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“Well, you’ve got the nuts part right.” She reaches over, placing the pad of her thumb in the deep indentation residing in my cheek. There’s no need to coax that sucker out. My face hurts from smiling so hard. “You’re going to blind me with that smile.” She giggles.
“I love you. I’m so crazy in love with you. I think I felt it the very first time I saw you.”
“Okay, don’t start getting creepy on me.” She laughs.
Jeez. Maybe I am nuts.
Poppy cups my cheeks with her hands, pulling my face close to hers. “I love you too.” Leaning forward, she traces her tongue along the seam of my mouth before covering my lips with hers. Who knew how much this workaholic curmudgeon needed to hear those beautiful words?
“Poppy, can we make a fresh start?”
“No.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINE
BROADIE
“No?” I thought things were finally falling into place, and now I feel like the rug just got yanked out from under me.
“No.” Poppy crosses her arms over her chest defiantly. “I made the choice to forgive you, Broadie. However, that doesn’t mean I plan to forget. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get past this. And if it weren’t for your daughters showing me how much you’ve changed, I’m not sure I would have.”
Hell. I might have to buy those two new cars after all.
“I want this to work. But if you ever lie to me again, we’re done. Remember that if I ever ask too many questions, it’s because I’m having trust issues. I’m not going to be so naïve in the future.”
Pulling her close, I try to convey my sincerity. “I swear I’ll never keep anything from you again, Pop. Never. Unless it’s about a gift or a surprise for your birthday.” This is met with a glare. “Okay, okay, I hear you. I’m not a dishonest guy. Only impatient.” Thinking back, I still can’t believe the lengths I went to. Not that I’d take it back. Those moments with Poppy were some of the best of my life. “I’ve never acted that way with anyone else. Deep down, I knew from the moment I saw you that you were mine. I was desperate.”
“Whatever.” I see the change in her expression as her eyes return to my little vase. “When did you start taking art classes? I thought you said you’d never be able to do that. Sit in an art class with all the work that had to be done.”
I stand up, pulling her with me. “A little over a month ago. I needed to find something to focus on besides my job. And you. I was a fucking mess when you said we were over.” I pull her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles. “Taking classes made me feel closer to you.”
“That’s sweet.” She grins. “Where are you taking me?”
“I want to show you something.”
Poppy stops in her tracks. “I don’t even get dinner first?”
“Huh?” I turn to her and find her eyes on my sweatpants.
“Ha ha. I’ll save that for later. I was going to show you something else, dirty girl.”
We resume walking until we reach the art room. It’s a mess after the way the girls and I left it the other night. But she’ll get the gist of it.
“No way.”
“Ha, that’s what my daughters said when they saw it. Excuse the mess—”
Poppy throws herself at me, arms clutched around the back of my neck, as her lips crash onto mine. And for the first time, in a long time, I feel whole again.
Poppy
After a tour of the art room, Broadie leads me down the hall to his library. I’m completely in love.
He has gorgeous floor-to-ceiling shelving stacked with beautifully bound books. There are a few non-fiction books, but the rest are a mix of fictional classics, suspense, who done its, and romance.
Stained mahogany shelves line the cream-colored walls, bringing an added richness to the space. While cozy easy chairs flank the wood-burning fireplace along the opposite wall. Oh, to curl up in this room by the fire’s warmth with a cup of tea and a good book. Who would ever want to leave?
Stepping onto the wooden ladder on wheels attached to the tall bookshelves, I run my hands over the spines of the classic Jane Austen hardbacks. Jingling my bracelet, the charm depicting the little stack of Austen’s books glimmers in the overhead light.
