Fourth Down

by Kirsten DeMuzio

  Chapter Ten

  Ford

  I was still fuming when I climbed into Josh’s truck, and it didn’t surprise me when he asked, “What crawled up your ass?”

  There was practically steam coming out of my ears as I replayed my conversation with Poppy in my mind on the drive to Grady’s house. No matter what she said that douchebag’s intentions were, I knew what was really going on in his head. The same thing that went through my head every time I saw her. And then she had the nerve to remind me I had no hold over her, no right to tell her what to do.

  The thing that pissed me off the most was that she was right. It was my own damn fault she wasn’t mine, but that didn’t make it any easier to take.

  “Seriously, dude. You better calm the fuck down before we get to Grady’s house. This is his wedding day, and he’s not going to take any of your shit today,” Josh reminded me.

  He was right too. Since Grady had found out Lindsay was pregnant right before Thanksgiving, he devised a plan to marry her before the year was over. That left tonight - New Year’s Eve. The best part was that it was a surprise for Lindsay. She just thought they were having a New Year’s party. Normally I would warn him it was a risky move. She could freak out and say no after all. But with those two, there wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind they would end up together.

  The ceremony was scheduled for later this evening, but Grady had arranged for Lindsay to be out of the house for a girls’ day and for the guys to help him set everything up. There were already a shitload of cars in the driveway when we pulled in.

  “Jesus Christ, who are all these people?”

  Josh hopped out of the truck and reached behind his seat for his suit. The dress code for Josh and me was black suits and white shirts.

  “Remember Lindsay’s cousin comes with her own security detail, and Leah said Senator and Mrs. Ross were coming too.”

  Oh yeah, Lindsay’s cousin was Taryn Ross, the daughter of Senator Ross, who was running for President next year. That would explain the abundance of black SUVs with tinted windows.

  The second we walked through the door, Grady put us to work. An attractive older blonde woman, who was introduced to us as Mrs. Ross, was busy arranging flowers on every surface in sight. Senator Ross, casually dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, helped Josh and me string white Christmas lights down the stairs and across the beams of the cathedral ceiling in the living room.

  Looking around Grady’s house, I could see Lindsay’s influence everywhere. For one thing, there was furniture. Before Lindsay walked back into Grady’s life he had a couch, TV and an air mattress in the bedroom. It looked much better now.

  “Hey, Ford. Give us a hand with these chairs,” Grady called through the back door. I handed my string of lights to Senator Ross, who insisted I call him James, and headed outside behind Grady. Wyatt, Taryn’s fiancé and one of her bodyguards, was up in the back of a box truck handing down white chairs.

  “Hey, Ford. It’s good to see you again,” he said to me as he handed me a chair to stack with the others alongside the house.

  “You, too. I’m glad you guys could make it to watch Grady lose his freedom.”

  Grady rolled his eyes. “One day, Ford. One day you’ll understand I’m not losing anything.”

  “He’s right,” Wyatt agreed. “I can’t wait to marry Taryn, but this damn campaign is putting a damper on my plans.”

  When Josh married Leah as soon as she graduated from high school, Grady and I gave him a hard time for months about settling down. He said the same thing to us back then that Grady and Wyatt just said to me. Now that I was the only one left, it seemed like maybe they knew what they were talking about.

  “I didn’t invite you over eight hours before the wedding so you could stand around daydreaming like a lovesick little girl,” Grady said after smacking me on the back with a chair.

  “Fuck you,” I grumbled and took another chair from Wyatt.

  “Are you moping after that girl? What’s her name? Pippy?”

  “It’s Poppy. And I’m not moping, Jackass.”

  Grady laughed. “Are you bringing her tonight?”

  “Uh…no.”

  “Why not? Weddings are great places to take a girl you’re in love with.”

  I froze with a chair in my hands, halfway between the truck and the house. That was ridiculous. I wasn’t in love with Poppy. Sure I enjoyed spending time with her, and it was the hardest thing in the world to keep my hands off her. She was one of the few people in the world that I was voluntarily nice to. But that didn’t mean I loved her.

