Page 62 of Wicked Love

I hope you’re feeling better.

I wait outside a few minutes to see if I hear from her. She usually texts right back, but she doesn’t this time, and when an hour passes and then two and I still haven’t heard from her, I’m concerned.

I happen to be outside again when Elle pulls up and gets out of the car, holding huge containers of food. I jog over to take them from her.

“Hey,” she says. “Thanks. I’ll grab the rest.” She turns back to the car and gets more food out.

“How much food did you bring?”

“Enough for an army…or you know, five huge football players with hearty appetites…and Tru’s coming right behind me. She says she’s hangry.”

We both laugh.

“Have you heard from Poppy today, by any chance?” I ask.

Her eyes light up and she smirks. “Why, yes, I have.”

My face must fall slightly because her smirk drops.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Oh…nothing. I just wondered if she was okay. She left in a hurry the other night, not feeling well, and hasn’t answered my text today.”

She frowns. “She must be busy or something. She texted in our thread this morning that she’s feeling better.”

“Good.” I nod, feeling awkward as shit.

She bumps me with her elbow. “Youlikeher.”

I aim for nonchalance when I say, “Well, sure. She’s nice. Everyone likes her.”

Her eyes narrow on me and I shift uncomfortably. “No, youlikeher, like her. You should ask her out, Bowie. I bet she’d say yes.”

I’m already shaking my head. “I don’t need to complicate things.”

“So youdolike her.”

I look at her dryly. “This food is heavy.”

“Psssh. Like it weighs anything for you, Bowie Fox.” She rolls her eyes and motions me forward with her head. “Go on. Let’s eat. But this topic is not tabled.”

“You and Rhodes actually share a brain, don’t you.”

She looks so pleased by that, I have to laugh.

“It’s possible we do, but I’ll never admit it to him,” she says, laughing.

We eat and it helps so much having my friends here. The mood lightens considerably and my tension eases as the day goes on. I still don’t want my mom living with us, but I don’t have to work through it all today. Everyone stays late playing cards and just keeping us company, and I’m grateful.

Weston hands me The Single Dad Playbook before he leaves and I open it after everyone’s gone.

We all have parts of our family in us,

but it doesn’t define who we are.

It doesn’t have to, anyway.

We have the choice to carry the good with us,

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