“The kind who doesn’t want to see you do the same thing I did. I walked away from the love of my life over something that could have been worked through. Yes, it would have been hard, and there would have been a lot of difficult conversations, not to mention getting over my damn ego, but we’d still be a family. Even if your mom and I didn’t stay together, we would have been some kind of unit.”
“What about your other family?”
“I love them with all my heart. But that doesn’t mean I ever stopped loving you. You are my kid, and I let what happened between your mom and me come between us. Don’t let that be you.”
“And what if I run after him, and he still walks away like you did?” Poppy asked.
“Then he’s not the man I thought he was.”
Unable to take the pressure building behind her eyes, Poppy let the first tear fall, followed by another and another until they all bled together. Her shoulders racked with sobs of disappointment and pain; her throat burned with rejection. But most of all, her heart sank with the reality of what had transpired over the past hour.
“I don’t know what to say or how to feel,” she admitted.
“And that’s okay. You feel whatever you need to feel.”
“I think I need to feel them alone.”
“Jack has my number. If you ever feel like calling, I’ll be waiting.”
Poppy didn’t know if she’d ever call. Just like she didn’t know if she could ever trust Decker again. Could she forgive him? Yes. Would she love him? Always.
But trust was a precious thing that, once broken, never really fit back together.
DIARY ROOM:
Poppy: Is this what you all wanted? Me to get my heart broken? Well, America, you got your wish, it’s beyond repair.
27
It had been three days since Decker walked off the set and out of Poppy’s life, and he was still having a hard time breathing past the painful lump in his chest. It took him less than an hour to figure out he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. So he went back to the set, but she was gone and no one knew where she was except Kiki, who told him to go fuck himself.
He didn’t even have her phone number, so he’d begged Jack for it so he could call her. Which he had—eleven times. She hadn’t answered. Not that he blamed her. He’d been so thrown by the news that the whole show was one big lie that he hadn’t paused to think of how it made her feel. He’d reacted from a place of hurt and past betrayals, and now he was paying the price.
“I brought you here today to talk about your feelings,” Miles said. He was sitting at the kitchen table with his therapy hat on.
As soon as Brian had learned what had gone down—since the episode had gone live the night he’d walk out on the best thing that had ever happened to him—he’d read Decker theriot act, saying he’d cost them the shot at making something of their dad’s legacy. And just like Kiki, he’d told Brian to fuck off.
Which was what had brought them here today, gathered around the kitchen table like some kind of couple’s therapy session.
“I’ve already talked about my feelings,” Brian said. “It’s his turn to talk.”
“Then give me the goddamned talking stick,” Decker said. “I mean, if you would shut up for a minute and stopped hogging the stick, we’d get somewhere.”
“The stick is supposed to deescalate the tension so that everyone feels heard,” Miles reminded them, taking the stick and handing it over to Decker. “So Decker, you’re holding this stick, why don’t you tell us how you feel?”
“Well, I’m pissed off. Yeah, I’m pissed off. Period.”
“That’s not a productive emotion. Why don’t we try for something more productive? And can you be more specific on what is triggering you?”
“Okay, I’m pissed off at my brother,” Decker said.
“Still not the best word, but we can work with that. Why are you pissed off?”
“Because I feel neglected and taken advantage of, and whatever it was that you said before.”
“That was a good description,” Miles said with a serene smile. “About how he feels taken advantage of.”
“You feel taken advantage of?” Brian snapped.
