Fourth Down

by Kirsten DeMuzio

  I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. He forgot I wanted to be a doctor? Did he ever listen to a word I said when we were dating. Forgive and forget.

  Taking another look at Ford, Aiden took a wide berth as he passed me to enter the room. “See you in class, Poppy.”

  I gave him a little wave and turned around to face plant into Ford’s chest since he was standing so close to me. “Okay, you can knock off the caveman act. He got the message.”

  Finally the corner of his mouth quirked up in a half smile. “Yeah, I think he did.”

  Ford placed his fingers under my chin to tilt my head up. Leaning down he pressed a soft kiss to my lips. The fire that blazed between us was never far from the surface and even the most innocent of kisses could quickly turn into much more. Remembering where we were, I placed my hands on his chest to keep the kiss quick and easy.

  Ford groaned in protest when I wouldn’t part my lips to let him in. He settled for nipping my bottom lip and grabbing my ass. Giggling I pushed him away and blew him a kiss as I walked into class.

  Aiden was watching me in surprise. I had always been firmly against PDA when I was with him, but Ford was different.

  Just seconds before class started Lindsay ran into the room, her blonde hair rumpled and wild. She scanned the class for a seat, and her eyes lit up when she saw me.

  “Hi, Poppy! This is so great we have a class together!” She exclaimed as she slid into the empty seat next to me.

  I had first met Lindsay and the rest of Ford’s friends at Maggie’s funeral. At first they had watched me like I was some kind of rare and endangered animal. Apparently Ford had never had a serious girlfriend before. I didn’t bother correcting them. I wasn’t his girlfriend, and I didn’t know how to describe what our relationship was at the moment. So, I just kept quiet and let them assume.

  When I helped Ford move his stuff into Grady and Lindsay’s basement to store for now, we had stayed and had dinner with them. I learned that Lindsay was going back to school to become a nurse, so it didn’t surprise me that we shared a class this semester. She reminded me a lot of Brooke - bubbly and outgoing with the knack for making me feel like we had been friends forever. I liked her immediately, and it helped that she was somewhat of a newcomer to the tight knit group of Ford, Grady, Josh and Leah, just like me.

  “I’m a little nervous about all these science classes I have to take,” Lindsay whispered to me as we waited for the professor to finish writing his name on the board. I remembered that Lindsay said she had been studying pre-law at NYU before moving here last summer.

  “You’ll be fine,” I reassured her. “We can study together if you want.”

  “That would be great! I’m so glad to have another friend in town.”

  I was genuinely glad to have another friend too. When Ford left I would need all the support I could get. Brooke and Lindsay would get along great, and Brooke might even know Leah from high school. They were the same age and both grew up here. While the professor ran through the syllabus and started in on the first lecture, I noticed Aiden repeatedly glancing over at us. Not at me though, but at Lindsay. I frowned at him and pointed to my left ring finger and then nodded in Lindsay’s direction.

  Aiden glanced at the wedding band on Lindsay’s finger and frowned back at me. Sorry, buddy. She’s taken, and her husband is covered in tattoos and could definitely kick your ass for even looking in her direction. I would have to tell Ford he didn’t need to worry about Aiden being interested in me, but he should warn Grady.

  Yeah, right. Even in the short time I had spent with Lindsay and Grady, it was clear they were the real thing.

  Because this class only met twice a week plus a lab, the lectures were two hours long. Lindsay had to sneak out halfway through to pee.

  “This baby is sitting right on my bladder,” she complained as we walked out of class together. It might have been a complaint, but the way her eyes lit up whenever she talked about her pregnancy told me she was loving every second of it.

  “Do you have another class today?” Lindsay asked me as we exited the building into the bitterly cold January air.

  “Yes, I have Economics now,” I said with a grimace. “As worried as you are about science, I’m ten times more worried about Econ. It’s my last required core class, and I’ve been putting it off.”

  “Oooh, I breezed through Econ. I’ll help you with that, and you help me with Anatomy,” Lindsay offered.

  “Deal.”

  We parted ways at the sidewalk with me going to Econ hell and Lindsay going to her car to go home. Since this was a core class for almost every major and I had been putting it off forever, the class was filled with mostly freshman. At least it would be over with and I could concentrate solely on my major electives next year. My other two classes this semester were a lighter load than I usually take, but I did have the MCATs coming up in May. When I wasn’t working or studying for my classes, I would need to be studying for the MCATs. A good score would help me get into a good medical school after I graduated next year.

  Ford was waiting in the parking lot when I got out of class. He was leaning against his truck with his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt with his ever present baseball cap. Shivering in the cold and pulling my scarf tighter around my neck, I hurried across the snow covered grass to where he was waiting. I often wondered how he didn’t get cold, because he rarely wore a coat, just those sweatshirts.

  He smiled at me as I approached, and I marveled at how handsome he looked when he smiled. Of course he looked sexy as hell when he was scowling, so either worked for me. From the way other girls were watching him, I wasn’t the only one who appreciated his good looks.

  “How was your first day?” Ford asked me as I scurried into the warmth of his waiting arms.

  “Good, but I’d rather tell you about it inside your truck…with the heat on.”

