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“You missed it,” Twill said.
“I knew we should have used the sirens,” Mr. Fitzwilliam said, glaring at the officer behind the wheel. He pointed a gnarled finger at the man. “My son will hear about this.” He slammed the door closed, and the cruiser took off at a slower speed toward Main Street.
“Turn the camera around,” Wilson yelled again.
“I don’t know how to do that.” Mr. Fitzwilliam fumbled with the screen a few moments before he shuffled to the bottom of the porch steps and held up the phone with the screen facing us like John Cusack with a boombox.
“Sorry I couldn’t be there, sweetie,” Wilson said. He was clearly at work with rows of pill bottles behind him and probably a line of customers at the counter waiting to be helped. “So, are you two back together?”
“Yes, sir,” Theo said.
“And you’re working on yourself? Poppy deserves the best man you can be.”
Theo smiled at me. “I am.”
Wilson beamed at him, and my chest filled with so much warmth, I couldn’t stop the tears streaming down my face.
“Are you crying, Poppy?” Mr. Fitzwilliam asked. His mouth hung open in shock.
“As I live and breathe,” Mrs. Adams said, her voice breaking.
The entire Fan Club gave a collective sniff and even Twill rubbed at his eyes. Damn tears. I’d never hear the end of this.
Theo wrapped me in a hug before kissing me with so much passion Wilson asked Mr. Fitzwilliam to turn the phone away, and Holly howled as though her new friends were trying to devour each other, which I guess, in a way, we were.
Chapter thirty-three
Theo
Holly whimpered when Iclosed the bathroom door, and I almost gave in and let her out. Thankfully, Poppy cracked first.
“Let’s give her a few more hours to get comfortable before we tuck her into the bathroom for the night,” she said.
I opened the door and Holly pranced out and hopped onto one of my boots as if to prevent me from moving.
“Sorry, babe,” Poppy said, scooping the dog from my shoe. “You have to share him with me. And you’ll have to learn to potty outside before you sleep anywhere but the bathroom.”
Holly licked Poppy’s face, and she laughed.
My throat tightened. Damn I wanted to hear that sound every day. The thought of being locked away from Poppy seemed unimaginable now. But I wouldn’t let what could happen ruin tonight.
I had yet to be alone with Poppy since our reunion on her porch. Rowan arrived right after, and the three of us spent the next hour helping Poppy finish the cards she’d started. Then,I drove us around town delivering them to Red Blossoms, the pharmacy, Karma, Cal’s office, and Aiden’s house.
Poppy’s mom burst into tears the moment she saw us together, but Cal didn’t lose it until he read the card Poppy made him. When he showed it to me, I got a little choked up myself. She’d crafted a detailed cutout of her entire family, plus Cal and Skye, and written the sweetest note about him becoming her brother.
I wanted to be in that paper cutout of her family. For now, I was just happy to have her all to myself.
I placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Hold on to Holly, please. I need to unload a few things from the truck.”
Poppy laughed when I pushed through the door a few minutes later with four full bags from the pet store and an orthopedic dog bed balanced on my head. I’d picked up everything before I collected Holly from the pound, but kept it in the back seat since I was determined not to wait another minute to see Poppy.
Watching Aiden skirt the walls of the SPCA while Cal and I played with the dogs will be a memory I’ll never forget. Despite the audience Poppy and I ended up with, Cal and Aiden had respected my decision to visit Poppy alone. Mr. Twillings, who must have heard us talking in my yard, had not.
“Please tell me all that stuff isn’t for this little dog,” Poppy said. “I’m pretty sure Skye doesn’t have half as much crap, and she’s been with Cal for over a decade.”
I dropped the bags and took the bed off my head. Poppy set down Holly, so she could explore everything. “I might have gone a little overboard,” I said.
“Nah,” Poppy said, wrapping her arm around my waist. “She’s had her heart broken by her last family. She needs to know you care.”