She watched him descend the steps, and her heart just ached while looking at him. She hadn't really allowed herself to look at the billionaire earlier, but now it was the opposite, and he was all she could suddenly see.
It had only been a couple of hours since she last saw him, but why did it seem like he was even more heartbreakingly gorgeous than she remembered? His midnight-black hair gleamed under the parking's florescent lighting, and while his tall, powerful form made her feel a lot smaller and weaker, his sleek, dark suit also made her painfully aware of how unkempt she would look next to him, with her old-fashioned hairnet and a juice-stained apron still tied around her waist.
The two of them were worlds apart, and the thought of marrying him suddenly felt crazier than ever. Even if there were no Theo to consider, shouldn't she have realized from the start that it couldn't ever work between them?
Self-contempt lashed Garion's rarely-bothered conscience as he took in the dark circles under her eyes and the stiffness of her posture. Daisy Rae had only been nervous but not uneasy when they first met. But today, she was clearly uncomfortable and wary in his presence, and he only had himself to blame for it.
He hadknownshe was different from the start. He had known that, dammit, but because he had still made the mistake of treating Daisy Rae like she was just another gold-digger after his fortune, he had ended up hurting her without meaning to.
"I'm sorry."
The apology, uttered in a voice that was rough with regret, had Daisy Rae jerking in shock.
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
Daisy Rae swallowed hard. "Was all of this some kind of joke to you?"
"No."His voice was fierce, and his hazel eyes unwavering in its intensity. "I was serious from the start, and I still am. You are the woman I want to marry—-"
"Then what did you mean about this morning being a test?" she asked tremulously.
"My son is remarkably mature for his age. He knows what he wants from a mother," Garion said tautly, "and everything he wants is what I want for him, too. That's why we both came up with the idea of testing whoever it was I plan to marry."
Daisy Rae's mind was spinning again. Everything he was saying seemed so...far-fetched, but then—-
Hadn't everything about this whole marriage business been surreal from the very start?
"Theodore was most concerned about whether or not you were the type to lose your temper easily—-"
Was that why the child had said and done all those horrible things?
"While I wanted to see if you were capable of placing my son's interest before yours. And you did prove that, when you chose to leave because you were worried Theo might cry himself sick."
Daisy Rae gnawed on her lip. "Does that mean you still had doubts about me, even after...everything?"
Garion's jaw clenched. "It wasn't that I doubted you, but I have Theo to think about..."
The sudden heaviness of his tone was unmistakable, and Daisy Rae had a feeling there was more to this than what he was telling.
"And there was also the promise I made to Theo's mother on her deathbed. Wendy asked me to find a woman who would be perfect for Theo and me...andyouare that woman, Daisy Rae."
Her tears started to fall at his words, and they fell even faster when she felt the tenderness in his touch as he gently wiped her tears away.
She wanted to believe him so, so badly, but because what happened this morning had opened up a can of worms, all she could suddenly think about was how pointless everything was. Even if what he said was true, wouldn't she end up losing him again, once she turned twenty-one?
Garion was caught off guard when Daisy Rae suddenly took a step back from him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ross," she said jerkily.
Something was clearly wrong. Something seemed to have spooked her, but what?
"I'm sorry," she said again. "But I...I d-don't think I'm that woman."
His jaw clenched as he watched her turn and walk away. It wasn't in his nature to simply do nothing, but his instincts were never wrong, and right now his guts were telling him that he had to have a plan before going after her.
****
EVERYBODY SEEMED EXTRAnice when Daisy Rae returned to the office, but when she tried to ask them if anything was up, they all suddenly found a reason to avoid talking to her and leave.