  He chuckled and kept his arm around my shoulders as he opened the passenger door for me.

  “First things first. Did you get my car fixed?” I asked hopefully.

  “We did. It’s running again…for now.”

  “You don’t sound happy about it,” I said.

  Ford shrugged. “No, it’s good. I’m just going to miss driving you around. And I kind of liked knowing you’d be there to pick me up after work.”

  I had liked that part of it too. Knowing that he would be staying with me every night. Would he stop staying at my place now that he didn’t have to give me a ride to work and class in the mornings?

  “Monday nights are pretty slow now that football’s over. You should come by the pub for dinner after you’re done with work…you know, if you’re not studying or whatever.” He sounded so unsure of himself that I wondered if he was thinking the same thing as me.

  Deciding to go out on a limb, because what the hell, that’s pretty much all I did where Ford was concerned, I said, “That sounds great. Maybe I’ll see if Brooke wants to go. I haven’t seen her in forever…and…you can come over after your shift is over if you want. I might be asleep, but…”

  He grinned at me and reached over to take my hand. “I’ll be there, but I can’t promise to slip in quietly. Once I see you in bed, I can’t be held accountable for my actions.”

  Smirking back at him, I wiggled my eyebrows and said, “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

  Needing to work for the money, but not ready to jump right into another aide assignment after Maggie’s death, especially another terminal patient, my agency was temping me out to the hospital. As a state registered nurse’s aide I was able to float and fill in where needed. Today I worked a few hours in the pediatric unit. Kids were often much better and braver patients than adults.

  Tired from a long day of class and work, I kicked off my boots as soon as I entered my apartment and collapsed on my bed. It was almost five o’clock, so I texted Brooke about going for dinner and stared at my ceiling as I waited for her reply. It was almost imm
ediate, and she was up for meeting me at the pub in half an hour when she got off work.

  I laid on my bed for twenty more minutes just enjoying the silence of my empty apartment but missing Ford’s presence at the same time. His tall built frame seemed to take up all of the small space when he was here. For two and a half years I had lived here alone with no problem. Two weeks with Ford basically living with me, and I couldn’t remember what it was like without him here.

  Shaking off my thoughts before they could head too far down a depressing road, I pushed myself up and got ready to leave to meet Brooke.

  When I walked into the pub, Brooke was already waiting for me at the bar. Ford was busy serving other customers, but he winked at me when I sat down next to Brooke.

  “I can’t believe you’re banging Ford Walsh!” Brooke said, a little too loudly for my preference.

  I cringed at her crude description of what was going on between Ford and me. He must not have heard her as he walked toward us with a rare smile on his face. Judging from the way he reprimanded me our first night together when I joked about it being a pity fuck, I was sure he wouldn’t appreciate Brooke’s take on the matter.

  Ford nodded at Brooke before leaning over the bar and placing his hand on the back of my head. Pulling me forward slightly he kissed me in a way that made it obvious we were together, in some sense of the word. I was too shocked that he would initiate such a public display of affection where he worked that he slipped right past my defenses. When he finally pulled away, he smirked at me. “That’s for being denied earlier.”

  Brooke was looking back and forth between us with her mouth hanging open. I was aware that I was acting totally unlike I normally would, and actually Ford was too, but it’s just what came naturally with us.

  “What can I get for you ladies?” Ford asked us.

  Brooke flipped through the menu and ordered a cobb salad and a beer. Pointing at me she said, “You can order your own drink tonight. I’m not getting in trouble like last time.”

  It seemed like ages ago that we were here on Halloween. So much had happened since then.

  Ford shook his head. “I’ll be more than happy to get you drunk at home and take advantage of you, but I can’t serve you in here.”

  “You can serve her. She’s twenty-one now. This time I’m telling the truth,” Brooke laughed.

  Ford didn’t join in her amusement. Turning his frown on me, he demanded, “Since when are you twenty-one?”

  I shrugged one shoulder. “My birthday was two days after Christmas.”

  An older guy sat down on the other side of Brooke and asked Ford for a shot of whiskey, but Ford completely ignored him and kept his narrowed blue eyes on me. “Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?”

  Brooke cleared her throat and slid off her bar stool. “I’m going to the ladies room while you two chat.”

  Ford was still waiting for my answer.

  “I don’t know. It’s not like I had a big party and didn’t invite you. I celebrated with my mom and Rick and the boys when I was home for Christmas. It’s not a big deal.”

  “It was your twenty-first birthday. That is a big deal, Poppy. You should have told me.”

  “We were just friends then, Ford.”

  Slinging his towel over his shoulder he leaned in closer and said, “We were never just friends, Poppy.”

  He left me to ponder what he meant by that while he finally poured the guy his shot of whiskey. Brooke returned and took a drink of her beer.

  “You didn’t order a drink?”

  “No. He’s already pissed that he didn’t know about my birthday. I’m not going to poke the tiger any more than I already have,” I said sarcastically.

  “He’s probably just upset that he didn’t get to spend your birthday with you. It seems like he really cares about you.”

  I scoffed. “You’ve seen us together for all of five minutes, three of which were spent arguing. How can you possibly tell that?”

