The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 237

In September, Felix started kindergarten.

He didn't understand why the other children were crying. He had already learned everything the teacher was trying to teach them from his mom and Daddy Noah.

It was boring, and it was loud.

By the end of the day, the noise had given his small head its first experience with a migraine.

Clara's mom had been having stomach issues recently, and Clara, worried, had accompanied her to the hospital for an endoscopy. The task of picking up Felix fell to their nanny, Eloise.

When Felix saw it wasn't his mom picking him up, his eyes lit up. He immediately demanded to get snacks from the food truck across the street.

"I want hushpuppies," he declared.

Eloise hesitated, saying street food wasn't sanitary and she could make some at home.

Felix blinked his big eyes at her. "Eloise, just two."

He held up two fingers, thought it looked too few, hesitated, changed it to three, and finally, under Eloise's disapproving gaze, painfully retracted one finger.

"Really. Just two."

Eloise was still wavering. The child had a delicate stomach; if he got sick, Miss Bridges would be heartbroken.

Felix lowered his eyes and played his ace card. "Today was my first day of school. All the other kids had their dads pick them up. They cried so loud and had people to comfort them. I didn't have a dad pick me up, and I didn't cry. I just want two hushpuppies."

Eloise couldn't handle the guilt trip. She surrendered immediately.

"Eat! We'll eat them! Oh, I love you so much, you poor thing!"

"Eloise, thank you! You’re the best."

After being praised by the little munchkin, she happily went to wait in line, telling Felix to stay on the steps and not move.

The food truck was parked next to a convenience store.

Rhys stood there, a cigarette between his fingers, his brow furrowed.

He had been in Heron Bay for three days without a single useful lead.

He was supposed to head back to the precinct, but Mitchell had taken a call and needed to stop somewhere first, asking Rhys to wait a moment.

His gaze swept across the street and landed on a tiny figure at the kindergarten gate.

Amidst a crowd of children who were either throwing tantrums or being cuddled by parents, this kid stood quietly alone.

Rhys looked twice.

Not for any particular reason, but he thought the kid's posture—standing there with both hands in his pockets—looked pretty cool.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify