Page 99 of I'll Keep Her Safe

“Love you too.” I slip into the bathroom, clean myself up, then pad along the hall to Bailey’s room, relieved to find she’s still fast asleep.

Wyatt’s right, I think, as I climb back into bed. We have to tell her.

And I can only hope we don’t lose her.

34

Wyatt

Iknock on my neighbor’s front door with a bottle of wine in hand. At my side, Poppy holds a lemon cake she whipped up this afternoon with some of Marty’s lemons. She sends me a nervous smile, and I resist the urge to pull her close and kiss her. Not on the doorstep, in case Bailey can see.

That isn’t likely, though. She was out at her conference all day, while Poppy and I spent hours psyching ourselves up to speak to her tonight. Then she texted me a little after lunch to say she’d be out at a dinner thing until late, which was both frustrating and a relief. And when Poppy got a text from Daisy inviting us to dinner, there was no reason not to go. It was either that, or pace nervously around my place all evening, waiting for Bailey to return.

“You sure you’re not mad that I told Daisy?” Poppy asks, and I smile.

“Of course not, baby. It’s not like she’s going to tell Bailey. I don’t think they’ve ever even spoken.”

“Still…”

I glance back over my shoulder, checking the coast is clear, then drop a quick kiss to her head. “Stop worrying. Maybe she and Wes can give us some advice. I think they were in a pretty similar situation. Actually, so were Violet and Kyle, now that I think about it—”

“Wyatt!”

The front door swings open and Weston stands there, smiling. He looks good for 45, his wavy chestnut hair laced with silver, jaw sporting a short beard in a lighter shade. Despite going through an incredibly rough time during the past few years, there’s a light in his blue eyes as he sticks out his hand to give mine a hearty pump. I guess falling in love—and having shitloads of sex—with a younger woman will do that for a man.

I should know.

“Wes, good to see you.” I clap him on the back, then motion beside me.

“This is Poppy.”

Weston shakes Poppy’s hand, eyes twinkling. “Daisy has told me all about you. Come in.”

I motion for her to enter first, then follow behind, closing the door. We head through to the kitchen, which is gleaming with chrome appliances, the walls lined with glossy white cabinets. Wes’s place is entirely modern, unlike our other neighbor, Kyle’s, which he painstakingly restored to its original historical features. Clustered around the huge marble island in the center, sit Kyle, Violet, and Daisy, sipping drinks.

“You’re here!” Daisy springs up from the island to pull Poppy into a hug. The sight makes me smile as I think back to Poppy’s worries that Daisy wouldn’t want to see her after what happened at Joe’s. Who couldn’t love Poppy?

Actually, I know exactly who. I have to push the thought of that asshole from my mind before it ruins my evening.

“What’s this?” Daisy asks, eying the cake in Poppy’s hand.

“Dessert.” Poppy sets the cake down on the marble counter. “I hope everyone likes lemon cake.”

“Love it,” Wes says, sharing a little smile with Daisy.

She turns to me, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “I’m so glad you could come. I know it’s kind of last minute.”

“We’re glad to be here.” I hold out the bottle of wine, which she gratefully accepts. What I don’t say is that it’s the perfect distraction from fretting over how we’re going to tell my daughter about us. Poppy would have buried the kitchen in stress cookies if we’d had to spend much more time at home waiting for Bailey.

“Wyatt.” Kyle comes over to shake my hand. “It’s been too long,” he says, his green eyes creasing in a smile. He scrubs a hand over his salt-and-pepper beard in thought. “Haven’t seen you since the wedding, is that right?”

“That’s right,” I say, nodding.

“Definitely too long.” Violet pushes up onto her toes to kiss me briefly on the cheek. “It’s so good to see you.” Her brown eyes swing to Poppy, and she gives me a knowing smile. It’s a fight not to grin back in response.

Daisy takes care of the introductions between Poppy, Violet, and Kyle, then asks, “What would you guys like to drink?”

“Any kind of beer is fine by me,” I say.

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