“Excuse you. I’m just looking out for you.” Lyric laced her fingers together on the counter and raised both her brows. “Whenever you’re ready, Poppy.”
She didn’t know whether to be deeply amused or legitimately concerned by Lyric’s sudden desire to give her the third degree. “You know, I don’t remember grilling you when you started datingmybest friend. You’re kind of putting me on the spot here.”
Lyric grinned. “No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.”
“Touché.” Poppy huffed a laugh. “I’m assuming when you sayintentionsyou meanotherthan have lots of hot, raunchy sex?”
Rosaline hid her face in her hands with a pained groan.
“I knew I liked you for a reason.” Lyric’s smile went sly. “You know, I bet we couldtotallyget a discount on wedding stuff if we doubled. Split the cost in half, save some cash.”
Poppy was about 97 percent sure Lyric was kidding, but that didn’t stop her heart from somersaulting at the idea of one day marrying Rosaline.
“Oh sure,” Rosaline deadpanned, hands falling and hanging limply at her sides. “Because cash is totally an object here, MissI was just featured inForbes.”
“You don’t get rich by paying more than you have to. Besides, you’re the one who taught me how to manage my finances.”
Poppy cleared her throat. “It’s not a terrible idea.” She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling at the way Rosaline froze in place, eyes big in her face that had gone slack with shock. Poppy was pretty sure she’d even stopped breathing. “If you and Cash would just wait until June to get married—”
“Ugh.” Lyric threw her hands up. “You two are impossible! Did you rehearse this or something?”
Rosaline recovered swiftly. A little smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she stared fondly across the kitchen at Poppy. “I can’t take credit for that one. That was all Poppy.” She toasted Poppy with her mug full of spiced apple cider.
“You two really are made for each other.” Lyric sighed softly. “Come on, enough with the jokes. I want to know how you feel about each other. Give me something to work with here.”
“Are you so bored with Curran that you’re looking for fodder for your next album elsewhere?” Rosaline teased.
“Fodder.” Lyric jutted out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. “You’re so mean to me.”
“Okay, fine, fine!” Poppy held up her hands. “Honest answer to your earlier question.” Lyric sat up straight, eager, and Rosaline cocked her head, long hair loose and spilling over her shoulder. Poppy smiled. “I would love nothing more than to continue to be a pain in Rosaline’s ass for as long as she’ll have me.”
A warm smile crept across Rosaline’s face. “You’re not a pain in my ass, Poppy.”
Her heart swelled and she looped her arms around Rosaline’s waist. “I’m not?”
“What is she then?” Lyric asked, watching them wistfully from her perch at the counter.
“She’s...” Rosaline’s tongue swept over her bottom lip. If Lyric weren’t sitting there, Poppy would’ve closed the distance between them and chased it with her own. Rosaline’s smile went a little mischievous, like she knew exactly what Poppy was thinking. “She’s the best thing to happen to me since I met you.”
Poppy melted, insides going as gooey and warm as the brownies baking away inside the oven.
Lyric cooed. “Roz,you romantic.”
The security system chimed softly, a robotic voice alerting them that the front door had opened.
“Lovely ladies! I’m home!” Cash called out.
Lyric’s entire face lit up. “We’re in the kitchen!”
The oven timer dinged, and Poppy pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Rosaline’s mouth. “It’s mutual, you know.” She stepped back reluctantly, needing to pull the brownies out of the oven before they burned. “You’re the best thing to happen to me in a long time.”
Rosaline’s cheeks turned Poppy’s favorite shade of pink.
Cash poked his head inside the kitchen. “Something smells good.”
“Your favorite,” Lyric said, tipping her head back for a kiss Cash eagerly gave her. “How was practice?”
“Long. Brutal.” Cash sighed and reached inside the refrigerator, pulling out a premixed protein shake, the kind Poppy recognized as being heavy on glutamine for recovery. They tasted like cardboard and overly ripe bananas, the texture gritty and reminiscent of the liquid Augmentin she had to take as a kid when she got ear infections. How Cash stomached the stuff was a mystery. “Coach was on our asses, but at the end he said we look like we’re in pretty good shape for Sunday.” He reached for the pan of brownies resting on the stove and pulled his hand back with a hiss, licking the tips of his fingers. “Ow, fuck. Why are those so fucking hot?”
