Chapter 35: Awkward
"Are you…are you pouting?" Carol teased, stepping up behind Daryl in the kitchen and tucking her hand into his pack pocket. She gave his ass a squeeze, and he just about jumped out of his shoes.
"What? No," he snorted.
"C'mon, it's not that bad."
"It's dinner with your ex. And his ex. And her husband," he pointed out.
"I know," Carol said quietly. "But you're a part of my life, and I need Sophia's dad to know as more than just the guy he pulled over twice." Daryl turned then, and Carol pulled her hand out of his pocket. He placed his hands on her hips and leaned down to kiss her. "Besides, just think, starting Friday night, we're both off work and completely free to stay in bed and never leave the house." Daryl thought for a moment before he shrugged.
"So what's a couple hours?"
"Thought so," Carol laughed. The front door alarm beeped, signaling someone coming in, and Daryl looked up in surprise.
"Carol?" called a voice. Carol's eyes brightened and she took Daryl's hand.
"Come on, I want you to meet my boy," she beamed. Daryl squeezed her hand before letting go and stepping out into the hallway to see a boy of maybe eight coming down the hall. He practically barreled into Carol, and she stumbled back with a laugh. "Well, hi! I missed you, too!"
"Mom and Shane are coming. They're getting wine out of the car. Mom says even though she can't drink it, some people might need it to get through the night." Daryl let out a laugh, and Carl looked up at him, letting go of Carol. "Who are you?"
"Carl, this is my very good friend Daryl," Carol said softly. "Daryl, this is my son."
"Nice to meet you, Carl," Daryl said, extending his hand, because frankly, he didn't know how the hell to greet a kid that was looking at him like he was under a microscope. Carl considered the gesture for a moment before slapping his palm against Daryl's in a sort of high five.
"Are you guys good friends like Mom and Shane were good friends? 'Cause I know how that turned out." Carol blushed and bit back a laugh, and she shook her head.
"What's gotten into you?" she sighed. "Did you grow another inch? I swear you keep getting taller every time I see you."
"Probably. Mom made me eat all my broccoli last night before I could have dessert."
"Your mom's a smart lady," Carol pointed out.
"Why thank you," Lori laughed, stepping through the front door with a bottle of wine in her hands. Carol smiled and headed over to greet her. She gave her a quick hug as Shane stepped in behind him, and Daryl couldn't help but notice the guy looked like the poster model for the 24-hour gym across from the garage. He greeted Carol with a quick hug and handed her another bottle of wine.
"Wow, you two were dreading this night almost as much as Daryl, huh?" Carol laughed, waving Daryl over. She glanced at Carl. "Sophia's upstairs if you want to go say hi."
"Okay," Carl shrugged, hurrying up the steps two at a time to see his sister.
"Hey, I'm not dreading anything, and I for one am happy I get to enjoy this night completely sober. Is Rick here yet?"
"Nope. You know him. He's always fashionably late to any affair he doesn't want to be at."
"Daryl, good to meet you," Shane said with a nod.
"Yeah, you too." Daryl glanced at him and then at Lori, who was eyeing him with a curious grin.
"Wow," Lori chuckled. "It's nice to meet you."
"Wow, huh?" Shane snorted. "My wife, ladies and gentleman."
"Oh, shut up," Lori grinned, playfully slapping his arm. "The ring's on my finger, I'm pregnant with your kid, you're stuck with me."
"She's quite the romantic, ain't she?" Shane asked with a smirk. He ran his hand through his dark hair and looked at Daryl. "What is it you do, Daryl?"
"I, uh, work at a garage downtown. Do everything from oil changes to body work."
"That your bike out in the drive? It's sweet, man."
"Thanks." Daryl perked up a little. "Put a lot of work in that one."
"Been thinking of getting one of those for myself." Daryl glanced at Lori who rolled her eyes and shook her head. "She's not so fond of the idea."
"Yeah, I'd like to see you live to see the birth of our child, babe."
"They're safe. Right, Daryl? Tell her," Shane insisted. Daryl held his hands up and took a step back.
"I ain't gettin' in the middle."
"Smart. I can see why Carol likes you," Lori grinned.
"So, just so we don't make asses outta ourselves," Shane said slowly, "the kids don't know you two are, uh, seein' each other?"
"Sophia's getting used to Daryl coming over more often. We haven't told her we're dating yet."
"I don't think a five-year-old really cares about that though, do they?" Lori asked, cocking her head to the side. "I mean, I think at that age, they just see that mom's happy or dad's happy, and that's good, right?"
"Right," Carol said with a little nod, "but we're still giving it a little time. We want her to be completely comfortable with the idea when we tell her."
"Smart," Lori said. "Careful. I don't think that's a terrible idea. We were going to do that with Carl, until…"
"Until he forgot how to knock," Shane snorted. Lori nudged him in the ribs. Carol grinned, and she slipped her hand into Daryl's. He glanced over at her, and a little smile tugged at his lips. His cheeks turned pink, and Carol blushed too.
"I miss the party?" Everyone turned to see Rick step into the foyer with a bottle of wine of his own in hand. Daryl leaned in close to Carol.
"Think we're getting drunk tonight," he whispered. Carol snickered, and she gave his hand a squeeze.
"Nope, you're just in time," Carol announced to her ex-husband. "Hey, Rick."
"Hey, man," Shane greeted him with a pat on the shoulder. "Gotta say, Carol upgraded."
"Fuck off," Rick snorted, shoving his friend in the shoulder. Shane laughed and shoved him back, and Lori shook her head and looked to Carol and Daryl.
