Page 133 of Love Me Fierce

Linden wheels around. “Meg?”

“Meg?” I ask.

“My neighbor,” Linden replies in a low tone. “Sometimes she goes swimming.”

“In the dark?” I ask, squinting past him.

He shrugs.

“One of your party guests stole my towel!” Meg cries, followed by splashing.

Linden’s lips twitch.

“I’m gonna head out,” I say.

“Probably best,” he replies with a wink.

I head up the path and rejoin my family. When we’re buckled into our different cars, I wait for Vivian to back out of the driveway, then follow her down the street.

“I’m not gonna change my name,” Logan says with a yawn.

“Okay.” I shoot him a glance. My gut tenses. Is this about Teresa again?

“I don’t want to confuse Mateo.” He gives me a shy smile. “I think I’d like being a big brother. Is that weird?”

My heart cracks open wide. I try to smile, but I’m sure he sees the emotion on my face. “No, I think it’s great.”

He nods. “Me too.”

Since his fight with the two eight-grade punks, I’ve been keeping a close eye on him, but he’s stayed out of trouble. Not only that, but he helped Naomi and two other girls file reports on those punks that got them both expelled.

Once we reach the house, after much negotiation, Vivian and I agree to let Poppy sleep in the boys’ room, as long as they’ll wake up to take her out. She’s so worn out that she can barely make it up the stairs, but curls up in a tight little ball on the big dog bed Dad gave us and is asleep almost instantly.

Once the boys are tucked in, I catch up with Vivian downstairs. On weekend nights, we sometimes curl up together on the couch after we put the boys to bed. Sometimes we watch part of a movie, and sometimes we’ll just talk. When I pad downstairs, she’s just finishing with putting away the few pieces of cake we didn’t manage to devour at the party.

I swoop in and take her hand, then lead her to the couch.

We settle on the long section with me on my back and her on her side, curled into me. I pull the blanket over us and stroke her long, silky hair and down her arm. Campfire and the mineral scent from the lake fills the space around us.

A tight fullness has been building inside me for weeks, but itfeels extra sharp today. Maybe it’s watching Logan plan this surprise for Mateo, and the joy on Mateo’s face, or it could be tied to what Logan shared about being a big brother. Or maybe it’s how welcoming my family has been to Vivian and Matty, treating them like they belong.

But deep down, I know it’s that my feelings for Vivian and Mateo have already grown strong roots.

“So what’s this other surprise you mentioned?” she asks, glancing up at me.

I shift a little so I can see her face. “Think you can get a week off in December? Also we’ll need to get Mateo a passport.”

She frowns. “Where are we going?”

“How does Germany sound?” I ask.

Her eyes freeze. “What?”

“I decided we all needed to check out these Christmas markets. We can see your sister play her last show, and then there are castles and a chocolate factory to visit and lots of other cool stuff for kids to do.”

She climbs on top of me, her knees against my sides, and stares me down. “You bought us tickets to Germany?”

I shrug. “Why not? You wanted to go, right?”

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