“Nah, I’m a graduate of the school of hard knocks—and I’m a bartender. I get people, and I’ve seen them with you before we were together. It’s obvious they think the world of you.”

“Is it?” he asked, touched by her assessment.

“Yes, Kevin,” she said, laughing. “They adore you. Just give them some time and space to get used to the new reality. They’ll be fine and so will you.”

“That’s good to know.” Before he could lose his nerve, he said, “Come to my brother’s with me. You know everyone, and it’ll be fun.”

“It’s a family thing.”

“It’s a Gansett thing. Everyone is welcome. My brother loves you. He’d want you to come.”

“Your brother loves everyone.”

“True, but he’s got a soft spot for you, as you well know.”

“He’s adorable.”

“Don’t make me jealous.”

“Now you’re being ridiculous.”

“So you’ll come?”

“Sure, I’d love to.” She took a sip of her wine. “But only because he’s going to be there.”

It took Kevin a second to realize she was joking, and then he laughed. Today hadn’t gone as smoothly as he’d hoped, but she’d made him see that it was the first step in what would be a long journey for him and his sons as they adjusted to their new normal.

On the drive home from Alex and Jenny’s, David Lawrence relived the last six months of utter bliss with Daisy. After a couple of years spent putting his life back together from the mess he’d made of it, Daisy had come along right when he was beginning to feel normal again.

At that time, however, nothing had been normal for her. Her ex-boyfriend had beaten the hell out of her and might’ve killed her if Blaine Taylor hadn’t gotten to Daisy’s house when he did. David shuddered to think of what could’ve happened if Blaine had arrived even five minutes later.

He shuddered to think of what he would’ve missed out on with Daisy, whose sweet love had been a balm on the wounds he carried with him—most of them self-inflicted. The demise of his relationship with Janey McCarthy had nearly ruined him, not to mention the long and painful battle with lymphoma.

Those dark days were behind him now, and the most pressing thing on his mind lately was making his relationship with Daisy permanent. He’d been working for months with a jeweler on the mainland to create a one-of-a-kind ring for a one-of-a-kind woman, and he couldn’t wait to give it to her.