I feign an exasperated, exaggerated sigh. “Fine, daddy.”
Amelia snorts while Ben shakes is head. “Um, no. That’s a hard pass from me on that particular role play, thank you very much.”
Laughing, I loop my fingers around Ben’s wrist and pull him away from the expectant couple to one of the couches. I tug him down onto the cozy surface after me. “Thanks for coming to this with me,” I say, humor turning serious. “It means a lot.”
“I’ll go anywhere, as long as it’s with you.” He kisses the back of my hand. And damn, I’m not the swooning type, but that chaste kiss makes me think that with Ben, I could be. “Besides, it’s fun to get to spend more time with your friends.”
The couch bounces on the other side of me and I turn to see Emmy sitting there. “And her friends are excited to get to know you better too,” she says, smiling at Ben.
I loop my arm through hers, pulling her close so that her thick, dark curls fall over my shoulder. “And it all makes me feel like the damned happiest and luckiest girl in the world,” I say with a wide grin at both my friend and my lover.
“I don’t doubt it,” Emmy says, eyes bright.
There’s a pleasant commotion at the food table. Kate has brought out a second bowl of punch — and Harry is pouring vodka into it, causing the other party-goers to line up for a drink.
“Isn’t that kind of a faux pas, to serve alcohol at a baby shower?” Emmy wrinkles her nose. “I mean, Amelia can’t have any.”
“Yeah, but there’s a non-alcoholic version.” I point at the first punch bowl. I glance at Amelia, who is laughing airily at something Tatum said. “She doesn’t look mad.”
“True,” Emmy concedes.
Ben gets up. “I am going to take advantage of this new development and get some punch. Can I procure some for you fine ladies?”
“Yes,” Emmy and I say as one, sending him off with a chuckle.
“So, how’s it going?” My friend asks, curling her feet beneath her on the couch. “You seem really happy.”
“I am really happy.”
She squeezes my forearm. “I’m so glad. Especially after the news about your fertility.”
The mention of my infertility stings. I’m still getting used to this new reality. But Emmy’s right — getting to be something of a back-up mom for Rory has gone a long way in easing the pain of my loss.
“I never saw any of this coming. Especially Ben. He’s been right in front of me for years, and it still took us this long to realize what we could be for each other.”
Emmy shrugs. “Maybe you weren’t ready for each other when you first met. Or maybe you truly weren’t attracted to each other then. Love and attraction can grow. You started as acquaintances, and that turned to something like friendship. It doesn’t surprise me that your friendship eventually blossomed into love.”
I turn her words over in my head. “You know what I think, my friend?” I say at last, bumping my shoulder into hers.
She shakes her head, a bemused expression on her face.
“I think that you’re a very smart, very wise person.”
Emmy smiles. “I’m a therapist. That comes with the territory.”
“So what do you think? Kate, Amelia, and I all randomly found out-of-the-blue love. Are you next?”
She laughs, but her brown eyes turn mournful. “I’m too smart for that,” she says softly.
I frown, opening my mouth to probe deeper into Emmy’s gathering sadness. But at that moment Tatum stands up and clinks his glass with a fork, calling for everyone’s attention.
Emmy leans in. “Don’t worry about me,” she whispers as Tatum welcomes everyone to the shower. “I’m doing just fine on my own.”
Now it’s my turn to squeeze her arm. I know she’s doing fine. She’s Emmy, and she rocks.
I thought I was doing fine before Ben too.
And really, I was.
But then he came into my life in a whole new way, and it made me realize how much better he made everything.
I want that for Emmy, if that’s something she desires.
For now, though, I’ll keep on trying to be the best friend that I can, loving her and supporting her through whatever comes her way — just like she’s done for me.
Just like the four of us — Amelia, Kate, Emmy, and me — do for each other. Always.
Ben returns with three drinks impossibly balanced in his hands. Emmy plucks the most precarious cup, and I take one of the two remaining ones. He sits, close enough that our thighs press together. I inhale the fresh scent of him, leaning in close.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
He bends his neck and kisses me. He knows I’m not only thanking him for the punch, and I can sense that knowledge in his touch.
“I’m a lucky man,” he rumbles back before turning his eyes to the front of the room where Kate is explaining the first shower game.
And he is.
He’s just as lucky as me.
Love at First Sight
Discover Emmy’s story
in the final book of the
Love at First Sight
series, coming soon!
A Love Note For You
Dear wonderful reader,
Thank you so much for reading Head Over Heels! I hope you enjoyed Hattie and Ben’s HEA as much as they did. ;)
If you’d like to stay in touch and be the first to know about fresh releases and sizzling deals — including the next book in the Love at First Sight series — I invite you to sign up for my mailing list.
If you have a few moments, I’d be so grateful if you considered leaving a review for Head Over Heels here on Amazon. This helps your fellow readers know if it’s the right book for them.
Thanks again for reading! It means the world to me.
Love, Poppy
Also by Poppy Parkes
Standalone Stories:
Accidental Valentine
Cowboy’s Pride
Falling Into You
First Time Player
Giddy Up, Cowgirl
Her Declaration of Independence
Her Winter Cowboy
Hot for the Holidays
Mister Cowboy
Our Happy Holiday
The Love at First Sight Series:
Meant to be Yours
Love Tumble
Head Over Heels
Book 4 — coming soon!
The Light Between Us Series:
The Light Between Us
Finding Me and You
Wedding Jitters
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Katherine and my amazing ARC readers for reading my smut and helping catch my typos. You are the best.
About the Author
Poppy Parkes is the author of sweet and hot love stories. Poppy writes, paints, and dreams in the mountains, where she raises her two boys. She is in love with luscious color, moon-gazing, and dancing wild. And coffee. And wine. And chocolate. You know how it is.
www.poppyparkes.com
Head Over Heels: Love at First Sight: Book Three Page 5