She tilted her head. “Really?”
“Yeah, I’ve been assigned to a detail here in Boston.”
“That’s great news.”
While I hadn’t initially been happy about my new assignment, I couldn’t help but think things were working out as they should.
“I’ll still be working a lot and will probably have to travel occasionally, but living locally should make spending time with Poppy a lot easier,” I explained, knowing a regular visitation schedule wasn’t possible due to my job.
Alexis reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “We’ll figure it out. The important thing is for you to be a part of her life. Everything else will just take some flexibility on our part.”
I couldn’t help but feel grateful our unconditional love for our daughter allowed us to work together to provide Poppy with the best life possible.
* * *
On Fridays,Fallon finished class early, so he decided he was going to hit up the gym after we got back to his place. Tanner relieved me so I could race next door to change into my workout gear. When I returned, Fallon was waiting in his living room, eager to head downstairs.
“Windstorm is ready,” I said into the microphone attached to my tank top.
“The room is all clear,” Agent Day’s voice came through my earpiece.
“Let’s go.” I opened Fallon’s front door to leave.
We walked down the hall and stepped into the elevator. He pushed the button for the second floor, where the gym was located, and after the doors closed, we started to descend the six floors.
“Time to prove you can keep up with me,” he teased with a playful glint in his eyes.
I grunted a laugh. “Are you always this cocky?”
“I thought you said I was charming.”
The elevator doors opened, saving me from having to respond. Fallon and I walked toward where Agent Day stood at the glass doors of the gym. Once inside, Fallon pulled off his Hawkins Law hoodie, leaving him in a tank top and a pair of gray sweats similar to the ones he had worn two days before.
My eyes scanned his body, admiring his broad shoulders and well-defined arms that I’d noticed the other day in his condo when he’d opened the door shirtless. When our stares met in the mirror, he smirked.
“Like what you see?” he provoked.
I shrugged. “Just sizing up the competition.”
“Let’s go, then. I usually do some light cardio before hitting the weights, and then finish with a longer run.”
I nodded and followed him over to the stair climber, where we spent five minutes warming up. Nothing was said between us, but we shared occasional glances. I was well aware of Day’s presence near the door, so I was careful to maintain some decorum with Fallon.
Once we finished with the cardio, we moved on to the weights, where he added a few plates to the barbell and lay on the bench. “You wanna spot me?”
“Sure.” I stood by his head, ready to assist him if he needed me to. His biceps tensed and his chest tightened as he completed his reps.
We switched positions and continued to egg each other on as we moved to other arm exercises. The energy between us intensified as the workout progressed, or at least I felt as though it did.
Working out together was going to test my resolve to keep things professional between us because, like he had observed in the car a couple of days prior, I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off him.
Which, lucky for me, was my job.
After our run, we were both drenched in sweat.
“I need a shower,” Fallon said, rubbing his face with a gym towel.
“Me too.”
