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I’m holding you to that
Aiden
Please tell me you’re not buying her camping gear
Cal
Don’t be an asshole, A. Rowan loved it
Aiden
Or she was too sweet to say otherwise
I shoved my phone in my pocket and let their banter ping back and forth without me. I had more important things to do.
Chapter thirty-two
Poppy
As I tossed andturned last night, I realized two things: First, Theo wasn’t running to my arms the moment he saw the statue. Second, I was still loved. The first thought made me want to hide under my covers and cry through Valentine’s Day. The second had me gathering my card-making supplies before the sun rose. I spread everything on the coffee table and grabbed a blanket to toss over my work if someone walked in when I was working on theirs. I tried not to think about how Theo and I had huddled under the same fluffy throw the night the tree fell on my studio.
I started with Mom and Rowan since they were the most likely to snoop and managed to get both cards finished before they got up. I shouldn’t have worried though. They had too many flower and cookie deliveries to give a second glance at what I was doing. They’d chugged some coffee and left after I assured Rowan that I could hand over the last of the cookies scheduled for pickup without cussing anyone out.
I had to stop often to answer the doorbell, but by noon I’d made enough progress to feel confident I’d finish all the cardsin time. Around two o’clock, I looked out our front window and noticed Twill and Mrs. Adams chatting on the sidewalk. Most of their conversations were screamed across the street from their respective porches, so I was already a bit suspicious when a minivan pulled to the curb and Theo’s Fan Club climbed out.
“What the hell?” I said, leaving Aiden’s card mid-cut to peer out the window.
I was about to open the door and ask them what they were doing when Theo walked through Twill’s yard with something small and black in his arms. Everyone moved aside to make a path for him to my house.
By this point, the senior citizens had noticed me in the window and were pointing. Theo looked up at the house, his face pale. Whatever was about to go down between us, I really didn’t want the entire art class watching. I half considered hiding in my room. Instead, I flung open the front door and leaned against the frame with my arms crossed over my chest. I’d have looked like a total badass in my combat boots. Instead, my furry Grinch slippers did nothing for my height or hard exterior. When Theo climbed the porch steps in his boots, he towered over me more than usual, which made me feel even smaller than I already did.
“Nice audience,” I said, lifting my chin toward the sidewalk. “Afraid to see me by yourself?”
The faintest smile crossed his lips, and every nerve in my body lit up. Damn him and his pillowy pucker.
“Mr. Twillings heard I was coming to see you. I guess the news spread.”
Just then, the little black ball exploded from Theo’s arms, leaped through the air in a furry blaze, and shot past me into the house. For the first time since pre-K, I was in serious danger of wetting myself. Rowan had told me about the black squirrels in DC, but I’d never seen one. The creature was small enough to bea squirrel, though I couldn’t think of any reason why Theo would bring one to my house.
“Son of biscuit,” I said, putting my hand on my chest where my heart thudded wildly. The squirrel thing let out a bark by my feet and my breath caught.
“You’re a dog,” I said, kneeling to get a better look. It had a squished little face that looked like it belonged in the primate house at the zoo and a fluffy black coat that begged to be petted. I held out my hand for the dog to sniff, which it did before launching itself at me. Its silky fur brushed against my neck and cheek as it covered me in sloppy kisses.
My heart melted. It wiggled with excitement as I plopped my ass on the floor and buried my face in its fur.
“You’re the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” I cooed. The dog gave me what I can only describe as a doggy grin before jumping off my lap and zooming back to Theo.
“This is Holly,” he said quietly, kneeling to pet her.
Holly. A plant with red berries. I’d always given Mom shit for naming my sister after a berry and not a flower, but she always insisted Rowan was still a red blossom like Rose or Poppy.
“Is she yours?” I asked.
He nodded.
He’d gotten a dog. Given how Skye helped him, he should have gotten one years ago. But he’d never allowed himself that bit of happiness. Until now. A surge of hope washed through me.
Holly let out a yip and shot off toward the dining room.