Chapter 17
“Why are you here?” Poppy asked.
Wasn’t that the question of the hour. One Decker didn’t have an answer to. He’d just seen Poppy go down and knew there was nothing that was going to stop him from being by her side.
“In case you wanted to throw a board meeting,” he teased.
Poppy looked over from the hospital chair next to him, her big mossy eyes red-rimmed from exhaustion, and she was wearing the saddest fucking smile he’d ever seen.
“We had a board meeting when I didn’t want to get checked out. You kind of hijacked the meeting.”
“Damn straight.”
“I told you it was nothing. Just a few bruises. I’m fine.”
She didn’t look fine. In fact, she looked one breath from falling over.
And not just from exhaustion but from the kind of fear that only comes when faced with losing a loved one.
It was a feeling Decker knew well. The night his dad had the stroke, Decker had sat in a waiting room just like this, anxious to hear from the doctors that everything was going to be okay.
His dad survived, but nothing was ever okay again and he eventually passed on. But Decker had had his family to share the pain. Besides him, Poppy was in the waiting room all alone.
It made him wonder who she had in her life to lean on. By the looks of things, she had no one but Opal and Kiki.
His fingers grazed her cheek as he tucked her hair aside. “You say you’re fine, but I needed a doctor to tell me that.”
“And the doctor confirmed, nothing but a few bruises.”
She looked at the clock on the wall. The sun had long gone down, and still no news on Opal. They’d taken her back for X-rays and now they were just waiting for the doctor.
As promised, Decker’s friend had whisked them through a private entrance and given them their own waiting room.
It wasn’t glamorous by any means, vinyl chairs in a muted floral print, sterile white walls, and not much bigger than a bedroom.
But it was away from prying eyes and that seemed to pacify Jack, who had Jessika running around trying to get every staff member that came through to sign an NDA while he sat in the corner thumbing through his phone.
“What’s taking them so long?” she asked.
“She’ll be okay. The nurse said it’s probably just a sprain.”
Instead of calming her down, her eyes became more frantic. Then she stood as if her body were still running on adrenaline and began to pace. “She’s been having dizzy spells, could this be from that?”
“Maybe. You should set up an appointment with her general practitioner and have them run some tests to be sure.”
“I’ll do that as soon as I get home. But how am I supposed to take care of her while we’re on the set?”
“We can hire someone,” Jack said from his chair in the corner.
“No way. It’s just been me and Opal since my mom died and she’s always taken care of me. Now it’s my turn to care for her, television show or not.”
“How about the friend she’s staying with?” Jessika asked. The staff had decided to steer clear of the waiting room, so she’d taken a seat beside Jack.
“Rosalie? She’s seventy-seven, uses a walker, is half deaf, and thinks that Channing Tatum is her reincarnated husband. You have no idea how many times I’ve had to watch Magic Mike with her.”
“Is there any other family who can step in until we wrap?” Decker asked quietly.
Poppy stopped and shook her head. “It was just the three of us until my mom died. And my dad walked a long time ago. When he did, Opal disowned him as her nephew.”
“So, Opal is your dad’s aunt, and she stepped in to help raise you when he left?”
“Yup. She said he was always a spoiled little shit who had an ego the size of Texas. She would have written him off earlier, but then he married my mom, and I came along so she put up with him to keep a relationship with me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that about your dad.”
“That’s okay.” As if her legs couldn’t hold her anymore, she plopped down next to him on the bench. “I’m glad he walked before I was old enough to miss him. I mean, I missed him, but it wasn’t like I was in my teens and lost him.”
“How old were you?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“I was eight.”
Of course he already knew this information because Miles had told him. But hearing it from her mouth seemed to bring them closer.
“Then my mom passed when I was ten.”
Decker’s gut turned sour. He couldn’t imagine growing up without either parent.
Losing his dad almost broke him, to the point that he started having panic attacks.
He couldn’t fathom also losing his mom so soon after—not having family to lean on.
He and Brian might not be in the best space right now, but if push came to shove, they’d be there for each other in a heartbeat.
“What happened?”
“It was silly, really, and happened a long time ago.” Contrary to her words, the tone in her voice said the pain felt like it had happened yesterday.
“But it still must hurt.”
She lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “I guess you never get over the feeling that you’re not enough when your dad walks away over a stupid rumor.”
“A rumor?”
“Yeah, he heard a rumor that my mom was having an affair, which she was not. My dad wouldn’t believe her no matter how hard she tried to reassure him. They fought for weeks, him always yelling, my mom always pleading for him to listen to reason. He said she was using me to manipulate him to stay.”
“Jesus,” he whispered, wondering what kind of father would leave his child in that kind of situation.
“Then one night, I was sitting at the top of the stairs eavesdropping and he said that he probably wasn’t even my dad. Which is ridiculous, because we have the same eyes. The next morning, I woke up and he was gone.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“Besides the other week? I was twelve and asked him to have a paternity test done, but he didn’t respond. He’d already moved on to his new family.” The last part came out a hoarse whisper.
“Family doesn’t move on, Angel. Biological or not, that guy was never a real dad. But no kid should ever have to feel as if they weren’t wanted.”
“It worked out. My aunt took me in and we made our own little family.”
“Which is why you couldn’t walk away from this project. Even when I was an ass about it.”
Had he known the entire story he wouldn’t have been such a prick in the beginning. He would have taken things more seriously—like he was now. God, she probably thought he was a dick for all the flirty comments, pushing her buttons, and doing anything to get a rise out of her.
“You were an ass,” she said with a genuine laugh. “But I wasn’t much better with my holier-than-thou attitude.”
He laid a hand on her knee. “I like your prickly side just as much as I like your bossy side. But seeing you like this is tearing me up.”
