Chapter 76 Owen
S pring Break
“It’s about an eleven hour drive, so it would make sense for us to think about it at the start of the summer.”
That adorable crease is back between Poppy’s eyebrows. “But then we’d only have one car in Honey Cove.”
“Right,” I say, turning down a quiet street in Toronto. “So we’ll have one of our cars here and the other available for when we’re visiting Honey Cove in the summer. When it’s time to get back before meetings and back-to-school workshops begin, we’ll drive the Toronto car home.”
“Let’s make sure you like it here enough to stay for the majority of your summer vacation before we decide.”
Shrugging I say, “I already know I’m going to like it here.”
“I know you say that now, but what if it’s all the things you didn’t love about New York City?” Doubt creeps into her voice again.
“Babe, I completely understand that you’re worried I’m going to hate it here, but you keep forgetting there’s one huge difference between New York and Toronto.”
“The fact that one’s a Canadian city?” she asks.
“Well, there’s that, yes,” I concede chuckling. “But Toronto has you . And on top of that, it has your dream job. A dream job that allows you to continue teaching and being near your family.”
Reaching over the console, she gives my hand a squeeze. “A dream job that I could accept without losing you.”
“Ha, like that was going to happen. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.” I bring our hands up and kiss hers.
“Oh this is it just up ahead,” she cries out, pointing down the street on our right.
As I pull into the driveway that will take us around to the back to park, I take in the beautiful brick building with ivy growing up one side, highlighting the historic nature of the inn. Everything about the exterior seems to be very well taken care of.
“I can see why people would book this for a wedding venue,” I comment.
She nods, watching my reactions as I take it all in. “I can’t wait to see what the proposals are for a permanent open-air space for receptions, dinners, and dances in the summer months.”
“How does it feel being back again?” I ask, thinking about how the last time she was here, she needed to escape and heal.
A beautiful smile lights up her face. “It feels exciting and, as cheesy as it may sound, full of possibilities.”
Pulling into a spot designated for staff remembers, I park our rental car just as a blonde woman comes out the entrance, waving animatedly to us.
“Sally?” I ask.
“The one and only,” she says smiling. “I think you’re going to love her.”
How could I not love anyone who makes Poppy light up and love her dreams?
***
A few hours later, we are almost unpacked and have checked out the space that will be ours whenever we’re here. It’s larger than we expected and it’s furnished comfortably.
“Samson is going to love this place,” Poppy says, walking around the couch in the living room. “We might need to do something about these drapes, I could see him shredding them for some reason.”
Looking at the drapes in question, I see they’re sheer, which is definitely something that would be hard for my cat to resist. “I think you might be right.”
“We can ask about that, since they know we’ll be here with him in June,” she says. Then she lets out a surprised squeak when I tug her hand, pulling her into my arms.
“I love that you’re thinking about bringing Samson here.”
“Who would have thought we’d be here, starting this adventure together after meeting at Andi and Brandon’s wedding?”
“I don’t know anyone could have predicted we’d be in Toronto, but there was something about you that drew me in from day one,” I say, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Something felt right and deep inside, it’s like I knew. I think Brandon and Andi saw it, too, but maybe a little bit later than I did.”
“There’s no way you knew at their wedding that we’d become a couple,” she says, swatting my chest.
“Did I know we’d even see each other after the wedding? No. Hell, I was packing up my apartment to move back to New York that weekend because I had just been told someone else had been hired at Honey Cove.” I release my hold on her and pull out my wallet. “But from that first night, I knew there was something about you, Poppy Edwards. Even if I had moved back, I would’ve wondered about you. You connected with something deep inside of me from the start.”
I hand her a slip of paper that’s clearly been folded, and refolded, over and over.
“And you’ve made every moment with you memorable. I couldn’t be more grateful for you or imagine being able to love you more than I do already.”