15. Poppy
CHAPTER 15
POPPY
I grab my purse from the passenger seat of my car and then pull down the mirror on my visor. After touching up my makeup, I check myself out in the mirror, and I can’t seem to look away.
There’s a glow about me, and I know exactly what it is. Everything between Colter and me has been perfect. So perfect it scares me a little bit.
He shows up at different locations when I have the food truck out in town. He brings me lunch. He was worried about one of my tires and had it fixed. He has gone above and beyond to show me that he cares for me, and it’s obvious to anyone and everyone I’m around that I’m being loved well.
I close my visor and then get out of my car. I got off work early, and Colter and I had plans for me to come over later, so I hope he’s okay with me showing up early. If he’s working, I can read or just catch up on some much-needed sleep.
I practically skip down the path, and when I get to his door, I adjust my shirt and try to open it. It’s locked, though, and without thinking, I knock softly.
I’m holding my breath in anticipation, but when the door opens and there’s a woman in nothing but a towel standing there, it feels as if I’ve been sucker punched. I take a giant step backwards. There has to be an explanation. Colter is not a man that cheats.
He tells anyone and everyone that I’m his girlfriend, so I know he wouldn’t do this.
“Uh, hi.”
The beautiful blonde leans against the ajar door. “Hi. Can I help you?”
I look at the numbers on the house and then up and down the path. Am I in the wrong place? But no, I’m at the right cabin. I put a hand to my chest as if I’m trying to calm my racing heart. “Is Colter here?”
Her smile gets bigger. “No, my husband had to step out, but he should be back soon.”
I swear the world starts to rotate, my vision blurs, and it’s like a train is speeding straight toward me. I shake my head. Surely I didn’t hear her right. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”
“Carrie Lynn. I’m Colter’s wife.”
I take another step back and run into the banister at my back. “Oh, okay, thank you,” I stutter before jogging down the steps. I’m practically sprinting down the path as tears fall from my eyes. I slow to a fast walk just so I can try to get a hold of myself. I can’t wipe my eyes fast enough, and when I see Colter coming toward me, I get sick to my stomach and feel as if I’m going to puke, right here and now. I make the decision to walk past him. His face is lit up as if he’s happy to see me. He has no idea that he just demolished my world. I keep walking past him, eyes straight forward.
“Poppy, stop. What’s wrong?”
I keep walking. He has to jog to catch up, and he stops in front of me. As soon as he puts his hands on my shoulders, I jerk from his touch. “Don’t touch me,” I growl.
His eyes are wide, and he’s searching my face for an answer. He’s holding his hands up, palms toward me. “Poppy, talk to me. What’s wrong? What happened?”
“I need to go home.”
I try to step around him, but he sidesteps me, blocking my path. “You’re not going anywhere like this. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I’m deciding if I can sprint past him, and he widens his stance. “I’m not letting you drive when you’re upset like this.”
I cross my arms over my chest and hold myself, trying to block out the pain. “You’re married.”
Guilt flashes on his face, but instantly he answers, “I’m not married.”
Clenching my eyes shut, I shake my head. The pain is real, and it feels like I’m going to die from it. How could I have trusted him like this?
He takes a step toward me. “I’m not married, Poppy.”
I point at him and with disgust, I tell him about my run-in with his wife. “I just met her, Colter, so you can quit lying to me. I just met your wife. She’s in your house… naked.”
He holds his hands in front of him. “There has to be a mistake. You were at the wrong cabin?”
I’m glaring at him. “Really? I went to your cabin and some shapely, beautiful, blond-haired woman was in a towel, and she claimed to be your wife. I wasn’t at the wrong cabin.”
He groans, shaking his head. “She’s not my wife, Poppy. She was, but we were divorced after the bombing.”
I don’t know what to do about this new bit of information. It doesn’t make me feel any better because even if they’re not married and she is his ex, he never even told me he was married in the past. And why is she naked in his house? None of this is making sense, but I do know that I’m not going to just put up with it and allow him to lie and withhold things from me.
He repeats himself. “She’s not my wife, Poppy. She’s my ex-wife.”
I hate to even hear my voice. Even I can hear the heartbreak. “She says she is your wife. Why is she in your house, wrapped in nothing but a towel?” I don’t let him answer. “None of that matters. I’m not a fool, Colter, and I’m not falling for this.”
I try to step around him again, and we practically dance down the path. He groans and then wraps his arms around me. I struggle in his arms, but I’m so fuckin’ weak when it comes to him. I start to cry again, and this time I can’t stop. Big wracking sobs that shake my whole body. I can’t stop, and Colter just holds me, stroking the back of my head down my hair over and over.
When I’m finally able to pull myself together, I don’t jerk from his hold or yell and scream like I want to. “Let me go,” I tell him.
He does so instantly, and the pure anguish on his face forces me to look down at the pavement between us. I point down the path that I came down. “That woman thinks that she’s still your wife.”
He interrupts me. “She’s not. I don’t want her, Poppy. I love you.”
I gasp, and my eyes meet his. “You did not just tell me that you love me for the first time after I found your naked wife in your home?”
His hands fist, and he grabs the front of his shirt. It’s like he needs to do something with his hands, and since I won’t let him hold me, he’s holding on to himself. “She’s my ex-wife, Poppy. I’m going to make this right.”
I nod. “Yeah, maybe you should tell your ex that because I don’t think she knows.”
I walk around him, and this time he lets me, but he still follows me out to the parking lot to my car. I get in, and he’s holding the door open. “I don’t want you driving like this.”
I put my sunglasses on my face. “I can drive.”
He blows out a frustrated breath. “I’m going to fix this, Poppy, and then I’m coming to you.”
I should tell him to leave me alone or that I need time, but I know the hold he has on me, and already I’m weakening toward him. Is she really his ex-wife? Is it really over between them or are they reconciling? Like there’s a crack in my chest, I rub my hand over my heart. “I need to go. Please just let me go.”
He doesn’t want to, but he raises up. I’m not looking at him, but I hear the emotion in his voice. “This isn’t over, Poppy. I’m going to fix this. I’m not letting you go.”
He shuts my door, and I put my car into reverse and then start driving away. I know I shouldn’t, but I look in my rearview mirror, and Colter is standing there with his hands on his hips, watching me drive away. I can’t help but wonder if this will be the last time I’ll ever see him and if I’ll ever recover from it.