He thought she was going to play it brave, so she didn’t worry anyone. But instead, she said, “Do you like my messy side? Because I’m a mess.”
He felt her tremble beneath his hands. He reached out and traced her jawline with his thumb and before he knew it, she was in his arms. Her cheek pressed against his chest, her arms around his waist, holding on as if he were her lifeline.
This was what Miles had been talking about. Connecting on a level that went deeper than innuendos and chemistry. He was kicking himself that it took something like this for him to realize the difference. It made him wonder if he’d ever gone deeper than the first few layers with any woman.
“I’m going to feel stupid if this is all over a sprain. It’s just, she’s all I have.”
“Right now, you’ve got me. And I promise I got you,” he whispered, resting his chin on top of her head. She tightened her grip and he let her hold on for as long as she wanted. Time suspended, and it was just the two of them in this crazy mess together.
“I can’t walk away from her. Not if she’s hurt.”
“We’ll work it out.” He held her tighter, and she nuzzled into him.
He could feel the wetness of her tears on his shoulder.
Moments later, she backed away, her gaze on her feet as he wiped her cheeks.
He tilted her chin up and wiped away the first of what looked to be many tears that were yet to come with his thumb.
“Board meeting?” he asked.
Her expression was one of confusion. “Okay?”
“You and me are in this together. As a team we’ll find a solution. Got it?”
The tiniest of smiles crossed her face. “Got it.”
He sat on the chair and tugged her down next to him. “I’ve been told I have big shoulders. Why don’t you lay your head here for a few minutes and close your eyes.”
She looked at him suspiciously, as if looking for ulterior motives. Which there were. He wanted to get his hands on her in the worst way. Not just to ease the knot in his chest, but also because she looked adorably rumpled in her overalls, with her ponytail holding on by a hair.
She seemed to be suffering from the same need for touch because instead of arguing with him that she was fine, she rested her head on his shoulder. “Maybe for just a minute or two.”
Before he knew it, a minute had turned to twenty and instead of resting on his shoulder she’d slid down so that her head was on his forearm.
Gently moving, so as not to wake her, Decker slid his arm out from beneath and wrapped it around her body, tugging her so that her head was laying on his chest.
She tossed ever so slightly, then slid her arm around his waist and let out a tired sigh. Her eyes were still closed, her breathing was deep and steady, and her warm body melted into his as if she no longer carried an ounce of the weight the world had just thrown at her.
Her scent was all over him and he couldn’t stop thinking about just how soft her body felt against his. The gentle swell of her breast pressed into his side, the feel of her breath skating over his body. The way her body fit his to perfection—as if they were destined to find each other.
Decker had held a lot of women over the years, but none of them had felt quite like this. It only furthered his suspicion that he was sporting more than just a little crush here. And if he wasn’t careful his fall could leave behind more than just a few bruises.
The door opened and out came the doctor, pushing a wheelchair with a very cheerful Opal, who took one look at the two of them bundled up on the couch and quietly clapped with glee.
Decker gently rubbed Poppy’s shoulder. “Angel, the doctor’s here.”
Poppy sprang up so fast he was surprised she didn’t fall off the seat. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she looked at Opal. “Oh my god, you’re in a wheelchair! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m more interested to see how you’re doing,” Opal said and looked from Poppy to Decker and back, then waggled a brow.
Decker wanted to know that answer as well, so he was disappointed when Poppy turned to the doctor. “Is anything broken? Does she need surgery?”
“Just some light bruising and swelling. Nothing broken, just a slight sprain. If she stays off it for a few days it should be fine.”
“A few days,” Poppy repeated theatrically. “We can handle a few days away from the set.” Those fathomless green eyes looked up at him. “Right?”
“Whatever you need, I will make sure it happens,” Decker said.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Opal said. “There is no need to shut down the set. Even for a day.”
“Shut down the set?” Jack yelled, frantically jumping from his chair. “We can’t shut down anything. We have to go on as if everything is normal.”
“But everything isn’t normal,” Decker said. “Opal is hurt and Poppy needs to make sure her family is taken care of. That’s more important than a few days of filming.”
“Can’t we park her in a rehabilitation place for a few days? We’ll count it as part of production cost, I promise,” Jack said.
“I’m not sending her to a rehab place,” Poppy snapped. “She needs family and love around her, not sterile rooms and strange people coming in and out.”
“Depends on just who those strangers are,” Opal said. “My Words with Friends buddy went to rehab after she broke her hip and said that the male nurses were particularly talented with their hands.” She looked at Jack. “You assure me there are hot male nurses and I’m game.”
Jack’s eyes went wide with relief. “If there aren’t, I’ll hire some strippers to keep you company.”
“Not happening,” Poppy said.
“You stop working and so does the entire crew,” Jack pointed out, and the asshole knew exactly what he was doing. He was using Poppy’s huge heart against her and putting her in an impossible situation.
She looked up at Decker, and he wanted to pull her back into his arms. “What do I do?” she whispered, uncertainty in her voice. Right then, Decker decided he’d do whatever it took to erase the sadness from her eyes.
“You want her to be with family, right?” Decker asked.
“Yes. But how can I do that and not let the crew down?”
“Can we have a board meeting in the corner?” he asked.
“Another one? Right now?”
“Right now.” He took her hand and led her to a quiet corner. “Let her stay at Brian and Lauren’s. I know that Lauren would love to have her. And even though Brian is a jerk to me right now, he’s really an amazing husband and guy.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Because that’s what family does.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I think you already know the answer to that question. But if you ever need clarification, I’m right here.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. Then she did the most amazing thing. She rose up on her toes and kissed him. It was more of a drive-by, a chaste kiss not fueled by lust or desire. Nope, this kiss was one hundred percent emotion.
“No kissing off camera,” Jack said, and Decker nearly punched him.