Chapter 36
Thirty-Six
Poppy
He groans, rests his forehead against mine for a moment.
But when I move to get out of bed, he just kisses my forehead and orders, “Stay. I’ll cook us breakfast.”
Maybe I should follow him, should insist on taking care of Holly.
But I don’t want to.
I can’t remember the last time I had a last morning without a kiddo glued to my side.
Even when Holly has a sleepover with Clover, I usually get up early so I can get ahead on the never-ending list of chores and to dos.
And anyway, I just had a world-shattering orgasm…without either of us getting naked.
Maybe that’s explanation enough.
Storm pushes out of bed, adjusts himself with a wince.
“Sorry,” I say, but I know he hears the amusement in my voice when he bends over and busses a kiss over my forehead.
“Woman,” he mutters. “Always giving me blue balls. Nothing’s changed, has it?”
“No, it hasn’t.” I touch his cheek. “Not really.”
I meant it as something light, something to continue the joke.
But when it comes out, it’s different.
His face goes soft. “Not really,” he murmurs in agreement, kissing the tip of my nose.
“Mooom!” Holly calls.
A grin before he slips from the room, shutting the door behind him.
Pounding footsteps echo through the wood, along with Holly’s excited, “Breakfast!”
My mouth twitches and I shift to the side, curling my legs up and burrowing into my pillows and blankets.
And then I laze.
And then I sleep.
I don’t know how much later it is that I wake up, but the apartment is quiet.
Frowning, I sit up and rub at my eyes, thwacking myself in the face with my cast. “Ow,” I mutter, glaring at it for a moment before I look over at the window, see that the sun is high in the sky.
I snag my phone, check the time and my brows lift.
I don’t think I’ve slept this late since I was a teenager.
But I should probably get back to my Mom Duties.
Tossing back the covers, I slip out of bed and pad into the front room.
Considering the quiet, I figured the apartment would be empty and I’m not wrong.
There’s a note on the table, telling me that Storm and Holly went skating and then over to the Harrison house to meet Rain so they can pick out light fixtures, and also that there’s also a plate for me in the fridge.
“Crepes,” I whisper in awe when I peel the foil back. And sausages and eggs and fresh strawberries. He even left a little container of freshly whipped cream
I dip my finger into the cream, scoop up a mouthful.
Then promptly moan.
I don’t know where the man learned to cook, but I’m damned glad for it.
Even my Kitchen Sink—which is basically a dump meal of canned beans, tomatoes, corn, Mexican seasoning, ground beef, and plenty of sour cream and cheddar cheese (basically a kickass chili with random things from my pantry) can’t compare to the things the man can whip up in my mediocre kitchen.
Grinning at his precise instructions he left on how to reheat everything, I set about that then sit down on the couch and eat while streaming a show I’m very behind on.
The episode is great and my uninterrupted Everything Shower complete with a full hair wash, shaving and exfoliating and giving myself a facial, is even better.
And easy, considering that Storm also left me a cast cover to use in place of the garbage bag I’ve been wrapping around my cast over the last couple of days.
Much easier for basic hygiene.
Much easier to linger and soak and relax.
But by the time I finish drying my hair and putting on my makeup, I’m missing my little girl.
And Storm.
Grinning at my reflection, I throw on a pair of jeans and a tee, tie up my sneakers.
Then I’m walking over to the Harrison house.
Grins greet me along the way—as do honks from Gerald and company—but I make it over to Storm’s without being stopped by anyone, human or avian.
“Look, Mom!” Holly calls when I knock and let myself in.
She’s holding up an adorably tiny little hammer and is wearing a tool belt.
My heart.
“Uncle Rain showed me how to nail things.”
“Lots of things,” Rain teases.
Storm’s eyes dance as he walks over, presses a kiss to my lips. “I like to see you rested, Poppyseed.”
“It feels nice to be rested.” I brush my fingers over his. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
“Come see, Mom!”
I chuckle and dutifully check out her “work,” along the light fixtures they picked out, and they run me through a flurry of tile choices, marble samples, cabinet colors, and faucets that Storm, Rain, and Holly all selected.
“I think they’re awesome.”
“You like them, Mom?”
“I love them. I think this place is going to be gorgeous when it’s done.” I look around the space, already so much brighter and cleaner than it was mere weeks ago. “Rain,” I say softly. “You’re amazing.”
His eyes come to mine, warm and gentle. There’s something a little bit lighter about them.
As though some wound inside him is slowly healing too.
Whether that’s Holly or Storm or Riley—I bite back a smile—I don’t know.
“Are you going to join us for Monday night dinner?” I ask, relieved that the bar isn’t open tonight. Maybe I’ll get two full nights of sleep in a row.
“Dad said we could barbecue.”
I grin.
“Rain’s good with a grill,” Storm says, “and Holly and I are going to make potato salad.”
“Potatoes!” Holly declares, throwing her hands up and nearly clipping Storm in the face with her hammer.
“Easy kiddo,” he says, blocking the potential blow.
“I just really like potatoes,” she says.
“Same kid.” Rain ruffles her hair as he goes by. “Same.”
