After checking the clock, Poppy nodded. “Yes. Dinner will be announced. As long as we’re in the room before my father, it’s fine.”
“I have to shower,” Turner said.
She smiled, thinking how the tables had turned. “You have time.”
Leaning in, he raised one shoulder in a half shrug. “Depends.”
“On?”
“If I’m showering alone.”
“Turner!” Poppy exclaimed, pushing him down onto the couch as Val sat. “Your mother is in the room.”
Turner yanked her down beside him before looking his mother in the eye. “There’s a lot of things we didn’t talk about, Ma. I know you knew stuff even if we didn’t talk about it, but now all the obstacles are out of the way, I’ve gotta lay it all out for you.”
“Go ahead, son.”
“Poppy and me had sex,” he said like it was the most normal thing to confess to a parent. Mortified, Poppy pushed him, not that it did any good. “A lot. In a bunch of different places. Pretty much everywhere in the Venture. Standing, sitting, lying down. On the floor, on tables, against walls. Even on the workbench. Dad would be pissed.”
“What are you doing?” Poppy hissed. “Are you trying to kill me?”
Val laughed. “There’s no reason to hide anymore, and he might be surprised about his father,” she said, taking a deep breath. “My boy’s telling me all the things he’s wanted to tell me for weeks.”
“Months,” Turner said. “I’ve never felt like the way Poppy makes me feel. It’s true, you were right. When it’s real, there isn’t any doubt. Just by existing, she makes my life better.”
“Did you tell her all of this?”
“She’s a stubborn woman, Ma. She doesn’t always hear me.”
“I hear you,” Poppy said. “I just have other things to consider.”
He laid a possessive arm across her lap. “Like what?”
Poppy wrapped her arms around his. “Like we live a thousand miles apart for starters.”
“I already told you we’ll live wherever you want to live. I got a job within twelve hours of scaling your castle walls. I could’ve had a lease within twenty-four hours, but you wouldn’t let me sign anything.”
“You own a building,” Poppy said, using his arm to pull them closer together. “You don’t want to live out here.”
“I want to live where you want.”
“You did notice how your sisters reacted when I walked in the room, didn’t you? You have your work cut out for you, First. If your family hate me, there is no chance for us.”
Turner set his sights on his mom. “What is going on with them? Why the cold shoulder? They should hear Poppy out.”
“I can’t justify what I did.”
Val raised her brows. “What makes you think they’re angry with Poppy, son?” That startled both of them. “Faye’s pissed about the whole situation. That you were ashamed of your feelings for Poppy.”
“That wasn’t it at all.”
“If we’d known about this, as a family… Faye and Charley are arguing a lot. Charley is upset at Poppy and I think there’s something going on related to David Leicester, though I don’t have a clue how he’s involved in any of this. Zoey and the twins are their usual teenage selves. There hasn’t been much time to talk to them about their feelings… Autumn asked what was happening, I said we’d need a report from you. I knew you loved Poppy, I’ve known that for a while, but it wasn’t my place to tell the girls. Especially if you decided not to be together, that might just confuse them.”
“We’re together, Ma.”
“Turner,” Poppy said, giving his arm a shake. “We don’t know that for sure yet.”
He didn’t respond to her and just kept on addressing his mother. “They can be mad at me, that’s fine. I can handle pissed off sisters.”
“This is new to them,” Val said. “They’ve never had to share you like this. And, in the past, you’d never have left the state without dragging each of them aside and giving them fifteen instructions about looking out for each other. When you were just gone, they were scared. Faye’s way of processing fear is to get angry, you know that, and this time you’re the target.”
“That’s fine,” Turner said.
Val’s attention shifted past her son to seek Poppy. “Charley is a more complicated matter.” Zoey would be too. “It’s up to you to decide how much you care about fighting for this family. Maddoxes don’t give up, not when it comes to each other. Are we worth fighting for?”
