Small Town Sweetheart

Willow Harrington || 25 I'm just trying to find my way through life without the person I thought would always be around to help navigate...

[willow-harrington]

millicentparker‌:

Millie had walked in for flowers and a possible ass chewing. But what she didn’t bargain for was having Willow Harrington breakdown in tears on her. Was Millie that horrible of a person? Was she a tear magnet? Sure, a few of her kids in her class had cried around her a couple of times, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t because of something she did…Okay, Billy Daniels…yes. That kid had it coming with as many times as he had made Millie almost lose her shit, but that was besides the point. However, it was in that moment, that the teacher remembered that Willow was human too and must have been dealing with some pretty hard stuff, if she was crying in front of one of the people she had despised.

“Hey, uh…Okay, there’s tears. Did not expect tears, but no need to apologize. Everybody has those days. I had one just last week…” And she had. She had contemplated her life and how she ended up where she did with a bottle of wine and the saddest music she could find on Spotify. “Do you need me to do something? To get you anything?” She glanced around the shop for some tissues, but only came across a roll of Bounty. Walking over to the paper towels, she ripped one off and brought it back to Willow, “I’m sure if this is good for spills, it’s good for tears.” A soft, uneasy smile rested on her lips as she passed the paper towel over to the other woman.

The need for flowers had fallen by the wayside as she waited for Willow to confess the reasons for the tears. Millie’s aunt would have been proud of her compassion in this moment and would have understood why flowers weren’t as important as they once were.

“I swear I don’t do this all the time, you can ask my other customers, I just...” On most days Willow was a cheery person towards the people spending money in her shop. She did everything she could to keep up a nice atmosphere and it usually helped with her own heartache. All she had to do was smile at a little old lady and her day would get better. But she supposed Millie was right, everybody had these days. That didn’t mean she felt any less bad about it. “It’s the damn card. If I had just not read the stupid card it would have been fine.” Her eyes lifted to the card she’d left on the counter, Willow’s fingers going to the wedding ring she’d yet to take off to start twisting it around on her finger absentmindedly. Fresh tears started to spill over as the words repeated once more in her mind and Justin’s face appeared. 

She looked up at the other woman when Millie offered her the paper towel, hesitant to take anything from her. The two had never gotten along before so she wasn’t sure why the woman wasn’t telling her to get over it or something. Maybe she wasn’t as bad Willow had initially thought. Sighing, she took the paper towel from Millie and tried to wipe away the remnants of the tears and the make up that had run because of them. “Thank you.”

She supposed she owed the girl an explanation. It wasn’t everyday a person would walk into a shop and have the owner burst into tears while trying to explain the elegance of purple lilies. “I lost my husband not too long ago.” Willow wouldn’t look at Millie as she spoke, the girl biting down on her bottom lip before continuing. “The card was for a woman from her husband and it just kind of hit me differently today.”

[willow-harrington]

[willow-harrington]

callummoore‌:

There was something that Callum had always loved and respected about Willow. And there had always been a small flame for her barely flickering in the background of his life, but enough to make a difference. Enough to make him genuinely care for the woman, especially when he saw his best friend (and her husband) get blown apart by a bomb some child had been brainwashed to set by the enemy of the US. Not only had Callum lost his brother that day, but he watched a child lose his life, because some coward of a man was too fucking selfish to give up his own life for the cause, and instead, had decided he should remain balls deep in some rando woman fulfilling a virgin fetish he was more than likely harboring, “Never grow out of it. This world is harsh enough as it is, and to lose that would be a tragedy.” He didn’t want to tell her how cold the world really was. She had been through enough in her own personal life to need not know what life was really like on the outside of the town they lived it.

Returning a soft smile to her, when he felt her rub his arm, Callum cleared his throat before speaking up once more, “And you’re right. My dad is a dick. He’d make the perfect mayor of Dickville. I might just have to buy him an honorary plaque and key to hang up in his office.” The man knew that word would probably get back to his father via the old gossipy hens still nosing in his and Willow’s business. He remembered their faces from church and knew that they provided the inside scoop to all the congregation when something or someone big stirred up trouble in the town. Willow’s sister had probably been the hot topic of current Sundays, but now that Callum was around, her name would float away into oblivion and former army boy would make it in the local gossip column.

As he continued to side-eye the women, he listened to Willow explain herself. He was glad he was someone she felt comfortable enough to trust. She never needed to lie around him, “I’m grateful you feel comfortable enough to just be honest with me. Never think you have to lie. I may not be one of your girlfriends or your sister, but I’m here, okay? I’ll give it to you straight, if you can give it to me straight.” Just as she had done previously, he reached out his own hand and gave her shoulder a caring squeeze, “Of course, I can’t guarantee this will stay between us, since there are some rather nosy hens pecking around in your flower shop. They must be looking for a grub to choke down.” His voice was much louder than it had been, and it sent the ladies scurrying out the door showing their distaste as they left.

Callum lowered his hand and grinned at successfully removing the problem in a non-violent way, “I think I just might have caused you to lose some business, but you don’t want their money. They’re just trying to get all up in your business, so they have something to talk about at church on Sunday, besides just me.”

A small smile passes over her lips, fleeting, as he basically tells her not to lose her kindness. It was a nice compliment and good to know that he didn’t mind her random hugging and slight touches of comfort so that she didn’t feel bad trying to get a little closer to him. It was just nice to have someone who she wasn’t uncomfortable showing a little affection to after losing almost everyone she had cared about. Once the topic came back to his father though she felt her lips narrow into thin strips as she pursed them together, and she found herself staying quiet so she didn’t egg on the agitation towards the other man, especially considering she didn’t know him all that well in the first place; just the stories she’d heard from Callum and Justin over the years.

