Chapter 15
Ivy
The sunlight pouring over us wakes me first. It’s warm and soft, slipping through the curtains and spilling across the bed.
Remy’s arm is heavy and protective around my waist, pinning me to the mattress, and for a moment I just lie there listening to him breathe.
He looks younger like this, softer. Relaxed and not as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.
When he stirs, his eyes find me instantly, that lazy smile making my stomach flutter. I love that smile. I would do anything for that smile. “Morning,” he says, his voice rough from sleep.
“Morning,” I whisper back, biting my lip to keep from grinning.
He pulls me closer until my back is to his chest, his lips brushing my shoulder. The touch is enough to make me shiver with excitement to his touch. “You okay?” he murmurs.
I nod, turning to face him, and before I can say anything else, he kisses me. Slow and unhurried, a kiss that makes me forget the world outside even exists. The sheets rustle as I press closer, and just like that we are tangled again, skin on skin, slow and lazy and perfect.
He likes me. I am trying to play it cool, but I am anything but cool. Last night was incredible. Literally the best night of my life. I’ve liked Remy for so long. And now it’s real.
“Daddy,” Junie calls through the bedroom door. “Where’s Ivy?”
He slides out of bed and picks up his shorts and pulls them on, giving me a slow smirk while he does it. “I’m coming, Junie. Ivy has the morning off.”
“But she’s not in her bed,” she calls through the door sounding sad. “Did she leave us?”
My heart breaks hearing that, and I give Remy a horrified look.
“No, baby, she’s just using my bathroom in here getting ready. I’ll be right out,” he tells her through the door.
“Are you guys smooching like Uncle Finn said you would?” she asks, sounding hopeful.
I cover my mouth as a laugh escapes. “Hi, Junie! I’ll be out in a minute,” I say and give Remy a look like ‘oh my gosh.’
Remy slides on sweatpants that look damn good on him and grins at me, shaking his head. God, I love that smile now that I’ve earned it. And hell, I hope I earn it again later, too. He bends down and kisses me quickly before he leaves.
His body is so hard and toned, and he made me feel so raw and vulnerable. But he also made me feel safe. And that made it worth it. Getting to know this side of Remy that he rarely shares with anyone is like getting a prize.
He opens the door enough to slide out and shuts it behind him, and I hear him talking to Junie in that soft voice he uses with her. And he uses that with me now. Like his guard is down. He’s gruff and rough with others but soft with her.
I love that about him.
I quickly get cleaned up in the bathroom and brush my teeth. I fix my wild hair and get dressed in his T-shirt and a pair of my shorts and scan the hall for Junie before heading down the hall.
The smell of coffee already fills the kitchen as I move around barefoot. My cheeks are hot even though I am alone because this feels…domestic. And I like it.
Then he comes up behind me in front of the coffeemaker, sliding a warm hand around my waist. “You look good in my shirt,” he says, low in my ear.
I laugh softly. “You’re just saying that.”
He turns me until my back is against the counter, caging me there with his arms. The kiss he gives me is deep and hungry, enough to make my knees go weak. I clutch his shoulders to keep from sliding to the floor.
When the coffee pot hisses and sputters, we both break apart, breathless and grinning.
I cover my mouth, not realizing how carried away I got kissing him. I forgot about Junie seeing us. “Where’s Junie?”
Remy pulls down two mugs from the shelf, his shoulders broad and distracting, and says, “Willa and Tate just picked her up to go into town for donuts. They’re bringing some back to hang out for a while. We have at least forty-five minutes to talk…or do other things.”
I grin, heat curling low in my stomach. “Oh, really?”
I slide my arms around his waist and press myself against him.
“Other things sound a lot better than talking,” I murmur, tilting my head back.
His eyes darken. That look does me in every time.
Remy cups my face and kisses me, slow at first, just tasting, testing. Then it deepens. My fingers curl in his shirt, and he makes a low, quiet sound that sends a shiver straight through me.
“Let’s see what you have on underneath this…” he says softly, skimming my belly with his fingertips, making me shiver and moan into his neck.
Before I know it, his hands are on my hips, lifting me like I weigh nothing and setting me on the counter. I gasp when his palms slide over my thighs, spreading them so he can step between them.
The kiss turns hungry, all heat and tongue and months of wanting boiling over. He kisses me like I’m the only thing that even matters in this moment, like he’s starving for me. My legs wrap around his hips on instinct, pulling him closer until there’s not a breath of space between us.
“God, you taste good,” he mutters against my mouth, trailing kisses along my jaw, down my neck.
