Page 103 of Home Field Advantage
“Are you both going to fall asleep after I turn this on?”
Poppy shakes her head, giggling.
“I can stay up all night,” Sage says confidently.
I shake my head and put a bowl of popcorn in front of them. Sage pulls it to her lap, keeping it close so Poppy can have some too. I take a seat on the other couch adjacent to where they sit.
The two of them watch the movie, while I watch them.
Twenty minutes into the movie, Sage falls asleep. Her head is across Poppy’s lap, and she’s raking her fingers through my daughter’s hair delicately, not to wake her up. It’s in this moment, staring at the two of them, Poppy oblivious to my eyes on hers, that I fall deeper for this woman than before. Deeper than I’ve fallen for anyone, I think.
I loved April. I wouldn’t have married her all those years ago if I hadn’t. She was all I’d known of falling head over heels for someone. We both had that sparkle in our eyes when we looked at one another.
This is different.
This is wildly different.
When Poppy is in the room or anywhere near me, everything else around me fades. I continuously find myself bending the hands of time, stretching the minutes as far as they can go to hear her laugh once more. The weight of the world is lifted off my shoulders at the sound of her voice, and the world instantly has more color when she smiles.
It’s not just physical attraction anymore.
There’s a chemistry between us that no one can deny.
Witnessing this moment confirms it all.
She belongs.
But do I belong here?
That’s what I think about as Poppy and I watch the rest of the movie. When it ends, I walk Poppy to the door and give her a kiss before taking Sage to bed.
I’ve never been the type to be scared of the future because I’ve always kept my eye on the ball, no matter the pitch, staying focused when life throws me challenges. I’ve spent my life rounding the bases like it was second nature, moving throughlife with momentum and confidence. I’ve always played the bounce off the wall, adapting to the unpredictable.
But Poppy…she scares me.
She makes me fear the future because my time in Bluestone Lakes has an expiration date.
And it’s coming quicker than I want it to.
CHAPTER 26
THIS IS ALL MY FAULT.
Poppy
It’s Fun Friday today in class—the students’ favorite day of the week.
I aim to make every school day a fun learning experience, but today, especially, we let loose. The kids are free to move around the room to different play centers. Each station is set up with various activities to make learning enjoyable. One station features sentence-building puzzles where they can create short sentences likeI like the bear, with the bear being a photo. Another station has simple addition and subtraction flashcards. The kids absolutely love it. It’s highly interactive, and I’ve been lucky to have an amazing group that gets along and doesn’t fight over anything, which is common at this age.
You know, the wholesharing is caringthing.
It’s a personal favorite day for me because it’s my time to straighten up my desk and classroom before the weekend. Otherwise, I’d be home wondering all weekend how much of a mess I’m going to walk into on Monday.
“Miss Barlow?” Sage says, standing in front of my desk.
“Yes?”
“I wanted to give you this. I drew you a picture.” She smiles proudly.