“I know, and it doesn’t matter if you’re one of my girlfriends. I don’t talk about it much to them anyway..in fact, you’re probably one of the only ones in my life who really knows what I’m going through.” And it was true. Daisy has had her fair share of heartbreak with Jack and some of her friends were divorced but she didn’t know anyone else who had lost their soulmate in a way that meant they were never going to be there to even annoy you anymore. Nobody knew what it was like to lose the one person you thought would be yours for the rest of your life. But Callum knew what it was like to lose a best friend and it was close enough for her to feel that connection to him forever.

Willow was about to continue but he had started talking again, that small genuine smile that seemed to be reserved just for him started to tug at the corners of her mouth as his voice rose for the older women to hear. She didn’t want to look like she was laughing at them but she couldn’t help the amusement she was getting from the situation. “They don’t usually buy much anyway. I think they just show up to get the dirt…and by that I mean gossip, not soil. So I guess I should be thanking you.”

[willow-harrington]

daisy-harrington‌:

Daisy hadn’t realized just how much she had missed her sister, until they started talking about life in general and the challenges it had posed for both of them. Sure, there had been many days she just wanted to pick up the phone and call her. Reminisce and act like things had never happened and that they were still teenagers picking on each other, while at the same time sticking up and caring for one another. But that’s not how things had turned out for the pair, and Daisy knew that it was her fault. She was the one who had left without giving her sister or her parents so much as a goodbye. But how could she when she knew she had a kid on the way. Willow had always been the image of perfection. Daisy didn’t want to mess that up. She couldn’t mess that up, because she knew none of her family deserved the pressures she would bring down on them.

Reaching her hands up to grasp her sister’s arms, the youngest Harrington felt safe and felt like she was home. Ace would love it here. He would love Willow. They were going to be the perfect little family of three. And maybe, just maybe, she would invite her parents over to come meet their grandson, when she was ready. But it was baby steps. She hadn’t even introduced him to Willow yet.

“God, I missed you.” Looking at her sister through teary eyes, she pulled the woman into a tight hug refusing to let her go. At least for a good minute or two. Daisy was beginning to feel like a future was possible again. Like she would be able to be a good mom and make a good life. It would take her some time to get back on her feet, but being with Willow was a good start. However, she knew she her sister had some of her own deep seated issues to deal with. There was something she was keeping from Daisy, and the young woman wanted to know.

Pulling away, she wiped away the tears that had managed to stream down her cheeks during their embrace. Eyes set on her sister, Daisy spoke, “So you know the gist of where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to, but what about you? You’ve got this amazing house…your business, which I promise, we will sell the shit out of some flowers, and not to be nosy…but where’s Justin?” She had suspected whatever was going on wasn’t good. Daisy had never seen her sister without the boy, who was obviously now a man, at her side. They were soulmates, and it didn’t make sense that he wasn’t embracing Daisy in open arms as well.

“I missed you too, you little nightmare. And even if you don’t think they did, mom and dad missed you a lot. Mom...really hasn’t been the same since you left.” And it was true. The pair’s mother had been lost when the family realized that Daisy had vanished. she had blamed herself for the youngest of the sister’s running away and never really fully recovered without knowing if the girl was still alive or not. And Willow had done her best to try and make things better for the older woman but nothing could replace losing a child. The hug her sister had pulled her in was reciprocated with no hesitation and Willow found herself truly smiling when the two pulled away from each other. A genuine smile hadn’t lit up her face in quite some time so she was sure that if she kept it up her facial muscles would start to hurt soon.

But as soon as the thought had hit her mind Daisy brought that smile back down to a sad frown by mentioning Justin. Her face started to heat up and raw emotion started to claw it’s way to the surface, seizing it’s opportunity to finally be let out. But it wasn’t like Willow to let people see her in a state other than perfect so she pushed that emotion down, the blonde raising her head slightly to try and force the tears threatening to fall back down.

“Actually...Justin um, he enlisted in the army when he turned eighteen and unfortunately on his last tour in Iraq he was killed in action. A bomb detonated and he had been too close.” The words were clipped, Willow hating every one of them as they left her lips, and she found herself turning away from her sister to try and busy herself with cleaning up the mess she had made once again. A broom and dustpan was in her hands in no time before she went on while not meeting Daisy’s eyes. “We had just gotten married about a year before it happened and...I had to move to get away from a lot of the stares and uncomfortable murmurings and it’s just been me and the business ever since.”

[willow-harrington]

millicentparker:

Flowers. Flowers. She needed flowers. Something pretty, but not morbid. Morbid was too…overrated at a funeral. But colorful would be too lively? Geeze, she sucked at this. Funerals weren’t Millie’s thing, but she had promised her parents she would make an appearance. She just needed something to show her sympathy first. Of course the best place in town for flowers had been at Willow’s Flower Shop; the woman Millie swore she would never touch with a ten foot pole.

She had seen the woman’s judgey blue eyes staring her down from across the Walmart produce section as she flicked the watermelons and squeezed the peaches looking for the right purchase. At least Millie hadn’t been shoving her nasty ass, fake nail into the fruit to see if it was juicy, like most people did. But that was besides the point. Today was about her dead aunt, and she needed flowers.

