Chapter Sixty One
Daryl expected Piper's reaction. She tried to play it cool for all of thirty seconds and then she lost her damn mind. She was stunned and then she was about to bounce out of her boots. Carol had been right about Sophia though. She was all smiles as Piper gushed over the car. She didn't look jealous or morose. She was genuinely happy for the other girl and that said a whole damn lot about her character. He shared a look with Merle and Buck and he could tell that they felt the same way.
"We can share," Piper said excitedly. "You can have it... on Sundays."
Sophia laughed. "Sundays?"
"Yeah, you can drive it to church or wherever else squares like you go on Sundays," she grinned and ran her hand lovingly over the hood, then she scowled and took the hem of her shirt and wiped at the spot like she had just damaged something sacred.
"I'm always with you on Sundays," Sophia said with a grin, unable to take her eyes off the car.
"That's right. I forgot that you're a very corruptible square," Piper said absently.
"How about you just chauffeur me around. I have a feeling if I put a scratch on it, I'd wake up stabbed."
Piper looked like she had to think about it for a while but then she shook her head firmly. "No, I'm serious. If you ever need it, you can take it."
This had everyone going silent. Daryl was as shocked as everyone else. It just proved how important the girl's were to each other and it was great because Piper hadn't ever had a female friend in her life. It was healthy for her to have someone so close that wasn't Damon.
"Thanks, Piper," Sophia said, sincerity in her voice.
"But seriously, if you scratch it, I'll kill you."
Sophia nodded with a grin. "Noted."
The sound of another car rumbling towards them had everyone looking up and Daryl felt his nerves start to fray all over again. If she didn't like this car he'd just sell it and get a different one. He didn't know why he felt like his whole relationship with the girl was riding on this but for some reason he did.
Piper's mouth dropped open and then she looked up sharply, meeting Daryl's eyes. He gave her a quick nod and then she was grinning. Sophia was watching the Impala approach but he couldn't really read her reaction to it. Once it was parked behind Piper's car Damon hopped out of the driver's seat.
"You got a new car too?" Sophia asked, her smile genuine and her eyes dancing. She looked over at Piper. "I hate to say it but I like his car better."
Daryl blew out a relived breath and Carol glanced up at him with a smile.
"Blasphemy! I should wash your filthy mouth out with holy water," Piper grumbled, running her hand over the hood of her car again.
Damon just grinned, taking his time walking towards the rest of them. He made a great show of handing her the keys.
She looked at them and then back up at Damon. "I get to drive it?"
Daryl rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It's yours. Do whatever the fuck you want with it."
She looked over, her eyes the size the saucers. "What?" She asked, shaking her head like she was sure she had heard him wrong.
He felt the need to explain. "It ain't custom built or nothin', like Piper's car. We had to just buy it but I thought it suited you pretty well so I thought it would be alright to just get it. If you don't like it then we can just- Oomph." She slammed into him with the force a Mac truck, knocking him into the bricks and giving him no choice but to wrap an arm around her.
"You guys bought me a fucking car!" She yelled.
"Sophia!" Carol looked at her, her eyes wide and disapproving for all of five seconds before she was forced to hide her smile behind her hand. "Watch your mouth."
"Not just me and your mom. Buck and Merle were in on it too. It was last minute." He felt flustered now but he was relieved that she seemed pretty happy about it.
She grinned up at him and then her arms went around his neck, hugging him even harder, forcing him to hug her back. "You didn't have to do this," she muttered into his shoulder.
He shrugged, or tried to anyway. "You earned it. You put up with a whole lot of shit, kid."
"Thank you," she mumbled, her voice catching slightly.
He chuckled. "Don't tell me you're a sap like your mama."
"I'm not," she said, but when she pulled away she had to swipe her fingers under her eyes. She looked down at the keys in her hand and then shook her head again. "Can I drive it? Like, right now?"
He nodded. "Figured you all would end up out at the lake or somethin'."