  I gave Grady’s shoulder a good shove. “I’m not in love with her, and we’re not dating. We’re just friends.”

  Grady and Wyatt exchanged a glance that had me rolling my eyes.

  “You just keep telling yourself that, Ford. But seriously, you should bring her…as a ‘friend’.”

  “She’s staying with my mom until I get home tonight. I can’t find someone else on this short notice and on New Year’s Eve.” That was a terrible excuse, but it was the only one I had. I’m sure I could find someone else to stay with my mom, but I wasn’t sure bringing Poppy to Grady and Lindsay’s wedding was a good idea. The line between friendship and something more was already beginning to blur, at least for me.

  When we finished unloading the truck, we started hauling the chairs inside and setting them up in the living room, leaving an aisle in between. The living room furniture had been moved down to the basement to make room for the ceremony. The open floor plan of the first floor allowed plenty of space for a separate area for a dance floor and tables for food and drinks.

  By the time we broke for a late lunch, the place was really coming together. It no longer looked like Grady’s house, but a place where a wedding was about to take place. The girls were still out doing whatever girls do, so it was just us guys and Taryn’s mom, Rebecca, for lunch. She had ordered a massive amount of sandwiches from the local deli and arranged them along with chips and bottles of water on the kitchen island.

  “Lunch is ready,” she called out. In less than two minutes we were all seated at the tables set up for the reception with full plates of food.

  “I have to say, Ford, I certainly enjoyed watching you play,” James Ross said as he sat down across from me. Rebecca sat down next to him and looked at him questioningly. James nodded his head in my direction and said, “Ford was a quarterback at LSU a few years back. Top quarterback in the nation in my opinion.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful. Do you still play?” Rebecca asked me.

  A few months ago I would have given her a look that would have shut her up and got up and left the table. Now I was able to carry on a conversation like a civilized person. My thoughts drifted momentarily back to Poppy as it seemed any progress I had made recently could be attributed to her influence.

  “No, maam. I broke my leg during my junior season. It was a career ending injury.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Grady mentioned you have an interview for a coaching position at LSU,” James said.

  I honestly hadn’t thought much about it lately, but it was coming up quickly. “Yeah, at the end of January. My old coach contacted me about the opening on his staff.”

  “It sounds like a great opportunity. We wish you all the luck,” Rebecca said graciously. She then turned the conversation to the wedding and how great it was that Lindsay and Grady had found each other again. It was amazing how down to earth they both were. I had only ever seen them on TV, and even then I usually switched the channel. Politics wasn’t high on my interest list, but I made a mental note to pay more attention to the upcoming election. Especially since I had just had lunch with one of the candidates.

  Grady whistled to get our attention. “Finish your food, and get back to work. We only have a few hours left. The girls will be home soon, and then we all need to start getting dressed.”

  Offering a smile to Mr. and Mrs. Ross, I tossed my paper plate i
n the trash and went to see what I was supposed to work on next. Grady directed Josh and I to help the caterers unload, while James and Rebecca set out a million white candles on every surface. Geez, I hope the house doesn’t burn down.

  Grady and Wyatt were setting up the bar area, which would be complete with a hired bartender. Thank God it wouldn’t be me tending bar tonight. That shit was getting real old real fast, and coaching at LSU was sounding better all the time. Again my thoughts immediately went to Poppy whenever I thought of leaving town. Maybe I could fly her down to visit.

  Realizing I was spacing out again, I got back to unloading. Grady was watching me with a knowing look on his face, so I flipped him off. He just smiled and shook his head, which was more irritating than if he had retaliated.