“Okay, Millie…she’s not Satan’s mistress here to take your soul…she just sells flowers…” It was low enough not to be audible, but it didn’t help her nerves that Willow was nearby. Sucking up her pride, she slowly advanced on the woman and cleared her throat, “Ahem…hey there…Willow, right? Um, I’m looking for some flowers for a, uh, funeral…Just something nice. Not bright and flashy, like ‘oh my funeral flowers are better than your funeral flowers’ just…something to show that I care…” Was this awkward? Hell yeah! And would Millie treat herself to an ice cream after this for adulting, like, so hard? Can I get another hell yeah?!

It had been a long stressful day as Willow went through the motions of setting up for a wedding that was happening in just a week. It seemed like everything was going wrong with the hundreds of flowers that she was supposed to have ready and her stress levels were causing her blood pressure to rise dramatically. That, coupled with the slew of stressful customers she had already dealt with that day, was why Willow’s patience was thin and her eyes were wet with un-shed tears. The icing on the cake of this horrible day was the very moment that Willow set eyes on Millicent Parker walking through the doors of her shop.

Willow wanted so badly to just tell the girl to leave. What was she doing in a flower shop anyway? Millie didn’t seem like the type of person who would need petunias for her garden. Trying to ignore her, the blonde went to work on a bouquet she was making for a husband who was just being a nice guy, her eyes lingering on the card he had left to go with it, until she heard the other woman clear her throat to get Willow’s attention. 

Her head snapped in Millie’s direction and as she listened she felt those white hot tears starting to resurface to her eyes. She didn’t know if it was the stress of the day, the card laying in front of her from an adoring husband, or the fact that Millie kept saying the word funeral that was making her finally lose it but something made the dam inside of her break open. “F-funeral...right, uh...” Tears started streaming down her face as she turned towards a few arrangements she had pre-made for occasions like this and ran her hands along the petals of some purple lilies. “I would go with these. Um..c-classic but not plain boring white.” She looks up at the other girl as her voice breaks. It’s not often that Willow loses it but this day had broken her. She was a mess as she finally gave in to the tears and sat down on the edge of the window sill next to her. “I’m sorry. This is so unprofessional.”

[willow-harrington]

callummoore:

He hadn’t expected the hug, but it was nice. The only person that had really hugged him since he had returned home had been his mom. He loved her hugs. Cherished them more than he did before he had left. In fact, Callum cherished a lot of things more than he had in the past. Facing death did that to you. Made you more grateful for the people and things around you, even if you didn’t always show it with all the other fucked up shit floating around in your brain.

“Wow…Didn’t expect a hug, but, uh, thanks.” His smile remained as he awkwardly straightened out the wrinkled t-shirt he had been wearing for the past two days. “And, yeah, Dad’s not too much of a bragger since his only fuck up…sorry, screw up of a son returned home on discharge.” Willow was an old friend and someone he was comfortable around. But the army had made him question his manners often. Plus, it didn’t help that the two old biddies glaring holes through him made him feel even more awkward.

Letting his eyes shift between them and Willow, Callum forced back the lump that was forming in his throat, “I mean do you want me to lie and say I’ve been great? It’d be the easier answer, but we both know that complicated is my middle name.” He laughed. His sense of humor was still intact, just a little drier than before. After all, with all the things he had seen, not much seemed to phase him anymore, unless it was war related. That’s where things really seemed to get interesting, and not in a good way. “What about you? How’ve you been doing? Word on the street is that Daisy’s back home? What’s that been like?”

“Guess I haven’t grown out of my ‘too close for comfort’ phase.” She gives him an awkward smile with a shrug of her left shoulder. But her smile faded as he continued with his sort of explanation of why she hadn’t heard he was even back in town. Callum’s dad had always been a bit of a jerk to him and she;d always hated hearing the stories of his misfortunes at home and if there was one person she would choose to take out of this town it would have been Callum’s father. “You’re not a screw up.” With a sigh she reaches out and subconsciously gives his hand a gentle touch. “Your father is just...excuse my language, but he’s a dick and we all know it.” 

At least Callum was being honest with his answer to her. Whenever the question of how she was doing came up the blonde usually shrugged it off and said she was doing fine...just fine. It was the easy way to go, making it so that she didn’t have to face her issues head on, and sometimes she even believed it herself. But here he was being blunt and facing the issues he had with humor. It was something she admired about the army vet. It was something she was extremely jealous of as well. “You know you never have to lie to me.” It was a quiet statement she made as she brought a hand up to rub her arm.....quiet and ironic considering she was planning on doing just that with him.

“I’m..I’m doing okay.” Biting her bottom lip, she looks up at him again. Why she was lying to him she had no idea. If anyone would understand it would be the man standing in front of her. Sighing, she shakes her head softly. “Okay, so that’s a lie. I’m basically ignoring all of my problems and hiding away in this store every day so that I don’t have to feel the things that I’ve been denying feeling since the funeral. My sister shows up out of the blue with an eight year old kid I’ve never met. And I’m pretty sure I’ve become a sad, bitter, old woman at the age of twenty-five. So there’s that.”

