Max didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure? I’m thinking that I should take you home and we’ll change the locks so this … jackhole … can’t get into your house.”
“Max, I am begging you not to make this worse.” Jack wasn’t big on asking for favors so Max’s eyes flashed at the pleading tone. “I’m doing the best I can. I made a complete and total ass of myself just now – I get it – but I’m trying to fix it.”
“Maybe you can’t fix it.”
Jack refused to believe that because it would mean losing Ivy. He didn’t want to consider a world without her. “You have to let me try. Do you want her to be sad and alone? I don’t think you do.”
Max heaved out a sigh as he shifted his eyes to Ivy. “I’ll punch him. He’s a police officer, but I’ll punch him. I’ll probably go to jail, but if you make me cupcakes it will be worth it.”
“I’m not going to throw you in jail and you’re not going to punch me,” Jack argued. “You’re going to leave and let me make things better.”
“I’m not sure you can make things better,” Max groused. “I’m willing to let you try. If you screw it up, though, I’m going to run you over with my truck.”
“That seems fair to me.” Jack watched as Max squeezed Ivy’s shoulder and hopped into his truck. He rubbed the back of his neck as he waited for them to be truly alone, and when the parking lot was empty – other than her mistrust and his guilt – he licked his lips and focused on her. “Honey, I am so sorry. I didn’t know she was coming. I … didn’t expect her.”
“Do you think that bothers me?” Ivy asked, her temper flaring. Jack was secretly glad she could muster the energy to be angry with him because it would be much worse if she gave in to sadness and detached from the relationship. “I don’t care that she surprised you. I care that she didn’t know I existed.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Jack said. “I told my mother about you. It’s just … she’s a very difficult woman.”
“She’s a mother. All mothers are difficult.”
“She’s not like your mother, though,” Jack argued, searching for the best way to describe the woman who gave him life. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t love my mother – because I do – but I find it easier to love her from a distance. She has a tendency to smother … and take over … and boss me around until I want to deafen myself with Q-tips.”
“That sounds like a mother to me.” Ivy was understandably bitter.
“Honey, I love you.” Jack tentatively reached out to touch the side of her face and frowned when she pulled her head back. He reminded himself she had a right to be angry before continuing. “My mother has always wanted to exert a certain amount of control. I did my best to ignore it when I was in Detroit. I always blamed work when I needed a breather and I think she knew I was lying, but she accepted it.
“After the incident … after I was shot, I mean … I couldn’t stand the city any longer and I told her that,” he continued. “She thought I was being a drama queen and purposely hurting her instead of doing what I needed to do for my mental health.”
“Well, she sounds just awful,” Ivy sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
“She’s not a mother like you have,” Jack clarified. “She fought me really hard when I told her I was moving up here. She kept saying I would get bored and want to move back right away. I told her that wouldn’t happen, but she argued really hard and told me she knew best.
“I brought you up to her multiple times when we talked on the phone,” he continued. “She just always said ‘that’s nice’ and changed the subject. It’s not about you, honey. It’s about the fact that she knows I’m not moving back to Detroit and she can’t stand it.”
Ivy kept her eyes fixed on something to her right, but her voice was softer when she spoke. “I understand that she’s being difficult, but you could’ve told me.”
“Ivy, I didn’t want to ruin the holidays,” Jack said. “This is our first Thanksgiving together. Christmas is coming up. We’ve been having such a good time. I thought if I gave my mother time she would have no choice but to accept that this is my life now and back off. I didn’t expect her to force my hand and show up here.
“Do you know that she keeps in contact with my old captain so she’s aware when jobs open in the department?” he continued. “She emails me listings. I’ve told her a hundred times I’m not going back. I’ve explained I can’t go back. It’s not just you and we both know it. You’ve made this place my home, though. I feel so much better here. She simply doesn’t want to see it.”
Ivy rubbed her cheek as she tried to gain control of her emotions. Sympathy tugged at her heart whenever she looked at Jack, but she was still hurt. “I love you, Jack, but I don’t want to force you to feel something you don’t naturally feel.”
“No, no, no.” Jack moved forward quickly and grabbed her chin, forcing her eyes to him. He didn’t bother blinking back the tears because he didn’t care if she saw him when he was at his most vulnerable. “I love you more than anything. I want to be with you. Please don’t doubt that.”
“I don’t know how I can’t doubt it,” Ivy admitted, a tear cascading down her cheek. “Your mother may be difficult, but what about your sister?”
“My sister and I have never gotten along. We don’t have a relationship like you and Max. She’s older than me and she enjoys torturing me. She’s a game player. She’s one of those women who enjoys competition with other women and sometimes that’s all she can focus on.”
“Me?”
“She wants to win,” Jack said, rubbing his thumb over the tear. “Ivy, I didn’t want you to meet them like this. I wanted to give my mother time to come to grips with the fact that I am not leaving Shadow Lake and then introduce you.
“I hoped that after a few more months she would come to realize that I was happy here and give in,” he continued. “I’ve mentioned your name numerous times, but she always changes the subject. It’s as if she doesn’t want to recognize your presence in my life.”
