Page 63 of The Sweet Spot

“Yeah, Dad.” Kennedy hops up on a counter stool with the ketchup in her hand and adds some eggs to her plate. “I heard you call her Brynn and Brynlee last night. So I asked what I should call her.”

“Then we talked about nicknames and how my friends and family like to call me Brynnie,” Brynn fills in, as if they’re finishing each other’s thoughts. What the fuck? How long was I sleeping?

“So I decided I wanted to call her Brynnie. And she asked if I had a nickname.”

Brynn hands Kennedy a glass of orange juice and me a cup of coffee. “My friends are really big on nicknames, so Kennedy and I came up with Kit Kat. I mean, you named her Kennedy Kane, so Kit Kat seems perfect.”

Kennedy nods her head, like this all makes perfect sense, and I’m left wondering what the hell changed while I was sleeping. But my kid and my wife are both smiling... hell, even the dog is smiling, so I’m going to keep my mouth shut and be grateful. I drop a kiss on Kennedy’s head and grab a plate.

“All right, then. I guess that makes sense.” I look over at Brynlee when Kennedy’s not paying attention and silently mouth, Thank you.

She steals a piece of bacon from my plate, then rests her hip on the counter next to me. “Listen, I need to go check on Gracie. She and Ares are going through a thing, and I’ve been kind of rough on her.”

“Why have you been rough?” I ask, knowing it’s not like Brynn to be rough on anyone.

“Because I’m worried about her. She refuses to put her long-term health first, and every now and then, everyone needs a little tough love.”

I lift a brow and whisper. “Tough love, huh?”

Her blush is instant, but so is her smile. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Yeah . . . but you love it,” I tease.

“Maybe I do,” she agrees with an incredibly sexy gleam in her green eyes before she grabs Winnie’s leash. “I’m going to take her for a walk.”

I watch her go, then focus on Kennedy. “So Kit Kat, huh?”

She nods.

“Like the candy?” I ask, and she nods again.

She’s going to love this nickname, and some guy is gonna want to eat her candy one day, and I’m going to have to kill him. I can see it already.

“Listen, kid. I’ve got an idea. If Brynlee has to leave soon, how about you and I run to a store before I bring you back to your mom’s? I could use your help picking out a gift. Sound good to you?”

“Is the gift for Brynnie?” Kennedy asks, intrigued.

“Yes, it is. And I’m going to need it to be a surprise, so you can’t tell her. Okay?”

“Okay.” She hops off the stool and puts her plate in the sink. “I’m going to go get dressed.” She darts upstairs, and a plan starts to come together.

Brynn leaves soon after, and Kennedy and I wait to run our errand until after she’s gone. By the time I drop her off at her mom’s that afternoon, we’ve had a really great day together.

It’s been one of the best days I can remember having in a long damn time.

The kind of day that makes you feel good about life.

I’m driving through town when my phone rings with an incoming call from Brynn.

“Hey, red. What’s up?”

“Deacon . . .” she sobs.

“Brynlee—where are you? Are you okay? What’s wrong, baby?” My heart races as I turn the car around, desperate to get to her.

“I’m okay.” Her breath catches in her throat. “I’m at my condo.” Another sob. “Can you come here, please?”

“I’ll be right there, baby. Don’t hang up. Tell me what’s wrong.”

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