AJ had been perfect, attentive, almost relentlessly so. He’d showed up every day at her doorstep with dinner, either cooked or takeout, and came every morning to just check in to see if she needed anything. He had gone on walks with her, Rocco, and Tabitha. He did her dishes, laundry, and cleaning without her asking. She’d drawn hard boundaries, though. After the shower incident, no more sleepovers or showers. She had to try and protect herself somehow. They hadn’t talked much about the baby, other than him asking how she was feeling.
He didn’t ask the way people do when they’re just being polite, he wanted the facts, the metrics. Did she feel worse or better than yesterday? What was her energy level, on a scale of one to ten? Sometimes she resented him for it, mostly, she just felt guilty, because none of it was going to change how this went.
He’d made his feelings on the subject clear. As much as she appreciated him taking care of her the past couple weeks, andshe’d allowed herself to indulge in it because, well, she’d been scared and felt alone, she knew it wasn’t sustainable.
Zoya’s phone buzzed. She checked the notification, eyes lighting up. “My friends are here. Bye Auntie!” Zoya gave Poppy a quick hug and then ran down by the river to meet her friends.
A strange stillness settled over Poppy, as if the crowd had momentarily parted to give her space to think. She realized it was the first time she’d been alone in days, AJ had driven her everywhere, or, if she insisted on driving herself, he always found a reason to come along. She tried to enjoy the pause, but her mind churned.
She knew he definitely wouldn’t be coming tonight. They hadn’t discussed it, but it was everything he didn’t like. Crowds. Loud noises. Bright flashing lights. This place was overstimulation on steroids.
The past week, she’d mentioned several times that she wasn’t really looking forward to the festival, but she had to go. He hadn’t offered to go with her, which meant there was no way he was showing up.
“Poppyseed!” Phoebe called, waving her arm as she headed towards Poppy. Her sister looked harried, but her eyes sparkled. “Oh my god, Finley, don’t suffocate your aunt!”
Finley had already thrown herself at Poppy, arms winding around her neck in a bear hug that nearly knocked Poppy off balance.
“You are the best Glinda I have ever seen,” Poppy declared into Finley’s curls, grinning as she set her niece down.Wickedwas Finley’s current obsession, and she could recite every line, every song. Tonight, she’d insisted on a full face of glitter, and it had migrated down her cheeks like fairy dust.
Phoebe adjusted the carrier straps, then nodded at Zoya’s absence. “Where’s your shadow?”
“Off plotting world domination with her minions.”
“There’s Rohan and Ravi!” Ezra, who was dressed as Fortnite with his twin Elan, pointed down the street to their cousins.
Poppy and Phoebe turned and saw their sisters Lina and Pippa walking towards them with Pippa’s six-year-old son, Freddie, who was dressed as a ninja zombie, and Zoya’s brothers, Rohan and Ravi, who were dressed as their favorite anime characters.
“Can we go now?!” Elan pleaded.
“Yes,” Phoebe released her sons. “Be back here at nine. Not a second later.”
The boys shot away from them like their hair was on fire.
“Are we really that bad?” Poppy smiled.
“Yeah, just wait till you have ki—” Phoebe stopped herself mid-word. She had a self-diagnosed case of foot-in-mouth disease. She continued on, saying, “As soon as they hit double digits, whenever we are in public, it’s as if adults are a disease they do not want to catch.”
Guilt swept over Poppy. She wanted to tell her sister that she didn’t need to feel bad that she’d mentioned her having kids. She wanted to tell her that she was, in fact, pregnant. But it was high risk, so she kept it to herself.
“Okay, are we taking the kids, or what?” Roger joined the group, handing out churros to his wife and Pippa, then offering the cylindrical sugary treat to both Phoebe and Poppy, who both declined.
“Hey!” a man’s voice shouted.
Poppy turned and saw Deacon and Tabitha. She’d invited them to join her and her siblings at the Halloween festival since he was new to town. “Hi!”
At the same time they arrived, Liam and Frankie did as well. They were greeted with a swell of ‘welcome back’ and ‘how was the honeymoon.’
“That is my brother. The one who got married,” Poppy explained the obvious. She’d talked to Deacon about the event when they discussed her moving in since it was the day before the wedding.
Deacon smiled. “I figured.”
Once everyone had greeted the returning newlyweds, Poppy made introductions. "Guys, this is Deacon St. Claire and his daughter Tabitha. Deacon, this is my brother Liam and his wife Frankie, my sister Phoebe and her husband Duane and their daughters Bristol and Finley. My sister Pippa and her husband Roger and their son Freddie. And my sister Lina and her husband Ramesh.”
“Nice to meet you all.” Deacon waved at the group.
Poppy could feel the scrutiny of familial stares but prayed he didn’t pick up on it. There was absolutely nothing going on between her and Deacon. He was an objectively attractive man. Six foot something, square jaw covered in stubble, green eyes, brown hair. He was a single father who adored his child, and he was rich. As the saying goes, “What’s not to love?” But there was absolutelyzerochemistry. Nothing. Nada. She had more chemistry with her work wife, Carmen.
“We’re going to go get some hot chocolate. Guy’s take the kids to bob for apples,” Phoebe instructed the husbands.
