Page 40 of Poppy Kisses (Return to Coal Haven #3)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Poppy

In the week since the missed practice, Hassie hadn’t been around at all on practice night. She’d gone out of her way to be accommodating, but she hadn’t stayed away from the house.

Jensen and Auggie had ridden to practice with me. Our player numbers had stabilized. Aspen was unloading two bags of balls. Jensen grabbed both of them and started for the fields. He’d been helping more when he didn’t have quick jobs in his shop to do or clients to meet with.

I walked with Auggie, and Aspen fell into step next to us.

He kicked a small pebble across the gravel parking lot. “Who’s all coming next weekend?”

“Clover will be here to see your practice next week, and Jasper will arrive on Friday. He’s staying with Alder and Daisy.

” Clover and “The Douche” would get a room.

I didn’t ask if it was our other sisters who didn’t want him at their home or if Clover subconsciously didn’t want them to witness how he treated her.

“I like Clover. What’s Jasper like?”

“He’s funny but serious.”

Auggie scrunched his nose, then nodded.

“Ooh, that’s right—it’s right around the corner.” Aspen gasped and she clutched my arm. “I never checked on how much time you need off for a honeymoon.”

“No, it’s fine.” Heat licked across the back of my neck.

I hated to lie to a friend and do so in front of a kid who was also in on the lie.

“We’re not going anywhere for a while. Maybe we’ll see what next summer holds, but since I’m just moving and opening my center, you know… ” I let her fill in the rest.

I peeked at Auggie, and he almost looked relieved that I didn’t fib that much. We would have to see what next summer held. Maybe Jensen and I would want to stay married.

What a crazy thought.

Was it?

Or had we been inevitable? Had we had to grow up and learn who we were as individuals?

It was too much to think about in the minutes before practice.

Jensen had dropped a bag off at one of the goals where Aspen and her team practiced. Then he’d kicked a few balls to Hadley and her crew. She spotted me and her face lit.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Aspen said as she veered toward where her team was gathered in a loose group. “I told her to talk to you about a tournament in South Dakota.”

A pit formed in my stomach. Before I could ask where, Hadley had reached us. Auggie ran off, and Jensen nodded toward me. A silent signal that he’d get warm-ups started.

“Hey, Coach,” Hadley said. “Ready for the big day?”

I’d just been talking about the wedding, but my brain scrambled to keep up.

Yes. In a little over a week, I was getting married.

We had resumed our sneaking around, and we’d had to be a little sneakier since Auggie was present most of the day and we never knew when Hassie would appear. “Getting there.”

The house would be finished this week. I’d confirm the food with Alder, but honestly, they could flake, and we’d be fine.

Our ceremony was small. Intimate but casual.

Instead of dreading fake nuptials, my excitement grew every day.

I might even be daydreaming about how Jensen would look at me when I walked down the aisle.

Then I had to wonder when I’d quit pretending to others that my feelings were fake.

I was falling in love with the man I was going to marry.

“So, there’s this tournament in the Black Hills next month, and we can sign up just our team, but we need an official coach because I’ll have to play.”

A thrill rose inside me like a helium balloon. I’d love to coach a competitive game. Hadley and her friends knew how to play, and I’d been watching them practice. With some targeted guidance, they could be formidable.

“Aspen has summer school,” Hadley continued, “so I thought we could ask you. Aspen even said that she’d have to get us the extra cost to pay for your fees and travel.”

Ohmigosh, it would be like a coaching job.

I was donating my time for the evening practices, but it was a couple of hours a week.

This was the most basic of a coaching position, but it meant that I was doing it again.

“I would love to. Send me the dates and times that would work for you, and we can find some around my lessons.”

She grinned. “Nice.” But her tone said it was more than nice. She sprinted back to the girls and yelled something I couldn’t make out. All the girls whooped and cheered.

Aspen laughed and trotted to meet me at the neighboring field. Jensen had the boys doing penguins, kicking it from the inside of one foot to the inside of the other, for warm-ups.

“You’ll do it?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’ll do it.” Now that I had committed, it felt right. This was what I wanted to be doing.

Her grin was radiant. “I’ll figure something out for jerseys, but I won’t bug you with anything until after the wedding.”

