Poppy's Picnic (Poppy's Place Short) by Stephanie Beck Read Free Book Online

Pulling the plug on the slow cooker, she quickly transferred the hot beans to containers to cool. As she ran water into the dish, the outside light turned on. Thomas, Duane, and Paul stepped onto the patio from their side of the house and settled into chairs.
    She shouldn’t eavesdrop, but the window was open just enough….
    “Think she’ll tell them all tonight?” Paul asked.
    “She’d better since they all know,” Duane groused.
    He was the one who’d spilled. She made plans to give him heck the next time she saw him. She grabbed the footstool the girls used to reach the sink and stood on it to get a better view.
    “I say we go down to San Antonio and finally talk to her father,” Thomas said. “I love Poppy too much for this kind of nonsense to pop up again.”
    “Go and do what?” Duane asked. “Tell a crippled old man to stop disapproving of his daughter’s lifestyle? Or maybe we could shit kick him like we did back in the day when someone messed with Mary? Get a grip. We take care of the circumstances by taking care of Poppy and the boys. Speaking of boys, Thomas, you need to do something about Michael’s school bullshit. Someone needs to pay for that mistake.”
    The three nodded, as she noticed they so often did. The twins’ closeness led to similar mannerisms, but even though Duane was a cousin, he’d picked up many of them over time. So many parallels in the older generation and younger as well. Even her daughters threaded their fingers through their hair like their grandfathers.
    “Michael and I will head to the college Monday,” Thomas said. “He will most likely need to do the classes, but I’m going to do everything I can to make sure they don’t get another cent from him.”
    “He’s worried about money,” Duane went on. “Which is bullshit, but he is, so what do you have he can do?”
    “I will find him more hours,” Thomas said.
    “I’ll have him audit my books,” Paul added. “I suppose it’s the baby on the way making his wallet seem empty.”
    “I remember those days.” Duane crossed his ankles. “Nothing bites a man’s pride like stretching pennies to buy diapers and coming up short.”
    “We didn’t mind, you know.” Thomas swatted a bug from his arm. “You made up for it and then some, later on.”
    Paul saluted him with his beer. “That’s why we did this together. That’s why the boys are, too. Makes me wonder about the future though. What are the grandgirls going to look for? Men like us? A single guy? Hell, I wish the fella luck. Those three….”
    The others smirked, but what would the future would be like for her daughters? They were spoiled when it came to attention, affection, and love—all the blessings Poppy had missed growing up. Would they search out more than one husband? If they did, was there any guarantee they’d find what she had?
    “I’m relieved as hell I can’t predict the future.” Thomas stood, his wine glass out and waiting. “As things stand, I think I’ll take life one day at a time. One challenge, one joy, one really great glass of wine.”
    Paul pushed to his feet and held up his beer bottle. “I’m good with that.”
    “You two are sappy as hell,” Duane grumped but stood as well, his water bottle joining the rest.
    Poppy hurried away from the window, letting them have their moment, but it meant so much she’d caught a glimpse of their world. It made her understand her husbands better—something she craved. She switched the television off and tugged on Cody’s foot.
    He rolled into the sofa. She took a blanket from the chest at the foot of the couch, tucking Cody in instead of trying to wake him again. So much for their wild night of snuggling. They’d make good on that plan soon. She grabbed a second blanket and gently snuggled in Trevor. He opened his eyes when she kissed his cheek.
    “What’s going on?” he asked.
    “You fell asleep on the couch. I was just tucking you in.”
    “You’re so fucking