Found (Lost & Found Book 2)

by Scarlett Finn

  “I can see he’s attractive,” Casey said. “Still terrifying though.”

  “He’s not terrifying,” Zoey said. “He’s just Turner.”

  “He’d never hurt anyone,” Poppy said. “You just have to get to know him better.”

  “I do love the thought of you two together though,” Zoey said. “I love that you’ll be part of the family forever.”

  “That’s what we thought about Kev,” Charley muttered.

  “Poppy is not lowlife, two-timing scum,” Faye said. “And our brother is the type of guy who’ll show his marriage respect.”

  “He might cheat,” Charley said, her head dropping to the side. “I’m not sure who we’d stick by if that happened.”

  Poppy wasn’t worried and smiled. “He won’t cheat.”

  “You can’t know that for sure,” Primrose said, quick to offer a warning. “All guys are capable of it.”

  “I married Kev thinking he’d never cheat on me,” Faye said. “Gave the guy three kids. Look how that turned out.”

  “How many kids are you and Turner planning to have?” Casey asked.

  “As many as she wants.”

  Turner spoke from the deck doors behind the posse of women who craned to see him.

  “Stop sneaking up on us,” Charley said. “It’s rude.”

  “I’m gonna look for Pres,” Turner said, ignoring his sister as he came around to Poppy’s side, bowing to kiss her quick.

  “Is Preston going to be your best man?” Primrose asked. “If he is, I want to be maid of honor.”

  “I think he’ll pick Ritchie,” Faye said. “Won’t you?”

  “I could be your best man,” Charley said, adjusting her posture. “I always wanted to be a best man.”

  “Don’t you want to be a bridesmaid?” Zoey asked. “We’ll all be bridesmaids, right?”

  “If everyone’s in the wedding party, who will be in the congregation?” Faye asked. “Parents?”

  Threading her fingers through Turner’s, Poppy skootched across the bed, trying to pull him down. “Sit with us for a while.”

  He did sit, though only just on the edge of the bed. “I’ve gotta talk to Pres about going back and figuring things out with Ritchie.”

  “You started to tell me something and I cut you off,” she said, tugging on his arm to wrap it around her. “You can stay a while, put your feet up.”

  Although there was a grumble with his exhale, he did raise his boot-clad feet to the bed, which put a smile on her face.

  “Tenants at the Eights put a petition together about the systems that need upgrading. Should reduce the number of repairs if the owner listens.”

  “If the owner listens,” Poppy repeated, frowning at something that felt wrong. “Why does this feel weird?”

  “Talking while we’re lying down with our sisters all around?”

  But it wasn’t their audience. When she figured it out, Poppy smiled and climbed up onto him. “Slide over, you’re on the wrong side.”

  He didn’t ask any questions, just did as asked, which let Poppy slither back onto her original side. It just so happened that was the way around they slept in bed.

  “You can ditch the jobs now you have Poppy’s trust fund,” Charley said. “It’s not your problem anymore.”

  “The tenants only got as far as the petition because of me,” Turner said. “If the upgrades are authorized, I want to be there to make sure they’re done right.”

  Wriggling closer, Poppy leaned against him, so he hung an arm over her shoulder.

  “You’re okay with him working himself into the ground?” Faye asked without disguising her note of judgement.

  “I would never, ever dictate to your brother what he should and shouldn’t do with regards to his work,” Poppy said. “What’s mine is his. So it isn’t only my trust fund anymore, it’s ours. I think it’s a good idea to get another building, something he can work on himself or with Ritchie. To build something that he can share with the kids in the family… But he knows my feelings on him working all the time. Of course I want him to have time for our marriage, but that’s secondary to the time I want him to give our children. Still, that’s in the future. He doesn’t have to drop everything this minute. We have time.”

  “At least nine months,” Zoey said. “I think you should have kids quickly.”

  Casey gasped. “Me too!”

  “They could be a little friend for Ashlee.”

  “Don’t rush into kids,” Faye said. “Make sure what you have is strong before bringing anyone else into it.”

  “Smart advice,” Primrose said with a nod.

  Not that she had any idea what it was to have or raise children.

  “Decisions about our marriage happen between Poppy and me,” Turner said. “We’re not taking suggestions.”

  “They’re only trying to help,” Poppy said, relaxing her head against his torso.

  “You’ll need to quit something to have time to plan the wedding,” Charley said. “How many people will you invite? Is it going to be in a church or a destination wedding? I vote destination.”

  “Me too,” Zoey said, raising her arms. “The twins will as well. Casey?”

  “Whatever makes you happy, honey,” Casey said. “Doubt my parents will let me come with you.”

  “Casey has to be there,” Zoey whined, sitting up to appeal to Poppy and Turner. “She has to.”

  “Where we do it doesn’t matter to me,” Poppy said. “So long as it’s not some big, ridiculous over the top deal like Violet’s was… no offense, sweetie.” Her sister just waved a dismissive hand her way. “I just want to stand up somewhere, say I do, then we all sit and eat together. That’s it.”

  “Works for me.”

  “You could just do it here,” Violet said.