“Hey, do you wanna come?” I shrugged. “Sorry, I didn’t send out invites because it’s small, but I’d love to have you.”

“And I’d love to go.”

“The Perez house at seven.”

“Is that to party all night or so you two can get away by yourselves earlier?”

I wished. Actually, I really did. The idea of a honeymoon poked at my brain, planting suggestions in the dirt of my fantasies. A weekend away with him? Even a trip with him and Auggie where we could openly hold hands or something.

I was getting ahead of myself.

I had to marry the man first. Then we’d see if we wanted to stay that way.

* * *

Jensen

I walked through the first floor of the Perez house.

The wedding was tomorrow. Poppy, Auggie, and I had cleaned all day, windows open and music blasting.

All the surfaces gleamed and the floors were freshly polished.

Poppy had run to the furniture store in town and purchased some area rugs and a few seats to make a homey waiting area for when she had in-person students.

A part of me was nervous that she hadn’t recruited clients yet, but she had several kids she worked with each week. But if she named her learning center, I’d feel better that she was staying.

“Does it pass inspection?” Poppy asked as she came down the stairs.

Yesterday, we ran to the store to get supplies for the wedding.

The bathrooms were stocked, the kitchen had backups of napkins and silverware, and she’d gotten a small table and chairs for the dining room. Three stools lined the island.

It wasn’t homey, but the aesthetic wasn’t clinical.

“I think it does.” I fought the urge to pull her into my arms, to push a stray curl behind her ear, and claim her mouth. Auggie was still upstairs.

“My desk and shelving won’t be delivered until after the wedding and then it’s ready.”

We hovered at the base of the stairs. The weekend had been low-key fun.

Hassie had gone to Montana with her friend to look at a horse.

I hadn’t realized how much she’d changed the atmosphere around the house, infused it with an ever-present tension that didn’t dissipate until she was out of city limits.

Even Auggie had seemed more relaxed. Poor kid had been on a journey to please his mom since she’d arrived.

I didn’t want this moment to end. The wedding had pulled together with little planning, and I wanted to enjoy the ease. “Should I grab a couple of pizzas from the gas station and bring ’em over?”

Poppy pressed a hand to her stomach. “Mm, I think we worked up an appetite.”

“Can I get a root beer?” Auggie asked, coming down the stairs.

“I think we all deserve a root beer.” I plugged the order into the phone, then ran to the store for some drinks and precut fruit. While I was out, I marveled over how this could be many nights. For many years. I liked that thought.

By the time I was done with that, our order was ready.

I walked up to the house with the pizzas and the bag of goodies.

Poppy and Auggie peered out the living room window, grins on their faces.

First, Poppy waved and then Auggie followed suit.

My heart damn near exploded. They were waiting for me, watching.

A small moment like this was everything I had wanted.

Poppy had no idea how often I’d walked into an empty house.

I was in love with Poppy.

She whipped open the door and lifted the grocery bag from my fingertips. “Let me get that.”

She and Auggie had already set the table. We sat around it and dug in. Auggie peppered us with questions on how the week would go.

Poppy patiently answered them all. “Alder and Evander will be hauling tables and chairs over in the morning on Friday. Apparently, Evander stocked up for when they do pumpkin harvests.” Poppy’s eyes brightened.

“Hey, maybe we can participate this year. He has quite a party—all of his cousins and their kids show.”

“Do we get to pick the pumpkins?” Auggie asked, hopeful.

“He even lets you keep a few.” She stiffened, then caught my eye. “I mean, if that’s okay with your dad.”

It was more than all right. “Absolutely. I’m not going to stand in the way of a pumpkin harvest.”

I’d heard about the pumpkin gathering from clients.

Evander and Violet were growing the event, and pumpkins showed up everywhere in town afterward.

Auggie had wistfully commented on them before, asking if we could grow some.

We had, but when it was just him picking them, it wasn’t as fun.

Now Poppy was inviting him right into the center of the whole thing. He’d be thrilled.

We cleaned up, and when the kitchen was returned to its shiny state, Poppy went for the sliding door. She stepped onto the porch that overlooked the expansive backyard. Auggie sprinted past us and charged into the middle of the grass.

