The Fae Book 2: Burr and Daisy

Chapter 3: Absolutely Nothing Special

"She is," I agreed because she was a nice girl, but inwardly, I groaned. 

For whatever reason, Nan was a huge fan of Daisy's and was always pointing out her wonderful attributes to me, and she'd been doing this for years. She never talked up any other women to me; always just Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, and I never thought much about it since I mostly let what she said about my sister's friend go in one ear and out the other. There were a lot more interesting women to think about who actually captured my attention.

"Glad to hear you agree," and in her voice there was a wealth of meaning.

I tipped the beer to my lips. "Not sure what you're implying, Nan, but if you're trying to matchmake, it's not happening with Daisy and me."

"You just said she's a nice girl."

This wasn't the first time Nan had tried to push Daisy at me hard; it wasn't even the fourth time. I knew she didn't like the women I dated, but they were all stunningly attractive women that could have graced the covers of magazines -- and sometimes did. They were accomplished women who held multiple degrees, had six- or seven-figure incomes and could easily move among the highest echelons of society with me. I'd need that when I took over the family business from my father. I'd finally decided to leave the military life behind for good -- I'd been considering becoming a civilian contractor for them, teaching recruits certain skills I'd acquired -- but after many talks with my father, I'd decided to start working with him at the company, with an eye to one day taking it over from him in the next ten years.

So, knowing how persistent Nan was, I knew I needed to shut her down hard once and for all where Daisy was concerned so she'd stop trying to throw my sister's friend at me. No matter how much Nan wished otherwise, Daisy and I weren't going to happen. We'd fucked twice, but that wouldn't be happening again because I could see those stars in her eyes. It had freaked me out the first time we'd fucked, and it had freaked me out even more the second time we'd fucked. 

Most women got starry-eyed around me -- it was a fact and much of it was due to my powers and they didn't even realize why they were drawn to me like metal shavings to a magnet. But Daisy's starry eyes were different. They were intense and sincere and relentless, and she was punching way out of her league if she thought we'd ever end up together. She wasn't anyone I could seriously imagine myself with even if she tried to keep me in her sights whenever I was around.

"Yeah, Daisy's a nice girl," I scoffed. "And that's the most you can say about her, Nan, but nice isn't enough. You know I need someone worthy to stand beside me. A woman who's beautiful, intelligent, elegant, regal. Daisy doesn't even come close. She's absolutely nothing special to look at, has a little too much padding around the edges and she barely made it through high school. Not even close to good enough wife material for me. I need a queen, not a damn cook. Hell, even if I was desperate, I still wouldn't settle for Daisy. It'd be like breeding a thoroughbred with a donkey."

Two things happened almost at once. I could see the rage building on Nan's face. For some reason, she'd always been especially protective of Daisy, protective of her in a way that she wasn't with Raine or any of Harmony's other friends. 

But just as she opened her mouth to no doubt let loose on me, we both heard the sharp intake of breath from inside the house, right by the open back doors that led to the deck. It was a sound I'd never heard before and never wanted to again. It was the sound of a heart breaking.

My head twisted toward the noise, and there stood Daisy, her face etched in pain, clearly having overheard every single word I'd said.

Fuck.

Daisy turned and fled toward the front door and I took off after her, finally catching up to her at her car, where she was fumbling in her purse to get her keys.

"Daisy, just hold on!" I said, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face me.

Tears were leaving tracks down her face and my stomach clenched at the thought of the hurt I'd inflicted on her.

"Daisy, I'm sorry --"

"Don't you dare, Burr. Don't you dare try to apologize for that!" Her voice was shaky, but there was no mistaking the anger and hurt in her tone.

"Don't cry. Please don't cry. I didn't mean what I said."

"Oh, please!" she practically spat at me. "Of course you did. You meant every single vicious word you said about me and don't even bother trying to deny it. I heard you, Burr. I heard you!"

She swiped angrily at her face to wipe away the tears that just wouldn't stop.

"Daisy, please stop. Let me explain why --"

She laughed, then, and it was the most bitter sound I'd ever heard, and it was all the more surprising because Daisy was all bubbly happiness, not bitterness.

"There is no explanation for what you said except you have a miserable, shriveled heart inside of you that allows you to say such horrible things about another person who has never done anything to you."

"Daisy, it wasn't like that!" I protested, almost panicking because I had the strangest feeling that I was losing her when I'd never really had her, but the fairies in my ear were  in an uproar and they were all, every last one, chanting no! no! no! Considering how unusually quiet they'd been the last three months, since I'd walked out of Daisy's apartment, the sudden noise was startling.

She looked off in the distance, the corners of her mouth tipping up at some irony she was about to share.

"I've always known that I'm not in your league, Burr," she said quietly. "And today was the first time I didn't feel like that, so thank you. I just now realized that I would rather be exactly as I am, plain and nothing special, than be someone like you, beautiful and empty."

And then she bent her head, her hands clenched into tight little fists at her side, and I watched helplessly while Daisy cried and cried and cried without stopping. I reached out my hand to touch her arm, and she jerked away from me.

"Daisy, please stop crying," I pleaded with her. "Please stop. I'm sorry for what I said --"

And at that, her head shot up and she laughed. She laughed in my face.

"God, Burr, I'm not crying because of what you said about me! I'm crying because you just destroyed my illusions that you were a man worthy of my love all these years."

With one final swipe at her face, the tears slowed and she breathed a few times to calm herself before she got in her car and drove away.

I stood and watched her leave, and it took me a few minutes to realize the fairies had gone completely, mysteriously silent. 

It would be a long time before they spoke to me again.