I lower my head, guilty as charged. I let my temper get the best of me again. My father will be furious when he finds out. For the most part since Ivy left, I’ve been holding it together…until I saw what Tim was up to. No way in hell was I going to let him kiss her.
“Ivy”—I pause, unsure of whether or not I want to ask her this—“has he kissed you before or was that…?” I swallow, unable to say the words. The pointed barb of jealousy lashes my heart as I contemplate what the two of them might have been doing together all week.
“Eric, stop,” Ivy commands, the firmness of her tone bolstering my confidence to meet her penetrating gaze. “Listen to me. Nothing happened.”
I shuffle uncomfortably beneath her.
“You have to believe me,” she pleads, determined to put my mind at ease. “He might have wanted it, but I didn’t. The only one I want, the only one I’ll ever want, is you.”
I sigh, wanting to believe her. Tentatively, I brush her lips with mine, and she responds readily. I bury my hands in her hair, moaning against her mouth as she opens herself up to me. She wiggles on my lap, straddling me with her legs, wedging her stomach against my chest. I close my eyes, tasting her, claiming her, devouring her.
We part, coming up for air. This isn’t the time or place, but we’re going to continue this later. Even if we can’t go all the way, I’ll take whatever I can get. She’s just so damn irresistible. I don’t care how creative we have to get—I intend to leave her utterly spent and satisfied.
There’s a low murmuring coming from up above. Tim and Ben are trying to keep it down, but it’s clear that they’re arguing with each other. I can’t make out what they’re saying, but it sounds pretty heated.
Ivy glances up at their muffled voices. She seems ill at ease, listening to their anger erupt through the ceiling. She shouldn’t be exposed to all of this volatility. Dr. P. said that she needs to remain calm, and what do I do? I burst in here like a raging bull, setting brother against brother. Lately, it seems wherever I go, trouble is sure to follow.
I start to sit up, but Ivy places her hand on my arm, gazing at me warily.
“Eric, I know we have a lot we need to discuss, but there’s something I have to know before we leave here.” She looks so serious that my pulse starts to pound. Whatever this is, it can’t be good.
“Anything,” I assure her, waiting anxiously to hear what she intends to get off her chest.
“Why didn’t you show up for my doctor’s appointment?” she asks, disappointment reflecting out of the deep green pools of her eyes.
“Because I didn’t know about it. You never texted me.” I remain stoic, even though this news is tearing me up inside.
“I couldn’t—” she stammers. “Tim said Lauren was supposed to tell you.”
“Well, she didn’t,” I grumble. “Ivy, you know I’d never miss one of your appointments.”
“But you said you didn’t want me to have this baby and I thought you were taking it out on me when you didn’t come and—” She takes a shaky breath, trying to gather her thoughts. “Eric, I should’ve known. I never should’ve doubted you. I was just so confused and—”
“You had every right to doubt me. I was acting like a complete dick.” She laughs again, and relief washes over me. “I wasn’t thinking straight the day you left. I didn’t handle what Dr. P. said very well. When I went home and I was alone in the cabin, the silence was deafening. I missed you every second you were gone. I realized just how much I was giving up by thinking I could make this decision for the both of us.”
I shake my head, fully aware of what an idiot I was for believing I could strong-arm her into terminating the pregnancy. She had every right to walk away from me. I should kiss the ground she walks on, knowing that she’s even considering giving me another chance after what I put her through.
“Ivy, my life is empty without you in it. I’d rather have weeks, days, hours with you happy and content than a lifetime filled with regret. It was driving me crazy not knowing where you were and if you were all right. I hated myself for driving you away, wasting time we could have spent together.” Just by being in her presence again, I know just how foolish I was to gamble with fate.
“Eric, it’s behind us now,” Ivy implores. “Stop beating yourself up over it. Let’s just look forward to all the good things in our future, like the arrival of our child, okay?”
“There’s nothing I’d like more.” I hold her tight against me. “I was so afraid you’d hate me for what I did to you, that you’d never be able to forgive me.”