[timbllr]

[willow-harrington]

callummoore:

He hadn’t been back for too long. In fact, most of the time since he had been back, he had been spending his time hidden away at home or drinking away his sorrows. Daytime had become a thing of the past, well, up until today. Mother’s Day had come and gone, and Callum had felt horrible for not getting his mom anything or celebrating her the way he should have, but she had forgave him. His dad, on the other hand, not so much. In the old man’s eyes Callum was becoming disrespectful, and Mother’s Day was just the cherry on top to light the fuse of yet another argument between both of the Moore men. It also was the excuse that Callum needed to finally see the light of day.

Flowers had always been something he knew his mom enjoyed, and he knew just the place to get them. Willow had always had the best selection in town. However, Callum knew that even going there would be tough considering the woman who owned the shop had been his best friend’s wife. The best friend he just happened to watch die in an IED Explosion while on his last tour. But the funny thing about life was, that no matter how much you wanted it to stop, it just kept going on its own.

Stepping into the store, the young former soldier nodded to the old women who had already started gossiping as soon as he walked in. Ignoring them as best he could, he let his eyes scan the room full of roses, daisies, and other various flowers until he heard an old familiar voice speak his name. And just like that, he felt his mouth go dry and his cheeks grow red. She had spotted him and there was no way avoiding her now. 

Turning to face Willow, he let a soft, but sad smile fall over his scarred features, “Hey Willow…How ya been…”

Conflicting emotions bubbled up inside of her when Callum spoke. Heartache, relief, affection, embarrassment...it was all swirling around inside of her at once and the blonde was overwhelmed. Despite all of that though she gave the man a strained smile before moving forward and taking him into her arms. Maybe it wasn’t appropriate but she felt like hugging him could somehow bring in a whole new connection to the man she had lost not long ago; an entirely selfish thought that left her feeling ashamed.

Pulling away, her eyes met his, the blue orbs sparkling with un-shed tears that she somehow kept at bay. “God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to invade your personal space I just....it’s really good to see you is all. I haven’t heard much about how you were doing since I stopped receiving...well, letters from him.” Clearing her throat, her hand came up to rub the back of her neck as her she turned to look at the gossiping women. She had every mind to throw them out of the store with the way they were gawking at the two, totally unashamed.

“How have you been?” She bit her lip when she looked back at him, the nerves and awkwardness filling her once again. As much as she loved seeing him Callum just reminded her so much of Justin that it hurt. “I tune them out usually so I don’t know the latest gossip.” Willow was unabashed in the way she gestured to the old ladies, speaking loud enough for it to be certain that they heard her. She heard shuffling as the women scrambled to move away from them and rolled her eyes at Callum.

[willow-harrington]

Shopping trips these days were the bain of Willow’s existence. Not only did she have to force that fake smile of hers constantly to please the older customers of her shop but she also had to listen to the rumors flying around about her as she shopped. The people of her neighborhood had become quite the chatty cathy’s lately and couldn’t keep the Harrington name out of their mouths. Between Willow keeping to herself, the mysterious single flower girl becoming her name, and her sister showing up out of the blue with a child the old biddies had been enjoying themselves quite a bit lately at her expense.

She had been trying to ignore the shrill voices trying to be hush while examining the produce when something caught her attention. ‘I hear he was medically discharged’ ‘He doesn’t look like he’s hurt does he?’ They were definitely onto a new subject and Willow couldn’t help but raise her head to take a look. It came as a shock to her when she recognized the face. “Callum?” The name came from her lips before she could stop herself. The blonde almost felt like hiding when the older women turned in her direction but instead she just gave them a small smile before moving towards her husbands best friend. “Callum Moore?”

[willow-harrington]

daisy-harrington:

“Flowers? Wow. I remember you and mom used to garden, but I didn’t know you were that passionate about it.” Actually there were a lot of things Daisy didn’t know. It had been nearly eight years since she had seen her sister. She still looked the same. Slightly older, but as gorgeous as always. However, her eyes were different and something about her seemed…sad. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but judging by the lack of Justin being around, Daisy figured it had to do with that. “I did notice the flowers out front though. You guys always kept mom and dad’s house looking like something out of a Home & Garden magazine.” She smiled, before taking another drink.

School. Daisy had thought about going back to school. Plenty of times. She knew she would have to get her GED before she could ever consider college, but being able to find a better job was something she had longed for. A better future for her and Ace, “What’s she going for? Must be nice. You know, I’ve thought about college…It’d be some community college. Nothing special. Gotta get my GED first.” Her words were somewhat sarcastic. She knew she had screwed up her own future, and, in her mind, would never be anything great or special. That’s why she was determined to be such a great mom.

“Cash registers are my forte. I know nothing about flowers, but I know numbers and counting down a register. Also, pretty good at selling people things they don’t need, but think they need.” Daisy seemed proud of that fact. It was when Willow had mentioned that she hadn’t told her anything about Ace, including his name, that her expression changed, “Wow…Reveal to you that I have a kid, and I don’t even tell you his name…” She forced back that lump that had quickly formed in her throat. Ace had been her proudest accomplishment, but yet, for some reason, revealing a lot about him, scared her; the belief looming in her head, that somehow he would be partly in blame for Daisy leaving. Sitting her glass down, she gave her full attention to her sister. It was time, she knew more about her son, “So his name is Ace Matthew, last name not important because his dad is a piece of shit. And unfortunately, Ace knows that. He’s seven. Pretty rambunctious, but really freakin’ smart. He likes music and learning about animals. He’s been begging me for a dog, which I just can’t get for him right now. And it breaks my heart to know that this kid, my little boy, has had to take on adult responsibilities that he doesn’t deserve. But he handles them like a boss, and he’s my joy on a rainy day.” Daisy blinked a few times, not realizing that she had started tearing up talking about him. Running her hands down her face, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, “Sorry. He’s…he’s the best thing I’ve done…I don’t know where I’d be without him.”