  After the girls returned and Lindsay was blindfolded and hurried upstairs so she wouldn’t see anything, Mr. and Mrs. Ross returned to their hotel to get ready for the ceremony. Leah, Taryn and Lindsay would be getting ready in the master bedroom and guest rooms upstairs, so Wyatt, Josh, Grady and I were stuck using the basement shower. Not that it was a hardship. When Grady built this house, he may not have furnished it, but the finishes were top of the line.

  Ten minutes for each of us and we were showered, dressed and ready. As the time for the ceremony to begin neared, Grady grew increasingly antsy.

  “What are you nervous about? You know she wants to marry you,” Josh said.

  “Yeah, I know. I’m just worried that she’ll be disappointed that she didn’t get to plan the wedding herself.”

  “No way, man. She’s going to love it,” I said, although I really had no idea if she would be happy or not.

  Wyatt walked over with his phone. “Showtime, Grady. Taryn said it’s time for you to go up and talk to Lindsay.”

  Grady blew out a breath and automatically reached to run his hands through his chin length hair, but stopped when he remembered it was pulled back into a ponytail. With his hair back, his face clean shaven, and the suit covering all his tattoos, he looked like a different person. When the huge smile broke out over his face as he headed up the stairs, I realized it wasn’t what he was wearing or how he looked that made him different. It was Lindsay.

  I was at college when he met her five years ago and when she left him without an explanation. He was mostly over his self-destructive phase by the time I moved back home, but he wasn’t the same guy I’d known all my life. When Lindsay left, she took part of him, the best part, with her. Now that they were back together, that part was back and then some. It was like she made him a better person, and anyone could see she made him happy.

  It wasn’t a question that Poppy made me a better person, or at least want to be a better person when I was around her. Could she make me happy? Was she my Lindsay? It had been so long since I could describe myself as happy, that I wasn’t sure I even remembered what that would feel like. But if anyone could bring that back to me, it would be her.

  As I watched Grady come back down the stairs looking like the cat who ate the canary, I kicked myself for not thinking to ask Poppy to come with me to the wedding. It wasn’t anything new. I’d been kicking myself every day since Thanksgiving for turning down her obvious invitation to take things further during our encounter in the parking lot.

  Wyatt clapped me on the shoulder as he came to stand next to me. “Whoever she is, you shouldn’t let her get away. I know that look, Ford. I fought my feelings for Taryn for a long time. It would have saved a lot of time if I accepted what I knew from the beginning. She was it for me.” He turned his head, and I followed his line of sight to watch Taryn come down the stairs. She was beautiful, and she looked at Wyatt with such love in her eyes that I had to turn away. It felt like I was invading their privacy just by being in the same room.

  Josh and I took our places next to Grady and the minister, while Taryn and Leah stood on the other side of the aisle next to where Lindsay would be in a few minutes. The music changed, and Lindsay entered the living room on the arm of her uncle James.

  There was that goddamn look again, this time between Lindsay and Grady. It wasn’t so much that it made me uncomfortable as it made me envious of what they had. Of what Taryn and Wyatt had. And Leah and Josh. They had someone that loved them above all others. Someone that they could depend on and plan a future with.

  Just like being happy, planning a future was something I hadn’t done in a long time. With the situation with my mom and my possible plans to move to Louisiana, it didn’t make sense to be thinking about a future with Poppy. And honestly, as I watched Lindsay and Grady take their vows, I wasn’t thinking too far in the future at all. I was only thinking that it was New Year’s Eve, and there was just one person I wanted to be with at midnight.

  The ceremony was quick and followed by endless pictures, food, drinks and dancing. I suffered through mingling and even some dancing when Leah forced me. The food was good, but I stayed away from the alcohol. My head needed to be clear when I went home to Poppy. I didn’t have a plan of what I wanted to say. All I knew was that I needed to kiss her again. She had told me not to start something again that I didn’t intend on finishing. If she wanted a relationship, then that’s what I would give her. My longest relationship hadn’t lasted more than two months in college, so I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. The only thing I knew was that I needed her however I could get her.

