CHAPTER FOURTEEN
PARKER
I don’t think I’ve ever slept so well in my entire life. After I got home from taking Poppy to her place, I texted her goodnight even though I’d already said it. I wanted to let her know I made it home and I was still thinking of her. She must’ve already been asleep because she didn’t text me back.
But when I tell you that I was knocked out no sooner than my head hit the pillow, I mean I don’t even remember having a last thought. I texted her, sat my phone on the nightstand, laid down, and immediately entered dreamland.
It’s no secret why. Having Poppy here in my bed, tasting her, being inside of her… holy fuck. It sure as hell surpassed everything my mind has ever conjured about what it would be like. I didn’t think the real thing could be better than what was imagined, but I’m glad to have been proven wrong.
My phone dings from the nightstand and I reach for it, eyes still closed and basking in last night. I pull the it close to my face, eyes fluttering open but not in favor of the bright light coming from the screen. It’s a message from Poppy.
POPPY: I must’ve fallen asleep before seeing your text. Sorry about that. Good morning :) ME: No need to apologize. Good morning. Did you sleep well? POPPY: Very well, actually. I think you might’ve had something to do with that. ME: I know for a fact you’re the reason I slept so well.
POPPY: I wish I could be sorry but I’m not ME: Any plans today? POPPY: I told Aiden we would spend the day together but I have no idea what we’re actually going to do. ME: That sounds like fun POPPY: Do you want to do something with us?
Whoa. I hesitate for a moment. Not because I don’t want to. I definitely do want to hang out with them. But I have questions.
ME: Um, is that ok? POPPY: What do you mean? Lol ME: I mean does he expect us to be hanging out as friends or…? POPPY: Ohhhh, got it. Well, I told him the other day we were going on a date. I don’t hide anything from him and we have frequent talks about life in general, his dad, and the future. Maybe I should have told you that before. ME: No, I think that’s great. Aiden is mature and it seems odd to shield kids from certain things. POPPY: That’s exactly how I feel about it ME: Well in that case, I would love to hang out with you guys POPPY: Great! How about you come over in like an hour? We can start with brunch
After confirming with her, I jump in the shower, letting the hot water wake me the rest of the way up. I didn’t expect to be able to see Poppy today, so I’ll admit I’m a-kid-in-a-candy-store level excited. I’m also a little nervous. Aiden is a good kid and I love being his coach. I would never want to do anything that would cause him to be upset with me or his mom. Divorce can be tough on kids. There are a lot of emotions to consider. But I’ve known from the start that if I wanted to date Poppy, it was a package deal. I can be patient while we figure out the dynamics and what he’s comfortable with.
Aiden will be entering fifth grade when the school year starts. Gosh, sometimes it’s hard to believe Poppy is the mother of a kid that old. I wonder why they never had another kid after him. Usually you see a couple of kiddos in succession from young, married couples. I can’t seem to remember Theo ever commenting on the topic.
Shit, what if she doesn’t want more kids? The thought never really occurred to me until now. And I know it’s too early to be thinking about any of this, but I’ve always seen marriage and kids in my future. God, what if she doesn’t want to get married again? Holy fuck, why didn’t I think about any of this before? It’s a common thing I see. People coming out of a divorce and vowing never to get married again.
I want to get married. And I want to have at least one kid of my own. Being a stepdad is wonderful and I would totally embrace that to the fullest. But Aiden has a dad and as far as I know, he’s still going to be in the picture. And it will just be different in a few ways. That’s okay, of course. I want Aiden to have his dad. Just because a marriage doesn’t work doesn’t mean he’s a bad dad.
We probably should have talked about these things before going on a date. Now I’m a whole new kind of nervous. What if my dream girl is standing right here in front of me and I could have a future with her but it’s not the one I pictured for myself?
An hour after we texted, I’m knocking on her door and reminding myself not to freak out and ask her those things as soon as I see her. That would be weird even for me.
Aiden swings the door open, a wide smile on his face.
“Hey, coach, come on in,” he says. “Is it still okay if I call you coach?”
“What else would you call me?” I ask, laughing.
Aiden drums his finger on his chin, giving it some thought as I step inside.
“I don’t know,” he says. “What do kids normally call their mom’s boyfriends?”
Boyfriend, huh? I don’t think he’s old enough to understand the nuances of dating and the evolution from friend to dating to titles like boyfriend and girlfriend and past that. I mean I’m not going to correct him either. That’s totally fine with me.
You can still call me coach, if you want,” I say, laughing. “Or Parker is fine too.”
“Cool,” he says. “I’ll go get my mom.”
Aiden’s feet hit the stairs at a speed only young boys seem to have. He bounces up them and out of sight before I can say anything else.
A few seconds later, Parker’s dad appears from the kitchen. I’ve been here a few times with Theo and met both of their parents but it’s just not the same when you’re dating their daughter.
“Hello, son,” he says. “Good to see you.”
Mr. Jameson offers me his outstretched hand, which I take without hesitation. “Hello there, Mr. Jameson. Good to see you.”