“It was mostly just a hobby. I couldn’t really do what I truly wanted but I’m happy with it.” She shrugs her shoulders, moving into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for herself so that she could take a few pain pills for her hand. It was starting to throb now that the alcohol had done it’s magic and she knew if she didn’t take care of that she would never sleep tonight...if that were even possible anyway. She lets out a breath, almost like a little laugh, when Daisy mentions how the house looked like Home and Garden as she never had much time to work on her own place since she worked so often. “It would look better if I took a day off every now and then but I kind of throw myself into the business, to be honest.” It was something she had done since she had become a widow, something that kept her from thinking about her loss too often, and it had worked for a while.

As she took the bottle of aspirin out of the medicine cabinet she had in the kitchen, Willow glanced up at her sister as she detected the sarcasm in her voice, eyebrows raised. “You could definitely go back if you wanted. Especially now that you’re going to be staying here. I’ll help look after your son so that you can study and if we work together you’ll be in college courses in no time.” Her unrelenting optimism was one thing that had never changed about Willow. She was someone who encouraged other people to go out into the world and take hold of their dreams all while crushing her own ideas for what she wanted in her life without realizing it. And with a small smile to herself she realized how easily she was falling back into having a life with Daisy around. It was like the girl had never left somehow. 

Popping a couple of the pills, she takes a sip of the water before nodding at Daisy. “Well, then we’ll get the paperwork started tomorrow. It sounds like we’re going to go right back to being a fantastic team.” She grew quiet though as Daisy started to talk about....Ace was his name. Strange, but then again Daisy had never been the conventional type so it fit. A smile lifted her lips as her sister described what seemed to be her pride and joy and it hurt when she saw the tears glistening in Daisy’s eyes. Things hadn’t been easy for her sister. She wished more than anything that Daisy had felt like she could come to Willow but all she could think about now was how she was glad the day had finally come. All remnants of anger disappeared immediately while he older Harrington sibling moved forward to place her hands on Daisy’s shoulders, rubbing them gently to try and comfort the girl. “Look...I can’t imagine what it was like to raise him on his own...but I want you to know that you’re not alone anymore. Ace is not going to have to face those responsibilities and he is going to be able to just be a kid here, okay? I’m here. I’m always going to be here. You don’t have to worry anymore and things are going to get better. I will make sure things get better.”

[willow-harrington]

daisy-harrington:

Daisy had heard everything her sister had said. The party. The way she could easily sway her sister into happiness again. She missed all of it. Willow was her best friend, and the morning she ran away from home, she had stood at Willow’s bedside for nearly twenty minutes silently sobbing at the idea of possibly never seeing her sister again.

Her emotions over leaving her family, and of course the revelation that he was going to be a dad, is what had driven Daisy’s sleaze-ball of an ex away. And the last she had heard, the band had split and Jake was playing underground shows making little to no money. She had also heard that drugs had become a big factor in his life, and she thanked God everyday that she had made it out before that had become her life. The thought of returning to Willow going through withdrawals from an addiction was a pure nightmare and something Daisy knew she would never be able to survive.

Rummaging through the cabinets, the twenty-three year old finally found a glass. She had also found how organized everything was. Willow had done good for herself, but there was something missing. Someone. Justin. She hadn’t heard mention of him since she had been there and as much as she wanted to ask, something deep inside was telling her not to. Instead, she moved to the sink and filled the glass with tap water.

Taking a sip, she turned to face her sister. Her eyes looked the older of the pair over, before speaking, “Your shop? What do you do? And why’d she quit? You a bad boss or something?” Obviously Daisy was teasing about the last part. She had just hoped her sister would get it.

“I run a flower shop, if you can believe it.” Botany and business had never really been in Willow’s life plan before. In fact, growing up gardening had only been a hobby she had shared with her mother, something to pass the time while she refused to let herself get caught up in the social economics of high school around their tiny town. When Willow was younger she had always dreamed of being a chef at some point in her life. Cooking had been a passion she also shared with her mother, the two of them having always been very much alike, but it had just not worked out the way she had wanted it to with her moving around with her husband’s job. Online classes had been the only possible solution for her higher educations which didn’t work well when you needed to be hands on with your major. 

The joke had almost soared right over her head, the blonde caught off guard at first as she shook those curls vigorously, before she realized that Daisy’s sense of humor was coming into play here. Quirking her lip upwards just a bit, she sighs. “Actually, she’s going off to school this month and she couldn’t stay any longer. She was a great employee though, customer service was her bread and butter. I usually let her handle that part as these days I’m not much of a social one.”

Which wasn’t far off from who she used to be growing up. The only difference was that she could fake it a little easier when she was a teen than she could these days. She was known as a sweetheart in her home town, blossomed into a regular Stepford wife when she had married Justin, but when he had passed her patience seemed to have died with him. She still couldn’t bring herself to let go of most of her inhibitions but her annoyance with certain people was a little easier to spot these days. 

“If you think you can handle the cash register and working with the general public then the job is yours....along with the room for you and...I still don’t know his name, actually. You haven’t even told me that much.” Willow looks at her sister with her arms still crossed over her chest, eyes furrowed with frustration. It seemed prying information out of her was going to be something she had to do despite how much she wished Daisy would just be forthcoming. 