Ivy licked her lips, unsure. “I … if you don’t want to be with me … .”
“Ivy, don’t ever say that again.” Jack’s anguish was palpable. “You’re the only thing I want.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh, honey, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” Jack couldn’t take the separation any longer and he jerked her body so it was close to his. He pressed a kiss to her cheek as she melted against him and he rocked her. “I love you.”
Ivy murmured something into his chest that Jack couldn’t quite make out, but he didn’t care.
“I love you,” he repeated. “Only you.”
Ivy was quiet for a few minutes, content to let him hold her, but she ultimately broke the silence. “What’s going to happen now?”
Jack shrugged as he stroked the back of her head. “Now I’m going to have to put them in my house and get them settled. Then I’m going to have a long discussion with my mother. It’s going to be ugly.”
“Are you … I mean … are you going to be staying at your house while they’re here?”
It took Jack a moment to realize what she was asking. “No. I have one bed and one couch at the house. My mother and Denise can stay there. I’ll be with you.”
“Your mother isn’t going to like that.”
“I don’t care.”
“Are you sure you don’t care?”
Jack tipped Ivy’s chin up so she had no choice but to stare in his eyes. “All I care about is that we’re okay. Are we okay?”
“I … hope so. I’m still hurt, Jack. I can’t just make it go away.”
“I know that. We’ll make it go away together. I’ll get my mother and Denise settled and then we’ll spend the day together like we planned. We’ll be alone and I’ll beg and plead until you forgive me.”
At first when she rolled her eyes Jack was convinced she was playing a game. After a few moments he realized she was far too serious.
“Why not?”
“Because they drove hundreds of miles to see you and it’s rude.”
“Oh, that.” Jack didn’t look particularly bothered. “They’ll get over it.”
“You’re going to have to figure out a way to entertain them,” Ivy said. “It could be bad for everyone if we unleash them on an unsuspecting Shadow Lake populace.”
“What about us?” Jack pressed. “I won’t risk us because my mother feels the need to take control of every situation. It’s not going to happen.”
Ivy sucked in a steadying breath as she rested her hand on his chest. “We’ll be okay.”
Jack wasn’t convinced. “Will we? You’re still pale and shaky. You don’t exactly feel as if you’re comfortable with me.”
“I was surprised.”
“And hurt.”
“And hurt,” Ivy confirmed. “It’s going to be okay. I happen to believe we can overcome anything so … we’ll work together to overcome this.”
Jack planted a long kiss on her forehead as he tightened his arms around her. “I love you. Don’t you ever doubt that.”
Ivy patted his back. “I love you, too.”
The couple lapsed into silence and comfort, Jack swaying back and forth in the cold, and then the sound of a man clearing his throat back by the diner door caused them both to jolt.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Brian said, offering them a rueful smile. “We just got a call through dispatch, though. They’ve found a body out at the McDonald farm. We have to go out there.”
Jack looked caught. “But … .”
“I know.” Brian flashed an apologetic smile. “I don’t know what to do with your mother and sister, but it’s not as if we have a lot of choice in the matter. A dead body takes precedence over your personal life.”
“I can’t just leave them here,” Jack argued.
“Don’t worry about it,” Ivy supplied, squaring her shoulders. “I’ll take care of them.”
Jack’s eyes flashed as he snapped them to her. “You’re going to take care of them? That doesn’t mean you’re going to bury them in the woods, does it?”
“I’ll handle it,” Ivy said as Brian barked out a laugh. “You can ride with Brian and leave me your vehicle. I’ll take them out to your place and get them settled.”
“That’s going above and beyond, honey. I’m not sure that … .” Jack wasn’t sure how to finish.
“I’m tough, right? I can take it.”
“Yeah, but will you still love me when you’re done?” Jack muttered, shaking his head. In truth, he didn’t have a lot of options. He had no choice but to let Ivy take control. He pressed a lingering kiss against her forehead as he smoothed her hair. “I’m going to owe you big time.”
Ivy forced a smile that didn’t make it all the way to her eyes. “You have no idea.”
Four
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Brian was somber as he navigated his police cruiser toward the McDonald farm, his hands resting lightly on the steering wheel as he gave off a relaxed vibe in an effort to calm Jack.
“We have work to do,” Jack said, his eyes pointed out the window. “My personal problems shouldn’t take away from the job.”
Brian arched an eyebrow and smirked. “Son, if that were the rule, you wouldn’t have spoken half the words you have since arriving in town.”
Jack balked, annoyed. “I don’t talk about my relationship with Ivy that often.”
“You talk about her every chance you get. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about Ivy’s amazing ability to walk on water … or smile in a way that turns your legs to jelly.”
“Yeah? Well, she’s great so I don’t care.” Jack tugged a hand through his dark hair and made an annoyed hissing sound as he heaved out a sigh. “I can’t believe they just showed up like that.”
“I’m not going to make excuses for the way your mother was with Ivy – in fact, it makes me dislike her a great deal – but she said a few things that make me think she has a mess of hurt feelings, too.” Brian turned onto a road that led past a number of large farms. Jack wasn’t sure if he’d ever been on the road before. “She’s your mother.”
