Page 109 of Home Field Advantage
She grabs two glasses, and I grab mine. When she enters the living room, Sage is immersed in the latest episode ofSpidey and His Amazing Friends. Poppy sits down right next to her.
Just as I’m about to sit down again, the front door opens.
“Mommy!” Sage says, leaping off the couch and into April’s arms. “What are you doing here?”
“Daddy called me, and I wanted to see that you were okay.”
“I’m okay,” Sage says before brushing her hair back and revealing the bump. “I gots this. But it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Oof. Yeah, you really hit your head hard. You take after your dad with your recklessness, it seems.”
Sage laughs and heads back to the couch, and that’s when April notices Poppy for the first time. Everything in me is on high alert. I’ve never discussed another woman with April, and she hasn’t seen me with anyone since our divorce years ago. She knows my history and that I was casually seeing women here and there, but she knew my rule was never to bring them around Sage.
“Hi, Miss Barlow,” April says to her before facing me and raising an eyebrow.
Poppy stands abruptly. “I’m sorry to intrude here. Sage fell on the playground today, and I wanted to come by and make sure she was okay.”
“That’s very sweet of you.”
Poppy nods and looks at me. “I’m going to head home. Thank you for letting me stop by.” She turns around to Sage. “Feel better, Sage.”
“Thank you, Poppy!”
Poppy’s eyes lock with mine, and I want to pull her into my arms, tuck her under my shoulder, and tell her she has nothing to worry about—that she can stay. That April is here for Sage. I can’t read her face to know if she’s upset, mad, or anything.
The door closes behind her, and I feel like I’m suffocating already.
April is about to bombard me with questions.
“Did you ice her head?” she asks, shocking me because that’s not what I expected.
“Yes.”
“Good.” She nods and makes her way to the kitchen as if she’s been here a hundred times before.
I follow her, waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under me.
Once she’s in the kitchen, she turns around to face me. “So, does her teacher come here often?”
And there it is.
“No.”
It’s not a lie, but the long stretch of silence coming from April leads me to believe she doesn’t buy it. I let the tension linger in the air, and just as I’m ready to open my mouth to say something, she cuts me off.
“I like her.”
“What?”
“I’m saying I like her. I don’t know what’s happening between you two, aside from her being Sage’s teacher, but I hope you know that I don’t care who you date. Even though we didn’t work out, I know you’re not stupid enough to bring someone around Sage who would hurt her. I know I’ve only met her once at the conference we had at the school, but the communication on the app tells me she’s friendly and a great teacher. I don’t blame you for liking her, too, if you do.” She shrugs.
That…is not what I was expecting.
“She’s different,” I settle on, unsure if this is a trap and something that will lead to an argument. “I do like her and care about her.”
She eyes me carefully before her features soften. She steps closer to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “You deserve to find happiness in your life, Dallas. I mean it when I say I don’t care who you see, just like I know you don’t care who I see.”
And she’s right. I don’t care because I know she will only have Sage’s best interests in mind when she brings anyone around her. But her saying it out loud is almost the confirmation I needed. I wasn’t worried about what April would think about me being involved with anyone; I was more concerned with the possibility of her judging me. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I’ve fucked up so much in the past that she would hold it against me.
