Page 184 of Under the Waves
“I’m working the night shift at Buckley’s bar tonight, honey, but I have the entire morning free to spend with your lovely girlfriend here,” she winked at me and my heart skipped a beat.
I think I was born into the wrong family…
“And you’ll be okay here, Poppy? With my mom until I get home from practice? I’d skip it if I could, but with the next competition so close…”
“Of course,” I reassured him, “I’ll be fine here.”
“I don’t know…”
“Jasper,” I glared.
“Poppy,” he smiled.
“Go to practice. They need you there, we both know that.”
He didn’t look convinced. “But you—”
“I’ll be okay,” I reassured him. “I promise.”
The tension in his drawn brows instantly dissipated at my words, and even I found myself believing in them.
Yeah. I would be okay.
61
Jasper Ridge
Ispent half of my life trying to solve the complex equation of Poppy Wells, and the other half falling unconditionally and infinitely in love with her.
Wiping away a bead of sweat from my brow, I picked up my bottle to grab a sip of water. We’d finished training for the day and coach left, muttering something about a family emergency, leaving us like usual to clean and pack up the equipment.
Normally, our practice sessions didn’t run over so late into the afternoon but with the way our scores have been looking these past few competitions, it had given coach even more of a reason to work the absolute hell out of us. Especially me.
I’d taken the brunt of his wrath to protect my teammates.
And honestly? I kinda deserved it.
With trembling fingers, I chucked the bottle back down onto the sand before walking over to where Jakson stood a few metersaway to help him with the rest of the equipment, his golden blond hair glimmering in the fading light of the sunset behind him.
Every part of me had been itching to get home to Poppy since I started training this morning. I shouldn’t have left her at home, not after what happened last night. I should’ve been there with her, not picking up the slack from our coach who delighted in abandoning us, once again.
“I’m all done, Cap,” Lachlan grinned.
I nodded in response, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my palm. “Alright, Kidd, you’re good.”
“Cap, come on—” Kai groaned. “That isnotfair.”
I shrugged, holding back a grin. “I said whoever finished cleaning their load first gets to go home early. He beat you, Foster. Stop being such a sore loser.”
“Yeah,Foster,” Lachlan echoed. “Stop being such a loser.”
Kai looked entirely unamused. “You wound me.”
Lachlan grinned devilishly. “Meh. You’ll get over it, Mali.”
“So you’re not going to come and help me, love?” Kai mused, clicking his tongue.
“And take away all your fun?Nah. You got this,” Lachlan grinned, shooting him two thumbs up. “I believe in you!”