Page 39 of Shattered Secrets

He patted Daisy’s back, then dropped a kiss to the top of her head. “Thanks for the hug, Otter Pop. Now go and wash up for your nap.”

With a wave, Daisy skipped down the hallway.

“Don’t touch the walls! And go straight to the sink and wash your hands!” Scarlet called after her daughter. Turning to Matt, she said, “Sorry about all the... sticky.”

“No worries, Scarlet. You know, if you don’t mind me saying... you’ve got a fantastic kid. You’re a great mom.” He touched his cheek and chuckled when his fingers stuck to his skin. “You weren’t kidding about the sticky, huh? I’m gonna go wash up, too.” On his way out of the kitchen, he paused and glanced back at her. “Don’t worry about the dishes. I’ll take care of them while you put Daisy down for her nap.”

Scarlet stood rooted as he left. She knew she should go make sure Daisy was washing her hands, but she couldn’t move. She could only stare at the space where Matt had been. Where they’d all spent the last hour making brunch and eating together. Like a family. Like the lazy weekend mornings she’d seen on television growing up. And holy shit, she’d never experienced anything remotely close to it.

God, what would it be like to have this life? With a man like Matt? Who was thoughtful and considerate? Who made freaking pancakes and bacon for breakfast? She’d never met anyone like him. But that probably had more to do with the company she’d kept than anything.

A tiny part of her desperately wanted to believe she could have this. Well, not with Matt, because there was no way in hell he’d be interested in anything like this withher—but something like this. The other part, though—the larger part that was based in reality—knew it wasn’t going to happen.

With a resigned sigh, she made her way to the guest room to check on Daisy. After rewashing her daughter’s face and hands, she tucked her in with Mr. Slothy and Baby Unicorn. Daisy was out like a light in minutes.

Lying beside her daughter, Scarlet tried to shake off her mood. For as long as she could remember, she’d relied on herself. Granted, with questionable success. But she was still alive and kicking, and Daisy was happy and healthy.

She cringed. Well, minus the broken arm.

She should be satisfied with that. It was pointless to want more.

The problem was that the more time she spent with Matt, the more she liked him.

Before this week, she’d been attracted to him because he was hot and growly. Hell, he’d perfected a smolder that could put romance novel heroes to shame. That kind of crush had beensafe. Easy to move on from. But now her crush had transformed into something else entirely. She’d gotten to know Matt and discovered he was... kind. And compassionate. And attentive.

He’d gone from giving her short, one- and two-word replies to full-on conversations overnight. Okay, fine. Not overnight, but still...

Scarlet wasn’t sure what the catalyst was for that change in him, but she wasn’t going to question it. She enjoyed talking to him, getting to know him better. But she’d also entered dangerous territory. Because as much as those butterflies in her stomach had her excited to spend more time with him, she knew she was just setting herself up for disappointment. After all, when had any guy ever wanted to be with her for more than an easy fuck? Even as friends?

Her blood chilled.

Yeah. Never.

CHAPTER TWELVE

By two o’clock, Daisy was up from her nap and bouncing on her little feet. It was safe to say the kid was ready to visit the cats. Sure, her bouncing might have had atinybit to do with the Otter Pop Matt had given her when she’d woken up. But whatever.

After Daisy had finished her blue popsicle, she’d asked her mom for a second. Scarlet had given her an emphatic no, and the sweet kid had looked devastated. Her giant blue eyes had welled with tears, but Scarlet hadn’t budged.

Honestly, Matt wasn’t sure how Scarlet did it. Good god, if Daisy had turned those Disney doe eyes on him, for sure she would have eaten half the box by now. But apparently, letting four-year-olds eat that many popsicles in one sitting was frowned upon. Go figure.

So, with only one popsicle in Daisy’s belly, they piled into his truck and made the short drive over to Cade’s. He let them in with the spare key he’d been given and disarmed the security system. Scarlet took Daisy hunting for the cats while he put fresh water in their bowls and filled their food dishes. Unsurprisingly, the moment Ripley and Bishop heard their kibble rattling around, they came running. Much to Daisy’s delight.

As the cats began eating, the little girl broke away from her mom and made a beeline for them. Matt scooped her up before she could reach them. Fortunately, his reflexes were still on point.

“We don’t bother the cats while they’re eating, Otter Pop,” he said, propping her on his hip.

Daisy frowned. “But they missed me.”

“I’m sure they did, but we don’t mess with animals when they’re eating. They might get angry and try to scratch or bite you.”

Her lower lip popped out. “But that’s not nice.”

“Do you like it when people mess with you when you’re hungry?”

“Yes,” Daisy huffed.

Scarlet snorted. “Really, miss? What did you do the other day when Miss Martha accidentally took away your french fries because she thought you were done?”