An hour later, Ivy was fresh out of the bath and ready for her dinner but impatient enough that she was making noise about crawling to the living room because Jack was waylaid paying the pizza delivery boy.
“Keep the change,” Jack instructed as he took the huge mound of food. He’d gone all out, ordering the huge cookie she liked and the spicy wings he liked ... even though they gave him heartburn something fierce. “I’m coming to get you right now,” he called out as he shut the door.
He’d set up a picnic area for them on the floor in the living room, going so far as to light a fire, and he plopped the boxes down on a blanket before pinning Nicodemus with a stern look and heading for the hallway. He wasn’t surprised to find Ivy on her knees when he pushed open the door.
“You couldn’t even wait two minutes for me to pay the pizza guy, could you?” He wanted to be exasperated with her, but she was too cute in her fuzzy sleep pants and oversized T-shirt. Her hair was wet and looked to have been combed out and her face was devoid of makeup. She was everything he never knew he wanted, and even when his patience wore thin, she made him laugh. “You are so much work.” He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her up, cradling her against his chest and kissing the tip of her nose. “Thankfully you’re worth it.”
Ivy’s smile was small but heartfelt. “I feel a little weird having you carry me around.”
“I’ve carried you around numerous times.”
“Yeah, but ... usually when we’re going to bed. Your manly theatrics are generally tied to romance.”
The way she phrased it caused him to bark out a laugh. “Oh, I love you.” This time the kiss he gave her was soft enough that it caused her to sigh, and warm enough that it sent a little jolt to her toes. “I’m going to romance your socks off tonight. Just you wait.”
He carried her into the living room, carefully navigating around the cat who refused to move, and lowered her to the floor. He’d set up a spot where she could have pillows buffering her back and another to rest her foot on.
“Up please.” He gently lifted her leg and placed it on the pillow before dropping a bag of frozen peas on top. She hissed at the cold, causing him to cast her a rueful grin. “Okay?”
She nodded, putting on a bright smile for his benefit. “I’m totally aces, dude.” She flashed him a thumbs-up as he shook his head.
“That’s a weird thing to say.”
“Yeah. It’s what I said the first time this happened and I was trying to make Max feel better. He felt so guilty because I was laid up half the summer that he wouldn’t even go out and play with his friends. I couldn’t swim, so he couldn’t swim. It was as if he was punishing himself.”
“That sounds like Max.”
“Yeah. He’s a good brother.”
“He is.” Jack shifted around the boxes and opened the one containing their pizza first. As promised, there were only vegetables as far as the eye could see. “I went with your favorites. Onions, green peppers, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms of the non-feet variety, pineapple, spinach, and artichoke hearts.”
Ivy was so hungry she practically drooled. “Wow.” Guiltily, she raised her eyes to him. “You hate this stuff.”
“I don’t hate it. Artichoke hearts aren’t my favorite, but I can pick them off. Besides, I got wings for myself.” He lifted the box for emphasis.
“Good idea.” She grinned as she reached for a slice, but he slapped her hand back.
“We have to talk about something first.”
Ugh. She’d been expecting this. “Oh, Jack, I’m so tired and hungry. Can’t we fight about me running into the woods tomorrow? I swear I thought it was my best option. Susan said I couldn’t go to the road or the cottage so I did what I thought was right. Yes, I fell. That was truly an accident, though.”
He studied her face for a moment. Part of him wanted to laugh. The fact that she could sound so aggrieved given everything that had happened somehow felt miraculous to him. That’s not what he wanted to talk to her about, though.
“Actually, I think what you did in the woods was the smartest thing you could do.”
“You do?” She couldn’t hide her surprise. “Then why are we going to fight?”
“I didn’t say we were going to fight. I said we were going to talk.”
“You have your fighting face on.”
Despite himself, he was curious. “What’s my fighting face?”
“You know.” Ivy jutted out her chin and puffed out her arms. “Jack mad. Jack going to yell. Jack going to let the pizza get cold.”
He refused to laugh because that would only encourage her, but he was delighted — and a little annoyed — by her impression of him. “I sound nothing like that,” he said finally. “I don’t talk about myself in the third person either.”
“You know what I mean.” She stared mournfully at the pizza. “What are you upset about if it’s not what happened to my ankle?”
“It’s what you did with your brother this afternoon.”
Ivy stilled, surprised. “I ... you ... .” She didn’t know what to say.
“I had a talk with Max after the fact, and before you freak out about him squealing on you, you should know that he was so upset about telling me what you’d done that he was basically beating himself up over the situation.”
“Good.” Ivy’s temper bubbled up. “I can’t believe he tattled on me. Here I was not three minutes ago remembering when I thought he was the greatest brother in the world and now I find out this.”
Jack pinned her with a dark look. “You listen here, your brother did the right thing when he told me about your afternoon adventure. Archibald is a jerk. More than that, though, he’s a danger to you. As your future husband, I have a right to know when someone threatens you.”
Ivy worked her jaw. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you because I didn’t want you to yell or something. That’s not why I didn’t want to tell you.”