“Remy—”
And then the front door swings open.
We both freeze and look over, like deer caught in headlights.
Finn strolls in like he owns the place, grinning as he shrugs off his jacket. He’s halfway through the kitchen before he actually looks up, then he stops dead, eyes widening as he takes in me sitting on the counter in Remy’s shirt, legs wrapped around his brother.
“Well, well, well,” he drawls, leaning a hip against the island. “Should I come back later, or…?”
“Finn,” Remy growls, stepping back, but his hands are still on my hips, which just makes Finn’s grin grow wider.
“You two finally figure out what all that tension was about?” Finn asks, crossing his arms. “Took you long enough.”
My cheeks are on fire, but I can’t help laughing. “Hi, Finn.”
“Hi, Ivy,” he says with a smirk. “You look…very…cozy.”
Remy glares. “Out.”
Finn throws up his hands in mock surrender, still grinning. “Fine, fine. Donuts better be worth this awkwardness when I get back. Text me when Tate and Willa get back. I’ll be in the barn.”
He grabs his coat and heads for the door, whistling under his breath.
As soon as it shuts behind him, Remy groans and buries his face in my neck. “I’m going to kill him.”
I giggle, tugging his shirt to pull him closer. “You won’t. But you can definitely pick up where you left off.”
His answering growl is low and dangerous, and then he’s kissing me again, harder this time, like Finn never existed.
Remy is a beast, and I was right about that. He’s even better than I could have imagined now that he stopped pretending to not like me.
The front door clicks shut behind Finn, and the house is quiet again, except for the sound of Remy’s breath against my throat.
“We should probably talk about things,” I say softly, brushing my fingers through his hair.
He pulls back enough to look at me, still standing between my knees. His hands stay on my hips like he doesn’t want to let me go. “Yeah,” he says, voice rough.
I slide my hands down his hard chest, anchoring myself, because I know this is the moment we figure out what we’re doing.
“This thing between us,” he starts, hesitating. “Ivy, I’m not saying I don’t want this—God, I do—but I have to be careful.”
“Because of Junie,” I say gently.
He nods, shoulders tense. “She’s been through enough. Her mom…” He trails off, pressing his lips together. “Her mom lets her down a lot. I can’t have someone in her life just…walking away. Not again.”
The words hit me in the chest. There’s a flicker of pain in his eyes that tells me this isn’t just about Junie. This is about him, too. He’s the man who has had to pick up the pieces, who’s had to keep it together when someone else broke not only his little girl’s heart, but his, too.
My own heart softens, “Remy,” I whisper, reaching up to cup his face. “I’m not going anywhere. This isn’t a fling for me. You’re not just some guy I’m hooking up with. You and Junie—” My throat catches. “You’re so important to me.”
He exhales slowly, like I’ve just taken some of the weight off his shoulders. “You’re sure about this?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation. “Are you?”
His mouth curves into the smallest smile, but it’s real, deep, like he feels it all the way through. “Yeah,” he says, his voice low. “I’ve been sure for a while. I just didn’t know if you wanted me the way I wanted you.”
I laugh, shaky with relief. “Remy Bennett, you have no idea.”
He grins then, full, unguarded, and makes my stomach flip. He leans in, brushing his lips over mine once, twice, before kissing me like he can finally breathe again.
“This isn’t going to be casual,” he murmurs against my mouth.
“Good,” I whisper back, winding my arms around his neck.
He kisses me again, slow and sure, sealing it like a promise.
I hurry and get dressed in jeans and a hoodie and then we drink coffee together on the couch, snuggled up under a blanket and sneak glances at each other.
Junie runs in not long after. “We got apple fritters!”
“Ivy’s here now!” she calls back to Willa and Tate who follow Junie, closing the door.
They kick their boots off, and Willa raises her eyebrows at me and mouths, “What is going on?”
I give her a look and mouth back to her, “I’ll tell you later.”
Tate looks at us and raises his eyebrows and then smirks.
Okay, so we’re not going to get away with not addressing them. I know it, and Remy knows it based on his facial expression.
The back door creaks open and Finn’s voice booms through the kitchen. “Juniebug! Tell me you got me a fritter!”
Junie grins like the cat who caught the canary. “Sure did, Uncle Finn. And now you owe me ten bucks.”
“Ten?” Finn kicks the door shut with his boot and hangs his jacket, raising a brow. “Whoa, inflation hit hard. Last week it was five.”
