“I’ve never really thought about Turner as a guy,” Charley said. “That we’d have to, you know, share him. He’s always been ours… I don’t know if I can imagine him with a serious girlfriend. As a husband or father… He’s just our brother.”
“He’ll always be your brother. Being with me won’t change that.”
“Are you going to keep him here? After all the Holden stuff is done?”
“No,” Poppy said with a shake of her head. “I want him to go home. For all of you to go home. I loved my life before Primrose showed up. I’d be ecstatic if I could go back to it.”
“You’d want your job back?
“I don’t know. I’d definitely want to work. With everything that’s going on, Turner and I haven’t had a chance to talk specifics.”
It seemed like she had said that a million times. Zoey’s news was the priority of the day. If Poppy could fix things with Charley that would be a bonus.
Tomorrow would be Holden’s day, unfortunately. Whatever came beyond that, she would have to prioritize getting some time with her man to figure out what the hell they were doing.
Grammie would be happy to wave her off to a life in the Venture. Her parents may not be as accepting. They’d want to know what future she was aiming for, where she was living, why. None of that could be answered without Turner’s input.
Ideally, she’d fix her relationship with Violet too, though that was definitely not assured. They’d always just missed each other when it came to finding common ground. They were too different in too many ways. Maybe it just wasn’t possible.
The Maddox family had love and acceptance down. The Grangers weren’t bonded in the same way. Not by a long shot.
“What did you do around here?” Charley asked. “Did you have a job when you lived here?”
“Sort of,” Poppy said, offering her a hand. “I can show you… if you like.”
Hesitant but curious, Charley took her hand and Poppy pulled her onto her feet.
They hadn’t quite reached the summit of their friendship, as it had been before, but they were taking steps. Poppy wanted Charley to know how special she was and that she trusted her. Withholding hadn’t been out of any conscious decision to be devious. They needed to keep working on their friendship and showing her friend one of her favorite places was a great move in the right direction.
SIXTEEN
The music room offered Poppy a chance to give Charley some insight into what her life had been before Violet’s wedding when everything went wrong. Playing for her friend was fun. Both of them relaxed, they’d talked some more and ended up joking with each other.
If it hadn’t been for Zoey’s plan, Poppy might not have declared how close they were to dinner time. Charley had taken her arm on the walk back up to the house, a good indication that maybe she was starting to come around.
“Dinner isn’t for like another hour, is it?” Charley asked.
“No,” Poppy said, hoping her friend wouldn’t question why they were going back so soon. After encouraging Zoey to do the talking, and promising Charley honesty, Poppy couldn’t be evasive or blurt out the truth. “But I need to get changed.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Charley said with a thread of teasing. “Doesn’t my brother finish work and come back to the house an hour before dinner?”
Ah, so her friend thought that she was eager to see her love. Okay, that could work. “Yes, he does.”
That might not be why Poppy was hurrying them back to the main house, but the answer to Charley’s question wasn’t exactly wrong.
Charley laughed. “It is so weird. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. I love my brother, all of us do, but you actually get, like, butterflies with him? You get all excited and giddy when you’re around him.”
The kind of excited she felt around Turner wasn’t the sort she should be discussing with her friend. There was an element of that adolescent excitement, but there was something so much more mature about it. He gave her such security, offered her such acceptance, that the warmth that suffused her when thinking about the man she loved was far more innate than a teenage crush.
“I love him,” Poppy said, her smile reluctant only because her thoughts became so carnal. “And he turns me on.”
Charley shuddered. “Yeah, see that’s gross. That’s what I’ll never get used to, the physical stuff. You better not be all PDA all the time now that we know you guys are together.”
“Refusing your brother is not something I’m good at,” Poppy said, enthused by Charley taking the conversation in the personal direction. “He tends to get pretty much whatever he wants, whenever he wants it.”