His head turns slowly toward the stairs as if he’s checking that the coast is clear before turning back to me.
“Between you, me, and the wall, I’m rooting for you, son,” he says, then shuffles off past me toward the back den.
I watch him walk away, a little shocked but mostly able to stand a little taller after the compliment.
“Hey, you,” Poppy’s sweet voice comes from the top of the stairs, pulling my attention.
“Hey,” I say. “You look pretty.” Poppy looks down at her jeans and T-shirt, possibly a little confused. “It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. You can’t hide pretty.”
“Well thank you,” she says. “You look nice, too.”
I’m dawning my standard jeans and T-shirt look as well but it seems to do something for her so that’s fine by me.
“Ready to go?” I ask.
“Yes, I think so,” she says. “Aiden, you ready?”
“Sure am,” he says from behind her. “And I think you look pretty too, mom,” he adds.
“Thank you, baby,” she says. “You’re looking very handsome, too.”
I watch her run her hand through his hair, ruffling it up a bit. It’s cute. It’s also obvious she’s a great mom. That shows in how he acts, how he treats others, and how hard he works at baseball.
“Are we taking your truck?” He asks.
“If you want?” I say. I hadn’t given any thought about what vehicle we would take.
“Yeah!” He says.
The idea of riding in my truck seems to excite him. I guess when I was his age, a big truck compared to my mom’s little car was cooler.
We all strap in—me behind the wheel, Poppy in the passenger seat, and Aiden riding on the bench of the extended cab behind us. I rev the engine extra loud as I pull onto the road, causing Aiden’s eyes to grow wide. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great day.
***
After brunch at Millie’s—a favorite local spot for brunch because they serve mimosas—we head over to the park so Aiden can play while we sit on a nearby bench and talk.
“What do you want to do after this?” I ask.
“I was thinking we could take him to see that new King Kong movie that’s out?” She says. “He really likes that kind of stuff.”
“Sounds good to me,” I say. “I could go for some Junior Mints.”
“I don’t think I know anyone who would say that,” she says, laughing.
“Well, now you do,” I say. “And I don’t just enjoy them at the movies. I’ve been known to pick up a box of those bad boys before a night of dancing.”
“Oh my god,” she says. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.
Her eyes trail to Aiden as she watches him swing across the monkey bars and I don’t think I have it in me to ignore the burning questions I have.
“Poppy, I-” My voice trails off.
“What is it?” She asks.
“Nothing,” I say, second guessing myself. Something on my face must read serious because she reaches a hand out to mine, giving it a squeeze.
“You can tell me,” she says. “Are you regretting last night?”
“What? God no,” I say. “What would make you think that?”
“I don’t know,” she says, her shoulders rising and falling. “I thought maybe you did and that’s why your face got weird and pained looking.”
Christ. I can’t have her thinking that. “Poppy, at no time for the rest of my entire life will I regret what happened between us last night. You can’t imagine what it meant to me.”
A smile returns to her face, making me even more nervous to ask her these things. Did I cheer her back up just to crush her again?
“Then what is it? You can tell me anything,” she says.
“I was just wondering if maybe we should’ve talked before going out. That’s my fault,” I say.
“About what?” She asks.
I release her hand, rubbing my palms against the rough denim of my jeans and working up the courage. “Poppy, I want kids. Well, at least one. And I want to get married. I’ve always seen that in my future.”
“Okay…” she says, prompting me for more.
“And it just occurred to me that you might not want more kids. Or maybe you’re one of those people who don’t want to get married again,” I say.
Poppy’s expression softens, a look of understanding taking over.
“Parker, I don’t have more kids because Wayne didn’t want more kids,” she says. “And my failed marriage doesn’t mean I no longer believe in the institution of marriage.”
“Oh.” I reach for her hand again, lacing my fingers into hers.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen between us. There are a lot of things I don’t know. But I know I take dating more seriously with Aiden involved. I never would’ve agreed to go out with you if I had lingering reservations about you or couldn’t at least see the possibility of a future with you. I have to think about those things for Aiden’s sake.”
“I understand,” I say, bringing the back of her hand to my mouth. I graze her knuckles with my lips, peppering small kisses against her skin. “And just so you know,” I say, pausing to apply more kisses. “I didn’t ask you out without first thinking of Aiden and whether or not I was ready to step into role for him. I always knew you were a package deal.”
Poppy presses her lips together, stifling what I think would be a very big smile. As our eyes meet, there’s an unspoken understanding between us, something comforting and real.
Maybe she doesn’t know what’s going to happen between us but I can see it plain as day. Like a piece of paper slowly unraveling, so too, will our future.
I’m going to have to wait an appropriate amount of time to tell her I love her. When you’ve loved someone as long as I’ve loved Poppy Jameson, it would be so easy to let it slip out now. Or last night at the top of the ferris wheel. Or when I kissed her on her front porch. If it were up to me, I’d buy a banner and plaster than thing up in the courtyard downtown for everyone to see.
But I won’t. Not yet. But you better believe it’s coming.