Page 111 of Napkins and Other Distractions
“You know, Ruth was asking me about something today,” Kent says.
“Oh lord. What now?”
“She asked if we’d talked about getting married.”
The words make my chest tight. Marriage? Leave it to Ruth to complicate things.
“Married? Um, I, well, what.” The words fumble out, but make little sense.
“Relax. I’m thrilled with this,” he says, leaning down and kissing the top of my head. “I’ve been married. And honestly, I don’t need it. I want you. Here with me. And I have that.”
I huddle into his chest, kissing his ratty sweatshirt right where his heart beats.
“But if you wanted to get married, I’d do it,” he says. “Whatever my handsome boy wants.”
“I want you.” My hand squeezes his. I have no desire to experience the wedding planning chaos Marvin and Olan are faced with.
“Well, you’ve got me.” His beard rests on my head, the familiar tickle of his whiskers comforting my soul as he squeezes me. “Forever.”
As we cuddle and kiss, I can’t help but smile at the way Sweetums adjusts underneath us. As he shifts his enormous furry body, I realize how many people are eager to accommodate me. It only took me allowing them in. Being here with Kent, and yes, even the cat, safe and cozy, I’ve found my true home—extra napkins included.
Bonus Epilogue
Kent
“Poppy! Did you get books from the library?”
One of my favorite parts of being a principal is having access to the school library. On Fridays, when I know it’s ‘Poppy Day’ with Lia, our thoughtful librarian Patti loads me up with her favorite picture books that the students overlooked during the week. I take them home for the weekend and return them Monday morning so they’re ready for any eager new eyes.
“I have so many books for my sweet girl.” I point toward the bag bursting with books, and Lia runs over and begins flipping through them.
“A unicorn book! Oh, this one is a LEGO princess book … Vincent!” Lia shouts toward the living room.
“What’s this about a LEGO unicorn?” Vincent saunters into the room, his gray joggers low on his hips. A hint of his taut stomach peeks through as he lifts his arms for a hug from Lia.
Lia bolts over, leaps, and he’s holding her. With some age-appropriate conversations, she understands Vincent loves her, but needs space and likes to be spotless. Naturally, she simply wants Vincent to be happy. After a quick squeeze around his neck, she tells him, “Okay, you can go wash up now.”
Vincent chuckles, kisses her cheek, sets her down, and heads for the kitchen sink.
“Poppy got books. There’s a unicorn one and a LEGO one, but it’s not a unicorn LEGO book,” Lia says, following Vincent like a lost puppy.
I thought Vincent’s novelty would wear off for Lia after some time, but much like adoration for anything pink, purple, or sparkly, it hasn’t. She stands next to him as he scrubs and stares up at him, wearing a huge grin.
“Oh, got it,” Vincent says, drying his hands on a paper towel.
“Well, which should we read first?”
Lia’s face contorts with thought. I know nothing tops unicorns for her, but she also knows how Vincent feels about LEGO.
“How about Poppy reads me the unicorn book first, and then you can read me the LEGO one? It has a princess in it. Are you okay with that?”
“Of course. I love princesses.” He boops her nose.
“I thought you might,” she says, skipping to the couch.
While I read the book about the unicorn who wants to be a horse (and the horse that wants to be a unicorn), Lia snuggles into my side. Her hand rests on my stomach, and she keeps her gaze glued to the pages as we read. When the book ends, she crawls up and kisses my cheek. “Scratchy.”
“Really?” I ask. “I thought it was soft.” I tug at my beard, and the silky hairs are smooth on my fingers.
