he said.
Still not exactly sure of her footing, Poppy was tentative as she asked, “Where is their father? The girl you called Emmie and the baby?”
“Faye’s husband?” he said then glared. “That’s a raw nerve. I’m sorry for whatever she said yesterday, she’s sort of… on edge.” He was quick to add, “That’s no excuse and if I’d been there I’d never have let her talk down to you. None of the girls will disrespect you while I’m around.”
“I grew up with two sisters,” Poppy said, tracing a fingertip down his temple. “I get stuttery and shaky when I think I’m dealing with your exes. As long as I know they’re your sisters, I can take care of myself with sisters.”
He smiled. “I bet you can.”
“Why is her husband a raw nerve?”
“She left him.”
Her wandering finger dropped and she made eye contact again. “Oh my God.” His smile reminded her she’d already said that several times. “I’m sorry, but… wow, and why?”
“He was screwing around,” he said. As her mouth dropped open, he started shaking his head. “Don’t. Faye’s already kept me from hunting him down and making him sorry… a few times.”
“Oh, that’s so horrible,” she said, her hand finding her chest. “Not keeping you from hunting him down, but the screwing around. He has three little cubs.”
“Yes,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Emmie’s the oldest, she’s seven. Faye married Kev after she got pregnant… They’d been going together since senior year of high school. Noah’s five and Ashlee is the baby.”
“She’s two,” Poppy said, delighted to be reminded, her head fell back again. “And she gets to sleep with you.”
“Okay,” he said, catching a tendril of hair on a finger to take it from her lip. “Yes, sometimes it’s possible that we nap together.”
“We don’t,” Poppy said, flattening her fingers on the front of her shoulders. “Is all I’m saying. You and me, we don’t get to sleep or nap together.”
He began to bow slowly, his mouth aiming for her teasing one. “Because if we were in bed, sleep wouldn’t be the first thing on my mind.” He kissed her. “You’re really okay with this?”
His long fingers rested on her temples then stroked back over her hair again and again.
“That your brother-in-law cheated on your sister? No! I’m not okay with it,” she said. “In fact, I’ll do the ass kicking, where is the jerk?”
“Okay, cool it, Rocky. Do you know how to throw a punch?”
“If you’d asked me that before Violet’s wedding, I might have said no.”
“What does that mean?” he asked, peering at her.
She shrugged while wincing at the awful truth. “It’s possible there’s footage out there, somewhere, of me punching Violet’s groom.”
Instead of being outraged, Turner laughed. “That’s good to know.”
“I’d never hit you,” she said as he laced their fingers together to walk her to the bottom of the stairs. “I’m not a violent person. I hit him because he touched me and I didn’t want him to touch me. I want you to touch me, no hitting for you.”
“Uh huh,” he said, picking up her hand to kiss her knuckles. “Turn around so I can zip your dress.” Spinning around, Poppy gathered her hair out of the way while he zipped her up. Once he was done, he took her shoulders to ease her back against his chest and murmured above her ear, “It’s good to know you can defend yourself against unauthorized guys touching. Those guys you should definitely hit if I’m not around.”
She tipped her chin his way. “I shouldn’t hit them if you’re around?”
His fingers curled around her waist to direct her toward his place. “If I’m around, I’ll hit them.” Opening her mouth in an inhale of understanding, she nodded. “You ready to meet the cubs?”
“They’ll think I’m a crazy person,” she said, picking up the top skirt of her dress. “Look what I’m wearing.”
“Crazy people fit right in around here.”
“Faye hates me. She won’t understand why I’m in her nest.”
“It’s your nest too. And you’re Charley’s friend, sometimes she likes Charley’s friends.”
“Really?” Poppy asked, infused with hope.
He reached around her to open the door. “No, but there’s always a first time.”
Pushing her into the apartment, Turner didn’t give Poppy much of a choice. She’d have to make friends with his sister and the kids sometime… It was just a shame she had to do it looking like a broken dirty prom reject. Still, some things just couldn’t be helped.
EIGHTEEN
“So…” Charley dropped into the chair next to Poppy’s at