The Birthday List(94)

“The next time we score, I’ll hoist you up.”

“Okay,” she breathed.

We turned our attention back to the game and stood quietly as the kids around us cheered for the players and cursed at the refs. When we’d gotten to the game, I’d chosen to abandon our ticketed seats and squeeze into the jam-packed students’ section. It was wild and crazy—noisy as fuck and I had to stand sideways—but it was the best place for Poppy to do her thing.

Just as I’d suspected, it didn’t take long for the Bobcats to march down the remainder of the field and score a touchdown, sending the stadium into sheer pandemonium.

“Up you go!” I grabbed Poppy by the waist and hoisted her high.

The mass of fraternity guys in the rows behind us didn’t let me down. They kept her high, sending her up the rows as she laid back flat.

Crowd surfing like a badass.

I laughed and held up my phone, taking a few pictures as she went higher and higher. When she finally reached a group of people that set her down, I pushed past the students in my row to the aisle. Then I took the stairs two at a time, meeting her on the steps.

I stopped one step below her so we were almost at eye level, giving me the perfect view of those cornflower blues.

“Fun?” I asked.

“Yeah. It actually was.” She laughed and threw her arms around my shoulders.

I wrapped my arms around her tight, dragging in a few deep breaths of her hair. It smelled like vanilla and cinnamon mixed with the crisp air and everything Poppy.

“Thank you,” she said into my ear. “For everything.”

I let her go and leaned back.

The stadium was still deafening, but it was all just a dull buzz in the background when Poppy was in my arms. The cheers, the clapping, the whistles, it all just faded away.

There was only her.

I lifted a hand to her face. “Like I’ve told you, I’m glad to help you with the list.”

“No, I’m not talking about the list. This is about everything else. Because of you, I wake up smiling. I look forward to each and every day. Because of you,” she took my hand off her cheek and pressed it against her heart, “this only has happy beats.”

She held my hand against her chest as her bright blue eyes sparkled.

I loved this woman. I loved this woman so damn much it consumed me.

What the hell was my problem? Why was I holding back from telling her how I felt? Because I was scared that she was still in love with her husband? News flash, Cole. She would always have a special place in her heart for Jamie. That didn’t mean she couldn’t love me too.

He had her past.

I was taking her future.

I’d get to buy her another dog. I’d get to watch her have our babies. I’d get to dance with her at our golden anniversary. Because I was never letting her go.

As long as I lived, Poppy would be mine.

It had taken me a hell of a long time, but here in the deafening stadium, I finally got a clue. It was time to tell Poppy how much she meant to me—regardless of her response.

Behind us, the Bobcats kicker must have scored the extra point because the stadium erupted again. It was too loud for her to hear, so I mouthed my next three words. Three words that would only ever be hers.

I love you.

She smiled and mouthed, I love you too.

She loved me too.

Her lips had barely stopped moving when I crushed mine to hers. I thrust my tongue inside, devouring her mouth as she dueled right back. When I finally pulled away, her lips were wet and red and just how I liked them.

“Ma’am! Excuse me, sir!”

I tore my eyes away from Poppy’s as a man scurried to our sides. He was wearing a neon-green vest with SECURITY written on the breast pocket. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave, ma’am,” he told Poppy. “You can’t crowd surf in the stadium.”

“Sorry.” She giggled, grinning at me before turning to walk up the stairs.

I laughed too, which just pissed the security guard off, and followed behind Poppy. By the time we reached an exit gate, the sounds from the stadium had dulled and I could hear again.

“I guess we’ll be kind of early to your parents’ after-game party.”

I threw my arm around her shoulders, steering her toward the parking lot. “I’ve got an idea how we could kill a couple of hours.”

Her eyebrows quirked. “Oh, yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.”





“Cole,” I gasped, arching against his chest. I was on my side with him at my back. One of his arms was under my hip and his fingers were at my clit. The other hand was across my chest, rolling a nipple between his fingers. And while his lips were kissing my neck, his cock was thrusting inside.

“Come on, Poppy. Get there.” He rammed his hips against my ass, sending his cock even deeper.

My legs trembled as he stroked harder, hitting the spot inside that would send me over the edge. The thunder of his heartbeat against my spine matched the rhythm of his hips. Every nerve in my body was alive—Cole had sparked them all to life with his burning touch.

“I’m—”

My orgasm hit hard before I could give Cole a warning. All of the muscles in my body convulsed as my hips bucked with every pulse of my sex. I forced my eyes open, blinking away the white spots and tears dancing in my vision.