From the moment his life had started, Daryl had been just another person people had around. He wasn't missed If he was absent. He'd never known the feeling of someone worrying abou him. It just wasn't how he was raised. And that was okay with him, for a time.

If someone had told Daryl he would be happily settled with someone, someone who adored him enough to love him and all his faults, he would have spat in their face.

You had come into his life almost immediately after he lost his brother. When Daryl was bitter, lonely and falling apart, you were there to pick up the pieces. He knew that you were kind, and he knew you had a big heart. Hell, you wore your heart on your sleeve.

Now, he was sitting in his kitchen at Alexandria watching you while you were making dinner. You were gorgeous, he thought, with your hair shining in the low light. He couldn't help but come up behind you, wrapping his arms around you. "I love you, darlin'," he muttered.