by Laura Simcox
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying. Forever.” He crossed his arms and gazed at her.
She let his words sink in, not daring to believe them. But something in her whispered to let go. To let resentment dissolve into the cold wind. She closed her eyes. “Could you repeat that?”
“Forever. Forever, Ivy,” he said.
She let his deep voice wash over her and then opened her eyes, nodding. “Can you come down from there?”
He grinned and held his arms back out, making a slow turn on the narrow wall.
“Marcus, be careful!” she shouted, hobbling forward on her new black pumps. The heels sank into the muddy field, and she stumbled over a patch of snow and landed on one knee.
“Calm down. I’ll be fine. There’s a ladder,” he said with a chuckle.
Ivy scrambled up and walked at a slower pace. When she reached the edge of the wall, she walked around it, holding onto the rough, brick surface. She noticed that it was brand new. Masonry tools lay scattered on the ground nearby.
She watched Marcus descend the last few rungs of the ladder, and as he walked toward her, his eyes glittered with amusement.
“You have mud on your skirt,” he commented.
“Yeah. And your suit looks like roadkill,” she shot back. She was smiling so big her lips were starting to tremble.
Marcus stopped inches away, and the heat from his body enveloped her like a warm fire. She leaned toward him and drew in a breath. And when his arms circled around her back, she let it out with a grateful sigh.
“Marcus, thank God. I was so scared I’d lost you because I couldn’t see past a Megamart. Build it or don’t—it won’t change how I feel about you.”
He buried his face in the crook of her neck. “You’ll never lose me,” he murmured.
“That’s obvious,” she whispered, sliding her fingers into his hair. He groaned and placed a lingering kiss on her collarbone.
“So, we’re stuck with each other, no matter what?” she asked with a gasp.
His fingers crept up her back and then closed around her hair. With a gentle tug, her head fell back, and she felt his firm lips brushing the side of her mouth. “That’s obvious.”
He gave her a slow wink and then hauled her body against his. When his lips descended on hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck. And when his tongue began a journey into her mouth, she let her back slump against the wall. Marcus’s kiss was urgent but tender.
At that moment, she felt the bond between them fuse, and she knew. It really was forever.
Joy rushed through her and she snuggled closer, deepening the kiss. Deepening her promise to him. When his lips tore away from hers, she made a sound of protest.
“Hey! I was enjoying that.”
“So was everyone else.” Marcus winked again and inclined his head to the right.
Ivy followed his gaze, her eyes wide. “Oh, holy shit.”
The band stood gathered on the edge of the field, gaping at them. Other parade participants, including police officers, the president of the bank, and an assortment of church ladies wearing party hats stared at her as though she’d just stripped naked and done a dance. Ben Lambert stood off to one side. When she caught his eye, he gave her a thumbs-up. Crystal, still in her uniform from the Lovin’ Cup, waved and grinned. And her grandmother stood next to Bill Benson, happy tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks.
She stepped forward and flapped a sequined glove at them. “Get a room!”
The crowd erupted in laughter.
Ivy looked away and coughed, adjusting the crumpled mayor’s sash that had somehow slipped off her shoulder. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Marcus. “You’re the devil.”
“I’m well aware of that, sweetheart,” he responded. “Care to make a deal with him?”
She folded her arms. “What do you have in mind?”
Marcus reached into his pocket and dropped to his knee.
Her heart thudded.
“Ivy Louise Callahan. I love you. With everything I am. Both good and arrogant. Well meaning and stubborn. Sweet and selfish. That’s who I am, and I’m yours forever if you’ll have me. Will you?” With shaking hands, he popped open a little leather box to reveal a breathtaking emerald ring. It glowed like a guiding light in the bright morning sunshine.
She nodded slowly and reached down to cup his strong jaw.
“I love you.” The three words she’d been dying to say for what seemed like forever slipped off her lips like a heartfelt prayer.
Marcus grinned and took her left hand. He slipped the ring onto her finger and tossed the box over his shoulder. She knelt in front of him. “I adore you.”
“I love you with all my heart, Ivy.” He pulled her close and kissed her deeply.
The crowd whooped, and Ivy pulled away, laughing.
“I just have one request,” Marcus said.
She shook her head. “Oh, shit. Here we go. What is it?”
“May I move my stuff into your house?”
