Reluctantly, he releases my mouth, drawing in a sharp intake of breath. “Merry Christmas, Ivy Young,” he whispers, relishing how that sounds while he gazes deep into my eyes.
“I love that we share the same name now,” I murmur as he helps me slide my arms back into my hospital gown. “I’m yours—”
“And you’re mine,” he breaks in, giving me another lingering kiss. “What do you say we go see our daughter?”
“There’s nothing I’d like more,” I respond, smiling, quite certain that I’ll never be able to stop.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Eric
Nine months later
I always wanted to take Ivy to the Hideaway Cliffs, and now they’re in our own backyard.
Once Natalie came home from the hospital, I slaved relentlessly to get our new home off the ground throughout the spring and into the summer. And it wasn’t a torturous process like when I built the cabin after Cassidy died. This time, I let other people help me. My dad, Ben, Jack—they all pitched in to make it happen. Even Dr. P. stopped by one weekend to help me nail down shingles on the roof. I guess he enjoys being in the great outdoors as much as the next guy after spending so much time at the hospital.
Ivy insisted that she wanted another log cabin, so that’s what I gave her, even though this one’s a little bigger to accommodate our growing girl. This time, I thought ahead, forgoing the dangers of an open fireplace—especially around an infant—and installed a central heating system. I also kept in mind the big picture, adding on more rooms now for the siblings we hope to provide one day for Natalie. This is it. We don’t plan on moving again. We want to set up roots here and let this be the house our children grow up in, the one they will always remember as their childhood home.
I take a moment to stop unloading the back of my truck and look around. The fall foliage is breathtaking on this late September afternoon, the sunlight illuminating the vibrant red, orange, and yellow hues throughout the forest. Not many people get to call the Hideaway Cliffs home since the majority of the land makes up a nature preserve that is a part of the state park system. But my dad knew I had my heart set on this location when I talked to him about my plans for rebuilding, and he started scouting around. Luckily, he came across an elderly man who was selling a few acres just outside the boundary line. The guy was particular when it came to whom he wanted to deal with, but when he heard what I did for a living, he was more than willing to do business with me. Turns out, one green thumb deserves another. Being that he was an ardent conservationist his whole life, he was determined to preserve the natural habitat, selling only to someone who would respect the environment.
Yeah, I have more of a morning commute now, but I don’t mind since Will’s there to open for me as the new manager of Riverside Gardens. He decided to stick around when he saw that Ben wasn’t bouncing back to his old self. He told Dave that he wouldn’t be able to go out to L.A. full time and that it was probably best for everyone involved if he stayed away from Warren. Of course, Will was no longer interested in him, but he played his cards right, getting Dave to agree to his request.
Will also did it as a way to keep Ivy involved in the project. He knew she was going crazy spending her days in the hospital, watching over Natalie with nothing better to do than worry. So he got her to fire up her laptop and start typing away while she was sitting next to the incubator for hours on end. He helped keep her mind active and her sanity intact.
And boy, did it turn out to be a worthwhile endeavor. This time, Ivy didn’t write what Lauren told her to. She didn’t tell Cassidy’s story. Instead, she told her own and those of everyone around her. Aided by Will’s critical eye, she created something truly special. It was fresh, honest, and real. The studios had never seen anything like it, and at first, the major ones passed. But Warren and Dave found the perfect fit with an indie company that specialized in distribution deals with Showtime and HBO. They loved Ivy’s screenplay so much that they asked her to rework it, not as a made-for-TV movie, but as an original series. So far, they committed to an eight-episode season with the possibility of extending the run if the ratings are good. Casting begins next week, with a tentative airdate for the pilot set for the fall of next year. If all goes according to plan, Ivy will be one step closer to achieving her dream and cementing her career as a writer.
And I’m so proud of her for tackling such serious issues like alcoholism and sexual assault. She didn’t shy away from such tough topics. Instead, she brought them to the forefront. The stories were drawn from the people in our lives, even if they don’t resemble them exactly. She provided a wide spectrum of characters: gay, straight, black, white, those with disabilities, and those without.