  “I said that,” Zoey said, raising a proud arm. “I think it’s beautiful here.”

  “Maybe June next year,” Faye said. “Gives you time to plan.”

  “Or do it right now,” Primrose said. “Everyone is here.”

  “Isn’t there a waiting period?”

  “Usually it’s three days,” Primrose said. “But Daddy knows all the judges around here. They’ll give you a marriage without delay exemption.”

  Primrose really had been paying attention during all those official meetings with Violet and her wedding planner.

  “You shouldn’t rush into it,” Violet said. “Take some time to think about it. Make sure it’s what you want.”

  Although Poppy knew her oldest sister was right, she could also see that Primrose had a point. Everyone was there. Everyone except Ritchie and Naught, though it wouldn’t take much to get them there.

  Charley gasped. “She’s thinking about it. Are you thinking about it?”

  “No!” Poppy said, immediately acknowledging it was a lie. “Maybe… I don’t know.” Sitting up, she rested a forearm on Turner’s sternum. “What do you think?”

  “Whatever you want, baby. I told you what I want. It’s your call.”

  Married while everyone was there anyway, it made sense. Shifting higher, Poppy kissed his jaw before raising her lips to his ear. “Put your arms around me, First.”

  He did as asked and held her while Primrose went on to talk about the Granger parents going out to dinner that night to test the response they got.

  Before the Granger Girls would be allowed to venture out, their father wanted to judge if it seemed any media persons were still lurking in the vicinity.

  The conversation gave her an idea. She and Turner hadn’t had much time alone, not until after lights out anyway. Their relationship kept taking a backseat and that wasn’t the way she wanted it to be. Turner was the cornerstone of her existence. He was everything she wanted. Poppy needed him and she wouldn’t let him think he wasn’t valued. Not for a second.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Oddly nervous, Poppy lit the candles on the table laid for two, then went over to check the playlist for the tenth time. Pressing p
lay to start the music was like a symbol for beginning the evening.

  Dinner at the house should’ve started already, which meant someone would be sending her man out on the hunt for her.

  He hollered for her as soon as he came through the front door. “Candy!”

  Pouncing to attention, Poppy hurried to put herself in the middle of the room. As the door opened, she smoothed her dress over her hip.

  Turner stopped to absorb the low lighting and soft music. His brow was still tense when his focus landed on her.

  “I’m nervous,” she said, licking her drying lips. “Is that weird?”

  “Depends,” he said, closing the door at his back. “What’s this for?”

  “We…” she said, finding some of her swagger as she sashayed across the room toward him. “As it turns out…” Sliding her hands up his torso, her anxiety was eased when his arms came around her. “Have never been on a date.”

  “Oh…” His frown deepened. “We haven’t?”

  Taking his hand, she laced their fingers together to guide him over to the table just inside the open deck doors. Inside was a deliberate choice. Outside might be more romantic, but it would also leave them open to prying eyes if anyone was to wander by.

  “No, so I thought we could start here.”

  “Our first date,” he said. Being a gentleman, Turner pulled out her chair to push it in under her. “In the room we have sex in every night, next to the house where I proposed to you.”

  “Mm hmm,” Poppy said, maintaining her grin. It might seem wacky, but she wasn’t ashamed of it. “We’re good at real life. Somehow we’ve figured out how to make our families work together.” Even if it was under an oppressive situation contrived by Holden Abernathy. “We’re definitely good in bed.”

  Turner adjusted his chair as he pulled it in and reached for the wine. “You want to know if we can stand each other in private when we’re not getting naked. Guess we’re not getting married here then.”

  “No,” she said. “Not this week anyway. I think we can stand each other just fine. But you have a habit of taking everything on yourself and trying to be everything for everyone. Marriage isn’t like that. At least, I don’t want ours to be. It’s important for us to take time out like this, by ourselves, to communicate. We have busy lives, filled with people. We have to be a support for each other. To work things out together. I don’t want to be another person on your list of obligations. I want to be your partner. I want to be the one you talk to when things are happening or you need to make decisions.”

  “Okay,” he said. “What’s the subject?”

  “Anything you want.”

  He raised his glass toward the center of the table. “We’ve gotta start with a toast to the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  Though she lifted her glass to meet his, her smile wasn’t convinced. “Okay, so we already know you can melt the panties right off me. Why do you think I put this table between us?”

  “I can work around it,” he said, scanning the setup. “I like dating with our bed ten feet away.”

  Although Poppy had put the bed away, he knew how to take it down and how to lay her on it. “Because if the topic gets onto anything you don’t want to discuss you can distract me with seduction.”

  “Not a bad idea,” he said, gulping from the wine glass.

  “You don’t have to drink the wine,” she said. “We have a fridge in the closet now. There’s beer in there.” Dessert was too. “We can eat.” Lifting the silver lid from her salad, she didn’t expect him to be awed when he did the same. “Our entrée is in a warming thing in the closet. I know how to serve it… I might have to practice cooking at home before I get it right.”

  “You made dinner?”

