Her expression hardens. "Which one? Pushing me away or following me to New York?"
"The first one." I swallow hard. "Definitely the first one."
A businessman bumps past us, breaking the moment. Daisy glances around the busy lobby.
"We can't do this here." She gestures toward a quieter corner with plush seating. "Although I'm still not sure we should do this at all."
I follow her, aware of the space between us and the rigid set of her shoulders that used to relax around me.
"How did you even find me?" she asks once we're seated.
"Janet told Mom about your meetings. Mom gave me your hotel information." I hesitate. "I'm sorry for just showing up like this. I should have called, but I was afraid..."
"Afraid of what?"
"That you wouldn't want to talk to me. That you'd hang up. That you'd be right to do so."
Something in her expression softens slightly. "I had back-to-back meetings all day. Might not have answered anyway."
"How did they go?" I ask, genuinely wanting to know despite the more urgent matters between us.
Surprise flickers across her face at the question. "Really well, actually. BookWorld is excited about the forest friends concept. If the launch goes well, they're offering a multi-book contract."
"That's amazing, Daisy. You deserve it."
"Do I?" Her eyes search mine. "Because the last time we spoke, you made it pretty clear my dreams were impractical fantasies."
The deserved jab hits its mark. "I was wrong. So wrong." I lean forward, willing her to believe me. "I said those things because I was terrified."
"Of what?"
"Of this." I gesture between us. "Of caring about someone who had every reason to leave. Of not being enough to make you want to stay."
Her eyes widen slightly. "So you pushed me away first? Before I could leave on my own?"
"It sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud."
"It is ridiculous." But the ghost of a smile touches her lips. "And incredibly frustrating."
"I know." I take a breath, gathering courage. "The truth is, I fell in love with you, Daisy. With your stories and your kindnessand the way you see magic in everything. And it scared the hell out of me."
She's very still, her expression unreadable.
"I convinced myself it was better to end it cleanly than risk watching you realize the mountains weren't enough. That I wasn't enough." I meet her gaze steadily. "I was a coward."
"Yes, you were." Her voice is soft but firm.
"I don't expect you to forgive me. I just needed you to know the truth. That nothing about what we shared was a mistake." I pull her forgotten sketch from my pocket, smoothing its creases before holding it out to her. "It was the most real thing I've felt in years."
She takes the drawing, her fingers tracing the lines of Gordon the Mayor. "You kept this?"
"I found it in the blind after you left." The memory of those empty days twists in my chest. "I missed you. Every day. Every trail. Every moment."
Her expression softens.
"I had meetings all day with publishers," she says, changing direction. "About marketing plans, tour schedules, follow-up books."
My heart sinks. Of course. Her career is taking off, just as she deserves. "That's wonderful."
