**PIC OF POPPY'S RING BELOW**

**Edited**

Poppy's POV

I stood frozen in place.

This couldn't be happening. My mom loved my dad with everything she had. Everything she was. My dad doesn't always show her affection the way she does him, but I knew deep down he loved her. I mean, how could he not? My mother was the sweetest woman I'd ever met. If he wasn't happy with her, why wouldn't he just file for a divorce? Why do this to her? And in her own home of all places!

My breathing shallowed and I slapped a hand over my mouth to prevent my scream from working its way out. The seconds ticked by as my grief for my mother was replaced by blood-boiling fury. All I could see was red. This must be what Knox felt during his fights because I couldn't imagine taming this feeling any way other than hitting something.

"What the fuck!" I screamed, throwing my purse onto the ground and stomping towards the two of them as they began scrambling apart, attempting to cover themselves.

"Poppy? What in God's name are you doing here?" My father questioned, completely caught off guard.

"What am I doing here? More like what the hell are you doing here screwing your fucking slut of a secretary while you're supposed to be at work!" I spat back, unable to lower my voice. I had no remorse calling his...companion such a name; I didn't care what - or who - someone did in their own free time, but where I draw the line is when someone goes after a taken individual knowing full well that they're married or in a relationship - that's when I lose all respect for someone.

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Poppy!" he hissed, clearly trying to save face and avoid the accusation I'd made. A few months ago, I would've never even dared talk back to my father, let alone curse at him.

I guess some of Knox's attitude is rubbing off on me.

"I will use whatever tone I feel like using with a disgusting pig such as yourself! How could you do this to mom? She loves you! I can't believe I ever called you my father!" I screamed, my emotions getting the best of me. Suddenly, a stinging sensation overtook my entire right cheek, the pain intense and pulsing. I took a step back in shock as I cradled my face in the palm of my hand, realizing my own flesh and blood had just slapped me.

"Richard!" The scantily dressed woman hissed behind him. She seemed just as shocked as I was that he'd done such a thing.

"You're a terrible man and husband. I hope you rot in hell for the rest of your miserable life," I sneered, grabbing my things and turning on my heels to leave. "Oh, and if you think I won't be telling mom, then you're dumber than I ever thought," I growled over my shoulder, finalizing my statement by slamming the front door behind me as hard as I could.

I made a mental list in my head of what I needed to do before I could let everything go and have the breakdown that I knew was impending. First, I needed to find out where Tansy and my mother were. I knew for a fact they weren't in the house - for obvious reasons - but I also knew they wouldn't still be at the flower shop; Tansy got antsy when she was confined in small places for too long. I called just to be sure, only to have my mother's assistant answer the phone.

"Sorry, hun, she left over an hour ago."

I couldn't do this on my own. No way. I needed Knox. I need him, now.

I walked to the closest bus station, which was only about five minutes away, and swiped my student pass before making the trip to Knox's business office. I'd never been there before because when Knox was usually there, I was in class and when he wasn't there, we were typically at home together. Thankfully, I did know exactly where it was located.

Getting off the bus, I walked the few blocks needed to get there before my steps halted abruptly. I tried not to be intimidated by the large building that loomed above me, but it was difficult. Even though Knox didn't own the whole building - he just rented the top two floors - it was still overwhelming.

I took a deep breath and pushed on, having to use more strength than I thought would be necessary to get the huge, metal front doors open. I kept my cool through the entire elevator ride, the annoying music wearing away at my resolve. I even tried my best to keep my tears at bay while walking up to the secretary's desk on Knox's first floor, but when the woman looked up and our eyes met, her expression morphed into one of pity that caused a single tear to slip out. I must've looked worse than I thought...

"Hi there! Is there anything I can help you out with?" she questioned sweetly. Her voice reminded me of my mother's own soft, sweet one which made it even harder not to let the floodgates in my eyes open up.

"U-um, can you tell me where Knox Carmichael's office is, please?" I rasped out, more than aware that my voice was quiet and mouse-like, Unfortunately, it was all I could manage at the moment.

"Head up one more floor to level six and Molly, the floor secretary, will be able to help you, hun," she murmured. I nodded and did as advised all the while harshly biting my quivering lip. When the elevator doors finally opened once again, I momentarily forgot all about my sorrows - awestruck by my surroundings. This place was huge. The open concept of this floor really showcased how large the space truly was. I couldn't believe Knox had achieved all of this from the ground up; and without any help, too.

Once again, I was reminded of how amazing this man was.

I stopped ogling the office long enough to see him walking down the hall. He was heading in my direction with a group of men dressed just like him trailing behind. He was talking heatedly with the man right next to him as he flipped through a stack of papers he was clutching.

"Knox," I called out hoarsely before clearing my throat.

Bad idea I thought to myself as every set of eyes within hearing distance snapped to me. What were they all staring at? Hadn't they ever seen a woman in distress before? Knox took one look at me before his face scrunched with worry. He shoved the papers into the hands of the man he'd been talking to, muttering a harsh take care of it before striding towards me quickly.

