Love Me Forever - Juliana Stone Page 0,63
know.” Elise smoothed her hair and glanced outside. “How’d Benji do at practice?”
Boone couldn’t help but grin. “He did great. I mean, hell, it was his first time on skates, but by the end of the hour, he was flying up and down the ice.” More like shuffling, but hey, his kid kept his balance and hardly fell. “I think he’s going to like hockey as much as his old man.”
“Do you regret not pursuing your hockey scholarship?”
Yes.
“No. It’s what he wanted, and no way was I living his dream for him.”
She seemed to consider his words before she nodded toward the door. “You should go. You’re going to be late getting to the Jacobs’, and we don’t want Poppy to think anything is amiss.”
“No,” he replied with a grin. “We don’t want that.” With one more kiss, he was out the door and, five minutes later, cruising out of town toward the lake. Red and pink painted a picture of the early evening sky, and with his window down and fresh air on his face, he felt like he was in a good place. Maybe the place to make that next move, something he’d been contemplating for the last few days.
He wanted Poppy one hundred percent of the time, in his home, in his bed. He smiled at the thought, though it slowly faded as he took a right onto Main Street. Because as much as his life was good, better than ever, actually, he couldn’t shake the feeling it was out of sync. Like he was two steps behind and he’d never get it right.
It made him wonder. Was he like his mother? Would he screw this up without realizing he was to blame because he didn’t think he deserved better? It was a hard truth that he’d never had a functioning adult relationship in his life. When he was barely an adult way back when, that summer with Poppy had been about the closest he’d come. And he’d managed to screw it up because he’d let his father rule his emotions. Even though Boone had been the one to leave town after that big fuck-you to the old man, it was his dad who’d controlled all of it. He’s set everything in play, and Boone had reacted.
Boone shook the gloom from his mind and decided to enjoy the night with his friends and the woman who’d fallen back into his life like a gift from God. He knew they needed to talk about things, and he planned on laying them out first thing tomorrow.
By the time Boone reached River Road, he was feeling damn good. That was until he pulled into his driveway, his intention to grab a quick shower and head over to Nathan’s. There was a sliver Mercedes SUV in the driveway with personal plates, parked in his spot.
GUD2BME
Good to be me. Great.
Boone cut the engine and slid from his truck just as two long, slender legs exited the vehicle, followed by a lot of skin and a sky-blue dress that barely covered her butt or the perky breasts he’d paid for.
“Hey, sugar.” Lips that shone from deep-red gloss parted in a smile, though she didn’t remove the large shades that covered her eyes. Probably because she knew they looked good on her.
“I guess I missed the memo,” he muttered.
Seemed that his ex was in town.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Poppy was about to head inside and check her phone for what seemed like the thirtieth time, when she heard Boone’s voice. It slid over her skin like warm water, and she shivered as the tight spring inside her relaxed a bit and she could breathe. She’d been anxious since she and Link had arrived at Molly and Nate’s. Anxious for a lot of reasons, but it was the nameless ones that were giving her the most trouble.
She turned and looked over the railing with a smile, which faltered when she caught sight of the blonde woman at his side, smiling up at him as if he were a yummy treat she was going to enjoy later. She was tall, with silky hair and runway-model legs that went on for miles. Her dress wasn’t exactly appropriate for a backyard party, but then, with a body like that, why not?
Poppy knew who she was, of course she did, and she pasted that smile she’d lost back in place as she made her way down the deck stairs to the patio below.
“Who is that?” Molly asked as she stepped onto the