We stopped at the railing, and I stood close to her.

“It’s really going to happen,” she murmured.

“Afraid you won’t be able to get away after you say I do?”

She turned and put her butt against the railing. We were still close, a breath apart, but far enough away that Auggie would think we were only talking. Her eyes searched mine. “I am a little afraid.”

Worry spiked in my blood. “Of what?”

She took in the house. “This weekend has been so…”

“Perfect.”

Her gaze met mine and a small smile graced her face. “Yeah. Perfect.” She licked her lower lip, and if Auggie wasn’t around, I’d lean in and bite it.

When could we go public with our loved ones? When would it be less confusing for my son? Mom likely wouldn’t have an issue. She’d been polite about Hassie staying with her, but she’d seen long before I had how our relationship really was. Would Poppy’s family mind? Would she tell them?

“Have you got a name yet?”

She turned sheepish. “No. I’m so close to being official, it’s just… No.”

Since she was still scared, I didn’t bother to ask if she’d lined up clients. She could keep subbing when her doors opened. It just seemed as temporary as our nuptials, and my anxiety and pride were not comfortable with that after my first marriage.

“I’m opening the center,” she continued. “I’m getting married. My dad and Aunt Linda still have to sign off on us. I dunno, it just feels like there’s a lot out of my control on how things will go.” She tapped a finger to her chest. “And it’s giving me that panicky feeling again.”

I stroked my fingers down her cheek, uncaring of who saw. She was opening up to me, and I wouldn’t brush her off because my feelings were hurt. “Hey, it’s okay. It’ll be fine. You’re a good tutor. I don’t have to see you work to know you’re a hell of an occupational therapist.”

“But it won’t matter if people don’t trust me not to scam them.”

“They’ll trust you. All they have to do is see you with Auggie, watch you with your team, to know.”

“Kids are easy.” Her eyes shimmered, and she scrubbed both hands over her face. “Why did I think I could start a business reliant on fundraising and not have my past haunt me?”

“Because you were innocent, and the people in charge threw you under the bus.”

“Pushed me right off the train platform.”

I gripped her shoulders. “There’s no Amtrak stop here. All we have are coal trains, so you’re safe.”

“But Dad and Aunt Linda have to sign off on us. That’s so unfair.”

“It’ll be fine.” I peeked over her shoulder. Auggie was stalking a bug or frog and wasn’t paying attention. He was too far away to hear. “They’ll see how much I love having your legs wrapped around me.”

“That would be awkward.” Her cheeks turned pink. Good. I was getting her out of her head.

“They’ll see that I think about kissing you all the time, and I count down the minutes until I can have you naked again.”

Her flush grew darker. “You’re incorrigible.”

“It sucks that people have to sign off on us. But you know what?” When she gave her head a small shake, I continued. “It means we care. When we first made this deal, we only cared about faking it enough to pass. But now we’re concerned that they won’t actually see what’s going on.”

“You’re worried too?”

“I wasn’t until you brought it up.”

She laughed and tipped her head back. One day, I’d be able to kiss up her neck and along her jaw and not care who the hell saw—and it wouldn’t be fucking fake.

She ran a finger down my chest. “There’s no use worrying about it until we get married.”

“You doing okay with that?” I grasped her hand. Her ring twinkled in the sunlight.

“I am. You? Is wedding planning bringing up memories?”

I let her go and caged her in. Auggie was chasing what looked to be a frog jumping through the grass. “No, actually. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and just having a relaxing day. Auggie will be around a ton of kids, and he’ll see what it’s like to be part of an involved family.”

“I’m looking forward to it too.” Her soft smile burrowed right into my heart.

Was she eager for more than seeing her family? Did her stomach fill with butterflies when she thought of facing me in front of the justice? Was she wondering how we’d celebrate the wedding night?

That was a good question. Auggie was on his way back. The frog had gotten away.

I didn’t move away from her yet. “Should I ask Mom if she can take Auggie for our wedding night? Make it look more believable?”

“I like that idea.” Her sultry grin went straight to my dick. I’d have to drag her into the shower tonight.

“It’s a date,” I said.

One thing was different between this wedding and my first one. I looked forward to Saturday.