CHAPTER TEN
PARKER
When I was in high school at the peak of my crush on Poppy, I finally broke down and confided in a fellow teammate on the baseball team. It was one of those hushed conversations in the corner of the locker room and I wasn’t even brave enough to tell more than one person. Of course after I said her name, he called over another guy and had me repeat it. They looked at each other and then started laughing. They looked at me, and the first guy said, “In your dreams, man.” and that was the first and last time I tried that.
Is part of me dying inside a little wanting to take a screenshot of my text conversation with Poppy and track down that guy and send it to him? Yeah. But I won’t. What she said to me is nobody else’s business. Did I jerk off in the shower after she confessed those dirty thoughts to me last night? You betcha. But that’s nobody else’s business either.
It took me a long ass time to fall asleep because despite emptying the tank, I was still very charged. She does that to me like no one else ever has. On more than one occasion, I found myself sporting half a chub in class and constantly adjusting in my seat to hide it. And now to know I’ve affected her in some way, that something I do turns her on—well, let’s just say I spent today grinning ear to ear.
Now that I’m on my way to get her, I’m nervous as shit and praying this goes well. I’ve got on my favorite pair of dark denim jeans that a girl I dated a while ago said make my ass look good. And I went with a dark red T-shirt and boots. It’s not fancy but this date isn’t that kind of date.
I arrive at her parents’ house a couple minutes before four and hop out of my truck, the bouquet of wildflowers I pisces out for her in my right hand. I’m wiping left palm against my jeans when I hear the door creak open and look up.
There she is. A vision in bell bottoms and blue crop top that shows just a hint of midriff. Ugh. All I can think about is swiping my fingertips over that accessible bare skin. I’m gonna have to watch myself this evening.
“Hey you,” I say.
“Hi there,” she says.
I hold the flowers out to her as she leans in and inhales their sweet scent. “These are for you.”
“Thank you,” she says. “Let me sit them inside and I’m ready to go.”
She disappears for only a few seconds before she emerges again, pulling the strap of her purse over her shoulder.
“Do I get to know where we’re going yet?” She asks.
“I’m afraid not,” I say as I press my hand to the small of her back and guide her toward my truck. “You’ll know when we get there. Or maybe when we get close.”
I open the passenger door for her and take her by the hand to help her in. My truck isn’t obnoxiously tall but Poppy is also rather short so after a little hop, she makes it in and I close the door.
I round the front of the truck and slide behind the wheel, rubbing my hands together mischievously before turning the key.
“Oh, before I forget, is there a certain time you need to be back?” I ask. I’ve never dated a mom before and I want to make sure I’m respectful of her time and anything she might need to do.
“Oh um, no not really,” she says. “My parents are prepared to occupy Aiden for the night so I’m free.”
“Good, okay,” I say, pulling onto the road. “Let’s go have some fun.”
***
Twenty minutes into our drive, the conversation has been easy. It would seem we’ve both decided the texts last night don’t need to be directly addressed or discussed which is probably the reason we’ve avoided an awkward moment. I know the reality of alcohol stripping away your inhibitions and talking about those things in the light of day never goes well.
Poppy’s eyes take in our surroundings as the lights from the carnival appear on the horizon in front of us. I sneak peaks of her as we get closer, her eyes filling with realization.
“Oh my gosh, are we at the Nelson County Fair?” She asks.
I shake my head. Nelson is the county over from us and every summer they host a big carnival. People come from all over to go. They;ve got a great selection of rides and games, the food is always delicious, I chose tonight specifically because for one evening a season, it’s a kid free zone. Not that I don’t love kids. I do. But there’s just a different atmosphere when it’s all adults. I personally think it’s a brilliant idea and wish more places did it.
We park in the designated field that’s roped off and climb out of the truck. When I walk around to her side, she’s smiling wide and I’m glad she approves.
As we make our way through the rows of cars, my hand again resting on her back, she reaches up and tugs on my arm. Worried she doesn’t want me to touch her, I drop my hand only to realize she’s searching for it with hers. Poppy places her palm against mine, threading our fingers together without saying a word. And while my hand misses the warmth of her body, this is also really nice.
When we reach the window, instead of buying a ridiculous amount of individual tickets, I get us the wristbands that in the end cost less but give you access to all the rides. It just makes sense. Plus I don’t have to carry around a bundle of loose tickets which is the most annoying thing ever.
Once we’re banded and inside, I take in the sight of Poppy taking in the sight of everything else. She doesn’t know it yet, but mark my words I will win her a stuffed animal here tonight.
“What should we ride first?” I ask.
She taps her index finger against her chin, looking all around and then points to the scrambler with a lot of enthusiasm.
“Let’s do it,” I say, pulling her in the direction of the line for it.
I sit on the outside knowing that’s the person who gets squished most. As the ride begins to spin, I put my arm on the back of the seat behind her. The force of the ride presses her into the crook of my arm and my entire left side. She doesn’t even try to keep herself from leaning into me. As the speed of the ride picks up, she begins to laugh. It’s full bellied and melodic, causing me to laugh along with her.
She looks up at me, still laughing, but there’s nothing funny about the way her eyes lock with mine. Between the look she’s giving me and the spinning, I see nothing outside of her face. Everything else is blurry and irrelevant.