“I know. You didn’t want to tell me because you were afraid that it would cause me to pick a fight with Archibald.”
“You could lose your job if you say the wrong thing to him,” Ivy said in her quietest voice. “You could end up in jail all because I couldn’t keep my nose out of other people’s business. I hate Archibald, but he’s right. I shouldn’t have been there.”
Jack tapped his tongue against the back of his teeth as he regarded her. “Ivy, your curiosity is one of the things that caused me to fall in love with you. You have a keen mind and the biggest heart imaginable. You want to help people. I know that’s why you went to see Bethany today.”
“Well, yeah, but I also want to clear my own name. I don’t like it when people think I’m a potential killer.”
He almost laughed but caught himself at the last second. “They don’t believe you’re a killer. They have zero suspects, though, and they’re both lazy. They don’t want to put in the work to find real suspects.
“Actually, that’s not entirely fair,” he continued. “Halsey doesn’t seem all that lazy. He seemed upset when I told him about the things Archibald did to you today. When I laid them all out, it seemed like a lot for one twelve-hour stretch.”
“You told his partner on him?” Ivy was wide-eyed. “Do you think that was smart?”
“I don’t know. At the time I was angry and I just blurted it out. I don’t regret it, if that’s what you’re worried about. After the way they acted when I took you to the hospital, I warned them both that I would be reporting them to the state board if they didn’t back off.”
Ivy was impressed ... and a little worried. “Could that come back to bite you?”
“I don’t care. I don’t want him terrorizing you, and he’s not a good cop. His record is horrible. I wanted him to know that I was aware of it, and willing to do something about it.”
She rolled her neck as she absorbed the words. “If I ever cause you to lose your job I’ll never forgive myself. You won’t either. I don’t want to ruin our life together before it even begins.�
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“Oh, honey, my job is ... my job. I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t want to be a good cop, but it’s not important to me like it was before. You’re the most important thing to me. That’s never going to change. If I lose my job over this, it’s fine. I’ll find something else to do.”
She stared at his strong profile, almost as if she was trying to find the lie hidden behind his eyes. “You’re being serious.”
He nodded. “I am being serious. You’re the love of my life, Ivy. You’re my soul mate. You’re it for me. The job is a distant second. I want you safe. What that guy is doing to you is wrong. I’m not going to just sit back and allow it.”
“But ... .”
“No.” He shook his head and pressed his finger to her lips. “You’re the thing I want most in this world. If I have to get another job, I’ll make it work. Who knows? Maybe I’ll work for you or something.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You know our marriage could never survive us working together, right?”
He laughed at her response. “Or maybe I’ll work for your brother.”
“That might be fun.” She laid back against the pillows and slid her hand on top of his. “What you just said means the world to me. I can’t tell you how much. I still don’t want you to lose your job.”
“Well, I don’t think it’s going to happen. We’ll have to wait and see, though. I need to know when things like this happen. Even if I think you’re out of line — and I don’t happen to believe that heading to the hospital a second time today was all that smart — even if, though, I’ll stand by you. That’s the kind of couple I want us to be.”
She couldn’t help herself. She went warm all over. “That’s the kind of couple I want us to be, too.”
He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Don’t cut me out again, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Good. Now eat your pizza. I need to save my wings from the cat. After that, I thought we would watch a movie — my choice because I’m a saint — and then go to bed early. We’ve both had long days.”
“That sounds great. What about the romance, though?”
“You just leave the romance to me.”
16
Sixteen
Jack woke rested and relaxed. Next to him, Ivy was curled in at his side, her ankle propped on a pillow. It was still swollen, to the point where it hurt him to see it, and he knew he should get up and grab another bag of peas. He was too comfortable, though, and he absolutely loved his mornings with her, so he waited.
He’d romanced her, as promised, in the dreamscape. She’d wanted to try it in the real world, but he was adamant that wasn’t happening. Given her injured ankle, he didn’t want to risk it. Instead, he took her to a tropical beach, where they proceeded to swing in a hammock together and watch the sunset. It had been a perfectly sweet dream ... and now they were having a perfectly warm morning.
“What are you thinking?” Ivy queried in a raspy voice, jolting him out of his reverie.
He smiled as he shifted to look down at her. “I was thinking that I’m the luckiest man alive.”
She made a face. “You don’t have to lay it on so thick.”
He laughed at her reaction. “It’s not laying it on thick when it’s true.”
She smirked. “If you say so.” She buried her face into the hollow between his shoulder and chest. “I’m going to miss you today.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re going to be stuck here with your grumpy cat.”
As if on cue, Nicodemus hopped onto the bed by Ivy’s injured ankle and proceeded to groom himself as he glared at Jack. The scene was enough to make Ivy laugh. “He’ll be good for me,” she said when she’d recovered. “We’ll have matching attitudes.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Jack pressed a kiss to her forehead. It was early so he had a bit of time. Still, he would be on breakfast duty this morning and he wanted to make sure he was showered and dressed before he left for the day. “I could stay here if you want.” It was a half-hearted offer, but he still meant it.
