She jerked her head to the kitchen window, which was empty. For now.
“Then take the money.”
“No.”
Stubborn woman! Who knew this was the same shy, quiet flower from the don’s dinner party? That woman was gone, and in its place—
It struck me then.
A she-bear.
Poppy had a fierce fire, one that warriors would kill to have, but not because it was part of her soft nature. No, this was born the day she took the boy under her wing. She became a bear with a cub.
It was such a turn on. Another rush of blood pulsed between my legs.
I sucked in a sharp breath through my nose, weighing my options. “I want to provide for him. It’s been too long, and itismy right.”
“Earn it.” Her hot retort was a slap. “You might have blood ties to Brady, but you’ve been in his life all of five minutes. That doesn’t give you the right to upend everything he knows.”
“I fed him eggs!” I protested. “Since you’ve clearly got it into his head that other foods are poisoned.”
Poppy’s cheeks pinkened. “What?”
“The fucking Captain Crunch. He wouldn’t eat it.”
Her face visibly softened. “He wouldn’t?”
“No!” I shouted, wincing at my own volume. “Whatever nonsense you’ve been telling him—”
“He begged me for it yesterday. I even saw him trying to sneak it,” she murmured, looking back toward the window. She raised her hand and waved.
Two dark brown eyes watched us, uncertainty filling them.
I forced myself to calm. “He was honorable. He listened to you.”
“He did,” she marveled. “Normally he’s cheeky and tries to get at things he isn’t supposed to have.”
And there it was. She was going to be the standard by which this boy held himself. A bitter knot churned inside me. I wanted that. It wasn’t enough to just have him here. I wanted his respect too.
There was going to be a lot to learn.
And damn her, she was right. Just because I was reunited, didn’t mean I knew my son at all.
“Please, take the cash, and buy him what he likes,” I insisted, backing up and giving her space, which went against what I wanted to do.
Poppy let out an annoyed sigh. “This isn’t over.”
No…no, it was not. I foresaw many more conflicts in our future. But as she stooped to gather the cash, and a flash of skin showed for the briefest of moments, I felt a small prickle of delight at the challenge. My little flower had thorns. I looked forward to feeling their sweet sting again.
Chapter 10 – Poppy
There was a tickle at the back of my throat. I tried to clear the blasted thing for the third time, but it did nothing.
“Mama, I’m bored.”
I set the crayon down and gave him a very serious look. “Hi, bored, I’m mama.”
Brady let out a strangled groan. “Mama!”