Junie shrugs, completely unfazed. “Supply and demand. I’m the supplier.”
I bite back a laugh as she sets the donut box on the counter and pulls out a napkin with dramatic flair.
Finn leans over her shoulder to examine the donut selection. “And what exactly am I paying for, boss lady?”
“You bet me Dad would never kiss Ivy,” Junie says proudly, like she just cracked a case wide open. “And he totally wants to. You can see it all over his face. I bet they kissed this morning when they were in his room with the door…”
“Junie,” Remy groans, covering her mouth.
Junie ignores him, shrugs him off, and takes a giant bite of her sprinkle donut. “So. Pay up, Uncle Finn.”
Finn looks between me and Remy, grinning like the devil. “Well, now I have to see some evidence. Gotta make sure my ten bucks is legit.”
I clear my throat and raise my brows at Remy. “Well? You heard the kid. Is this true? Do you want to smooch me?”
Junie breaks into a fit of giggles, and Finn grins so big he has to brace himself on the counter. Tate and Willa are watching this all with fascination.
Remy just shakes his head and mutters something about meddling, but when his eyes meet mine, they’re dark and warm and full of trouble.
“Yeah, Ivy,” he says finally, leaning closer. “I definitely want to smooch you.”
Junie gasps, and Finn whoops. “That’s ten bucks well spent!” as Remy cups my face and kisses me right there in front of everyone.
Later, when everyone has gone home but Finn and the kitchen still smells like sugar and coffee, Junie bounces on her toes as Remy grabs his coat.
“Come on, kiddo,” he says, pulling his hat on. “Come help me at the farm stand.”
Junie grabs her coat and darts after him. “Don’t forget my ten bucks!” She calls over her shoulder.
The back door shuts, and suddenly it’s just me and Finn.
He doesn’t say anything right away. Just leans against the counter and gives me a look. The kind of look that says we’re going to talk.
I think I know what’s coming.
“So,” he says finally, “you and my brother finally got your heads out of your butts.”
My cheeks warm. “Yep.”
He nods like he’s absorbing the news. “I love you, Ivy. You know that. You’ve always been like a little sister to me.”
My throat tightens a little. “I know.”
“But,” he says, holding up a finger, “you mess this up, and I will never forgive you. They’ve been through so much, and they deserve good things.”
I laugh so hard I nearly choke on my coffee. “Oh, Finn. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Not kidding,” he says seriously. Then he softens, leaning his hip against the table.
“Look. Sloane really messed them up for a long time. Junie got the worst of it, but Remy…” He shakes his head.
“He held it together for her, but it cost him. He doesn’t do this stuff lightly.
He hasn’t been with anyone else. Never took a chance.
And he’s had plenty of people interested in him.
You are special, and he really likes you.
So don’t run off if it gets messy, okay? ”
Something in my chest aches. “I’m not going anywhere,” I say quietly.
Finn studies me for a long moment, then nods. “Good. I haven’t seen him smile like that in years. And Junie? She was practically skipping on the way to the barn. You’re good for them.”
My heart swells so much it feels like it might burst.
“And,” Finn adds, his grin returning, “I can’t wait until our mom hears about this. She’s going to lose her mind. Like full-on planning-the-wedding, naming future kids, lose her mind.”
I groan, covering my face with my hands. “Oh, no.”
“Oh, yes.” Finn’s grin is wicked. “You think I’m bad? Wait until your mom hears this, too. Those two are going to be insanely annoying. Better brace yourself.”
“Finn!” I peek at him between my fingers, mortified and laughing.
“Hey, I’m just saying—we have all been rooting for this. Even Junie can see it.” He winks.
I shake my head, still smiling. “You’re insufferable.”
“Yeah, but you love me,” he says cheerfully, grabbing another donut from the box.
And annoyingly, I do.
When the back door opens again and Remy and Junie come stomping in with snow on their boots, Finn straightens like he wasn’t just giving me the most heartfelt pep talk of all time.
“Everything good in here?” Remy asks, eyeing the two of us suspiciously.
“Perfect,” Finn says with an innocent smile. “Just getting to know my future sister-in-law better.”
I nearly spit out my coffee. “Finn!”
Remy narrows his eyes. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing you wouldn’t have,” Finn says with a shrug, biting into his donut. “Carry on with your smooching. I’ll be over here, third-wheeling like a champ.”
Junie giggles, and Remy groans, but when his eyes meet mine, there’s something warm there. Like he heard everything I just promised Finn without me saying a word.
And that makes me want to kiss him all over again.