Page 203 of Five Summers

Poppy takes a step forward, positioning herself directly in front of Ronnie. Despite the significant height difference, with Poppy being a foot shorter, she maintains an unwavering gaze fixed on Ronnie.

"Alex," Poppy says, not breaking eye contact with Ronnie, who's still holding out her hand, waiting for a handshake.

Without skipping a beat, Alex responds, “Yes, Mommy.”

“Go to your room and get that surprise that you want to show your dad, okay?”

Nate and Theo watch with curiosity, wondering what is about to happen. Poppy’s piercing gaze, coupled with her confident stance, leaves me with no doubt that some serious shit is about to go down.

I carefully place Alex down, but Poppy remains motionless, her eyes locked on Ronnie. The room falls silent, except for the sound of Alex’s footsteps and the muffled voice of Ace coming from somewhere in the room.

As soon as Alex exits the room, a sharp gasp escapes Ronnie’s lips. Poppy seizes a handful of Ronnie’s hair and yanks her face closer, their faces now just inches away from each other.

“You seriously think you can hit on someone else’s man, bitch?” says Poppy, yanking Ronnie forward, completely ignoring her pleas for mercy.

"The cops will be here any minute," Ace says, joining us guys as we watch Poppy drag Ronnie towards the front door.

“Fuck, this is hot,” Theo says.

I have to fucking agree. It’s so hot watching my princess put this psycho groupie bitch - wannabe band manager in her place.

The four of us move forward. No way we’re missing out on watching this. I look over at Nate and Theo and see them grinning like crazy.

Hunched over, Ronnie's heels click on the tiles, filling the room with an echoing sound. "Just so you know, I won't hesitate to report this to the label," she warns Poppy.

“Go for it,” Poppy says, sounding unimpressed. “And I’ll gladly expose you for the pathetic groupie you are.” Poppy reaches the door and forcefully swings it open. “Now get the fuck out.” With a strong shove, she propels Ronnie out through the open doorway.

Ronnie stumbles out but quickly regains her balance. Without delay, she proceeds to fix her disheveled hair, smoothing it back into its original style.

“If you dare touch him again, or even think about checking him out, you'll regret it.”

I’ve never seen Poppy so protective before, and I have to admit, I fucking love it. I always sensed her unease whenever Jade and those other easy chicks would constantly hang around me. But she never did anything. But now that she is aware of my true feelings for her, everything has changed. She’s become possessive, and I’m totally into it.

Plus, it's awesome to see Poppy dealing with a situation that I, as a man, couldn't quite handle. Ronnie needed someone to be assertive, to speak up, and to tell her that boundaries were being crossed. She never listened to any of us, so hopefully now that this shit has gone down, Ronnie finally knows her place.

Making sure Ronnie doesn't come back in, Poppy stands guard by the door.

“I’ll head out and wait for the police,” Ace states, stepping forward. As he approaches Poppy, a smile brightens his face, and he gently pats her shoulder to express his approval. Just as he makes his way out, two security guards suddenly appear.

“Holy shit, Spitfire, that was hot," says Theo, his face lighting up with a wide grin.

As Poppy turns around in the foyer, I make my way over to her. “Fuck, I love you,” I confess, sealing it with a hot kiss that leaves her breathless.

Epilogue

Six Months Later

Xander

We’re all at Theo and Nate’s place. Well, everyone except Poppy. She's at home, completely engrossed in her online Child Psychology course. When I returned from my tour in New Zealand, Poppy told me she wanted to go after her dreams. I'mproud that she's finally pursuing her passion. Poppy has been an incredible mother to Alex, always putting him first, despite facing financial challenges. Now is her time to focus on herself, and it’s my turn to step up and be the dad I’ve always wanted to be. I fucking adore every single minute of it. That little boy owns half my heart, and his beautiful mother holds the other.

Over the past five months, we’ve cut ties with the label. Given all the chaos caused by Ronnie, we couldn’t trust Lionel. Honestly, going out on our own has been the best decision we've ever made, now giving us a new sense of freedom. We’re thrilled about it. Finally, we’re making the music we want and our original sound is back. Just the other day, we recorded an amazing song, with a mix of powerful melodies and heartfelt lyrics, as a tribute to Bianca.

I have to share something with you. The day Nate and Theo came over to my place to show me the lyrics they had written together, I almost fucking lost it. It was truly an emotional moment for me, witnessing how much their beautiful girl meant to them. It all makes sense now why they are the way they are. Theo’s flirty behavior, Nate’s serious demeanor, and their shared desire for casual hookups are a way to numb the pain of dealing with the loss of Bianca. I understand completely, for there is no one in this world I could ever love other than Poppy. I never want to know the anguish and heartbreak they have experienced. Because of this and with each passing day, my appreciation for the countless blessings in my life deepens.

“Okay, everyone got it?” I say, hoping these guys are actually paying attention for once, even though they’re focused on trying to beat Alex at Mario Kart.

“Yeah, we know. You’ve said it a bunch of times," Ace replies, straining to glance around me at the television as I step forward.

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