Love, After All: Part 4

The second date wasn’t at a fancy restaurant or even at Bound & Bejeweled. Instead, Daisy chose something simple—an evening stroll through the botanical gardens, where the scent of blooming jasmine lingered in the air.

Jimmie arrived early, hands in his pockets, waiting near the entrance. When Daisy walked up, dressed in a soft cream sweater and jeans, his heart did that now-familiar stutter.

“You ever been here before?” she asked, tilting her head up to meet his gaze.

“A long time ago,” he admitted. “Never really had a reason to come back.”

She smiled knowingly. “Well, now you do.”

As they walked, the conversation came easily, the way it always did. They talked about their childhoods—Jimmie, the middle child of a big family, always seeking his own path, and Daisy, an only child raised by a fiercely independent mother who taught her that love was a privilege, not a necessity.

“So, what did she think of your last relationship?” Jimmie asked.

Daisy sighed, running a hand over the petals of a hydrangea. “She liked him… until she didn’t. I think she saw the cracks before I did.”

Jimmie nodded. “My mom was the opposite. She told me from the jump that my ex wasn’t the one. I didn’t listen.” He laughed softly. “I should’ve.”

Daisy glanced at him. “Do you think we ignore those warnings because we want so badly to be right?”

Jimmie considered this before answering. “I think we ignore them because we don’t want to start over. Because ‘forever’ sounds a lot better than ‘alone.’”

Daisy stopped walking, turning to face him fully. “And what about now? Are you scared of starting over?”

Jimmie took a breath. “Not if it’s with the right person.”

Something in her chest tightened, but in a good way. A way she hadn’t felt in a long time.

They continued walking, and at some point, Jimmie reached for her hand. It wasn’t calculated or forced—it just felt natural. And when Daisy’s fingers laced with his, neither of them pulled away.

By the time they left the gardens, Jimmie knew something had shifted. This wasn’t just casual dating. This was something.

Something real.