Chapter nineteen

Poppy

Cammie abandoned her customer mid-order when I walked into Karma. “Wyatt, can you take over?”

she shouted, weaving through the crowded café before the guy had a chance to reply. She grabbed my arm and tugged me to the leather sofa in the bookstore portion of Karma and shoved me down.

“I need details,”

she said in a voice two octaves higher than her usual squeal as she sat entirely too close to me.

“You need to relax,”

I said, taking off my oversized bag, which contained all of Rowan’s notes for this bridal meeting from hell. I loved my sister, but I’d rather resurrect my career as a barista than discuss dress colors and shoe options one more time.

“Fine,”

Cammie said, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “I’ll just wait until Rowan gets here to ask if Theo’s a good kisser.”

Lauren sank into one of the club chairs flanking the sofa with a steaming mug of coffee. The woman must run on good vibes and caffeine since she usually slept four hours a night and still looked perky. “I heard he’s phenomenal in bed.”

“You heard or you know?”

I asked, my stomach twisting. Theo went to high school with Lauren, who for all her wonderful qualities, was the female equivalent of a fuckboy. No judgment. But the likelihood of her crossing genitals with Theo was higher than I’d like.

Lauren’s lips curled up in a mischievous smile. “Someone looks jealous.”

“You slept with Theo,”

Cammie said, glaring at Lauren, which reminded me why I was starting to think of her as a friend and not just some chick Rowan and Lauren dragged into my life. “I know Peace Falls is small but come on. Even a one-and-doner like yourself has options. He’s one of Aiden’s best friends.”

That caught my attention. “Wait. You and Aiden?”

“There is no me and Aiden,”

Lauren said, straightening in her seat. “I heard Theo is phenomenal in bed from multiple sources. I don’t have first-hand information. Do you, Poppy?”

My face burned despite my best effort to maintain my resting bitch face.

“Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit,”

Cammie said.

Lauren laughed so hard she snorted.

“Can we go back to Lauren and Aiden?” I asked.

That stopped Lauren’s cackling, but Cammie wouldn’t take the bait. “All I heard about was a kiss in front of the community center. And you and I both know Mr. Fitzwilliam can’t see worth a damn. Come on, Poppy. Details.”

“Well,”

I said, picking at one of the artfully placed holes in my jeans. “I have nothing to compare the bed stuff with, but it seemed pretty phenomenal to me. He’s definitely the best kisser, hands down.”

“He’s hung, isn’t he?”

Lauren asked.

“How would she know?”

Cammie snapped. “Plus, that’s not exactly a good thing your first time. On a scale of one to ten, how sore are you today?”

“Eight,”

I answered honestly. “But it’s not a bad sore, if that makes sense. He didn’t know it was my first time until after, and then he was really upset that he might have hurt me.”

Lauren fanned her face. “Packing and sensitive. No wonder all those women complained when he locked his dick down a few years back.”

“Yeah, why is that?”

Cammie asked me.

I shrugged. “Why did you lock your vag down?”

Cammie nodded. “He’s even more messed up than Cal was before Rowan. You know what this means, right?”

she said smiling.

“What?”

Lauren and I asked together.

“He has real feelings for you.”

My face warmed again. “Yeah. I guess so.”

Lauren shook her head. “You guess so. That man has been head over heels in love with you since he met you.”

If that’s true, why did it take Aries showing interest for Theo to finally act? Lauren must have sensed how uncomfortable the conversation made me because she slammed her coffee mug on the table and said, “Yes, I slept with Aiden once. A long time ago.”

“I knew it,”

Rowan squealed, coming around the corner of a tall bookcase.

“Who cares what happened years ago,”

Cammie said. “I’d rather hear about Theo and Poppy.”

“Me too,”

Rowan said, sinking into the empty club chair closest to me while I kicked Cammie’s shin.

“Got it,”

she said, rubbing her leg. “Don’t do that again. Those boots could break something.”

“Mrs. Adams told me that you and Theo kissed,”

Rowan said.

“For fudge sake. Does everyone in town know?” I yelled.

“Probably,”

Rowan answered with a shrug. “So, what does this mean? Are you two together finally?”

I nodded.

Rowan squealed and leaped out of her chair, tackling me in a hug. She pulled back and looked at me. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”

“How would you know that?”

Rowan shrugged. “Sisterly intuition.”

“Bullshit.”

“Fine, I was listening in the stacks. I can’t believe you were still a virgin. How was it?”

“Kind of weird but wonderful.”

“Ok, it was with Theo, so I get the wonderful part,”

Rowan said, squeezing onto the sofa beside me. I felt like thin-sliced bologna sandwiched between two slices of bread with boundary issues. “What made it weird?”

“He’s pierced, isn’t he?”

Lauren asked. “Does he have one or a whole Jacob’s ladder going on? Or was it just because it was your first time?”

There was no way I was getting out of this conversation. Plus, part of me kind of wanted to know if I was being too sensitive, if it was normal for people in a relationship to do the deed and then chuck the other person out of their space. “Well, for starters, it was on an air mattress. I worried we might bounce off a couple times, and he was already close to impaling my stomach.”

All three of those bitches burst out laughing.

“I’m sorry,”

Cammie said, wiping a tear from her eye. “So, you were fibbing about the good sore part.”

“A little. And before you ask again, Lauren, I have no idea if his dick’s pierced or not. I didn’t spend a lot of time staring at it and have nothing to compare the feeling of it too. So even if it was, that’s not what made it weird.”

All three of them became solemn and Rowan grabbed my hand. “Go on,” she said.

“Well,”

I said, taking a deep breath. “It happened so fast. He barely got undressed and then he walked me home right after. He said he didn’t want me to sleep on an air mattress, but it felt odd to leave so soon. Does that make me sound clingy?”