She grinned, kissed him quickly on the cheek and then attacked Carol with the same enthusiasm. Merle and Buck were next and even though they had reassured him, they looked as relieved as he felt that she seemed to be so excited about the damn car.
He knew where he stood with Carol. Despite his flaws, or maybe even because of them, the woman loved him. He could see it in every move she made. He was confident that there was nothing that could shatter that. But Sophia was different. He knew she was happy for her mom. He knew that she was in a better place now than she ever had been before. But he wasn't sure if she was okay with him as a person or just okay with him being the one to take them away from the hell they had lived in before. He wanted a relationship with her that was their own. Not just because he was with her mom and she didn't have a choice but to put up with him. It was an odd place for him to be in his head because he usually didn't give a fuck who approved of him.
He didn't want to jump into any kind of father role. Hell, she was pretty much grown. But he wanted to be more to her than just her mom's man and her brother's dad. He just wasn't sure how to get there with her.
"Hey."
He glanced down just as Carol wrapped an arm around his waist.
"What are you thinking about so hard?" She asked with a smile.
He shrugged. "She likes the car."
Carol rolled her eyes. "Of course she likes the car. You underestimate her. She would appreciate anything you did for her just because she isn't used to having a man in her life that would. She's never had a father, even though Ed was always there. It was like he hated her. Even when she was just a baby. That's why I was always careful not to have anymore."
He shook his head, his stomach turning. How the fuck could a man feel that way about his own kid? Hell, he was a fucking stone cold killer and he loved the fuck out of his kid already and it wasn't even done baking yet. It took a different kind of evil to be that fucking cold. The thought pissed him off and, not for the first time, he couldn't help but wonder why the hell Carol stayed with the man. But he wasn't going to bring that up. Everyone had skeletons in their closet and she was entitled to hers. God knew he had a walk in full of them.
"Okay, so, the kids are gone now so you get a free pass, but we have to tell everyone eventually. Have you decided when?"
He nodded and pulled her closer. "Yeah. When Sophia gets home tonight you can tell her about it and then I'm gonna just make a phone call and it'll all be taken care of."
She laughed. "A phone call?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna call Merle and then he'll pass it along. We can turn all our phones off and then not answer the door for a few days and then by the time we show our faces, people will have forgotten all about it."
"And when did you come up with this?" She asked, raising a brow.
"Just now."
"Come up with what?" Merle asked.
Carol jumped in surprise and Daryl groaned. "Nothin' nosy ass."
Merle snorted and looked like he was about to say something but then narrowed his eyes and bellowed, "Buck!"
Daryl winced. "Goddamn you loud mouth bastard," he hissed.
Merle just watched him until Buck showed up, glancing between the three of them.
"What the hell you hollerin' about, boy?" Buck asked.
Merle nodded towards Daryl. "He's done somethin' that he ain't wantin' us to know about. It can't be the baby cause we know about that but it's something big. I can tell."
Buck narrowed his eyes but Daryl looked away, focusing on the crowd. He glanced back up and now Buck's arms were crossed over his chest and he was scowling. "What's goin' on?"
"Oh for Christ's sakes," Carol mumbled. "A few days ago Daryl and I went to the-" Daryl clamped a hand over her mouth.
"We... er... were gonna tell you that we were thinkin' about... getting dog," he said quickly.
Merle and Buck shared a look before Merle grabbed Carol and pulled her away from him. Daryl ran a hand through his hair, locking eyes with her and shaking his head. She sighed. Merle pulled her back a little further, using her as a shield, his big hand covering her stomach. "Come on, little sister. Tell us the truth," he muttered, his eyes never leaving Daryl's.
Carol bit her lip. "We were thinking about getting a dog," she said automatically.
She gave it a shot but Daryl knew it was too late. He reached into his pocket and then slipped the ring onto his finger. He handed her her own and she put it on sheepishly. She looked guilty.
"There. That's the big secret, assholes," he grumbled.