[willow-harrington]

daisy-harrington:

Daisy blushed. Willow was right. She was very rambunctious and often found herself in trouble. She could see where Ace got some of his tendencies from, “Oh my God, remember that time Mom asked you to watch me while she ran to the market down the street to get eggs or something for a cake she was baking, and I slipped off into the kitchen and threw flour everywhere while you weren’t watching?” Daisy started laughing, “I’ll never forget the look on Mom’s face when she came home to find me covered in flour and the kitchen a total mess.” She had missed her childhood and often thought about it more so, especially now that she was watching her own child grow.

Watching Willow, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She had changed so much, but in some ways still looked like the lost sixteen year old that had left years ago, afraid of facing the consequences and trying to take on an adult life on her own with no experience whatsoever. The only thing that had changed was the bags under her eyes and a completely different view on the world around her. She had also managed to watch Willow’s face fall after she had talked about Ace, “Hey, trust me. Once you get to know him, you’re going to be begging me to leave. Let your ass hit that greased up toilet seat the first time and see how fast you go flying into the floor, and then let me know what you think.” She gently grabbed her sister’s hand and began to blow softly on the wound, until she realized what she was doing and let go, stepping back, “Sorry, force of habit…”

It was her sister’s reaction to the leash story that made Daisy laugh. She had missed her sister so much and how seriously she took things. They were each other’s yin and yang, balancing each other out. She had needed that in her life many times over when she had laid in bed crying feeling like the world was going to consume her and never let her see happiness again. At least not until her son did something to make her laugh and reminded her of why she was still going, instead of sinking into a ball of despair.

“What? No. Home as in a few miles outside of Atlanta. It took me nearly 5 hours to get here. Luckily, my asshole of a boss let me off today. I’ve been pulling doubles the past few weeks, because our cook left, and somehow I got thrown on the grill…Like I know what the hell I’m doing…but it’s better than getting my ass squeezed by horny truck drivers…” Daisy realized she might have said too much and quickly shut up, “You, uh, you mind if I grab a glass of water?” She motioned to the kitchen, before heading that way just to get out of the line of another set of rapid fire questions from her sister.

“God, do I?” She laughs softly at the thought of the memory, Willow leaning back against the porcelain sink and shaking her head. “I was grounded for a week just for taking my eyes off of you for a second. I still don’t understand how you got flour all over the place in such a little amount of time. But that was nothing compared to the party you threw when you fifteen the weekend mom and dad went to visit grandma in Wilmington. It took us four hours to clean up that mess and I still think God was watching over us so that I didn’t get grounded and miss Justin’s  military ball.” A pang of sadness hit her when she brought up her husband but it was thankfully short lived as Daisy brought her back into the present. 

She watched as the younger girl blew on her hand, raising her eyebrows once again as her thoughts went back to her sister’s son. How did this girl always seem to make Willow forget that she was mad at her? Once minute she was livid and the next she was laughing and reminiscing about their childhood. It had been like that since they were kids. Her sister would get her in trouble, make Willow so mad she could spit, and then have her laughing five minutes later about something stupid. She had hated it and loved it at the same time and it seemed that nothing about their relationship had changed despite all of the time they had lost. “I’m supposed to be angry at you, Daise.” 

She pulls her hand gently from her sister’s grasp and brings it up to her chest, Willow sighing again once she realized there was no way to stay mad. It wasn’t in her nature and this was especially true when it came to family. She had always been the pushover in more ways than one and it was one trait that was still firmly Willow’s. 

The description of her job had Willow furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. How Daisy could allow such things to happen in her own workplace was astonishing to Willow but she supposed if things were as tight as Daisy said they were she didn’t have much of a choice. She didn’t answer Daisy’s question, knowing the girl well enough to know her tactics, but only followed the other girl after staying behind for a moment to give her some space. Willow leaned against the entryway to her kitchen and crossed her arms over her chest. “One of the girls at my shop just quit...you could take her place if you wanted. It doesn’t pay that much but it’s better than gross men ogling you all day long.”

[willow-harrington]

daisy-harrington:

She could see the confusion in her sister’s eyes. The way Willow was looking at her made her feel strange, but not in a bad way. In a good way. At least she was able to show her sister that she wasn’t a complete screw up, and that she had been capable of handling certain things. She had been doing it for years now without much of a choice. Luckily, she had met some friends along the way who had been there to help her out, especially through giving birth and taking care of Ace when he was a baby. Many tears had been shed, but somehow Daisy had survived, up until now.

“Yeah, it’s a strange feeling for me, too. It was usually you in the motherly role whenever Mom wasn’t home, and I had hurt myself or had been hurt by someone else.” She bit at her bottom lip returning a look of uneasiness to her sister. Taking a beat, she spoke, “But it’s good to see you laughing, even though I just dropped a bomb on your head…”

Daisy looked down at Willow’s hand and the proceeded to help her stand. Once they were both up, she accepted everything her sister had to say grateful the situation had turned around, “Trust me. He’s an asshole. And he loves to prank me. Little shit put vegetable oil on the toilet seat about a month ago…Needless to say, he was grounded for a good two weeks.” She loved Ace, but sometimes, she wanted to smack him upside the head.

Following her sister, she made sure to keep an eye on the wounded hand, but take in the quaint little house as well, “Huh? No…I tried one of those parent leash things before, and tied him to a pole while I went inside to eat once…didn’t go so well…” She paused for a moment, before resuming her reply, “I’m kidding by the way. That was a joke. He’s at home with the babysitter I bribed with cheap greasy diner food.”