“Definitely not,”

Lauren said. “That sounds pretty dickish to me. I should spit in his espresso next time he comes in.”

“No,”

Cammie, Rowan, and I said together.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with me,” I said.

“I agree,”

Cammie said. “Maybe he felt a panic attack coming and didn’t want you to see it.”

“Can you feel a panic attack coming?”

Lauren asked, whipping out her phone.

“Wait? Have you seen him have one?”

I asked Cammie.

She nodded. “Normally, I wouldn’t tell you this, because it’s not my story to tell, but a few months ago something triggered him when he came to the office to meet Cal. I’d never seen anything like it. It brought Theo to his knees. I was afraid he’d pass out he was breathing so hard. Cal handled it like a champ, but even he looked worried. It broke my heart, to be honest.”

“Yeah,”

I said. “They’re pretty scary.”

“It fits,”

Lauren said, nodding at her phone. “He probably thought he was at risk of having one once the orgasm endorphins wore off and the reality of what happened set in. He didn’t want you to think less of him.”

“Why would suffering a panic attack make me think less of him?”

I snapped. “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”

“You’d just slept together,”

Rowan said, placing a gentle hand on my arm. “Theo might have worried you’d take it personally.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Well, that’s just insulting.”

“I saw his panic attack months ago, and he still seems embarrassed every time I see him,”

Cammie said. “It’s kind of endearing, actually, which is why I stopped being nervous around him, despite how big he is.”

“Yeah, how big is he?”

Lauren said, leaning forward. “Your penile experience may be limited, but you’re an artist. I’m sure you can eye up a measurement just fine.”

“Can we talk about the d—urn dresses now?”

I asked, throwing my hands in the air. “Rowan, I promise to wear whatever color you want and heels to match if you end this conversation.”

Rowan smiled and clapped her hands together. “So, I’m thinking pink for the dresses. A subtle shade, like rose petal or blush. With nude or rose gold sparkling heels.”

“That would look so good with your natural hair color, Poppy,”

Lauren said.

“Absolutely not,”

I said. “The only redhead at the alter will be Rowan. I’ll find a color that goes with whatever you choose, sis.”

“I saved a few dresses on Pinterest.”

Rowan pulled out her phone, and we all huddled around the small screen. “Which do you like, Maid of Honor?”

she asked me.

I shrugged. “I told you. I’d wear a garbage bag if that’s what you wanted, but I like the dusty rose Pnina Tornai with the long lace sleeves. It’s going to be freezing on top of that mountain in early April. You could swap the satin bow for a beaded rose gold belt and then wear nude heels, since those will be easier for Lauren to find with her huge feet.”

“She’s not wrong,”

Lauren said, glancing down at her canoe-like appendages.

“The dress would complement yours, Rowan,”

Cammie said.

“I love it,”

Rowan said. “Let’s figure out sizing, and I’ll place the order. Mom insisted on paying for all the bridesmaid outfits, and this one is reasonable.”

“She doesn’t have to do that,”

Cammie said, shifting in her seat.

“Don’t even try to argue with that woman,”

I said. “She’s paying off mom guilt from the years Rowan had to be Mom 2.0 for me and Chris after our dad died. Just say thank you.”

“Plus, I’m her favorite,”

Rowan said, winking at me.

She thought she was joking, but Chris and I both knew Mom had a special place in her heart for Rowan. Luckily, Rowan was too perfect a sister for us to feel bad about it.

“What are the groomsmen wearing?”

Cammie asked.

“Gray suits,”

Rowan said. “Speaking of the groomsmen,”

she said looking at me. “Did you know Cal asked Theo to be his best man, and he refused.”

“He did?”

That was even weirder than Theo kicking me out right after we bounced on his air mattress. Cal and Theo were just as close as Rowan and me, more brothers than friends.

Rowan nodded. “He said to ask Chris, but we both know that was a hard pass. So, I guess it’s Aiden.”

“Poor Aiden,” I said.

“You mean poor Cal,”

Lauren said with a huff.

“No,”

I said, with an edge to my voice. “Poor Aiden. I never realized until now that he’s kind of the odd man out.”

“The bromance between Cal and Theo is pretty strong,”

Rowan said.

Lauren frowned. “Yeah, I guess Aiden was closer to Logan.”

“He’s the one who died in the crash?”

Cammie asked gently.

Rowan, Lauren, and I nodded.

“Poor Aiden,”

Cammie said. “Now I feel bad for running away from him every time he says hello.”

“No, that’s still a good idea,”

Lauren said. “He’s an asshole.”

“New plan,”

I said, clapping my hands together. “Let’s get Lauren so shitfaced at the bachelorette party she answers all our questions about her Aiden fling. All in favor?”

Cammie and Rowan raised their hands.

“We’ve left Wyatt alone in the front too long,”

Lauren said standing. “I’ll start looking for nude heels.”

“That reminds me,”

Rowan said, digging into her small purse. We’d finally convinced her to stop lugging around a bag big enough to carry a small child to spare her back, but she still packed her purse as tight as possible. “Here,”

she said, handing Lauren and Cammie Visa gift cards. “Mom wouldn’t tell me what she put on them, but it’s probably more than enough for shoes.”

“Where’s mine?”

I asked like a spoiled brat.

“Mom said the two of you could go shoe shopping together since, and I quote, ‘She never spends enough time with Poppy.’”

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about the mom guilt,”

Cammie said looking at her card.

“Nope,”

Rowan and I said together.

“Guilt is a powerful thing,”

Lauren said.

I immediately thought of Theo and wondered whether he’d ever be able to let his go or let me in enough to share the weight.