Chapter 20
IVY
Ikept checking my phone, watching the little dots appear and disappear as Eric typed. Each message felt like oxygen after holding my breath too long.
I'm safe.
Relief flooded through me so fast I almost felt dizzy. My fingers flew across the screen.
Thank god.
Around me, the other women were getting their own updates. Elena's shoulders relaxed as she read something from Jackson. Meredith's phone buzzed, and Sofia glanced at hers with a small smile.
Then Meredith's phone rang, and she stepped away to answer it. We all went still, watching her face for clues. When she hung up, she looked at each of us in turn.
"It's done. The Malatesta presence in Ironstone is gone. They're not a threat anymore."
The words should've brought complete relief, but instead I felt something complicated twist in my chest. Gone. That probably meant dead. Probably meant Eric and the others had done things I didn't want to picture too closely.
"I don't want to know the details," Elena said quietly, echoing my thoughts exactly.
"Me neither." I wrapped my arms around myself. "I'll just focus on the part where we're safe now."
Meredith nodded, understanding in her green eyes. "That's fair. And you are safe. All of us are."
My phone buzzed again.
Where are you?
Meredith's estate. Putting together baby furniture with the girls
Safe?
Very. Security everywhere. Pretty sure I saw someone in the bushes with a sniper rifle
Good
I almost laughed at that response. Of course Eric's version of good involved armed guards and hidden snipers.
That's your idea of good?
My idea of good is you breathing. Everything else is negotiable
My chest went tight. I stared at those words, reading them twice, then three times. Eric had spent the day hunting down people who'd tried to kidnap me, and this was what he came back with. Not promises he couldn't keep or reassurances that rang hollow. Just brutal honesty about his priorities.
I'm glad you're okay
Me too
"Come on," Sofia said, pulling me from my thoughts. "Let's go downstairs. Get some hot drinks and prep something for the boys when they get back. They'll be hungry."
In the kitchen, Meredith started the coffee while Elena rummaged through the pantry. Sofia bounced Marcello on her hip, making soft sounds at him.
"What do you think, sweet boy? Should we make pasta? Something hearty for your daddy and uncles?" She looked up at us. "They're going to be starving. And probably running on pure adrenaline. They'll need some carbs."
I found myself reaching for mugs, grateful for something to do with my hands. "Pasta sounds perfect. Comfort food."
"Exactly." Sofia shifted Marcello to her other arm. "Ivy, can you hold him while I get ingredients together? He's being fussy."
Before I could protest, she was transferring the baby into my arms. Marcello blinked up at me with serious dark eyes, then made a small sound that might've been approval.
"Well, hello there," I said softly. "You've had quite a day, haven't you?"
He grabbed my finger with a surprisingly strong grip, and something warm settled in my chest. Here was this perfect little person, completely safe and unaware of the danger that had circled his family today.
"You're a natural," Elena observed, setting out ingredients for what looked like enough pasta to feed a small army.
"Don't let him fool you," Sofia called from the pantry. "He's plotting something. Look at those eyes."
I laughed, studying Marcello's serious expression. "I see it. Definitely scheming."
The coffee finished brewing, filling the kitchen with rich aroma. I managed to pour myself a mug one-handed while keeping Marcello secure. He seemed content to study my face while I sipped, occasionally making soft baby sounds.
"So," Meredith said, pulling out a massive pot. "Anyone want to take bets on how long it takes them to actually eat once they get here? My money's on Elena and Jackson disappearing for at least twenty minutes."
"Hey!" Elena protested, but she was blushing.
"Please," Sofia said, emerging with her arms full of canned tomatoes. "Gray's going to want to check every lock and window in this place before he even thinks about food."
I shifted Marcello to my shoulder, patting his back gently.
"Leo will probably want a full security briefing. Complete with diagrams," Meredith joked.
"Of course!" Sofia grinned. "Now we just need to figure out how to make them actually sit still long enough to eat."
The normalcy of it felt surreal. We were making dinner and coffee, holding babies and teasing each other, as if this was any other evening. As if we hadn't spent the day terrified and waiting for news.
Maybe that was why we were trying to make it feel normal.
I checked my phone, unable to wait any longer.
When will you be here?
45 minutes. Need to clean up
Okay. I'll wait
Forty-five minutes. I could feel something flutter in my stomach. Part nerves, part anticipation, part relief. He was coming. He was safe and whole and coming here.
