I suck in a long inhale. I know Poppy gets nervous about travel, going to events and new places she isn’t familiar with. If a flare hit her when she was far from home… she likes to have all her things nearby to help her cope.
“It’s okay, Pops. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” I swallow my disappointment as I say it. I want more than anything for her to be there to celebrate with me as I finish my run. But I get it.
She leans her head on my shoulder, and we watch the replays together, sipping our coffee for a moment before she speaks again.
“But hey, we can enjoy this week together, right?” She looks up at me with her big, brown eyes and I fucking melt. “If you’re not too busy with training.”
“No, no training for me.” My mouth lifts into a playful smirk.
Poppy turns back toward me and tilts her head.
“I’ll be too busy coaching my wife.”
CHAPTER 39
JETT
Poppyand I spent most of the afternoon together in bed, practicing everything she’s learned, learning about each other’s bodies in a way I’ve never done before. In the short time I’ve been with Poppy, I’ve gotten to know her on a more intimate level than anyone else.
I know that she likes coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon. I know that she has about two hours after a meal before she needs a snack. I know she keeps heating pads in every room of the apartment for when she’s having a flare—I ordered a couple to keep around my house, too.
I can count on her getting turned on if I kiss her shoulders. It’s pretty much guaranteed that she’ll be screaming if I curl my fingers at a very specific angle when I have them inside her.
AlthoughIagreed to giveherlessons, I can’t help but feel like she’s teachingmethings I never cared to learn before I met her. Still, I need to know more. I could have spent all afternoon in bed with her, discovering every button I can push to make her moan my name. Figuring outhow to make her smile in the way that makes my heart turn to mush.
But by the afternoon, both of us were spent, our stomachs grumbling. Poppy wasn’t exaggerating when she said there was no food in the whole place, so we’re bundled up in our coats and scarves, walking hand in hand down Main Street toward Mack’s for groceries.
“What do you want to eat?” I ask her as the burst of warm air greets us when the doors slide open.
She shrugs. “I don’t know, I’m not much of a cook, honestly.”
I tilt my head, flashing her a look that saysno?
“I’m usually pretty sick of cooking when I get home from the café, and by then I’m starting to get sore, so I just throw a frozen dinner in the microwave.”
“I’ll admit I’m not much of a cook either.” I pick up a basket from a stack at the front of the store. “Out of the four of Landry boys, Grady’s the only one who knows his way around a kitchen. But I have an idea, since you don’t know what you want.”
Now, Poppy cocks her head at me, and I close the gap between us, taking the edge of her toque and unfolding it so it’s covering her eyes.
“What are you doing?” She giggles.
“It’s a game Winnie used to play with us as boys,” I explain.
Poppy is still laughing, putting her arms out in front of her as I steer her towards the aisles.
“I’ll tell you how many steps to take down the aisle, and then wherever you are, you can take the blindfold off and select an ingredient within two steps of where you are.”
“We’re going to end up with totally random things!” She exclaims.
“That’s the fun. Then, we’ll figure out a meal we can make with it.” I make her stop walking when we reach the first aisle. “Okay, first one, ten steps.”
She tentatively takes a few steps in front of her and then stops.
“There isn’t anyone in the aisle, is there?” She asks me, almost frantically.
“Nope, no one.”
A lady standing down the aisle looks at me with a look of confusion, and I hold my fingers up to my lips in a shushing motion. She smiles and shakes her head.