The taciturn shift that overtook him made Ivy chuckle. “Oh, you really put some effort into that one.”
He poked her side. “I’ll have you know that I meant it. I just ... don’t know if our relationship can survive us being stuck here together today when you’re feeling sorry for yourself.”
“I’m not feeling sorry for myself.”
He arched a speculative eyebrow.
“Fine. I’m not feeling all that sorry for myself,” Ivy corrected. “I just ... feel a bit stupid.”
“You did the exact right thing,” he reassured her. “You have these gifts for a reason. Susan kept you alive yesterday. She recognized there was danger and she pointed you into the woods. Heck, for all we know, she made it so you fell down that hill and that’s what kept you safe.”
Ivy was taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“Just that I can’t help but wonder if the only reason whoever was chasing you didn’t find you is because you fell down that hill. That’s not an easy place to find. The only reason I managed it is because Susan led me directly to you.”
“Yeah, about that ... .” Ivy licked her lips and debated how she wanted to broach what could be considered a tense subject.
“You can ask me whatever you want,” Jack offered. “I don’t have answers, though. I was outside the police station, trying to convince myself not to strangle Archibald because he was being an ass, and I heard her whispering.”
“Did you think you were going crazy?”
The question made him smile. “No. She’s led me to you before. I knew to listen. I just ... didn’t know what to expect. She was adamant I get to you fast and I thought I might have a heart attack in the process.”
“Well, you still managed to do it in almost record time. I was convinced I was going to be stuck down there until well after dark, maybe overnight. I didn’t like the idea at all.”
“That makes two of us.” He combed his fingers through her hair. “I don’t know how any of this is going to work. I do know that you’re special, and now loving you apparently makes me special.”
Her eyes glistened. “You were always special.”
“I think you improved me.”
“Well, of course.”
She was upbeat enough with her answer that he had to laugh. “You really are my favorite person in the world.” He swooped in and gave her a kiss.
“Even when I’m a pain in your butt?”
“Especially then.” After another kiss, he pulled back. “I need to get you in the shower so I don’t worry about you trying to clean up when I’m not here. Then I need to get breakfast for both of us.”
“Are you going to be my personal servant this entire week?”
He nodded without hesitation. “And, if all goes as planned, we’ll try that romance thing in the real world at the end of the week.”
Instead of smiling, her lips curved down. “Um ... you’re going to have to get over yourself because I’m not going without real-life romance for an entire week. That’s the main reason I’m in this relationship.”
The obstinate tilt of her head caused him to grin. “We might be able to negotiate on that front, but only after I see how you do today.”
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”
“You really don’t.”
JACK MANAGED A PERFECTLY SERVICEABLE BREAKFAST of blueberry pancakes and juice. He moved her into the living room before cleaning up and then joined her on the couch.
“Okay. I have twenty minutes before I have to be at work. You have your remote control, iced tea, three books, those sudoku puzzle things you like on your iPad, and your grumpy cat — who has been fed, mind you. Do you need anything else?”
Ivy glanced around and then shook her head. “I think that should do it.”
“Good.”
He leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss that eventually turned into something much deeper. After a few seconds, Ivy realized what he was doing.
“You’re stalling,” she said when she pulled back. She was breathless and her face was flushed. “You’re feeling guilty about leaving me, but you don’t have to. I’m literally going to do nothing but sit around and watch television all day.”
“I know.” He stared into her eyes. This was the moment of truth. He’d heard the vehicle on the driveway, although apparently she hadn’t. “Just to be on the safe side, though, I got some friends to hang out with you for the day.”
He moved swiftly, abandoning her on the couch as his words sank in. Her eyes narrowed almost immediately and there was an accusatory expression on her face. “What did you do?” she hissed, frustration positively wafting off of her.
“I love you,” he replied, not missing a beat. “That doesn’t mean I trust you to take care of yourself. You’re right, though. We’ll kill each other if we’re stuck here together when you’re injured. That’s why I enlisted outside help while you were in the shower.”
Ivy’s mind was flushed with possibilities. “Max?”
“Believe it or not, Max is scared to spend time with you because he thinks you’re going to hurt him after he squealed on you yesterday.”
“Oh, I’m going to hurt Max the second I see him.”
“Which is why it’s not Max.” Jack flashed a smile as he walked toward the front door. Felicity seemed surprised when the door opened without her knocking and she let out a baffled laugh.
“Good morning, Jack.”
“Good morning.” Jack leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek, his eyes immediately going to the distinguished man standing next to her. “You must be Dorian.”
The man nodded, a huge smile spreading across his face. “I am. I see my reputation precedes me.”
“I’ve just heard a lot about you over the past few days.” Jack smiled as he pushed open the door and ushered them inside.
From her spot on the couch, Ivy had twisted so she could see who was coming to watch her, and she didn’t look happy when reality washed over her. “Oh, you got my aunt to babysit me? This is so not good.”
Wicked Reunion Page 15
