his own building.”
Despite the frown creasing her brow, Turner didn’t hide his smile. “Oh, is that what we’re doing now? I’m a snob?”
Well, when he put it that way, Poppy had to concede some of her pique. She touched a crease in the shoulder of his tee-shirt. “I just love their story is all.”
“I know, baby,” he said, kissing her hair. “I wish I could’ve met him.”
“I wish I could’ve too,” she said, relaxing the weight of her head against his mouth. “You’d like her, my grandmother, she doesn’t take herself too seriously.”
“You think you’d ever go back?”
More than she’d probably like to admit, Poppy had wondered that herself. It seemed insane to think she’d never be back there. That she would never see her family again. Yet, when she considered leaving the life she’d built…
“I don’t know,” she said, tucking her head under his to nestle against his chest. “We never know what’s going to happen.”
He held her tight. “One day you’re going to get married… maybe have kids of your own. You’d want your family to be a part of that, right?”
While Poppy couldn’t imagine much worse than a grand, shallow affair like Violet had arranged for her wedding, she wouldn’t mind saying vows to the man she loved. Except that man was holding her and had made it clear that wouldn’t be a part of their future.
“I don’t know, maybe,” she said, closing her eyes as she came to terms with the truth that they were ephemeral.
“You wouldn’t want them to be a part of it? How would you explain that to your guy?”
If she was going to marry a man, Poppy would hope that she could be honest with him. Still, she felt more for Turner than she ever had for anyone and couldn’t tell him the whole truth. It wasn’t that she’d exclude her family from being part of the event, it was that she’d always promised never to get married unless it was for true, lasting, and forever love.
“The only thing I know about life is that we never know what is around the corner,” she said, extracting herself from his arms. “I have to get back to the kids.”
The three of them were still on the couch watching the movie when she went back into the room. After dealing with the lunch leftovers and cutting up fruit for all three of the little ones, Poppy intended to sit with them. Turner hadn’t come out of the bedroom. The shower had gone on not long after Poppy left, so she supposed he was cleaning up.
Just as she was about to sit down, Faye came striding in. “Hi, hello, I wasn’t too long, was I?”
“Aunt Poppy did our hair,” Emmie proclaimed as Faye went over to dump her shopping bags and kiss her kids.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” Faye said.
“We’re watching a movie,” Noah said like maybe he hadn’t even really noticed his sister at all.
Faye came over with an air of panic around her. “I have a problem,” she said, grabbing for both Poppy’s arms to rush her away from the kids. “The only place I could find for the kids doesn’t accept them under four.”
“I don’t mind sitting with them,” Poppy said, hoping that Turner didn’t plan to hang around distracting her.
Faye shook her head. “No, you had a day planned. I can’t do that to you.”
“My day involved going to your mom’s to hang out with your sister,” Poppy said. “Charley will understand.”
“Except they still don’t know anything about this. You can’t tell her.”
Although she didn’t want to butt in, Poppy also wanted Faye to know that she had support. “It will be easier for you to deal with this if you just rip off the Band-Aid.”
“And tell them,” Faye said, chewing on her lip again. “Yeah, I know. I keep psyching myself up and then chickening out. Mom has to know something is going on. The kids are usually over there all the time. She’s never not seen them this long.”
“I could take Ashlee over there,” Poppy said, forming a plan. “She won’t say anything about what’s been happening or where you’ve been staying.” Like Noah and Emmie might. “I’m sure your mom would love to see her.”
“Would you bring her back here after?”
Poppy nodded, then raised a shoulder. “Or you could bring Emmie and Noah over after your interview… Let them play with their aunts while you…”
“Talk to Mom,” Faye said like it wasn’t the worst idea in the world. “If