She looked at the cloudless sky and tried to appear as if she were in deep thought. But her unconcealable grin gave her away. “Maybe. Maybe not.” She drew her brows together and stared into his gorgeous, silvery-blue eyes. “Okay, yes. But you have to do something for me.”
“Mmm,” he responded, his hand wandering to her thigh.
She slapped it away. “The bakery. Jim won’t be able to swing it on his own and—”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t back out.”
Ivy’s eyes went wide. “Oh.”
“Jim and I are going to start hiring in a couple of weeks.” He grimaced. “Sorry. Word spreads so fast around here that I thought you knew.”
“Nope.”
He smiled. “And you said ‘yes’ anyway?”
Ivy looked down at the emerald on her finger. “It seems that way. Somebody’s got to give the devil some love.”
He laughed. “Let’s get out of here.”
Marcus helped her stand up and brush off her skirt. She ran her hands over the lapels of his suit, reveling in the broad strength of his shoulders. “Um. Why are you so dirty? Because I know you didn’t build that wall. You’re a lot of things, but you are not a brick mason.”
He frowned. “Ifelldown,” he muttered, averting her gaze.
“Huh?”
“I. Fell. Down.”
Ivy giggled. “You really need to stop wearing those expensive slick-soled shoes.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Speak for yourself.”
Ivy linked her arm through his. “Eh, we can catch each other.”
Tugging him along, she climbed up to the side of the road. Marcus opened the car door for her, and she slid in. Colleen and Bill were already waiting in the front seat. Ivy reached up and touched her grandmother’s shoulder.
“Thanks for the surprise.”
The old woman turned her head and winked. “Thought you’d like that.” She held up her phone and scrolled the screen. “And look. I’ve got pictures of you two going at it behind that brick wall. I’m thinking of posting them on YouTube.”
Ivy gasped. “Don’t you dare!”
“Oh, honey.” Colleen chuckled. “I’m just kidding. But it would be great advertising for Sunnyside. I’ll have to think about it some more.” She shrugged and turned to Bill. “Get this hunk of junk moving. As soon as this parade is over, it’s time to party.”
Bill shook his head and started the motor. He pulled back onto Main Street and pointed the car down the narrow, two-lane highway toward town.
“I’m glad there’s going to be a rockin’ old folks home in Celebration,” Colleen announced. “I’m moving there the second it’s finished.”
Ivy laughed. “No big shock, Gramma. I kind of figured that when I saw the Sunnyside Retirement Village sign. And I gather you also had a hand in convincing the developer to open a new location.”
She swiveled in her seat. “Wasn’t my idea. Your hunky husband-to-be brought it up. I just made a couple of
phone calls.” She waved her hand in dismissal. “Drive, Bill. What are you waiting for? I have a wedding to plan.”
“I like the sound of that. Let’s go tell your parents,” Marcus suggested.
Ivy looked at him. Happiness shone in his eyes, reflecting exactly what was in her heart.
As the car rolled slowly forward, Marcus dug in his pocket and pulled out a shiny new penny.
“What are you doing?” Ivy asked.
“Shh. Let me concentrate,” he answered, scooting to the edge of the seat. He held his arm up and hurled the penny. It bounced squarely off the town-limits sign, and he threw his arms up in victory, grinning back at her. “It’s for good luck.”
“We already have that,” she said, grabbing him around the waist and pulling him back down.”
“I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Behind them, the band started to play.
Ivy scooted closer to Marcus and entwined her fingers with his. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “Happy New Year, Ivy.”
A tear of joy slipped down Ivy’s cheek, and she nestled her head on his shoulder. “Happy New Year,” she whispered.
About the Author
After spending twenty years in professional theater as a costume designer, with a few of those years also spent as a college instructor, Laura Simcox abandoned her nomadic lifestyle to sit in a comfy pleather office chair at a beat-up secondhand oak desk and write. The result? Romance novels. Her favorite thing ever since she was, oh, about twelve. Laura writes light contemporary novels and enjoys creating quirky characters and funny dialogue. Still, the love story is always the focus, and Laura has a soft spot for a sappy, happy ending. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and her adorable, high -energy four-year-old son who is currently obsessed with pirates. When not playing mamma pirate, she loves hearing from readers. You can find your favorite way to say hi from the social media buttons on her website: www.laurasimcox.com.
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