“Then I am so glad he has a job here… My brother always needs to be busy. If he didn’t have work to keep him occupied, I’d hate to think what he might replace it with.”
In contrast, Poppy was quite enjoying the fantasies that truth conjured. At her grandmother’s house, with both their families surrounding them, they couldn’t exactly get down and dirty any time they wanted. But maybe when they got back to the Venture, when they got the chance to embrace being together, maybe then they’d be able to keep each other busy for a while. Money did have its advantages. She wanted to work, sure, but that didn’t mean she had to rush into employment the first day they got back home.
“I can practically hear you thinking about it,” Charley said, though the sneer of disgust was more comical than offended.
“I try not to,” Poppy said, tightening her hold on Charley’s arm. “If I think too much about it, I tend to gravitate towards him.” Her friend laughed as they went inside and up the stairs. “I have to get changed.”
They parted between their two bedrooms and Charley went into hers, closing the door behind her. Rather than go into her room, Poppy hurried down the long corridor, passing various other bedrooms to get to Zoey’s. She knocked and poked her head around the door.
“Zo?”
She jumped out of the closet, wringing her hands. “I am so worried. I didn’t think you were coming back.”
“I took Charley to the music room. I just came to check you’re still planning to do this… I’ll go and speak to Stephanie and round everyone up if you are.”
“Is Turner back?”
“I haven’t checked, but you don’t have to go downstairs until everyone’s in the drawing room. I can come get you?”
Inhaling, Zoey seemed to tense and fortify herself at the same time. When she nodded, Poppy read her determination, though the clench of her hands betrayed her anxiety.
“I can do this.”
“Yes, you can,” Poppy said, going into the room to give her a long hug. “Now…” Using Grammie’s trick of holding her upper arms to squeeze some strength into her, Poppy showed no doubt. “Take a few minutes to yourself. Don’t think about what might go wrong, think about how telling this truth will liberate you.”
Zoey nodded fast and Poppy showed another smile. She couldn’t take all of the worry away; some anxiety was natural. All she could do was facilitate the teen’s needs as best she could. So going downstairs, she found Stephanie and asked her to prepare the drawing room and if she’d sit with the kids in their room. Poppy hadn’t run that by Faye or Valerie yet, so her next port of call was the suite Faye had been using. That seemed to be where they spent their time when they were in the house.
Just as anticipated, mother and daughter were there with the children surrounded by toys Poppy hadn’t known existed.
“Aunt Poppy!” Emmie declared the moment she entered. “Come play dolls with me.”
“No!” Noah shouted, clambering to his feet. “Take me to the house with Uncle Turner.”
“I’m hoping Uncle Turner is home, honey,” Poppy said, stroking the little guy’s hair when he came over to her, though she looked at his mother and grandmother. “Would it be okay if Stephanie sat with the kids before dinner? There’s something we need to talk about in the drawing room.”
“Is everything okay?” Valerie
asked, her mommy senses probably tingling.
“Are you pregnant?” Faye asked. “If Turner got you pregnant—”
“No, I’m not pregnant. It shouldn’t take long.” Because Zoey didn’t want it to. “Can I meet you down there in ten minutes?”
“Sure,” Faye said, noting her mother’s loose nod.
They had to be curious. It was only natural. Adrenaline was beginning to course through her. Backing out, Poppy asked the twins and Charley to meet her downstairs in the drawing room before going into Turner’s room.
He wasn’t in the bedroom, but she could hear the shower. If he hadn’t been back, she’d have needed to run to the site and get him. In that scenario, he wouldn’t have the chance to freshen up like she’d wanted him to have.
Going to the closet, Poppy grabbed jeans and a belt, then one of his tee-shirts from the drawer. Taking the clothes to the bathroom, she laid them on the vanity and then went to lay both hands on the outside of the fogged shower screen.
“First, are you almost done?”
The steam on the other side made it difficult to see specifics, but he turned her way. “If you’re dirty, there’s plenty of space.”
