Page 40 of Shattered Secrets
Daisy let out a sad sigh and dropped her head onto his shoulder. “I cried.”
Goddamn, this kid was too damn cute.
“I’m sorry you cried,” he said, resting his cheek against her head. “But that’s why we don’t mess with animals when they’re eating. Sometimes, instead of crying, they get angry. Let’s just wait until they’re done before you say hi, okay?”
“Daisy, sweetie, why don’t you go find the cats’ toys while they’re eating? That way, when they finish, you’ll be ready for them to play.”
Daisy perked up and began squirming. Matt put her down, and she dashed to the living room.
“I take it she knows where the cat toys are?” he asked.
“Oh yeah,” Scarlet said, puttering around the kitchen. “You know, it’s really nice of you to look after the cats while Poppy and Cade are gone.”
He shrugged. “It’s the least I can do. The poor dude is one giant ball of stress.”
“Is Cade nervous about his fighters? About their chances of winning?”
“Nah, he has every confidence in his guys. He was a wreck over propos—” He slammed his mouth shut.Fuck!“Uh...”
“Ohmygod!” Scarlet’s face lit up as she clapped her hands together and bounced on her feet. “Is Cade gonna propose to Poppy while they’re in Europe?”
He grimaced, then chuckled. Well, in for a penny and all that shit... He pointed a finger at Scarlet and mock-glared. “Youcannotlet on that I told you. Got it?”
Her grin was magnetic. And the way she mimed locking her lips and tossing the key over her shoulder? Holy shit, she was fucking cute.
“When we were talking at the beginning of the week, he hadn’t quite figured out when or where, but he was thinking maybe at the Eiffel Tower.”
“Ohhh. Poppy would love that!”
Matt smiled. “I know, but Cade’s overthinking everything and making himself a nervous wreck.”
Scarlet pursed her lips, and he struggled to tear his gaze from them.
“You know,” she said, tapping a finger to said lips, “as romantic as an Eiffel Tower proposal would be, I don’t think Poppy will care where it happens. So long as she’s with Cade, that’s all that matters. Oh, and the twins will be there with them, too! I thinkthatwould be her perfect proposal.”
“I believe I may have said those exact same words.” His smile grew. “Great minds think alike, huh?”
“Right?” She beamed at him. “We could be, like... Team Marlet.”
He scrunched his forehead in confusion.
“You know, Matt and Scarlet. Marlet. Like Bennifer?” She shook her head, and a flush of color stole over her cheeks. “Never mind, it’s dumb. Ignore me.”
Yeaaah. She was fucking cute. “Nah, it’s a good team name.”
“Oh, look,” Scarlet said, pointing at the cats. She rounded the kitchen island and hopped up on one of the stools facing the living room.
He knew she was blatantly changing the subject, but he’d go with it. The cats had finished eating and indeed found Daisy. The little girl was sitting cross-legged in front of the living room couch with Ripley on her lap as she dangled a feather on a stick in front of Bishop.
Matt pulled out a stool for himself, making sure to leave an empty one between them. Scarlet had her eyes glued to her daughter, so he used the opportunity to take her in.
After Daisy’s nap, Scarlet had seemed a little subdued, and he wasn’t sure why. Granted, they were only beginning to get to know each other, so she could have simply been tired. But when they’d talked about Cade and Poppy’s pending engagement, she had returned to being the animated woman he’d witnessed countless times at the diner. Now the anxious air was back around her, and he was clueless as to why.
He thought they’d all had a nice, relaxing time this morning. However, he’d been wrong before, and frankly, he knew jack-shit about women. He just hoped he hadn’t fucked anything up by inadvertently crossing any lines or insulting her somehow.
“You doing okay, Scarlet?”
She startled, and he wanted to kick himself. “Yeah. Sorry. Just distracted, I guess.”