“The happiness of your family is worth the sacrifice of my own,” Poppy said. “You were a happy family before I came along. I’m sorry I ruined that.”
“You are a part of this family,” Val said, leaning over Turner to squeeze Poppy’s arm. “You have me, Turner, and the munchkins on your side. Faye is more on your side than Turner’s. I’m sure Zoey and the twins will come around when they understand why you both did what you did. Charley is ruled by her emotions, she’s confused, this is all happening fast. She doesn’t process quickly, she never has. It takes time for her. That’s all she needs. Time.”
“All of you are welcome here for as long as you want,” Poppy said. “While all this Holden stuff is going on for sure. Beyond that…”
Val’s next exhale showed her frustration. “Turner, what do you want from the future?”
“What?”
“You spend a lot of time talking about making Poppy happy, fulfilling her wants for the future. She hears that and believes anything she says will just add to your burden. If you want your life to stay exactly the same way, you have to stop implying to her there’s a chance of anything else.”
“Implying?” he asked, offended. “Ma, what the hell are you talking about? Poppy can have anything she wants.”
“But would you be happier if nothing changed?”
“I want Poppy. Wherever we are, I don’t care. As long as it’s me and Poppy, that’s all I care about.”
“Just you and Poppy?”
“Val,” Poppy said with a tinge of warning. “What happened to future trust?”
“If you and Turner fall apart before you get a chance with each other, we won’t have a future, will we?”
“Fall apart? What—”
“Turner, you should take your shower,” Poppy said, standing up. “I have to get changed.”
“You told Faye we didn’t have to change for dinner,” Turner said.
Finding a glittering Granger Girl smile, Poppy held onto her composure. “Guests can come in their pajamas. Daughters of the host wear their Sunday best.”
Leaving the room, she went up the stairs and into Grammie’s suite. Time to get ready for dinner. For the families to come together for the first time. Poppy didn’t have a clue what the evening held.
TEN
Dinner with the two families had the potential to be great fun. But with the majority of sisters at the table not talking to someone, it was left to Emmie to break the silence.
The little one shuffled closer to her brother who was between her and Faye. “Why is no one talking, Mommy?”
“Just eat your food, baby,” Faye said, reaching over Noah to push Emmie’s plate closer to her.
“You have wonderful children,” Grammie said.
“Thank you,” Faye replied. “You have a beautiful home.”
“Oh, I know. It’s slightly staid,” Grammie said quite casual in her opinion. “The truth is, this house is often more trouble than it’s worth. A sad remnant of a bygone age…” Grammie laughed. “Much like me.”
“Grammie, you are not a remnant,” Poppy said. “You are this family’s glue.”
“No, I believe that is this house and the money, Tot. I look forward to handing it all over to you. Will you put me out to pasture after you have control?”
“Mother,” Clark said from the head of the table. “Don’t start this in front of our guests.”
“They’re not guests, we’re all family here,” Grammie said. “In
fact, there is no reason they shouldn’t live here full-time from now on. We have the space.”
“No one is living here full-time,” Poppy said. “This isn’t their home.”
“I want to live in your castle, Aunt Poppy,” Emmie said. “Mommy, can we live with Aunt Poppy and Uncle Turner?”
“We has to live here,” Noah wailed, his tone betraying his distress. “I don’t want to live far away from Uncle Turner.”
“Remember what I said about Aunt Poppy’s plane?” Turner asked. “You can come see us any time you want, Sport.”
“I want to see you every day.”
“You don’t see Turner every day now,” Charley said. “Let him live here, who cares?”
“Momma,” Noah said, trying to climb into his mother’s lap.
“It’s okay, sweetie.”
“It isn’t the children’s fault that you’re upset,” Val said. “We’re in company, Charley.”
“I don’t know why we’re here,” Charley said. “Turner is a big boy. He doesn’t need us chasing after him.”
“Supporting him and Poppy is part of the reason we’re here,” Val said.