“Yea, well, that’s because you were the rambunctious one who liked to get into everything that she wasn’t supposed to. I was always the good little girl who read on the front porch.” Looking back on it all Willow had no regrets. She had loved her childhood and everything in her life had lead to where she was now. The only thing she would have changed if she could have would be letting Daisy know that she wasn’t as much of an outcast as she was sure the girl believed herself to be. She would have made sure her sister knew she would have been there for her no matter what. It was too late for that now though and all she could do was let her know those things now. 

Ignoring the bomb comment, the older blonde started rummaging through her bathroom cabinet to find the things she needed to clean the wound, smiling at the story that Daisy was telling. “He sounds like someone else we know.” But soon the smile faded when she was once again reminded that she had no idea who this child was. She didn’t know his character or the smart aleck things he could say. A sigh left her lips before she started pouring alcohol over the wound on her hand and it turned into a hiss. 

It was then that she caught on to what her sister was saying about the leashes, her eyes wide as she looked up from the bandaging to stare at the girl. Surely Daisy wouldn’t have been that cruel to her own child even if she was quite...inept at child care. A sigh of relief escaped her, a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, when Daisy confirmed that it was indeed a joke. “Home? You...you live around here?”

Had her own sister been living right under her nose the whole time? If this were true the whole ordeal would have been an even bigger betrayal than Willow had previously known. There was only curiosity in her gaze when he eyes lifted from the completed bandaging of her own hand to meet those of her sisters, waiting for a reply she was semi-dreading at the moment. “Or home as in from where you traveled from?”

[willow-harrington]

daisy-harrington:

Everything Willow was saying cut Daisy to the core. Her intention had never been to demonize her family or her sister. She had never said anything bad to Ace about her family. In fact, she hadn’t said much to him about them at all, because of all the questions that would arise. He was smart and kinda nerdy. The complete opposite of what Daisy had been. In fact, he had reminded her of Willow, and the older he got, the more it pained her to know she had kept this amazing kid from the best friend she had left behind when she ran off with an asshole, she believed would take care of her.

Her hand on the doorknob about to leave, she heard Willow offer up the spare bedroom. Her heart beat fiercely and her cheeks were red from embarrassment of what she had done. It was the sound of Willow gasping and then the sound of crying that got her to lower her hand. However, she paused for a moment, unsure of whether or not to approach her sister. But she couldn’t just stand back and let her sister cry…or bleed for that matter, “Whoa…hey, hey, hey…it’s okay, Willow? You’re bleeding pretty badly though.”

Glancing around, she noticed the kitchen just beyond the living room. Without hesitating, she ran back to the kitchen and grabbed a towel that had been laying on the sink. Rushing back to her sister, she knelt down and gently wrapped her hand in the towel, “Do you have some alcohol or something I could use to clean this?” Her motherly instincts had kicked in naturally without her realizing it. It’s what she got for having a rambunctious kid who had always managed to get hurt.

Looking into her sister’s eyes, she let go all of her fears of what she believed Willow had thought of her, concerned more about her well being. Her eyes were soft, and she had a worried expression on her face. She had matured and was no longer childlike. The world had hardened her in more ways than one, but somehow kept her soft and kind in others. And raising up her free hand, she gently wiped away the tears falling down Willow’s cheek, “I want that room…and you…I want you and mom and dad, if you guys will still have me, and my asshole of a kid.”

Her eyes lift from the wound to her sister as Daisy goes into a mode she hadn’t seen from her before. It was like instinct to her little sister to find something to wrap her hand in and all she could do was sit there and stare up at the blonde. Tears were still slowly falling but they were soon accompanied by the sound of Willow laughing softly at the whole situation. She was still upset, that much was a given, but the fact that she was seeing her sister go into parent mode was throwing her off more than anything. It had always been Willow who’d looked after Daisy. The motherly instinct looking after the free spirit and never in a million years did Willow think the roles would be reversed. 

It made sense though. With a son of her own now she supposed her sister would have to have some of these instincts to be able to allow her son to grow up happy and normal. Placing her good hand on top of Daisy’s, she starts to shake her head slowly all while her quiet laughing dies. “This...this was not how expected seeing you again would go. You’re so different....and you’re the same....it is a very strange feeling.” 

Sniffing, she starts to wrap the towel around her hand tighter before trying to stand. She had plenty of first aid considering her profession came with a lot of cuts, all she had to do was get to the bathroom. “I want you here. I want your kid...who I’m sure isn’t a butthole, here. Mom and dad just want to see you, Daise. They miss you...I missed you. The room is yours and...” She trailed off as she realized she didn’t even know her nephew’s name, a sigh escaping her lips while she made her way to the bathroom down the hall. “Where is he, by the way? You just leave him outside or...”

[willow-harrington]

daisy-harrington:

Considering Daisy couldn’t raise her head long enough to look her sister in the eyes, the picture hitting the ground came at a surprise and caused her to jump. Her heart was pounding. Beating so fiercely that she could hear it in her ears giving her something to focus on to keep her grounded from what was happening. This had been the day she had been dreading. The day her sister found out about Ace. And while she had wanted her family to be in her child’s life, she just didn’t know how. It was one of those moments of believing it was too late, until it couldn’t be anymore, and she had to share the information in order to keep the greatest thing about her healthy and safe.

