Peirce crouches to hand him over and warns, “His good mood is limited. He didn’t get a decent nap. Darby’s hoping to wear him out.”
“Evin and I can handle wearing him out.”
Pierce flashes her an appreciative grin and goes to join the other men. I lean back on the edge, sipping my beer and watching them. He’s trying hard to get close, but the inflatable is in his way, which pisses him off.
He wails and I step over, unzipping the back and easing it off while she balances him. The minute it’s off, he dissolves into her, laying his head on her shoulder.
She kisses along his temple, staring at me, and our thoughts are the same. I can’t fucking wait until this is our life.
“You’re the baby whisperer.” Ashlyn swims up quietly.
“He’s just tired and cranky.” Poppy bounces him until his eyes are closed.
Darby comes out, takes one look at the scene, and sighs in relief. She strips off her cover-up and joins us, her smile appreciative. “Thank you. Mom took him all over town today, and he was too wired to sleep.” She slings her eyes to me. “I don’t want to know, don’t want to hear, but you better have a good excuse when the other kids get here and see your back.”
“Got it.” I place my beer on the deck, kiss the side of Poppy’s head, and take Devin in my arms. “Enjoy, baby, I’ll put him down.”
Pierce motions to the large lounger under the veranda already set up for him to sleep.
When I join them, Jackson’s arrived, and there’s a beer waiting for me at the bar. “Thanks,” I say to no one in particular, settling into a barstool. Miller turns on the TV to SportsCenter.
“Man, I hate to bring this up, but what’s your take on Poppy’s family situation?” Pierce asks what everyone is undoubtedly thinking since Poppy shared her story.
“There isn’t a situation. Poppy cut those ties. As far as I can tell, the Bindels kept up their end of the deal. His life in politics doesn’t touch her.”
“Marco has gone to great lengths to ensure that.”
The hair on the back of my neck prickles at Scottie’s remark. It isn’t an off-the-cuff statement. There’s a sense of confidence there. I slice my eyes to him, barely controlling the irritation brewing in my chest. “Why do you sound so sure?”
“Because I looked into the Bindels. Don’t tell me you didn’t do the same.”
A deep growl rumbles in my throat.
“I have the talent, skills, and resources to dig deep and get answers. Especially when it affects the people I care about. Glaring at me like a raging bull won’t change that.”
“Scottie, maybe you should tell us what you uncovered while digging into his wife’s past without their permission.” Pierce tries to smooth the tension.
“Marco Bindel’s original campaign manager eight years ago had the right strategy. The pre-taped interview Poppy did gave them the leverage to keep up appearances. It didn’t air for a few weeks, buying them time to get their stories lined up. To anyone who asked, the campaign maintained the front that Caitlyn Bindel was fulfilling a lifetime dream of dancing and performing around Europe.”
“That has nothing to do with Marco. That was the campaign manager scheming and protecting his candidate,” I point out.
“This is where it gets interesting. Toward the end of the campaign, Marco had his personal lawyer draw up an iron-clad non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement for Tasha.”
“Why is that interesting?”
“The Senate race was heating up, the opponent’s popularity was spiking. Having Poppy surface and join the campaign could sway the voters. The timing coincides with when she returned and Karen was pressuring her to rethink her decision. According to my source, Marco made it clear she was to remain untouched. This agreement specifically prohibited Tasha from harassing Poppy. He knew she was a ticking time bomb who was unpredictable. They instructed everyone to stick with the original story that Poppy was dancing and to never discuss details of her life.”
“What were the repercussions if she refused? The campaign was up and running. They had spent millions of dollars. Was he going to walk away and ruin his career?”
“Something like that. I’m waiting on those details.”
“Anyone else completely fucking confused on this man’s motives?” Jackson clips.
“This is where it gets weirder. Marco hired a no-name outsider as an advisor. He retained the campaign manager but relied on this guy and his lawyer to guide him. His only concern was Caitlyn. The advisor wasn’t popular on political circuits, but he knew his shit. Marco kept up with the ruse of Poppy dancing and her desire for privacy. It worked.”
“Fuck me,” I mutter. “Does he know where and who she is now?”
“They all stuck with her returning to California.”
I knew California was where Cirque held their auditions, and that’s where Poppy was for a very brief time.
“Why?”
“Because that’s the last known place for her during her auditions? I’m looking into it.”
“A good private investigator and simple social security search would tell him all he needs to know.”
“My gut says Marco was protecting her.”
“He has a shitty way of showing it. For years, she busted her ass while they watched on. Then he walks away and protects her?”
“The important thing is Poppy’s living free, and the Bindels are all happy in the political world. There is absolutely no reason for their paths to cross.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the women coming from the pool. Poppy wraps herself in a towel, grabs my shirt, and struts over.
“Shit,” Jackson draws out under his breath.
“If you’re ogling my wife, I’ll kill you.”
His gaze drops to my back and his face lights up. “Nice. Lucky bastard.”
“Hey.” Poppy slides between Scottie and me, laying the shirt over my shoulder. “Your parents will be here soon. Put on your shirt.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Damn, look at that!” Miller gets all our attention to the television where Isaac Blake is full-screen with pre-season replays. “Evin’s wiping the floor with us again this year.”
Poppy’s eyes cut to the screen and back to me. “I didn’t know he was on your team.”
“He’s not. At least, not anymore.”
“Since when?” Jackson inquires.
“Since I got back from Vegas in July.”
“Why did you drop him? Are you crazy?”
“Nope.”
Poppy purses her lips, her shoulders shaking until she can’t hold back. “You are a caveman.”
“What am I missing?”
“Evin’s a little sensitive that I dated Isaac in college. He wasn’t exactly a faithful boyfriend.”
A hush falls over the crowd as every man takes this in. Pierce’s body goes hard, him understanding more than anyone.
“Good call on dropping him.” He takes a long slug of his beer.
Poppy squeaks, “You all are crazy.”
I link my arm under her ass and hoist her onto my thigh. “Get used to it, gorgeous. This is your life.”