  His surprise was so genuine that she should probably be offended. Trouble was, he was too incredulous for her to work up any kind of negativity.

  “I helped,” she admitted. “It’s a start, right?”

  “I’m proud of you, baby.”

  And that pride was genuine too. “Mrs. Caswell was patient with me. She gave me some tips and promised to get everyone to contribute something to a recipe book for me.”

  “That was nice of her,” Turner said, tucking into his salad. It wasn’t exactly hearty, but he didn’t complain. He never complained. “But you know, baby, I never expected you to spend your life chained to the stove.”

  “I know,” she said, aware he’d never implied such a thing. “I’ve seen your family around the kitchen and how your mom is with the kids, guiding them, letting them take part. That’s what I want for our kids.”

  “Mom will teach ours just like she does Faye’s.”

  “When I said we would share parental and marital duties, I meant that would extend to the chores too. Yes, I want to contribute, I want to work, but there will be times when I can’t go out to work, what about if I have maternity leave?”

  “If staying home and keeping house makes you happy, I’ll support you.”

  “You support everything I say,” she said. Both a blessing and a curse, Poppy needed more than just compliance from him. “I was thinking about the Venture… Do you think you’ll give up any of your caretaking jobs now that we don’t have to worry so much about money? Have you spoken to Ritchie about maybe partnering with him on a second building?”

  “Not yet,” he said. “It’s a nice idea though.”

  “Because I was thinking, if you wanted, I could take care of the more day to day things, you know like the paperwork or rent collection, that kind of thing. I spoke to Faye about it earlier and she said she’d help too. We could take calls, maybe eventually, once we have a handle on it, we can order parts or supplies, whatever you need.”

  As he chewed, he considered her. Poppy wasn’t sure how he’d react to the idea of them working together and with his sister too. It would make the progression of the business much more of a family affair.

  “You and Faye run the office while Ritch and I do the labor,” he said, though it didn’t seem like a question. “I like it.”

  That was such a relief that Poppy actually exhaled. Her whole body loosened. It wasn’t until her muscles began to ache that she realized just how tight they’d been.

  “I don’t expect you to give up everything overnight. Faye was excited about joining the business though, she said she’d look at listings. As far as I’m concerned, that’s all you. You can decide where we buy, what we buy, how much work you want to take on. I don’t care if it’s a shell or ready to rent straight away. I talked to Tiller today about putting you on all of the accounts, so he’s taking care of that.”

  “I don’t want your money, babe.”

  She smiled. “It’s not about the money. It’s about us. We’re together. We’re going to get married and have a family. For something like this, the business, you know more about it than I do anyway. I thought Preston would be able to help us with figuring out the legalities. Do we need to separate money into a business account or list it as an investment? I don’t know. It’s just easier for me if you can sign whatever has to be signed. Besides, I don’t want it to be like you have to come to me for permission or anything. I trust you completely… I wouldn’t be planning to have a family with you if I didn’t. Do you think I’d breed with someone, someone who can sign off on medical treatments for my child, without trusting that man with my accounts? Please.”

  That was almost insulting. Poppy had been chattering on and only just then caught a glimpse of his amused half smile.

  “You’re gorgeous.”

  Which was what he usually said when she was showing her naivety. “I want us to be an us, First. I don’t want there to be a power differential. I don’t want one of us taking more of the responsibility than the other. I know I’m new to real life and I will rely on you to guide me, but I promise I will work hard to pull my weight.”

  “Candy-Cane,” he said, putting down his fork to lay his forearm across the table. Poppy gave him her hand. “This is n
ot work. You and me. This. Us. It’s the easiest part of my life. We’re gonna take each day as it comes. As long as we’re loving each other, as long as we’re strong, the rest doesn’t matter.”

  “Our business? Our family?”

  “Family will always matter, but we serve them best when we’re strong.”

  Shaking her head, Poppy confessed the root of her worry. “I don’t know how you feel about any of it. I don’t know how you feel about Faye and Kev splitting up. About Charley going back to David Leicester. I don’t know how you feel about Zoey and Casey being together let alone your thoughts on how Casey’s family have handled the news of her sexuality.”

  “You know I love my family and will do anything I can to support them.”

  “Yes,” Poppy said. “But you’re so used to keeping your opinions to yourself that you don’t know how to let anyone in. You work all day, we eat dinner with everyone. There are always people around with us until we go to bed and…”

  She didn’t want him to think that she was unhappy. With him, having him, being with him, it was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

  “Then all we do is have sex,” he said, sinking back in his seat, taking his hand from hers. “You think this is just about sex?”

  “No!” Poppy exclaimed. “I love you and I know you love me. What I’m trying to say is…” She paused to take a breath while searching for her words. “I’m your other half. The other half of your whole. You said I was your missing piece.”

  “You are.”

  “So trust me. Use me. Open up to me. You told me that you had been alone for fifteen years.” Poppy hoped a smile would relax him. “You’re not alone anymore, baby. I know that you’re strong, that you can handle anything. But when I don’t know what’s in your head, I worry… I worry about you.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me.”

  “I don’t have to. I want to… because I love you.”