Refusing to look at her sister, Daisy pushed out the words to answer Willow’s questions, as best as she could, “Um, yes.” Tears quietly crept down her face, “H-He’s 7. And his dad…is Jack…Only guy I-I’ve, um, ever slept with…” She had hoped she had answered all of her sister’s questions, but the string that followed only made her sink lower into the chair causing her to feel like an even bigger piece of shit.

“I…I know nothing I say is gonna make this right, but…” She looked up at her sister, eyes red and watery, face flushed, “I was scared…I was afraid, if you guys hadn’t already disowned me, you would have for sure…knowing I had a kid…” She didn’t know what else to say. How to approach Willow.

Standing up, she looked her sister over, “I…shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have put this on you. I’m sorry…I’m just…I’m gonna go…” Walking towards the door, she paused at her sister, before laying a hand on her shoulder. “Please know, my intention wasn’t to make things worse…But this is my problem. I’ll figure it out. Tell mom I love her.” Letting go of Willow’s shoulder, Daisy walked towards the front door.

“Seven.” It was a whispered revelation that had tears finally spilling over and onto Willow’s cheeks. Her nephew was seven and she had never had the pleasure of meeting him. Willow had never been able to hold him as a baby or hear him giggle when somebody made him laugh. She’d never been able to see him off to school or hold him when he was upset. These were the things you were supposed to experience with your family. These were the moments that were stolen from her because her sister was...afraid? She scoffs at the explanation, the blonde finally kneeling down to start cleaning up the mess on the floor in front of her as anger filled her words. “You make it sound like we’re monsters, Daisy.”

She didn’t understand how her sister could ever think that Willow would leave her high and dry no matter the circumstance. They were a traditional family, yes, and her parents would not have been happy at all but Willow never would have left Daisy to fend for herself if she’d needed help....especially with a child involved. 

And as her sister started to make her way toward the front door, Willow shook her head and looked up at the younger girl from her position on the ground. “Where do you think you’re going?” The question had come out harsher than she’d intended but she didn’t let her gaze falter, eyes clearly stating that she wasn’t about to just let her up and leave. “You’re having problems. I’m your sister and I have a place of my own with an extra bedroom. It seems like we’ve found a solution.” 

She wasn’t about to let her nephew or the girl she grew up doing everything with starve. She had her own business and life insurance from her husband’s death had really had a hand in helping Willow out over the years so it wasn’t like it was going to bankrupt her. “Just do me a favor: Don’t ever assume I’m that heartless again. Because next time I just might be.” A lie. That was for sure but her sister didn’t have to know that. Willow quickly started picking up the glass again before she felt a piece slice through her palm, a sharp gasp filling her lungs as she dropped the remaining shards back to the ground. She sighs, sitting back against the wall and letting the rest of her tears fall freely. 

[willow-harrington]

daisy-harrington:

Her sister was right. Daisy had just up and disappeared from their lives, but how was she supposed to admit that her douche of an ex had gotten her pregnant. Promised her the world and then up and left her to figure out life with a baby. She was struggling. Everything in Ace’s life had come first. Her little asshole of a kid was spoiled, and Daisy knew that she would give him the moon if she could. But money was getting tighter, and food was becoming a scarce thing around their tiny apartment. She was desperate and desperate times called for desperate measures. So to Willow’s house she went.

“I…I know. Look I didn’t do it, because I hated you guys or anything. I know I fucked up…like really fucked up…” Her mannerisms and language had certainly changed since the last time she had seen Willow, but life had been rough. “And I wouldn’t be bothering you, if-if I could feed my son…” The words had slipped out rushed and not pre-planned like she had intended. She hadn’t meant for it to come so quickly; to ooze out like melted butter on a hot biscuit. But there it was. It was her reason for running. Her reason for just abandoning her family.

Her ears were ringing. Her cheeks flushed. Daisy looked at the picture one last time, before turning to face her sister. Tears of both shame and sadness crept down her cheeks, “Look…I didn’t intend for it to come out that way. I didn’t intend for it to come out at all. Not until things were better…” She walked over to a nearby chair and sat down letting her head fall and her eyes remained positioned on the floor, not entirely sure what was going to happen.

She had been about to speak, to tell Daisy that it was okay, that people messed up and then they were forgiven. That was how life worked, right? But when the word ‘son’ slipped from her sister’s lips Willow’s chest clenched around her heart and it was suddenly hard to breath much less speak. She watched in silence as the girl moved to a chair to take a seat, noticing that Daisy didn’t have the decency to even look at her after that revelation. “Your son...?” The words came out ragged as if her breath refused to cooperate with her. Willow felt the picture in her hand start to slip from her fingertips and soon she heard the distinct sound of it hitting the ground in front of her. But she didn’t care. She had plenty of pictures of her husband she could put up but she had never met the nephew she didn’t know she had.

“You have a son....and you never...thought to tell us?” Tears had sprung to her eyes as the news sunk in. Things had been okay before. Sure, Willow had been angry but she had been willing to forgive. This...she didn’t know if she could let this one go. “How old is he? Who’s the father?” 

She wasn’t sure what else to say or even ask at that point. Her mind was focused on one thing and Willow wasn’t even sure she was thinking correctly at the moment. A tear fell from her eye as she looked up at Daisy, shaking her head. “Why would you do that? How could you do that, Daisy? Do you know how heartbroken mom is going to be that she missed out on key moments of her grandson’s life? Do you...know how heartbroken I am?”