Until the light heat flowed through her insides, filling her with buoyant joy, Poppy hadn’t really acknowledged to herself just how important it was to her to have a family of her own.
“We can have kids?” she asked, her excitement blooming and growing.
“Yes,” he said, laughing when she forced him onto his back to climb on top of him. “You didn’t really think I’d say no, did you?”
Clasping his face in both hands, she kissed his mouth. “I didn’t even want to ask.” Kissing his cheeks and forehead, Poppy wanted to cover all of him in her love. “I didn’t even know it was this important to me.”
Maybe she had because her joy didn’t dull her deeper emotional reaction, though Poppy didn’t know it until tears began to fill her eyes. Sitting up, she took a deep breath, but there was no way to be subtle about swiping them away.
“Baby,” Turner said, his voice soft. “When I said anything in my power, I meant it. Shit, sex is about the easiest thing you could ask for.”
“About?”
“Loving you is the easiest thing,” he said, reaching up to brush her tears away. “If kids is what will make you happy, we’ll get started any time you want.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Making babies?” he asked with a brow raise. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you through it real slow…” Her lips curved. “Or real fast, whichever way you want it.”
Bowing to kiss him, Poppy embraced how blessed she was. “I want it with you.”
“You were stressed about the kid thing, huh?” he asked, gathering her hair into his fists at the back of her neck. “Why didn’t you just ask me?”
“You said it would be a strain. That time when you thought I was pregnant.”
“You asked me if I was pro-choice, what was I…” the words trailed off as his expression suggested he was figuring something out. “That was about Zoey. The same sex marriage thing.”
“She asked me to soften up the ground. I gave up because I knew you wouldn’t love her any less for being who she was.”
“You told her that.”
“More than once,” Poppy said. “Her and Casey.”
“Casey, the… Her friend Casey?” Wincing at her own misstep, Poppy squirmed. “They’re together?”
“They were,” Poppy said, figuring there was no point lying now the cat was out the bag. “Casey told her family and they didn’t react well. They don’t know that she was with Zoey, but they’re not reacting well to the news of her sexuality.”
“You coached them through it,” he said, wearing a sort of wonder. “You’ve known a while. A long while.”
“Since the day you found out about Charley and David,” Poppy said. “Zoey was upset in her room, we talked.”
“That was before…” The strength of his brow wasn’t encouraging. While he examined her, she remained tense, so tense she stopped breathing until he exhaled and relaxed. “Better get the Maddox name after yours as fast as we can, you’re damn sure a part of the family.”
Something like pride and gratitude filled those words, which only bolstered her happiness. He wanted what she wanted. Yes, he was right that there was no rush, but just knowing they were on the same page… Poppy had never been happier.
“I guess there’s just one more thing then,” she said, spreading her hands on his chest, enjoying his form.
“What’s that?”
“We need to make a decision.”
“About?”
Kissing him slow, she stayed close, their breath merging as she spoke. “Do we want our baby making to be fast or slow?”
His lips curled a second before his broad hand swept up the back of her head in her hair and he flipped her onto her back, still cradling her. “We’ll have to try both.”
“A lot,” she said, wrapping her legs around him. “Lots and lots of practicing both.”
“I got it, you’ll get it.”
Perfect. Life that night was better than any fantasy.
TWENTY
Turner had been impressed when Poppy told him she’d brought clothes and essentials down to the music room. The news that there was a shower in the bathroom was received well too. The music room had been her bedroom for a lot of years off and on; Grammie would never have seen her living without the essentials.
Poppy had tried to think of everything so they wouldn’t have to rush back to the main house. Falling asleep with Turner was a dream and she’d do it whenever and wherever they could. Still, there was something more intimate about being able to drift off in the same