  “Trust me, Poppy. I’ve been with plenty of guys. If one of them had acted even half as into me, I wouldn’t be single right now.”

  Ford arrived with our food several minutes later. In the midst of our birthday argument, I had never placed my order. But Ford took the liberty of serving me the same thing I had ordered the last time I was here with Maggie. That was a long time ago. Did he really remember what I liked to eat?

  He left us alone while we ate and talked about Brooke’s latest dating disaster.

  “You should really write a book about all the stupid guys you’ve been with,” I joked.

  She laughed. “Yeah, kind of a what not to do guide for single girls. I would probably make millions off it.”

  When it came time for us to go, I caught Ford’s eye and asked for the check when he came over.

  “It’s on the house,” he grumbled.

  “Oh…okay, thanks.” Turning to Brooke I said, “I have to study tonight, but we should make this a regular thing.”

  She got the hint that I wanted to stay and talk to Ford.

  “Of course! You know I won’t let you hide in your apartment studying for too long.”

  We said our goodbyes and I lingered at the bar, waiting for Ford to come back my way.

  When he saw I was waiting for him, he walked back over.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my birthday. I just didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”

  He ran a hand through his hair and down over his face. With a heavy sigh he said, “I’m sorry I overreacted. I tend to do that sometimes.”

  I smiled at the understatement.

  “Can I still come over tonight?” He asked, looking at me intently, his blue eyes piercing mine.

  “Of course. I would be sad if you didn’t,” I answered honestly.

  He nodded once and came around the end of the bar to pull me into his arms. Placing a kiss on the top of my head, he said, “Text me when you get home so I know you’re safe.”

  I rolled my eyes, but he couldn’t see since my face was still buried in his chest.

  I sent Ford a text when I got home. He already had a spare key to my apartment that I had given him last week. It just made sense since he was staying here so much.

  After a few hours of studying, I took a shower and dried my hair. Usually I ended up sleeping in nothing when Ford was here. Tonight I slipped on a pair of silky pink underwear and pulled one of Ford’s t-shirts over my head. It was the one he had worn this morning before going in to work, so it still smelled like him. I would have to figure out a way to keep this one when he was gone.

  It was after eleven when I turned off my light, and I knew Ford would be home within the hour. I tried to wait up, but my eyes kept drifting shut until finally I fell asleep. It couldn’t have been much longer until Ford arrived, but it seemed like I had been asleep for a long time when I heard the door open and then shut again.

  Only a few minutes later I felt Ford lift the covers and slip into bed next to me. Pulling me close with my back up against his chest, he ran his hand down my side and over my hip. He kissed my neck and whispered against my ear, “Goodnight, Poppy.” His warm breath fluttered over my sensitive skin, and I shivered.

  The fact that he came over just to be with me, to sleep next to me, made me want to do more than just sleep. Turning in his arms, I faced him and hitched my leg up over his hip. “I’m not sleepy quite yet,” I murmured against his mouth. I could feel his lips curl up as he put his hand on my ass and pulled me closer.

  “Me neither.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ford

  I put my hand on my knee to keep it from bouncing too much and waking up Poppy. We were about thirty minutes away from landing, and with each passing minute my anxiety grew. Thank God Poppy was here with me. I don’t think I would have gone through with this interview if she hadn’t insisted on it.

  Smiling to myself, I remembered how sexy she was when she was mad. It didn’t happen often - her being mad that is�
�she was always sexy. I had picked up on the fact that she was only outspoken and confrontational when something was really important to her. I was sure as hell glad I fell into the something important category.

  A few days ago I mentioned that maybe I wasn’t ready to come down for the interview. It hadn’t even been a full month since my mom passed away. Poppy put her hands on her slim hips, her hazel eyes flashing with annoyance and anger, and told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to go to this interview.

  So here we are, on the plane, with Poppy fast asleep and me wide awake. I know she had worked a couple extra shifts this week to be able to take the whole weekend off for this trip, so she was exhausted. It was late Friday afternoon, so we had the rest of today to ourselves and then I would meet with coach tomorrow.

  It was a good thing Poppy was sleeping now, because I had plans for tonight since I missed her actual birthday. I know she didn’t think it was a big deal, but it was to me. Poppy was without a doubt the most caring, selfless person I had ever met. She deserved a celebration for her birthday.

  She was curled up in her seat with her head practically in my lap. Her long hair was braided and she wore a sweatshirt with leggings and those furry boots she wore all the time. I wished her hair was down so I could run my fingers through the soft strands, but instead I settled for smoothing my hand over her arm and shoulder.

  The pilot came over the intercom and announced we would begin our descent in a few minutes.

  “Poppy. Wake up, babe. We’re getting ready to land,” I murmured. She stirred and stretched, sitting up in her seat and blinking her expressive eyes.

  “Mmmm…wow, that went fast. I can’t believe we’re there already. Can you get my bag down for me? I want to change clothes before we land.”

  I stood up and wrestled her carry on down from the overhead compartment. “You don’t want to wait until we get to the hotel?”

  “No.”

  Okay. I handed her the bag and stepped back to let her pass through the narrow aisle.