Merle picked up her hand with his free one and turned it this way and that, whistling low. "You... Holy shit," he muttered.
"Why the hell didn't you tell us?" Buck asked, looking quite offended.
"Because you all make a big deal out of every damn thing I do," Daryl said quickly. "And if we'd told you that we'd decided to do it then you would have told June and then she woulda been makin' all these dumb ass plans. It wasn't worth it. So we went to the courthouse and we did it the way we wanted to do it and that's how it is."
"She's gonna kill you," Merle said, tapping his fingers on Carol's stomach absently. "Like, I'm talkin' blood and guts and castration. That woman is gonna fuck you up, brother." He rested his chin on Carol's shoulder, his brow furrowed and his fingers still tapping her belly.
Daryl huffed, grabbed Carol's hand, pulling her back into him. "Quit tappin' on my kid," he grumbled.
Buck and Merle both grinned but Merle's didn't last very long. Andrea showed up just then, smiling sweetly at the two men before she glanced at Carol. It took her all of three seconds to spot the ring, gasp and then grab Carol's hand to lead her away to do whatever the hell it was women did when they got all gushy over shit. That left him to face Merle and Buck on his own.
"So you really did it, huh?" Buck grinned and slapped him on the back, causing him to wince.
He nodded. "Figured there wasn't no sense in not doin' it."
Buck's smile faded and he held Daryl's gaze for a long time. "You know that I've supported every decision you've made since meeting them girls."
Daryl nodded and swallowed hard.
"And I didn't give you no grief over the baby. Matter of fact, I don't think I could be any happier over that. But he wasn't somethin' that you planned. It happened and I'm glad it did. But this, this is a big deal. This is somethin' that you shouldn't have just done on a whim. I love you, but if you come to the conclusion that you ain't ready to step up to the plate, after you done put a ring on her finger, I'm gonna beat your ass boy. You hurt them girls and you'll be in a world of pain for it."
He scowled. Why the hell did people think he would ever do anything like that? He'd sowed his wild oats. Hell, he'd even circled around and sowed them again. He wouldn't wake up one day and decide that he wasn't able to handle this life. He could handle it. Maybe things moved quick but he was okay with that. Carol and Sophia were okay with that. "You think I'd do that to her? To them?" He asked, anger lacing his words.
Merle shoved his hands into his pockets and watched Daryl and Buck face off without a word.
"I don't think you'd ever aim to. I just wish you woulda given it some thought."
"I did," Daryl growled.
"Did you?" Buck countered.
"What the fuck is this about, Buck?" Daryl asked, searching his father's eyes.
Buck shook his head. "I want you to think about things before you do them. You ain't always been too good at that. I know you mean well now but Goddamn."
"He ain't gonna fuck this up," Merle said suddenly, surprising Buck and Daryl both. "He loves her and he loves the girl and this is the best fuckin' thing that's ever happened to him and he knows it. He's gone about it all the way I'd expect him to. Ass backwards. But he'd eat a bullet before he did somethin' to cause either one of them any grief. Back the fuck off the boy, Buck."
Daryl's eyes widened but he understood what was happening. Buck was a damn good father as far as Daryl was concerned but he had spent a good portion of their life, after their mama had died, in and out of prison and on the road. Merle was the one that raised Daryl when Buck wasn't around. Hell, Merle had been around for quite a few more years than Buck had. Merle knew him better than anybody else and he wasn't about to hear someone, even their father, question Daryl's intentions when it came to Carol. Daryl knew it because Merle loved her too. Not the same way Daryl did but it was there all the same. And if he thought that Daryl wasn't one hundred percent when it came to his relationship with her, then Merle would have beaten the shit out of him already.
Buck sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright. I get it. Goddamn, reign it in. I just wanna make damn sure."
"He's damn sure," Merle said, thawing out. He threw an arm over Daryl's shoulders and steered him away. "Now it's time to break the news to June."
"Fuck," Daryl grumbled but let Merle lead the way anyway.