Page 30 of In Your Dreams

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 andplaster than thing up in the courtyard downtown for everyone to see.

But I won’t. Not yet. But you better believe it’s coming.

EPILOGUE

FOUR MONTHS LATER

POPPY

I slip out of my clothes, tiptoeing toward the door to the bathroom that Parker left cracked open. Inside, thick steam has fogged the mirrors and shower glass door. I can barely discern the outline of his body but I can see enough. His back is to me, water running down over his head. I’m confident he didn’t hear me come in.

He turns as the shower door clicks open, a smile spreading over his mouth.

“I didn’t know you were joining me,” he says.

“Well, I don’t have to,” I tease, stepping backward.

“Oh no you don’t,” he says, reaching out to pull me under the water. “Get in here.”

I smooth my hair back out of the way as he kisses me possessively with his hand on the back of my neck. I like it when he does that.

He looks at me longingly, like he wants to tell me he loves me. I’ve come to recognize the look since he said it the first time on our fifth date. Don’t worry, I said it back. I should probably mention that the first four dates were mixed with lots of outings with Aiden, which we didn’t count as dates, and some group hangouts with our friends, plus he came over for dinner with my parents a couple of times. But it was four official dates.

“I love you,” he says.

“I love you, too,” I say, just before pressing my lips to his collarbone.

His hands wrap around, cupping my ass as one of my fingertips trail down past his belly button.

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