Free Running From Love by Maggie Marr Page B

… she remembered that, but—
    The doorbell rang. Please let it be Mimi. Perhaps she’d seen the voicemail and circled back. But why would she ring the doorbell? Poppy grasped the handle and pulled open the door. Her eyes landed on … Oh my God, how could it possibly be—
     
    *
     
    “Poppy.” His heart thudded to a stop. A thrill pulsed through him. A want. There was no anger over her leaving him at Mesquale. He only wanted to find a way for her to feel safe enough to stay and love him. 
    He’d found his beautiful Poppy with a baby in her arms. A very unhappy baby, with her face puckered up into an angry mess. Another child screamed in the background. He’d heard most of this through the door and wondered if he’d come to the wrong house.
    “Oh my God, what are you … how did you …”
    “Hi.”
    The baby opened her mouth and her blue eyes locked onto him. A tiny smile curved, showing her toothless gums. “Hi there, sweetie? Aren’t you the cutest?” he said. She reached out her tiny cherub hands toward him. Trevor’s eyes met Poppy’s. “Can I take her?”
    Poppy’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Her gaze darted from him to the baby. Was she more surprised that he was here or that her angry, red-faced, screaming infant niece was now smiling and about ready to giggle? Poppy nodded and released the bundle into his arms.
    “Hi, beautiful girl, I’m Trevor. What’s your name?” He bounced up and down, an automatic response to having a baby in his arms.
    “How do you …?” Poppy’s stared at him, astounded by his ability with the baby.
    “What’s her name?”
    “Hazel.” 
    “Worked at a corporate nursery for a while. One of my first jobs. Catch on quick what makes them happy when they’re teething.” He slid his finger along her bottom gum. Her tiny mouth clamped down and he felt the tiniest spot that was a bit raised. The tooth hadn’t even poked through her gum yet. “There it is.” He pulled his finger from her mouth. “Feels like you’ve got another twenty-four hours of unhappy baby. The frozen washcloth helps though.” Hazel reached up and patted his face with her tiny hand. The shouting from the living room stopped and another child, adorable but  with tears on her flushed cheeks, turned the corner. Her gaze landed on Trevor and she stopped. She grasped Poppy’s leg as though it were a life preserver on the ocean.
    “Hi there, I’m Trevor. “
    She hid behind Poppy’s leg, but peeked one eye out.
    “No strangers.” She pressed her face into Pop’s thigh.
    “Laura, this is Trevor, he’s not a stranger, he’s my”—Poppy, with a look of open-mouthed shock on her face, glanced from Laura to Trevor—“He’s my, he’s my friend.”
    “Can this friend come in?” Trevor asked gently.
    “What?”—Poppy pressed her hand across Laura’s thick head of curly hair—“of course. I’m sorry.” She backed away from the door where Trevor stood holding Hazel. “I just … I’m so surprised. I wasn’t expecting …” She leaned down and scooped Laura up into her arms. Trevor stepped over the threshold. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Poppy. Every strand of her hair looked wild and unkempt. She wore a tank top with a dark smudge and a wet spot, possibly a clump of oatmeal, near her belly. Still, she was the most beautiful woman he’d seen in his entire life.
    His heart beat a thankful tune that he’d found her, that she was here.
    “Oh my goodness … I just … You’ll have to excuse …” Poppy’s eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to her. “Uh. How did you find me?”
    His heart thudded to a stop. How to answer? What to say? He hadn’t closed the door behind him, and she could still push him out onto the front step. A part of her seemed to want to, but instead she raised one eyebrow.
    “Charla told you where I was, didn’t she?”
    “I can neither confirm nor deny.” Trevor glanced at Laura, who gazed back at him from her perch in Poppy’s