Chapter 50 Owen
B eing here with all of our families reminds me of Brandon and Andi’s wedding. So much has changed since that day. I was waiting another day to tell my cousins that I’d be moving back to New York so it didn’t take away from the celebrations. And I met the incredible woman who just rolled around in the snow with me, crowing her well-earned victory. Something about her caught my attention from the moment she walked into this house and subsequently turned my life into something better .
After we’ve shaken the snow from our clothes, we go back to the table and pass the spoons off to James who decided he was done with “snow wrestling.”
“Owen, I’m surprised you’re the one who lost that round,” Graham says above the chatter.
“I might have been a little distracted by someone pelting me with snow.” I tug Poppy closer to my side, only making her laugh.
“Yeah, it was definitely just the snow that distracted you,” Andi teases.
“You got me there.” I give the top of Poppy’s head a peck, her hair damp from the snow. My heart swells when she looks up to kiss me. It’s not the first time we’ve kissed in front of everyone. Hell, it’s not the first time we even kissed at this table tonight. But the way we’re both able to share our affection around our loved ones feels incredible, especially since she was feeling nervous.
Part of me wants to take this moment to finally speak the words that reflect what I’m feeling. But those words, especially the first time I say them, are only for Poppy.
James returns and Andi points at me. “You’re back in since I’m playing,” she says. “We’ll call that the warm up round.”
Brandon begins to protest and with one look from Andi, he stops and looks ready to take us all down. We start the game, and Brandon complains every few seconds about how long he has to wait for the cards to make it through all of us to get to him, since he’s on the wrong side of his wife to get her discards. As I pick up cards, I notice Poppy tensing to my left, excitement almost radiating off of her and I’m sure she’s getting close to a four-of-a-kind.
Instead of worrying about what I might be trying to find or missing something, I change tactics and wait for someone to leave the table first.
Sure enough, Poppy lets out a little squeal of disbelief, throws her four sevens face-up on the table and almost knocks her chair over in her rush to get outside. Of course I’m hot on her trail and by the time she slows to open the front door, I’m caught up.
The others are closing in, their laughter pouring out into the cold evening. From what I can hear, Andi must be on Brandon’s back trying to slow him down with Graham blocking their path. I quickly scan the snow, looking for footprints away from what we all churned up last round and, sure enough, there are some leading to the right. Two spoons stand upright in the snow just a few feet apart from each other. Poppy, mere inches from me, sees them, too, and we both dive for the same one.
“You’re going down, again,” she says, her eyes glued to her target. That simple challenge switches my focus from the spoon to her.
My arm snakes around her waist mid-air and I pull her against me and roll both of us away from the first spoon. The second spoon is just above my head, but when I reach for it, She wriggles out of my grip, straddles my chest, and tickles my sides. My arms automatically drop to guard my ticklish spots and she quickly pins them in place. Before I know it, she has the spoon in hand and she turns her head at the sound of everyone else barreling towards us with Brandon in the lead even though Andi is clinging to his back trying to slow him down. Part of me thinks Poppy is going to try to keep me pinned, but she scrambles off my chest, throwing herself into the powder.
“Catch!”
The spoon she dove for flies through the air to me and I snatch it before it falls in the snow. Brandon tries to slow down, but with Andi on him, he loses his balance and they both end up next to Poppy who has a wild smile on her face.
Time seems to pause for that moment. The picture in front of me juxtaposes with the woman I met on that wedding day. The one whom Andi was so protective of. Andi is still just as protective of her, but this Poppy is free of all that weighed her down last summer. I want to be here with her through all of her transformations and growth.
There’s no question how hard I’ve fallen for her. It’s high time I tell her, too, and as I stand and help her up, I begin thinking of ways to do just that. Her brown eyes sparkle with delight when they meet mine. The sounds of Graham’s victory and Brandon and Andi’s struggle to get the final spoon fade away. I cup her cheeks as her hands grip my waist. Our lips brush once, the chill from the snow surprising us, before sinking against each other. The kisses are so natural and easy, yet each one sends a jolt of desire through me. She has quickly taken over my world and I can’t get enough of her.
Andi’s shriek of victory pulls us out of our bubble and we turn to see Brandon fall into the snow in a dramatic heap of defeat.
“You kids are going to catch a cold if you keep doing that,” Aunt Mae calls from the doorway. “I started warming some cider and it’ll be ready soon, so come in and dry off before you’re all soaked through.”
There’s a silence before she turns around and we all laugh and move towards the house.
Brandon pats Graham’s shoulder then mine with his free hand, his other tucked into Andi’s. “Just like old times, right?”
“Exactly,” I agree.
“We’re just missing James’s declarations that he wasn’t going to be cold because he’s wearing wool socks,” Graham adds.
“Wanna place a bet if he’s wearing some tonight?” Brandon asks.
“Oh, we all know he is,” Graham says. “There’s snow on the ground, how could he not?”
“Too true.”
Poppy gives me a little squeeze just before we reach the door. “You seem happier than usual.”
“That’s because I just might be the luckiest guy to have all of this.” I gesture to everyone inside before wrapping her in a full hug. “I couldn’t ask for anything more.”