“And she has a tendency to try to bully people to get her way.”
“That’s what mothers do.”
“You sound like Ivy,” Jack grumbled, leaning his head back and staring at the cruiser’s ceiling. “My mother thinks that I’m going to change my mind and move back to the city. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told her that isn’t the case, but she doesn’t seem to listen. She keeps insisting that I’m going to return home even though I’ve told her this is my home now. It’s … frustrating.”
“I can see that,” Brian said. “You went through an ordeal and as soon as you were on your feet you announced you were moving from the only place you’d ever lived. You picked a spot that was isolated and quiet – which probably tipped her off that you were running away – and she can’t help herself from worrying.”
“It might’ve started out like that,” Jack conceded. “It didn’t end up that way, though. I didn’t just run away from Detroit. I ran to something – something I couldn’t identify at the time, mind you. That something was Ivy. I simply didn’t realize it while I was doing it. It was as if my heart knew she was out there and I had to find her.”
“Oh, that was almost poetic,” Brian teased. “If you’re still in the doghouse with Ivy later tonight, you might want to whip that one out. It’s bound to melt the heart of even the most frightening woman.”
“I don’t want to manipulate Ivy.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“She’s hurt, though,” Jack added. “I might not have a choice if she tries to kick me out of bed tonight. I didn’t mean to hurt her. You have to know that.”
“I do know that,” Brian confirmed, nodding his head. “She still ended up hurt. Can I ask why you didn’t tell your mother about her?”
“I did tell my mother about her,” Jack argued. “I told my mother about going fishing with her … and going swimming with her … and even eating those stupid mushrooms that taste like feet with her. I didn’t keep that from my mother.”
“Then why did your mother act as if Ivy’s existence was such a shock?”
“Because she wanted to knock Ivy down a peg or two,” Jack replied, not missing a beat. “I love my mother. I do. She’s got control issues, though. She got it in her head that I was going to hate Shadow Lake and come running back to Detroit. She changed the subject whenever I brought up Ivy’s name and refused to even acknowledge I was dating someone.”
“Well, it sounds as if she’s struggling. I don’t want to make excuses for her – that’s not my place, after all – but you might try looking at things from her point of view. You were shot and people told her you probably wouldn’t make it. You bucked the odds and survived. Instead of letting her mother you, though, you took off to a strange place and then proceeded to talk about strange people as if they were your family. She couldn’t understand the distance and why this place appealed to you so she told herself some lies to make the pain go away.”
“I don’t want to hurt my mother,” Jack said. “That’s not what this is about. I won’t hurt Ivy, though. I refuse to do it. I just … will not let my mother terrorize her.”
“It sounds to me as if you’re willing to draw a line in the sand and step to Ivy’s side.”
“If it comes to it.”
“That’s good.” Brian was earnest as he pointed the vehicle down another road. “I want Ivy to have someone who is loyal to her. That being said, don’t cut your mother out of your life. Ivy wouldn’t want that and she’ll blame herself if you do. You have to find some middle ground that all four of you can enjoy.”
“Four of us?”
“Unless I’m mi
staken, you had a sister there, too.”
“Yes, Denise.” Jack made a petulant face. “She’s going to be a problem all on her own. She’s going to purposely try to make Ivy uncomfortable. I know it.”
“Ivy is a strong woman,” Brian reminded him as he pulled onto an isolated driveway. It was long and rutted with pits, looking to stretch for at least a mile. “She can handle herself. You might want to let her take down your sister on her own terms. She knows a little something about mouthy siblings.”
“I don’t want Ivy hurt. You didn’t see her face. It was … heartbreaking. I cannot stand the idea of hurting her.”
“Yeah, it guts you,” Brian acknowledged, bobbing his head. “I saw your face when it happened, too. I thought you were going to break right there. You have a tendency to swoop in and try to protect Ivy from everything even though she’s an adult and is fully capable of taking care of herself.”
“This is different,” Jack argued. “This is my family openly trying to hurt her. Luna, Michael, and Max have been nothing but kind to me. They welcomed me with open hearts and arms. My mother and sister are actively trying to be cruel to Ivy. How is that fair?”
“Once you’re an adult, words like ‘fair’ get thrown out the window. Give Ivy a chance to settle down. She volunteered to show your mother and sister around Shadow Lake, didn’t she?”
Jack made an incredulous face. “Yes, and how well do you think that’s going to go? I’m going to have to buy Ivy an entire flower shop to make up for this afternoon.”
Brian smirked, amused. “I think her favorite color is blue. Do you think you can find blue flowers?”
“Her favorite color is purple, although she loves blue, too,” Jack corrected. “I just … I hope this isn’t a murder because I’m not sure how much more I can fit on my plate right now.”
“Yes, a farming accident would be so much more welcome, wouldn’t it?” Brian made a clucking sound with his tongue as he parked in front of the barn. “Let’s see what we got here, shall we?”
“I KNOW the town doesn’t look like much, but it’s really welcoming,” Ivy said as she opened Jack’s house with the key he provided months before, gesturing for Denise and Margaret to step inside. “I thought I could help get you settled here and then give you a tour.”
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