Page 26 of Secret Love

She laughs. “Not possible.”

Later, I get in bed and google the heck out of Henley Ward. I cannotbelievehe’s been on countless magazine covers and is ahugefootball player and I didn’t even know who he was. He’s been on Jimmy Fallon, for crying out loud.I flirted with that man.I told that manoff.

I make a face in the dark, cringing, but in the next second I’m laughing about it. I’d do it again. Hell, yes, I would.

I’m still smiling when I fall asleep.

CHAPTER NINE

TABLE TALK

HENLEY

The mood is somber when I get to Bree’s house. Gracie opens the door for me, her eyes wide.

“Mommy’s crying,” she whispers.

I lift two bags of takeout from Starlight Cafe. “Hopefully this will help.”

She perks right up. “Did you get pie too?”

“Would I leave Starlight without pie?”

“I hope you got the chocolate because that’s my favorite,” she says.

“Peanut, when have I ever left you hanging?”

She grins and wraps her arms around my waist, squeezing tight.

Audrey jogs down the stairs, also looking shaken.

“What’s up, buttercup?” I’m waiting for the day when one of them rolls their eyes at me for still calling them the nicknames I always have, but so far, that hasn’t happened.

When she gets to the bottom stair, she leans her forehead on my shoulder and also peeks in the bags. “Yay,” she cheers quietly. And then, “What’s going on with Mom and Cassidy?”

“Where are they?” I pause to listen and it sounds like they’re in the kitchen. “I’ll just let them know dinner’s here. Give me two minutes.”

Every Monday night that I’m not playing football or traveling, I bring dinner and help with homework. Bree eats with us sometimes or catches up on work. It was awkward the first year after we divorced, but now we’re a few years in and we’ve settled into our new normal. It took some work, but I’m proud of us for being adults and putting the girls first.

When I get near the kitchen, I hear Bree saying, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

I knock on the doorframe and they turn to look at me, both with red-rimmed eyes and blotchy faces. I set the bags on the island and reach out for Cassidy. She moves into my arms and cries.

“It’s okay, bunny. We’re going to figure this out, okay?”

“I feel so stupid.” The wobble in her voice breaks my heart and I smooth back her hair and tilt her chin to look up at me.

“You are not stupid, Cassidy. Listen to me with everything you’ve got, okay? Just because some things might be harder to figure out, it doesn’t take away from the fact that you are sosmart. I’m blown away by the way your mind works, the funny things you say, the brilliant way you look at the world. We’re going to get help. Miss Seymour would like to do some tests and it sounds like she’s got experience with this. Between us and Miss Seymour, I think it can get better. And if the three of us can’t figure it out, we’ll find someone else who can help too. How does that sound?”

She nods and sniffles. Bree passes a tissue and Cassidy wipes her nose. “Okay.” There are a few more tears, but she wipes them away and takes a deep breath. “Okay.” This time it sounds more resolute, and I smile.

“That’s my girl. I’ve got some burgers and pie with your names on it. Should we eat it or—” I take the huge slice of strawberry pie, her favorite, out of the bag and lift my eyebrows.

She snatches it out of my hand and grins. “We should definitely eat it.”

Bree shoots me a grateful look and I start unloading the bags.

“Girls, come eat,” I call, and Audrey and Gracie are there so fast it’s obvious they were eavesdropping.

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