Poppy scooted out of reach. "Oh no, you don't. No touching."
Bennett frowned and then nodded. Moving to the side of the bed, he threw back the covers on the bed and said, "Get in. Let's talk."
Once they were both comfortable, Bennett hauled her in and snuggled her. At first, Poppy tried to argue, but Bennett kissed her softly and said, "I just want to hold you. No funny business. I promise. Now tell me why you think I cheated."
"Because you did. I saw you," replied Poppy.
"You saw me when and with whom?" asked Bennett.
Poppy recounted the story of how that long ago Thanksgiving holiday when she had seen Taylor in his shower, the indentations on the pillows in his bed, and him in a towel in the kitchen, whistling.
When she finished, Bennett sat up in the bed, looked at her hard, and said, "Now, would you like me to tell you what really happened that morning?"
"What do you mean really happened?" replied Poppy. "All of that really happened."
"Yes, but not the way you think," said Bennett. "First of all, you are right. I did lie down with her the night before, but just as friends. It was her first Thanksgiving without her family. She drank too much and was crying. I was comforting her. We were looking at old yearbooks and photo albums. I stayed with her until she fell asleep in her clothes. I slept upstairs in the guest room. I took a shower there. I was so excited about seeing you that I decided to drive to Memphis and talk you into coming back to Searcy early. Just thinking about you got me excited. I was wrapped in a towel because I needed to get some clothes out of the laundry. If you had just stopped and talked to me, our whole lives would have been different."
Poppy looked at him for a moment and said, "Oh my God. So you didn't cheat on me?" The look of shock on her face was genuine.
"No, Red, I would never have cheated on you. You were my whole world. When you left, it nearly destroyed me."
"Oh, Bennett, I am so sorry," said Poppy as she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "Things would have been so different if I had known. I am sorry I did not talk to you."
Bennett held her without saying anything, then said, "You were not the only one who jumped to conclusions."
Looking up at him, Poppy said, "What do you mean?"
"Well, after you went MIA that Thanksgiving and stopped taking my calls, I flew to New York. I hid out at your school and planned to demand you tell me why you left. I saw you with the guy you married. You came out of the building. Before I could approach you, he hugged and kissed you. I was close enough to hear him say, "Come on, you hot momma. Let's get home. I am freezing out here.”
“I hate to admit it, but I followed you. You stopped off at the grocery and picked up food. Once you returned to the apartment I figured out was his, I waited outside for you to leave all night. I saw you the next morning, leaving with him for class. He kissed you and said he would see you for dinner. I could not believe you were living with a guy so quickly. I was so angry and hurt. I went home to Searcy to lick my wounds. At first, I vowed to never speak to you again. Then, I decided to wait for you to get this guy out of your system. You were young. Maybe you felt like you needed some more life experiences before you settled on one guy. So, I decided to wait. Then, my dad told me you were married and had a baby coming in June. I literally threw up at the club after he told me. I did some quick math. I knew the baby wasn't mine. I knew it was over. It was the worst day of my life. If I had gotten up the courageto approach you and forced you to talk to me, our lives would have been different. So, see, we are both to blame."
Poppy was quiet for a moment and then said, "Well, as much as I hate to say it, I just don't think it was our time. You would not be a current US Senator if we had gotten together eleven years ago. You would have had to give up on your political dreams. I could not have been responsible for that. Also, remember, I was only a nineteen-year-old orphan kid. I did not have the life experience to deal with all that. Please forgive me for not telling you about Ben. I did what I thought was best based on what I knew then."
"I know, baby." Taking her face in his hands, he looked deeply into her eyes and said, "I know. He is such a great kid. You have done an amazing job. Thank you. What a gift you have given me."
They kissed long and softly. When they pulled back, Bennett said, "We have to talk about when you plan to tell him I am his father. I want him to have my name. The sooner, the better."
Poppy shook her head and pulled back both mentally and physically. "We can't do that as long as you are campaigning for Anderson. As a candidate for a cabinet position, you are a fodder for the press. They would love nothing more than to run a story about your baby momma and bastard son. I won't let that happen. As long as you are married, we keep this to ourselves. We will tell him when the time is right."
Bennett pulled her back to him and then placed his forehead on hers. "I hate it, but you are right. The best thing to do is to call Anderson and take my name off all shortlists. Then, resign my post and ask Taylor for a super quick divorce."
Poppy pulled back so fast that she almost fell out of the bed, "Oh no, you won't. You have worked your whole life for this moment. I refuse to be the reason you walk away from all you have built. There has to be another way."
Bennett stood and started pacing around the room. "The only other option is to stay married until the end of the election. After I am confirmed for a cabinet post, Taylor and I can divorce quietly. You and I could then marry. No one gets fired up about divorces of cabinet members."
Considering what he said, Poppy asked, "How long would all that take?"
Bennett was quiet for a moment and then said, "Well, it is March now. The election is in November. Cabinet members will be confirmed by February. So, a year at the most. Maybe sooner."
"A year?" The words sounded hollow to Poppy. She had gone eleven years without, and now the thought of going one more was unfathomable. "Have you talked to Taylor? What does she say about all this? Will she even agree to a divorce?"
"I have told Taylor that I am in love with you and want a divorce. She is processing that. In the end, she will grant the divorce. She is not in love with me and never has been. We should have never married. It was a rebound thing to try and get over you. It did not work. I hate to say this, but I am glad we could never have children. I would have hated to put them through a divorce. But I would have. Now that I have you back, I am never giving you up. Do you understand?"
Poppy nodded. "Just promise me we will both ask questions and demand answers before jumping to conclusions.”
Bennett said, "I promise. I think I have an idea of how we can navigate the next few months. What do you think about taking Ben out of school and homeschooling him for the rest of the year? I have a buddy who has a fabulous house on Caswell Beach. You two could stay there. It is only a short flight from DC I could come down and stay on weekends. I could get to know Ben. It is a three-bedroom house. We would all have our own rooms. You could paint. The house is right on the beach. What do you think?"
Poppy gave him a look that said he was insane. She took a deep breath, let it out, and said, "I will think about it."