As the ride comes to a stop a few minutes later, it takes everything in me not to kiss her. I don’t want our first kiss to be a fleeting moment that will ultimately be rushed. It’s not like I can hold up the line for the ride just to kiss her longer. So I take her by the hand and lead her to the exit.
“You pick the next ride,” she says.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yeah, let’s take turns picking,” she says.
Seems like a good idea to me. So I look around and point toward the one that lifts you up high into the air and then drops you abruptly.
“Oh god,” she says. “I’m going to have a heart attack.”
“Don’t be a chicken,” I say, teasing.
She gives me a stern look, narrowing her eyes and pressing her lips together. It’s the cutest fake grumpy face I’ve ever seen—complete with a scrunched nose.
After that ride—where she didn’t have a heart attack—we go on two more before she announces she needs food before she faints. She’s got a flare for the dramatics but I find most women do when it comes to food. And to my delight, she orders a cheeseburger, fries, a soda, and a funnel cake.
“The funnel cake is for us to split,” she says after ordering.
“I’ll have what she’s having,” I say to the guy at the window.
We take a seat at a nearby picnic table and wait for them to call us. Poppy sorts through her purse and pulls out a hair tie. She gathers her blonde hair into her hands, securing it into a ponytail high on her head. There are small untucked strands framing her face and I impulsively reach out to push one behind her ear. She leans into my touch, her cheek brushing along the back of my knuckles. Dear god, this woman…
“Order up for Parker!” The man’s voice booms, breaking the moment and I reluctantly get up to grab our food. What shitty timing.
Twenty minutes later, our burgers are gone, the fries are scarce, and we’ve got our fingers dug into the center of the funnel cake. The powdered sugar is making a mess of literally everything but I don’t care. She’s smiling and sucking on her fingers and licking the mess from her lips and if heaven is a viewing room for this moment, I would be just fine to die.
“Ugh, I’m full,” she says.
“Me too,” I say, rubbing my stomach. “I think we should avoid the incredibly fast or spinning rides for a few minutes.”
“I think you’re right,” she says, her eyes connecting with a row of games where you can win stuffed animals.
“I think I need to win you one of those,” I say.
“Which one?” She asks.
“Whichever one you want,” I say.
“You seem very confident in your skills,” she says, smirking.
“I am.” I look her right in the eye. There are two things I’m certain I’m good at. One is athletic endeavors that involve any sort of throwing or tossing of balls or rings or anything else. And the second thing, well, we’re not ready to talk about that.
“I want the pink teddy bear over there,” she says, pointing.
I follow with my eyes and see the display of large pink bears hanging over the game where you toss balls into baskets. That’s it. That’s the whole game. The challenge is making sure the ball doesn’t bounce back out. It requires a certain amount of finesse.
“After you,” I say, encouraging her to lead the way.
I trail behind her for a few moments, taking in her figure. The gentle slope of her back down to the curve of her ass is a sight to behold. This isn’t the body I remember in high school but I don’t think it should be. I’m sure giving birth made some changes along with aging in general. But it’s still just as beautiful as it ever was.
I come to her side in front of the game, the guy behind the little counter making a spectacle of juggling the balls.
“What’s the game?” I ask.
“Land four out of five balls in the baskets and you win,” he says. “It’s that simple.”
Uh huh. I gesture for the balls and hand the guy a five dollar bill, as indicated on the sign. The first one I toss does in but bounces out. I’m not worried. I expected that. I use it to gauge just how much force to use. The second ball lands where the first one did but stays put. The third goes in too. The fourth one, rocks a little, but ultimately stay in the basket.
I look over at her just before I toss the last ball and wink. The fifth and final ball lands like a brick, staying exactly where I aimed.
“Winner!” the guy yells out.
Poppy claps and bounces up and down. The guy hands me a fluffy pink bear and I turn to her. Her excitement is adorable and she may be getting the stuffed animal, but I feel like I won the prize.
I press the bear into her hands as she squeezes it to her chest. “As promised.”
“Thank you,” she says. “I feel like I should give you something now.”
My eyebrows perk up. “Oh yeah? What?”
“Well, I’m nowhere near coordinated enough to win you a stuffed animal,” she says, laughing. “But…” Her words trail off as her eyes lock with mine.
Poppy holds the bear in one hand, bringing the other up and gripping the back of my neck. She moves in close to me, her body pressing into mine. Her chin tilts up ever so slightly and she doesn’t have to say anything.
My hands snake around the bare skin of her waist, fingertips gripping the softness of her. I lean down, my mouth hovering no more than an inch from hers. I don’t know how many times I’ve dreamt of this exact moment. I’ve lost count. And I’ll be damned if I fuck it up.
I press my mouth to hers, gently at first. I feel her body sink into me as her lips part. My tongue laps against hers as the kiss deepens. My left hand grips her waist tighter as my right finds her jawline, my thumb running over her chin.
Poppy moans in the back of her throat and it does things to me. She tastes so fucking good. I bite and sucks her bottom lip between my teeth, wanting nothing more than to keep kissing her just like this. Despite the fact that it’s adult night here at the carnival, I don’t necessarily want us to become a spectacle.
I break the kiss, peppering her mouth and jaw with light kisses. I’m quite positive I look drunk. I know that’s how I feel. Her eyes flutter open, cheeks flushed pink.
“Wow,” she says, in a hushed tone as she bites her bottom lip.
Yeah. Wow.