"Good news?" Elena asked, noticing my expression.
"Eric's forty-five minutes out." I checked the time on my phone. "Seven-thirty."
"Perfect timing," Sofia said, stirring sauce that was already smelling incredible. "This'll be ready by then."
I found myself watching the clock on the microwave, counting down. Forty-three minutes. Forty-two. Like I was waiting for Christmas morning.
"You know," Meredith said, following my gaze to the clock, "watched pots never boil."
"Neither do watched clocks," I muttered, making them all laugh.
But I couldn't help it. Every few minutes, my eyes drifted back to the time. Thirty-eight minutes. Thirty-five. Each minute felt like an hour and a heartbeat all at once.
Then Jackson came through the door first, and Elena made a small sound before rushing into his arms. He caught her easily, burying his face in her dark hair.
"You're okay," she whispered.
"I'm okay."
Leo and Grayson followed, both looking tired but unharmed. Leo went straight to Meredith, pulling her into a careful embrace before kissing her thoroughly. Grayson did the same with Sofia, then reached for his son.
I happily handed him over.
"Hey, little man." Grayson settled Marcello against his shoulder, his whole posture relaxing. "Everything's secure. We've got cleanup crews handling the rest."
The kitchen filled with quiet conversation, updates being exchanged in low voices.
I caught fragments, something about a few taken in for questioning, businesses being shut down, loose ends tied up.
The men spoke in that careful way they did when they didn't want to worry us with details, but I could read enough between the lines to know it had been serious.
"Just tell us the important parts," Meredith said firmly, dishing pasta into bowls. "Is everyone safe? Is it over?"
"Everyone's safe," Jackson confirmed. "And yes, it's over."
That was enough for all of us. We didn't need the blow-by-blow.
Dinner was served with the kind of easy warmth that only came after surviving something difficult together.
Conversations flowed around the table, lighter topics now, deliberately so.
Sofia's marinara sauce earned universal praise.
Marcello babbled contentedly in his high chair, making faces at anyone who'd pay attention.
I found myself checking my phone every few minutes, but dinner stretched longer than expected. Stories were told, wine was poured, and slowly the tension of the day began to fade from everyone's shoulders.
Elena noticed me glancing at my phone again. She always did.
"Is Eric coming?"
"He is. Should be here any minute now."
I checked my phone again, needing something to do with my hands.
How far off are you?
I'm here.
My heart jumped. "He's here."
Elena squeezed my hand, smiling. "Go."
But I didn't have to go anywhere because Eric was already coming through the door, looking solid, real, and alive. Dark jeans, black shirt, hair still damp from what must've been a recent shower. And flowers. He'd brought flowers.
Our eyes met across the room.
Then I was moving, and so was he, meeting somewhere in the middle. His arms came around me, strong and sure, and I pressed my face into his chest and breathed him in. Clean soap, subtle cologne, and underneath it all, something that was just Eric.
"You're okay," I said into his shirt.
"I'm okay." He pulled back just enough to look at me, then cupped my face and kissed me.
Not a quick peck. Not a tentative exploration. A real kiss, thorough and claiming and full of everything we hadn't said yet.
Elena clapped. "Finally."
I laughed against Eric's mouth, feeling heat creep into my cheeks. When we broke apart, everyone was watching with varying degrees of amusement.
"About time," Grayson said, shifting Marcello to his other arm. "Thought we'd have to lock you two in a room to deal with things."
"Don't encourage them," Sofia said, but she was smiling.
Leo stepped forward, his blue eyes assessing Eric with that particular intensity he had. "Glad you're both safe."
"Thanks to all of you." I looked around at these people who'd become my family somehow. "For everything."
"That's what we do," Meredith said simply. "Take care of our own."
Eric's hand found mine, his fingers lacing through mine. "Food looks good. I'd like to stay for dinner, if that's okay."
"Of course," Meredith said immediately. "I'll set another place."
The rest of the evening unfolded with the kind of warmth I was still learning to trust. Eric fit into the group conversation easily, answering Leo's careful questions about the cleanup without giving too many details.
He praised Sofia's sauce, listened to Grayson's updates on the areas he handled, and helped clear dishes when dinner was finished.
But all night, I felt the weight of unfinished conversations between us.
When it was time to leave, Eric turned to me. "Come with me? We can get dessert somewhere."