“Keeping everyone together is the best way to keep everyone safe,” Preston said. “If anyone’s upset about being here, put it on me.”
“You wouldn’t be on the estate if it wasn’t for me, Preston,” Poppy said. “I brought you here.”
“Turner wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you either,” Charley muttered.
“It’s not her fault,” Zoey spoke up, surprising everyone who knew her. “Everyone’s getting on her case, but what was she supposed to do? This guy has made her life hell and now she has to hear it from us at her family’s dinner table?”
Usually, Zoey was the quiet one. After the way Poppy had abandoned her, she didn’t expect the teen to come to her defense.
Zoey pushed her chair away from the table and got up to rush out of the room.
“Zo…” Turner said and began to rise.
Poppy laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll go,” she said, leaving her father’s dinner table without permission.
She didn’t care about tradition or routine. The sound of Zoey’s footsteps running up the stairs reminded her of the dozens of times she’d chased after one of her sisters. For the first time, she really got a glimpse of Turner’s vision of the two families being one.
At least when she got to the upstairs hallway, the bedroom door didn’t slam. That was a Primrose special. She could slam a door with such drama and flair that the rafters would shake.
Going along to Zoey’s door, Poppy was careful about taking a breath before knocking. The door wasn’t all the way shut, which reminded her of creeping into Zoey’s room at the Maddox house.
“Zoey…” The room and bed were much bigger than the teen had at home, but it was a similar scene. “Honey, are you okay?”
Lying face down in the middle of the bed, Zoey was hugging the pillow to her head.
There wasn’t an answer, not one that she heard. So going inside, Poppy closed the door and went over to sit on the bed. After a second, she reached out to squeeze Zoey’s leg.
“Thank you for sticking up for me down there,” Poppy said. “I didn’t expect that. It means a lot to me.” Even if she knew a lot of the situation was her fault.
Rolling onto her back, Zoey linked her fingers over her torso. “Do you love my brother?”
Poppy hesitated. Not because she wasn’t sure of the answer. She’d just been hiding the truth for so long that keeping it to herself had become default.
“Yes,” Poppy said. “I do.”
“You didn’t tell me. I was joking about it and you didn’t say a word.”
“It was complicated,” Poppy said, sliding further up the bed. “I’m sorry I disappeared on you. I didn’t want to. Holden put the bounty out and I had to move fast. I never wanted to drag your family down, I didn’t think it would happen. I’m sorry the media harassed Charley. And I didn’t want to lie to you—”
“You didn’t lie to me,” Zoey said, sitting up, crossing her legs in front of her. “You told me about your family… Maybe not specifics, but I knew you didn’t come here ‘cause you wanted to. You have to be here because this Holden jerk is taking over your life.”
It was nice to be understood, even if it was unexpected. “Thank you.”
“Is Turner what you meant? When you said your family wanted a different life for you. They didn’t want you to be with him?”
“I left here before I met Turner. It’s difficult to explain why I left. I do have a privileged life here. I know that…” She drew in a long breath. “I guess all I can say is Grammie had a lot of influence on me. The way she talked about the world out there always made it seem… like an adventure.”
“And it wasn’t?”
“Being with your brother was an adventure. One I didn’t want to walk away from.”
Zoey was nodding. “But Holden didn’t give you a choice. You had to leave Turner… and he came after you.” Poppy smiled. “That’s so romantic.”
If she hadn’t been curious before then Zoey’s forlorn tone would’ve piqued Poppy’s curiosity.
“What happened with prom?” she asked. Her worries for the teen couple had only grown since Turner telling her it had been uneventful. “Where’s Casey?”
Zoey’s gaze dropped to her ankles. “I don’t know… We broke up.”
