She saw it on the dogâs collar.
A tiny envelope. She touched it, feeling a small circular object. Oh, no. He couldnât have ⦠Her engagement ring.
Daisy opened it and a riptide of emotion engulfed her. Damn Reid for this visceral reminder of how much sheâd loved him.
âDaisy.â Reidâs voice came from behind, evocative and sensual. âOnce upon a time, a boy loved a girl and promised her the world. The girl accepted, returned the promise, and they were to live happily ever after.â
Before she could inhale another breath, Reidâs hands were on her shoulders. âNothing has changed, Daisy. I still love you and I still want to give you the world.â His arms came around her. âAll you have to do is say yes â¦â
* * *
The Colorado Fosters: Theyâd do anything for each other ⦠and for love!
Prologue
Less than two hours ago, Daisy Lennox had stood in front of her bedroom windows and breathed in the fragrant scents emanating from her motherâs flower garden. The softest of breezes whispered against her cheek with the promise that Steamboat Springs, Colorado, would be blessed with a beautiful spring day. A perfect day, in fact, for a wedding.
For her wedding.
Sheâd closed her eyes and savored the anticipation, as the excitement strummed through her body. By nightfall, she would be Mrs. Reid Foster. It seemed...incredible that this day had finally arrived, that her dreams were so close to becoming reality.
Falling in love with Reid had happened naturally. Effortlessly. Heâd been a part of her existence for almost as far back as she could remember, even if it had taken an absurd amount of time for him to view her as anything other than his best friendâs little sister.
Once he had, though, neither of them questioned their connection. And when heâd proposed last year, on the evening of her graduation from the University of Colorado, sheâd accepted without hesitation. She couldnât imagine her life without him.
With Reid, she felt whole. Reidâs love chased off the persistent sensation of not belonging, of not fitting in, of being the odd person out, that sheâd battled since childhood.
So, yes. When Daisy had awakened to sunny skies and a warm, fragrant breeze, with hope and delight bubbling in her veins, she had zero reason to believe that anything wouldâor couldâinterfere with her pure, soul-deep certainty of the future.
Unfortunately, fate had other ideas.
A broken, emotional confession from Daisyâs mother had shifted everything sheâd ever known to be true into a new reality. Thisâthe story her mother toldâwas the fodder for bad television, and not the life of a woman who was about to be married.
None of this could be real. Yet...somehow, it was.
Emptiness, engulfing and complete, overtook her prior joy. Her breaths came in jagged gasps and her body shook as she attempted to process the unimaginable.
âI know this is a shock,â her mother, Clara Lennox, said. She wrapped her arm over Daisyâs shoulder and drew her close. âAre you okay?â
Okay? No, she was most definitely not okay. She pulled free from her motherâs grasp, and as if on their own accord, her fingers reached for the wedding gown sheâd laid out on her bed that morning. She crumpled the silky fabric in her fist and tried to bring Reidâs face, his voice, his very presence, to mind. Tried to sink herself in his love for her, in hers for him.
âThat was a silly thing to ask. Of course youâre not okay,â Clara said. âHow could you be? But...do you think, once this settles some, youâllââ
âSettles? I canât imagine any of this settling in the near future.â Or ever.
âI understand. Iâm sorry for this, sorry for...all of it.â
Lifting her chin, Daisy looked at her mother. Her pale blue eyes were puffy from crying. Her fiery red hairâso like Daisyâs ownâhad been nervously tucked behind her ears while sheâd slowly, word by word, shredded the strands of Daisyâs identity.
On the morning of her wedding.
âWhy today? Why not yesterday or six months ago or when I was ten?â Daisy pushed out the questions, still unable to fully comprehend the magnitude of her motherâs confession. âWhy would you wait until what is supposed to be the happiest day of my life to tell me that...thatââ she swallowed the sobs choking her throat ââIâm not the person I thought I was?â