She smiled. “If I wanted to join you, I’d have come in.” The door slid aside and he reached out, so she leaped back. “No!” Poppy screeched, laughing. “I am not joining you.”
“There’s plenty of room,” he said, lunging toward her again.
“No!” It was difficult not to just leap in there with him when he looked both delicious and relaxed. When she noticed that he was enjoying himself too, a little too much, she spun around to put her back to him. “You need to finish up fast.”
“I don’t need to,” he said and she saw his form in the steamed mirror approaching her from behind. “I can take my time.”
Scooping her hair aside, he dipped down to kiss the sweet spot behind her ear. “Oh, I should’ve known better,” Poppy sighed as her eyes closed. “I shouldn’t have come in here.”
“Maybe you wanted something…” He eased down the straps of her dress to kiss across her shoulder. “Something like this.”
When his damp hand found its way into her bra, Poppy forced herself to grab it out and free herself. “I love you, baby, I do,” she said, reversing toward the door. “But I need you to get dressed. Your family are waiting for us in the drawing room.”
The carnal shadow in his gaze cleared a little. “Why? They’re waiting for us?”
She nodded. “I asked them to wait and I came to get you…” Her attention might have strayed down his body again and snagged on the toy she wasn’t allowed to play with. “I’ll find us that corner soon, First. I promise. But… please…” Squeezing her eyes closed, Poppy knew she wouldn’t tear herself away if the feast he offered was still on display. “Meet me in the bedroom in a minute… Clothed… put your clothes on.”
Without even opening her eyes, Poppy waved in the direction of the vanity where his clothes were laid out and darted out of the room, closing the door to block her route back.
Turner. Every time it amazed her how he still had the power to awe and overwhelm her. It had been too long since they’d had sex, she needed to remedy that quickly. Just the fact that she was thinking about it rather than Zoey’s turmoil was a wakeup call. Shaking herself back to her senses, Poppy took a deep breath.
“What is this summit for?” Turner asked.
Poppy hadn’t heard him come in, though when she turned to his voice to find him clothed, she was so grateful. “I’m not pregnant,” she said because it had been Faye’s go to, though that only intensified his frown. “Sorry, just, are you ready?”
“I don’t know. Tell me what’s going on.”
She shook her head and went to take his hand. “I don’t need to prepare you because I have complete faith in you, my love. Everyone’s waiting, come on.” At the stairs, she paused. “Go down and I’ll meet you there.”
“Poppy,” he said with an edge of warning. “What’s going on?”
She bounced up to kiss him, “Just trust me.”
Although there was definite suspicion in his gaze and hesitation in his form, Turner followed her request and went down the stairs.
Once he was out of sight, she turned her attention to the other end of the hallway. Zoey would be there, waiting for her. It wouldn’t be fair to leave the teen in suspense any longer than necessary. Heading along the wide space, Poppy heard the kids and Stephanie directing them, but no other voices.
That was good. Everyone would be in the drawing room already.
She opened Zoey’s bedroom door to see her sitting on the end of the bed. “Are you ready?”
Zoey looked up, took a breath and nodded once. “I’m ready.”
SEVENTEEN
“You knew.”
Poppy stopped next to the bed when Turner spoke and turned to see he was wearing a smile. “Yes.”
Leaning on the door he’d just closed, Turner crooked a brow. “You set that up, getting the family together in the living room before dinner.”
“Yes,” Poppy said, sitting down on the bed. Straightening her legs, she let her shoes drop from her feet as she sank back onto her elbows.
Turner boosted off the door to saunter her way. “How long did you know?”
“It wasn’t a bombshell. Charley knew, you heard what she said. I thought the whole family suspected.”
As he approached, she raised her leg and he caught her ankle, sliding his hand up her calf as he got closer to the edge of the bed.
“Never really thought about it.”