“What?” That was the last thing Poppy expected to hear. She didn’t even know how to process the unexpected news. “I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“She told her parents. They’re really strict. Religious. I was going to tell Mom and Turner, but he was never around or they were whispering…” Zoey sighed and clenched her fists. “I was scared to tell them. Casey and me got in a big fight ‘cause I hadn’t done it. I knew something was going on with Turner and you were gone. Faye was all a mess about the Kev stuff. It just didn’t feel like the right time, I guess… But Casey was mad, said maybe I hadn’t planned to ever tell them. I asked if there was any point. If we were never going to tell her parents, we were never gonna be free to be together, were we? We were fighting, I didn’t really mean it, I… Do you and Turner ever fight?”
Squirming a little, Poppy raised a shoulder. “Sometimes.”
“You ever say things you don’t mean?”
That curled her lips. “I say stupid things to your brother all the time.”
“I didn’t know she’d run home and tell her folks right then.”
“How did they take it?” Just the depth of Zoey’s exhale gave Poppy her answer. “Oh, honey.” Toeing off her shoes, she climbed onto the bed to gather Zoey into her arms. “Maybe they just need time. They’ll come around.”
“It doesn’t matter. They’re keeping Casey locked up at home. They don’t want her hanging out with anyone from school anymore.” She sighed. “I guess I was right that there wasn’t any point telling my family. I won’t ever love anyone else. What does it matter if they know?” She grabbed Poppy’s upper arms to thrust her back. “Did you tell Turner? Oh my God, you were having sex with him, weren’t you? Of course you told him!”
She started to scramble toward the edge of the bed, but Poppy caught her face in both hands to marry their eyes. “I didn’t tell him.”
Recognition flickered in Zoey’s eye. “We asked you to tell him and you didn’t want to. Were you in a fight?”
“I would’ve told him, no problem at all,” Poppy said, sweeping Zoey’s hair away from her face and lying down, tucking the teen’s head against her shoulder, holding her close as she continued to stroke her hair. “Why do you think I was so confident he’d accept the news? I’ve known Turner as an outsider and as the most important thing in his life, he’d never hurt you, Zoey. The man I love, he understands that love doesn’t come with conditions or limitations. He and I tried not to love each other. Tried to wish it away. None of this is convenient… for either of us.”
“But you
love each other anyway.”
“Yes, we do.”
“Casey doesn’t want to fight for us.”
“How do you know?” Poppy asked, her fingers in Zoey’s hair. “Did you fight for her?” There was a long pause. “Think about it. You still have a question mark over your family, she doesn’t, she knows they don’t accept her. She probably feels alone.”
“You say my family are all accepting, but look at the way they’re treating you.”
“Charley is upset and there’s probably something going on with David I don’t know about. Faye is mad at your brother more than she’s mad at me. Your mom has been great. The kids too. Love is love, Zoey. Even if they are mad at me, they’re here. That means they haven’t given up on me.” That truth only dawned on her the moment she said the words. “If they had, they wouldn’t be sitting at my family’s dinner table. If they were through with me, the only reason any one of them might have come would’ve been to drag your brother back. So far, I haven’t heard anyone make that demand.”
“Emmie loves it here. It’s like a movie or something.”
“We get jaded about it because we’ve always been exposed to it, but, yeah, it is pretty great.”
“Casey would love it here,” Zoey murmured. “She loves the water.”
Ducking down, Poppy tried to make eye contact. “She’s welcome. If you want her here, we can make it happen.”
It was obvious that Zoey’s instinct was to be near the woman she loved. Everyone wanted the people they loved in times of crisis. But the relationship was fractured; asking Casey to cross the country might not be welcome. Turner had crossed the country for her, but that had been his choice. Casey couldn’t make that choice, her parents were at the gate, blocking any chance for the women to be together.
“I haven’t called her. She doesn’t know we’re here.”
“You should call, she’ll be worried. And invite her here, if she wants to come, we’ll send a car to her place and the jet will be waiting for her.”
A modest laugh escaped Zoey’s lips. “Her head would explode. It’s nuts that you have all this. I never saw Turner in a big fancy house like this… But there’s a lot of land, he’ll like that.”
Found (Lost & Found Book 2) Page 9
