Page 33 of Secrets We Fight

Havinga chance to relax was a nice change of pace, but not seeing Fallon every day was starting to take a toll on me. Thankfully, Poppy was coming over, and I would be able to focus on her instead of feeling sorry for myself.

When the doorbell rang, I headed to the door and found Alexis and a smiling Poppy standing on the other side.

“Hi, sweet pea.” I knelt to hug my daughter.

“Hi, Daddy. Mommy says I get to stay here with you.”

I smiled up at Alexis and then looked back at Poppy. “That’s right. I have a lot of fun stuff planned for us the next few days.”

Her eyes widened. “Like what?”

“Let’s get you and all your stuff inside.” I eyed the two bags Alexis held and the backpack Poppy was wearing. “And then I’ll tell you.”

“I know I packed too much,” Alexis said as I led them to Poppy’s bedroom. “But she kept grabbing stuff she wanted to show you. She was so excited, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her no.”

“It’s not a problem. I don’t have a lot of toys for her yet, so at least she’ll have things from home to play with.”

“This is my room?” Poppy shrieked and ran to the twin bed covered in unicorn sheets and stuffed animals.

“It sure is. Do you like it?”

“Yeah. I love unicorns.” She picked up the purple one and squeezed it tight.

Alexis placed the bags next to the dresser. “Poppy, do you want to help put your clothes away before you start playing?”

“Okay.” She opened the bag closest to her and pulled out a red velvet dress. “This is my favorite. Can I wear it now?”

I chuckled. “Actually, you should wear it tomorrow when we have breakfast with Santa.”

Her face lit up. “We’re having breakfast with Santa?”

“Yep, and then I thought we could buy a Christmas tree, and you could help me decorate it.”

She bounced up and down and began chanting “Santa” over and over.

“Maybe you should have waited until tomorrow to tell her.” Alexis laughed. “She’s going to be hyped the rest of the day.”

“Probably,” I agreed, but seeing the excitement on my daughter’s face was worth it.

11

FALLON

Every year,my mother hosted the Breakfast with Santa charity event for children and their families. I never had much interest in the event, but that was before I was dating someone who had a kid.

Holy shit.

I was dating someone, and he had a kid.

When I’d told Rhett I hadn’t really dated before, that was true. I’d never had the desire to be with someone long-term before because school and rowing kept me busy. But Rhett was different. I wasn’t exactly sure why yet, but something about him made me weak in the knees and also drove me to want to jump his bones at the same time. He was smart and funny, and I wanted to spend every waking hour with him. Lucky for us, we basically got to do that.

Before winter break, that was.

I was counting down the days until we were in my condo alone and sneaking around again. Of course, that meant I would be back in school, so it was a catch twenty-two. At least I could see Rhett for a few hours at my mom’s event. I wasn’t sure if I would get to speak to him since he would be with his daughter, but I had to hope.

Snow was falling as I exited the building with Agents Day, Leigh, and Meyer. There was no need for me to drive myself because I only did that for school to give me and Rhett more alone time. So, I slid into the black SUV and, as Leigh drove, I pulled out the prepaid phone Rhett had given me and sent him a text:

Think we can slip into the bathroom alone?