hasn’t exactly made things easy on you.”

He straightened and looked at her as if she were crazy.

“Daisy’s told us all about the things that have been going on between the two of you, and I have to say, she’s had us scratching our head a time or two.”

“Seriously?”

They both nodded.

“Carter, we’d be lying if we said we were completely fine with this whole situation,” Mr. Phillips commented. “After all, this wasn’t how we envisioned our daughter’s life going.”

Great. Just what he needed right now.

“However,” Mrs. Phillips interrupted, “this is Daisy’s life, and she’s our daughter, and we love her and support her no matter what. I wish we knew you better, but maybe in time—if it’s what the two of you want—we will. We’re very excited about the baby and being grandparents and… well… family means the world to us.” She paused. “I just thought you should know that.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he felt the same way, but that’s when Daisy’s door opened and the doctor stepped out.

Within minutes, it was a form of controlled chaos. Daisy was in active labor, and the baby’s heartbeat was strong, but it was officially go time. Carter was right beside her, holding her hand as they wheeled her to a delivery room and felt oddly reassured by the smiles on her parents’ faces.

Once they were settled in the new room and Daisy was hooked up to monitors, things seemed to calm down.

Briefly.

He didn’t leave her side, and Daisy didn’t let go of his hand. He could tell she was nervous and scared, and she kept saying how it was too early for the baby to come, but to his credit, Carter did his best to stay positive and tell her all the ways that the doctors were there to help them and how their baby was going to be okay.

It actually made him feel better to keep saying it out loud too.

As nurses moved around them, taking Daisy’s vitals and checking the monitors, Carter rubbed her back and did his best to distract her with talk of anything other than the fact that she was about to deliver their child early.

“My dad is babysitting Teddy,” he said as he fed her a couple of ice chips.

“Is that really babysitting?” she asked with a small laugh. “I don’t think Teddy requires much except some food, water, and a floor.”

Smiling nervously, Carter watched at the monitor indicated she was about to have another contraction. He rubbed her back in the spot he knew helped her the most. “I think I’ve spoiled him,” he said, making sure that he didn’t stop what he was doing—one hand rubbed her back, the other gripped her hand. “It used to be he could sleep just about anywhere, but I went to the pet superstore and got him this mammoth pillow bed, and now it’s all he wants. I had to buy one for the shop as well as two of them for home.”

She was panting and grimacing, but she was on board with trying to be distracted. “Why two for home?”

“He used to sleep in the living room without any issues, then he got into the habit of sleeping on the floor of my bedroom. He tried dragging the bed with him from one room to the other one too many times until I finally got the hint.” He chuckled. “He’s practically a diva now.”

That made her laugh. “That’s not a bad thing. He deserves to be spoiled a little bit after being abandoned the way he was.”

Carter nodded and was about to relax when she let out a loud cry.

“What?” he asked frantically. “What is it?” The nurses were immediately there, and he went to move away to give them space, but Daisy wouldn’t let go of his hand. He had no idea what to focus on first—listening to what the nurses were saying or keeping Daisy calm.

Ultimately, the decision was made for him when the doctor strode back into the room. She had a serene smile on her face as she walked over to Daisy. “So I hear this little one is a bit impatient to come out and greet the world.”

“Now?” Carter asked. “Already? Doesn’t labor usually go on for… I don’t know… longer than this?”

The doctor gave him a patient smile as she examined Daisy. “In most cases, yes. But it looks like this baby is a bit more motivated to make an entrance.” All around them, people were moving things around, and to Carter, it seemed like way more machines and medical equipment than one small baby should need. “I can see you’re both nervous, but I’m here to tell you we’ve got an excellent team with us today, and we have a spot ready for this little boy or girl up in the NICU as a precaution. Right now I need you both to work with me, okay?”

Wordlessly, both Carter and Daisy nodded. Daisy was busy panting, but Carter couldn’t form a word even if he wanted to. Before he knew it, he was encouraged to change into scrubs and to wash up. He hated leaving Daisy—saw the panic in her eyes when he stepped away—but he knew he was doing what had to be done.

“I’ll be right back,” he said firmly, his eyes meeting hers. “I promise.”

***

He didn’t think it was possible to be so completely exhausted and yet so exhilarated.

Six hours later, he held his daughter in his arms and knew he didn’t want to put her down or stop looking at her.

She was perfect.

Like her mother.

Surprisingly, she was over four pounds, and once the medical team had examined her thoroughly, they allowed Carter and Daisy to spend some time with her before moving her to the NICU. To him, she was perfect—a small dusting of dark hair, fair skin, and everything about her amazed him. Right now she was holding his finger, and it was the greatest feeling in the world.