Laughter bubbles up in my chest, but I don’t let it out. Mostly because then I’m put to work, though mine is more of the passing nails and advising whether the sheet of drywall Rain and Storm are holding up is straight. As for Holly’s? Well, she’s six.
Her job is to create chaos and hammer the occasional nail and…to go next door to invite Clover (and Riley) to our barbecue.
Rain scowls but none of us miss that he has enough steaks for everyone.
Including Riley.
And even enough for Shep, who shows up after having made a run back to Harrisburg.
“How’s your room?” Riley asks as we all settle onto a blanket, plates on our laps and enough potato salad between us to feed an army—and that’s not including the double chocolate chip brownies and cinnamon rolls I grabbed from Molly’s or the fruit that Clover brought over.
Clover, who looks at her cousin like she’s Caesar who’s just been stabbed by Brutus.
(A.k.a. the betrayal is fierce with this one.)
“What?” Riley says with a shrug. “Man’s a paying customer and I had an open room.”
“And a penchant for trouble,” Rain mutters, earning him his own glare, albeit from Riley this time.
“The room’s perfect,” Shep says, ignoring the glaring and the tension. “Same as this steak. Swear to God, Stormy, if you weren’t such a good hockey player, I’d say you missed your calling.”
Storm rolls his eyes but just focuses on cutting my steak for me.
I’m with Shep. The man’s a genius in the kitchen.
Case in point? My steak’s a perfect medium rare, and his potato salad is delicious too.
“So, when’s my next shift, boss?” Shep asks me.
Then proceeds to ignore me trying to let him off the hook as he volunteers for Tuesday and Thursday (the nights that Clover usually comes by).
I sigh, shake my head, and…give in as he continues to drive the conversation.
It’s not annoying, somehow.
He manages to include everyone, even Holly, and soon enough we’re all laughing under the shade of the trees, having eaten far too much good food.
Storm and I end up sitting on the old tire swing, hoping that the rope—and tree branch—hold, watching Shep command the adults and Holly in a game of Red Light, Green Light.
“This is nice,” I say as we gently sway.
“Yeah,” he agrees, his gaze on the chaos. “It’s what I always wanted,” he adds quietly.
“A rambunctious six-year-old and annoying teammates invading your space?”
His mouth quirks up. “No.” He looks at me. “And yes.”
“Did you have it at all? Not the kid part, but the teammates hanging out? The laughter and happiness and chaos?”
His lungs inflate in a rush.
But he’s quiet for a long, long moment.
“Yeah,” he murmurs just before I’m going to apologize, going to tell him he doesn’t have to answer. “I had it with my teammates. I was always the young kid, but they took me in, made me feel like part of the family.” A breath. “Then…I fell in love with Joey.”
Heart aching for him, I take his hand.
“Or I thought I did, anyway,” he says quietly.
“I think it was more…well, she’s smart and capable and beautiful.
She’s lovable. But she was more of a fantasy than a real person.
Someone I thought I should be with. Not”—he looks at me, that beautiful gray gaze holding mine—“the woman I truly wanted.”
My breathing hitches. “No?”
Knuckles brushing along my cheek, down my throat. “No, baby. That woman is you.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because not a day has gone by in seven years that I didn’t think of you or dream of you or wish I could touch you, hold you, kiss you.”
“That’s…” My heart is thudding against my ribs. “That’s a really good answer.”
He grins. Then sobers, touches my cheek again. “I want this to be our future, Pop.”
“You do?” I squeak, pulse pounding, lungs working in overtime.
“Yeah, baby, I do.” His lips turn up at the edges and he leans in, his mouth suddenly very close to mine. “Just wanted to make it clear.”
His words are hot puffs of air, tempting me to close the distance between us, to taste him.
To continue what we began this morning.
But then reality intrudes.
“Ow!” Holly cries.
We both jerk up to our feet, but Storm is faster, steadying me for a heartbeat before rushing over to Holly, who’s holding her leg, clearly having fallen and skinned her knee.
He scoops her up and carries her onto the deck, holding her close as she cries.
I follow and watch him with our daughter.
The moment he gives me isn’t romance and endless pleasure and heat threatening to turn me to ash.
Instead, it’s gentle hands cleaning her scrapes and bandages carefully applied and boo-boos kissed.
And somehow it’s even more beautiful.
Even more perfect.
Because it’s a glimpse of that future he was talking about.
By the time, she’s cleaned up, so are the remnants of dinner. Hugs are exchanged (and barbs between Riley and Rain, longing looks between Shep and Clover—okay from Shep to Clover), and we say goodnight.
Then we walk home, Holly atop Storm’s shoulders, Storm’s and my fingers interlaced, like we’ve walked like this countless times before.
“Hi, Gerald!” Holly calls as we pass the park.
“Honk!” the goose calls back.
Storm just shakes his head and sighs.
I laugh, happiness in every one of my cells.
Because this moment, this night is all I’ve ever wanted too—family and teasing and messy, imperfect moments…
And love.
Of course, that just means it hurts even more when it’s all ripped away from me.