Dart and Dash - Mary Smith Page 0,34

out of the room.

Chapter 21 – Dart

I woke up Wednesday morning more tired than I was when I went to bed. I had stayed up late finishing homework, and I needed to get ready for practice.

I sat at the kitchen table, eating some toast, and heard Dash moving around upstairs. I couldn’t believe how much Dash had really changed in the past few days, and it was all because of Garnet.

“Good morning, Dart.” As I finished my thought, she appeared in the kitchen, looking as if she just rolled out of the bed.

“Morning, Garnet.”

“Hey, Dart,” Dash slapped my shoulder.

“Are you almost ready?”

“Yep,” he gave Garnet a quick kiss, and I rose from the table to give them a private moment.

When they were done, we all walked out of the house. The sun was starting to rise, and the sky was a mixture of soft yellows, reds, and oranges.

“I’m going to walk her home. Be right back.” Dash informed me.

I nodded at him. I sat in the driver seat, waiting for him, and sent a quick text to Daisy. I knew she was still asleep, but I missed her

I missed you in my arms this morning. I love you.

I watched the display of the text was sent, thinking of the past three years with her. She was my everything. I wanted her all the time, and not just physically.

Daisy was a good person, who supported me in whatever I wanted to do. When I brought up the idea of moving to North Carolina this past summer, she asked if I’d thought it all through. The truth was I had.

I never thought about going into real estate, but for the last two summers I had worked with Mr. Bowlings, and I’d enjoyed it. We had traveled to all of his properties. Even though his company was based in North Carolina, he had real estate holdings all over the east coast.

The first summer I worked for him, I was in Georgia. I worked as Mr. Bowlings’ assistant. I was learning the ins and outs of real estate. The one thing I enjoyed the most was how he was able to purchase a home, remodel the home, and sell it for almost double the price. I had seen those types of people on reality shows, but never saw them in real life.

I was hooked after that first transaction. When Daisy and I suggested moving to North Carolina, Mr. Bowlings offered me a position in his company. I couldn’t have been happier.

I knew I wasn’t going into the NFL. Not one scout had ever talked to me, unless I was standing next to Dash. I was okay with that, because that was Dash’s dream, and I knew he would make it.

My dream was to be with Daisy. I had always known that she wanted to move back to North Carolina and be an RN down there. I wanted to build a life with her, and settle down wherever she wanted.

Settle down?

I had thought about those words. Daisy and I had talked about our future, but we’ve never discussed that.

Marriage.

Dash jumped into the car, and I didn’t think about that word again as we headed to the stadium.

~~

After practice, a short weight lifting session, and classes, I was finally home. However, I wasn’t tired. All day an idea had been creeping around in my head.

When I walked into the house, Dash was at the dining room and had homework spread out around him. He was reading from a large thick textbook.

“You busy?”

“No, Dart, this is what I always do in my free time,” he mumbled still looking at the book.

“Well, can you take a break?”

“I could, but this paper will not write itself.”

“Dash,” I said firmly to gain his attention.

He finally glanced up. “You okay?”

I pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. “I need to talk to you about something.”

I watched as an unsure, panicked look washed over his face. “Dart?”

“It’s not bad,” I rushed out, to keep him calm. “But, it’s something I want to discuss with you first.”

“Okay,” his voice was perplexed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. That’s it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I mean it’s good news. I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I want to ask Daisy to marry me.”

“Today?”

“No, I haven’t worked out all the details, but I want to go ring shopping tonight. Daisy’s going to be in the lab for a few hours, and I figured it was a perfect time. I really want you to go with me.”

“Hold up,”