"See what I have to put up with?" she asked. Carol laughed and gave Daryl's shoulder a nudge. He wasn't much of a talker, and she knew this was probably not his first choice of how to spend an evening, but he was doing it for her. She made a mental note to make it up to him tonight. Maybe twice.
"Where are the kids?" Rick asked, as Carol took the bottle of wine from him.
"Um, upstairs. Sophia was watching a movie in her room, and Carl went up to see her. I'll call them down when it's time to eat."
"Carol, can I help you finish up dinner?" Lori asked.
"Yeah, sure," Carol smiled. Lori took the bottle of wine from Shane and followed Carol to the kitchen, leaving Daryl, Rick and Shane standing together in the hall. Carol cast a sympathetic glance over her shoulder at Daryl who looked like he wanted to crawl under the potted plant in the corner and hide. "Daryl, you want to—" But Shane jumped in to chat Daryl up before Daryl could make a break for it. Carol gave him one last guilty smile before disappearing into the kitchen with Lori.
"So, how long you two been seeing each other?" Shane asked. He folded his arms across his chest and looked at Daryl sternly like a protective big brother. Daryl glanced at Rick who was eyeing him curiously.
"Uh, a little over a month," Daryl said quietly.
"She's a good woman. Hell, even Rick ain't got anything bad to say about her, and they're divorced. Matter of fact, I'm startin' to think he's the problem in relationships. I mean…"
"Oh, shut up, Shane," Rick groaned. "You're an idiot." Shane grinned.
"Nah, I'm kidding. But Rick doesn't take too kindly to the new guys. He nearly beat the shit out of me when he found out me and Lori were a thing. I mean, we waited six months after they split, but still."
"He's a damn liar," Rick snorted.
"I still have the scar," Shane laughed. Daryl wasn't sure if he should laugh or sneak away, but when Shane clapped him on the shoulder, he realized there was no escape. "Hell, I'm gonna go get some air before dinner. Mind if I go take a look at your bike, Daryl?"
"Yeah, just don't touch it," Daryl offered with a smirk.
"Good man. Protect what's yours. Am I right?" He clicked his tongue at Daryl, and Rick groaned, covering his face with his hand. Shane headed outside, and Daryl was half-tempted to follow along, but Rick opened his mouth.
"He's an idiot. Don't listen to him." Daryl glanced at him. "You don't talk much, do you?"
"That a crime, too?"
"Hell," Rick muttered. "I know you don't like me, and I can't say you're my favorite person, but we don't know each other. And I know Carol wants us to get along. She's crazy about you, and I think she thinks you're gonna be around for a long time."
"I plan to be," Daryl said with a nod. "And the feeling's mutual. I'm crazy about her." Rick nodded for a moment. "I ain't goin' nowhere."
"Good, 'cause my little girl is crazy about you, and if you break her heart, you're gonna have me to answer to. Same goes with Carol. She deserves the best."
"She ain't your wife anymore," Daryl pointed out, a little harshly. Rick blinked in surprise, and Daryl toned it down a little. The last thing Daryl wanted was some cop ex-husband extending some macho warning to him, when his last intention was to ever hurt the woman he loved. But, he was mature enough to recognize that Rick did want what was best for Carol and their daughter. "Look, I ain't gonna get mad about somebody havin' their backs, but you don't have to worry. I'd never hurt her. And I'd never hurt Sophia. She's a great kid." Rick rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before a little chuckle escaped his lips.
"Went a little too hardass cop with that last bit, didn't I?"
"When you're a hardass cop, it probably comes natural," Daryl shot back. Rick grinned.
"I might deserve that."
"Yeah, you definitely deserve that." Daryl took a deep breath and relaxed a little more. It was clear that Rick was still having trouble adjusting to Carol moving on, but hell, could he blame him? Carol was amazing, and Daryl counted himself lucky to be loved by her.
"You hating every minute of this?" Rick asked.
"Yeah, but it's important to her," Daryl said with a little shrug. "I know it's important for Sophia, too." Rick nodded then, and he glanced over Daryl's shoulder to see Carol and Lori stepping out of the kitchen.
"Hey, guys. Supper's about ready," Carol offered with a smile.
"Where'd Shane go off to?" Lori wondered, looking around.
"Ah, he's outside drooling over Daryl's motorcycle," Rick snorted. "I'll go get him." He turned to leave, and Lori headed back to the kitchen. Carol raised an eyebrow at Daryl, and he stepped over to her, taking her hands in his.
"You ok?" she asked. "Sorry to leave you alone with them. Looks like Shane went and made things more awkward. Rick wasn't a complete asshole was he?"
"No, he ain't half as bad as I thought," Daryl shrugged. "Don't think we're gonna be best friends or anything, but I can think of worse things than havin' him lurkin' around at family functions for the rest of our lives." Carol's eyes widened, and a little smile peaked at her lips.
"The rest of our lives, huh? You're thinking about that?" Daryl blushed and ducked his head a little before leaning in to kiss her. When he pulled back, she bit her lip through a wide grin.
"Yeah. That ok?"
"Mmmhmm." She smiled. "That's more than ok." She sighed softly and kissed him once again. "I'll go get Sophia and Carl. Save me a seat at the table, ok?"
"Promise," he murmured. He watched her walk away, and he couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and he couldn't wait to do just that.
Author's Note: Hey guys! I know it's been a few days, but I hope this chapter was worth the wait! Thanks so much for reading, and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!