"What's wrong, Flower?" he murmured, winding his arms around my frame and cradling me against his chest. He made me feel so safe in just a few simple seconds. I shook my head, my throat far too tight with emotion to utter a single word without completely losing it. It was then that I realized everything around us had become silent - I had no doubt everyone was watching our encounter with intruding eyes.

"Back to work!" Knox snapped with an angry glare. Knox bent down, picking me up bridal style before carrying me away to somewhere more private. I threaded my fingers in his thick locks while hiding my face away from everyone and everything. The only thing I was worried about in that moment was basking in the comfort Knox was providing me. My body was slightly jostled in his hold, the motion soon followed by the sound of a door shutting leading me to assume we were now in his office.

The dams behind my eyes finally broke as I started sobbing. My chest heaved with the effort of my cries. I couldn't seem to stop them as they continued to wrack my body. I noticed his knuckles were bruised and cracked as he brought his hand up to caress my cheek. They must've been the products of "beating that kid to a pulp" yesterday, though I didn't have it in me to care. Yesterday's events seemed so jovial compared to what I'd learned about my father today.

"Shh, Flower. It's okay. I already told you I had men take care of everything. The pictures are long gone now," he whispered against the shell of my ear. I released a cross between an unamused laugh and a sob, wishing with everything in me that I was still just crying over those stupid leaked photos. Everything would be so much simpler if that were the case.

"Knox, I could care less about those stupid photos anymore. W-when I got to my parents' house earlier I heard someone fiddling around in the kitchen. I figured it was just my mom and that I'd gotten lucky not having to wait for her to get home. I was s-so wrong," I wailed, my tears taking over once again. What the heck was wrong with me? Get it together, Poppy! I internally scolded while Knox remained quiet, waiting for me to finish my story as he rubbed the back of my head.

"I-it was my d-dad. He had his secretary b-bent over our dinner table. He..." I trailed off, my heart aching too much to even finish the sentence. Knox's grip on me tightened immensely. I glanced up to see him clenching and unclenching his jaw, anger in his eyes but sympathy written all over his face.

"Knox, what am I going to do? I have to tell my mom. I know this will crush her, but I have to. What if she thinks she has to stay with him? She doesn't make enough on her own to support Tansy and herself without him," I blubbered hysterically, voicing my concerns to him.

"I have plenty of money stashed away for safe keeping. We will get your mom and sister out of this. It might be messy, but I will do everything in my power to get them the hell away from that scumbag," he gritted out through clenched teeth.

"You aren't obligated to help out your girlfriend's family, Knox, that's not why I said it. I don't see moneybags when I look at you, I see comfort and love and security. We'll figure something out as a family, but I don't want you to feel like you have to help financially," I insisted, my tears finally subsiding enough for me to form a coherent sentence.

"And this is why you're my everything, Flower. I know you don't see my money when you look at me. And you're right - we will figure this out as a family, because that's what you are to me, baby," he affirmed with conviction. My heart soared with love for him. I leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled away and sauntered around his desk instead. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion as he quickly grabbed something from his desk drawer before coming back around to stand in front of where I sat on the wood surface.

Suddenly, he dropped to one knee.

"Poppy Marie Nicole, you make me the happiest man in the entire world. You've seen me at my worst and you still love and accept me - temper and all. I want to be the only man to take care of you and shower you with love and affection until we're old and gray. Will you give me the pleasure of waking up and falling asleep next to you for the rest of our lives?" he asked, a look of pure hope in his eyes. I hopped down from the desk, now crying my eyes out for an entirely different reason. Proof of my happiness continued to leak from my eyes as I nodded my head vehemently. Knox's face broke into the biggest smile I'd ever seen and all my beliefs about never loving another as much I as do him were confirmed.

This is what I want more than anything in the entire world. This is what I need.

"Obviously we won't get married right away, but we can have a long engagement," he explained while slipping the ring on my finger. I couldn't help but gape at its breath-taking beauty. It was absolutely huge; almost too big, but still amazing nonetheless. I was never one for materialistic things, though. Knox could've given me a corn chip to wear and I would've still been ecstatic.

He leaped up from where he was kneeling on the floor and twirled me around in his arms. I got a sense of deja vu from when he asked me to be his girlfriend. It was shocking how far we'd come since then, and that was just a mere two and a half months ago. The thought that we were already engaged seemed utterly crazy, but it felt so right. Time truly wasn't a measure of love.

"Will you go with me when I tell her? Obviously not right there with me, just maybe in the background? I don't think I can do it alone," I confessed.

"Of course, Flower. I would do anything for you," he stated. "I just need to wrap up a few things quickly before we can go. Is that alright?" he asked. I nodded and planted a heartfelt kiss on his lips before snuggling into his arms once again. He grabbed my hands, kissing each one of my knuckles before placing one last one on the center.

"This looks perfect on your finger - better than I ever imagined," he mumbled happily, but slightly distracted as he continued staring at the jewelry against my skin; a symbol of our love for one another.