  Finally it seemed late enough that it would acceptable for me to bow out, so I went over to the table where Lindsay and Grady were sitting with Leah and Josh to say my goodbyes.

  “It’s not even midnight yet,” Lindsay said to me.

  “Yeah, sorry guys. I’ve got something to take care of. Congratulations, I’m really happy for both of you.” I felt bad for leaving before it was over, but I’m sure they would get over it.

  Grady followed me to the back door. “Ford, wait up.”

  “I’m sorry, Grady. It’s just…”

  He waved off my apology. “It’s fine, dude. I get it.” He pulled an envelope out of his inside jacket pocket and held it out to me.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s a thank you for helping me pull this off.”

  “You didn’t need to get me anything. I was happy to help. You’d do the same for me.”

  “Yeah, I know. Listen, I know you’re going to LSU for your interview. That’s an extra plane ticket so you can take Poppy with you. Now if she wants her own hotel room, that’s on you,” Grady said, slapping me on the back before walking back to the party.

  “Hey, Ford!”

  I turned back around just in time to catch the keys to Grady’s bike before they hit me in the face.

  “Did you forget that Josh picked you up?”

  Oh, yeah. “Thanks,” I said. “For everything.”

  Shit, it’s almost midnight. I shoved the envelope in my jacket pocket and drove home as fast as I could given it had been a while since I’d driven a motorcycle. First, I needed to kiss Poppy. And pray she didn’t slap me and tell me to get lost. Then, I needed to ask her to go with me to my interview at the end of the month. And pray she would say yes.

  I parked Grady's bike in the driveway behind my truck, which was parked slightly off center. Hmmm. Not important right now.

  When I let myself in the front door, I expected to hear the TV counting down the remaining seconds until midnight. But the house was silent, and a quick search of the downstairs turned up nothing. Fearing the worst, I took the steps two at a time and opened the door to my mom's room with my heart pounding in my throat.

  Seeing my mom lying in her bed and hearing the light sound of her breathing calmed me down. I quietly shut the door. Where the fuck was Poppy? I was on my way back downstairs when I caught sight of something in my room.

  Standing in the doorway I took in the sight of Poppy curled up on my bed, hugging my sweatshirt tightly to her chest. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was deep and even. Sound asleep. In my bed.

  I moved to the
side of the bed and sat down on the edge. Poppy stirred but didn't wake up. She moved her head farther down on the pillow and pressed her face against the fabric of my sweatshirt. That action caused a sharp ache dead center in my chest.

  She looked so peaceful I hesitated to wake her. Her long hair was tangled on the pillow, and the curve of her hip as she lay on her side was so enticing. I lightly ran my hand up her leg and over her hip, stopping at her waist. With a gentle push I rolled her on her back and lowered my head to brush kisses across her cheekbones.

  Before she was fully awake, her arms wound around my neck and she breathed out my name. I pulled back to watch as her eyes fluttered open and recognition dawned.

  "What are you doing?"

  I lowered my head again, so our mouths were just a whisper apart. "I'm finishing what I started," I murmured against her lips.

  Poppy's breath escaped her in a warm brush across my mouth. She rose up to close the distance between us and pressed her lips to mine. Her lips were soft and parted for me almost immediately. She tasted even better than I remembered, and I stroked her tongue and sucked on her full bottom lip as I moved to stretch out next to her. God, this felt good. She felt good.

  Before we took it any farther, we heard a sound that had my heart pounding in my chest again and put fear in Poppy's eyes.

  A loud thud from my mom's room.

  Chapter Eleven

  Poppy

  I paced from my kitchenette to my bathroom to the window and back. This had been my route all day from the time I arrived home from the hospital at 5:00 am this morning. There may have been a couple of hours that I drifted off to sleep when I laid down on my bed to cry, but other than that I had been pacing.

  The doctor said Maggie had most likely suffered a blood clot in her brain, and that she was unconscious before we even heard her fall. I was glad she hadn’t been in pain, but it still hurt so much.