“You’re going to have to let the nurses take her soon,” Daisy said from beside him.

He looked over at her and smiled. She was perfect too. He’d never seen someone be so brave and so strong and… damn. Being there beside her had been more powerful than anything he’d ever experienced.

“Not yet though. Right?”

Reaching out, Daisy stroked the baby’s head. “I don’t like it either, but I’ll feel better once they monitor her for a little while. She’s just so small.”

He looked up at the catch in her voice and gave her a smile. “She’s bigger than they thought she’d be, and so far she’s done everything like a champ.”

Daisy laughed. “She’s pretty much just been poked and prodded.”

He laughed with her. “And she cried when she should have and calmed down when we held her. Seems to me like she’s the most amazing baby ever.”

There was more that he wanted to say, but the NICU team was there to take her up for more tests. Watching them walk away with her felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest, and he clung to Daisy’s hand until they were out of sight. They stayed like that in silence—until another team arrived to move Daisy to a room of her own.

Her parents had come and seen them both before heading home. It was late, and everyone knew that tomorrow would be better for all of them. When it was back to it being just the two of them again, Carter decided to make himself comfortable in the lone chair in the room.

“You should get some sleep,” he said to Daisy. “It’s been a crazy day, and you should take advantage of the quiet now and rest.”

As if on cue, she yawned. “What about you? Are you heading back to Norfolk tonight?”

Was she crazy? Did she honestly think he was just going to leave?

“Um, no. I was actually going to get a room at the B & B in town when I decided to come back here and check on you. Then things got crazy and…”

“Why were you getting a room?”

“Daisy,” he began with a patience he didn’t quite feel, “you scared the hell out of me earlier. And even after coming and seeing you and thinking that you were going to be released and put on bed rest, there was no way I was going home.”

Her eyes went a little wide at his admission.

Taking one of her hands in his, he held it tight. “I wanted to be here for you.”

“But… but you said… the break and…”

He shook his head. “I thought you needed the break. From me. I didn’t want to go. I just wanted to make things easier for you. The last thing I wanted was to cause you any more stress than what you were already dealing with. Things got out of hand and… and I’m sorry for that. But I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere.”

“Carter… you can’t say that. You have a life back in Norfolk. Your shop. You can’t just never go back.”

“Let me worry about that, okay? The only thing I want you to focus on is getting some rest. You need your sleep so tomorrow we can talk to the doctors about our daughter and when she can come home and… naming her.”

Daisy’s eyes started to drift closed. “Mmm… we never talked about that, did we?”

Gently he kissed her hand. “Nope. It’s one of the few things we never talked about. But I think it’s okay. Now that she’s here we can look at her and hold her and see how she likes some of the names we come up with.”

Her eyes opened and she looked at him. “I don’t think she’s going to have much of an opinion.”

“You never know. She was hell-bent on being born and was pretty vocal about the things she didn’t like so far. I have a feeling she’ll be the same way when we try to come up with a name that suits her.”

She yawned. “You’re crazy.”

“Part of my charm,” he teased as he sat back in the chair.

A few minutes later, Daisy looked over at him. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You can’t sleep in that chair all night. You need some sleep too.”

He waved her off. “I’ll be fine. I told you, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for you.” His words were said in earnest. It was important that she believe him.

“I know you want to be here for her,” Daisy said sleepily. “And I’ll never keep you from her. But you have a life of your own…”

“Daisy…”

“I’m serious, Carter,” she said softly. “It’s okay. We’ll be okay. I promise.”

It was late and they were both tired, and the last thing either of them needed right now was to argue. Leaning forward, he kissed her on the forehead and lingered just a moment there. “Sleep. Tomorrow is a new day, and hopefully we’ll get good news and be able to take our girl home soon. Right now I want you to relax and know that you are an amazing woman.” Another kiss on her temple. “You’re the strongest woman I know.”

She hummed softly as her eyes closed. “Carter?”

“Hmm?”

Daisy shifted slightly in the bed to get more comfortable, her eyes still closed. “It’s okay if you’re only staying for our baby. I think you’re going to be a great dad.”

And then she was asleep, and Carter felt more exhausted than he thought possible.

It didn’t matter what Daisy thought right now. He was going to be there for her and their daughter. He was going to be there when they both came home, and one way or another, he was going to make this whole damn situation work out.

And it wasn’t because he had to.

But because he wanted to.