“You silly man, don’t you get it by now?” She entwines her arms around my neck, staring into my very soul. “I love you, Eric.”
I take a shuddering breath. “The good, the bad, and the ugly, huh?”
“That’s what love is,” she responds, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, making me well aware of just how special she is. When she loves, she loves with her whole heart, giving herself completely, holding nothing back.
“Ivy, you showed me what it means to love. I never knew the full meaning of the word until I met you.” I lean in for a soft, delicate kiss. “I love you, Ivy. I always will.”
“But you loved Cassidy too?” she questions, drawing back ever so slightly.
“Not like this,” I affirm. “Never like this.”
“Did your feelings for her change when you found out about her and Tim?” Ivy prods.
“I wouldn’t say that,” I admit honestly, struggling to express what I mean. “All I know is that you and I have been through so much together, and with everything that threatens to come between us, my love for you only grows stronger. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I don’t feel complete without you. I was missing a part of myself until you entered my life. And while I thought what I had with Cassidy was real, you’re the one who makes me feel whole.”
“Thank you…thank you…thank you,” she says, giving me a series of playful pecks on the cheek. “You don’t know how much I needed to hear you say that.”
“It’s the truth,” I state, my voice deepening as I slide her hand into mine. “What we have…is all ours.”
In the doorway, Ben clears his throat to announce his presence. “Sorry to interrupt. I figured you needed some privacy. But, Eric, I just wanted to tell you your father just pulled up outside.”
“Oh shit,” I mutter.
“Yeah, Will must’ve tipped him off, told him where we went. I’m sorry, man.” Ben shuffles uncomfortably, unsure of what to do.
“Where’s Tim? I want to say goodbye to him before we go.” Ivy slides off me, lowering her cami back into place.
I already miss the warmth of her body against me. It’s going to be torture being around her until I can get her back in our bed. My dad is the last obstacle I want to face right now. I thought we’d make a mad dash out of here, but it appears that’s not going to happen.
“Tim went for a walk to clear his head.” Ben shrugs, offering no further explanation about his brother’s whereabouts.
“Oh no. I wanted to thank him before I just up and left,” Ivy groans.
I take great pains to ignore her discomfort. She just declared her love for me. I shouldn’t be envious of her wanting to express her gratitude to Tim, but I am. I hate it every time his name falls from her lips—lips I want uttering my name, not his.
“Yeah, well. I’ll be sure to tell him you were asking about him,” Ben responds distractedly.
I can tell Ivy’s upset that Tim’s upset, and that bothers me. There’s some attachment there between them whether I want to acknowledge it or not. He was her knight in shining armor. He took her in out of the cold, welcomed her into his home when it seemed like the whole world had turned against her. Of course she’d want to thank him. Why wouldn’t she?
But they never would have met if I hadn’t been so pigheadedly stubborn. My selfishness is what threw them together, making Ivy feel like she’d had to flee. If I should be mad at anyone, I should be mad at myself. I opened the door a crack, and he snuck through it and into her heart. When Ivy cares about someone, that’s it. She cares about them for life. And now he’s weaseled his way in, establishing some sort of friendship with her. And I’m going to have a heck of a time getting him out of the picture now, especially with Ben working at the garden center.
And of course, there’s Lauren. She’s as much to blame for this as I am, forever coming up with ways to keep us apart. Lauren knew what she was doing when she introduced Ivy to Tim. She knew what it would do to me.
“Are you ready, babe? It’s freezing out. We shouldn’t keep your dad waiting.” Ivy looks at me with concern when she catches me staring off into space, my mind a million miles away.
“Yeah. Let’s get out of here,” I respond, snapping out of it as I toss an arm around her shoulders.
I’ll feel better once I get her home. I know I will. It is just being here, stuck in some weird place between these persistent memories and an uncertain future. All I know is that, whatever happens, the past is not going to repeat itself.