“But it doesn’t bother you,” she said. His knee rose to the edge of the bed behind her thigh. “You don’t love her any less.” He coiled her leg around his hip, descending onto the bed above her. “You have something else in common.”
“Don’t think we’ll be trading sex stories.”
After he kissed her, the corners of her lips curled. “I can’t tell her how to please a woman and you specialize in it.”
“You remember?”
She laughed. “Yes, okay, it’s been a while, but being pleasured by the man I love is not something I’ll ever forget.”
“I don’t need to remind you then.”
“I definitely didn’t say that,” she said, grabbing his face. “I’m in the mood to drink wine and soak in the tub… why do you think I dragged you upstairs early?”
The family had listened to Zoey and accepted the news as well as Poppy expected. Charley sort of laughed as she shrugged it off with a, “well, duh” kind of attitude. The twins were stunned and didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Poppy had a feeling that was more to do with being included in what may have been deemed an “adult” conversation at any other time.
“You get the bottle,” Turner said. “I’ve got the corkscrew.”
His next kiss kept on going, tangling itself around her heart as tendrils of heat curled in her belly, arousing the need between her thighs. Being a part of Zoey’s liberation had freed some part of her as well. The Maddox family didn’t pepper the teen with questions. All Valerie wanted was her daughter’s happiness, which was something she’d told Poppy she wanted for all of her children.
Dinner had actually been a more upbeat affair than usual. The Maddox females were riding high and Grammie didn’t waste the chance to embrace their positive energy.
Poppy had already noticed a change in Zoey who was brighter and more confident in her engagement with others.
Her lover’s hand skimmed its way up her body to her breast. The possession in his touch gave her the warning that if she didn’t slow them down soon, stopping wouldn’t be easy. Somehow the moment passed her by and she didn’t do the smart thing.
The bedroom door opened, making the choice for them. They stopped kissing and both turned to see who was interrupting them.
Without so much as blinking, the baby toddled across the room toward them.
“Ash?” Turner asked, rolling off her to sit up on the edge o
f the bed. “What’s wrong, honey?”
The little one didn’t say anything, she just took her uncle’s hand from his knee and used all her body weight to tug on him. He got up to go with her, stooping to keep the baby’s hand. It was adorable. All Poppy could do when he cast an apologetic look back her way was smile. Family meant everything to him no matter how small they were.
Before they got to the door, Emmie came dashing inside. “Shh!” she said, running around the door and collapsing against it to push it into the frame. “We’re hiding.”
“Why are we hiding?” Turner asked.
Ashlee let him go to join her sister, holding the door closed, not that it seemed anyone was trying to come through it.
Emmie leaned down to whisper to her sister, though not with much discretion given Poppy picked out the words. “Blame Noah.”
“Blame Noah for what?” Turner asked, more stern than before. “What did you girls do?”
“Nothing,” Emmie said, straightening up and doing a shoulder wiggle like she was trying to be casual. “We didn’t do nothing.”
Sailing past hero uncle, the little one was all confident indifference. She reminded Poppy of Violet when they’d been kids.
“Are you okay?” Poppy asked, helping Emmie to climb up on the high bed. “Is anyone hurt?”
“No, no one’s hurt,” Emmie said, clambering to her feet to cup her hands around Poppy’s ear. Turner was monitoring them as he went over to pick up Ashlee. “The baby jumped on the bed and it broke.”
Inhaling, Poppy’s mouth opened in a quiet gasp of understanding. “Well, you know what…” Twisting to face Emmie, she gathered the little one into her arms to murmur. “I think you should tell Uncle Turner.”
Emmie, with her back to her uncle, seemed to forget he was there. “He’ll be mad.”
Leaning back, while still holding Emmie, Poppy frowned. “Why will he be mad? I don’t think he will be… I think if anyone can help, it’s Uncle Turner. He can fix anything.”
Grabbing her arm, joy shot through Emmie. “He can! Yes, he can!”
Found (Lost & Found Book 2) Page 15
