Chapter 19
Ivy
My mom’s kitchen smells like cinnamon and rosemary…
like home. She’s always got something simmering in her big pot on the stove or fresh bread baking in the oven.
Rarely did we ever go out to eat while growing up here, because nobody can cook as good as our mom.
She puts love and intention into every bowl and bread she makes for us, and you can just taste both.
Rowan and Willa are perched at the island with mugs of tea, and I’m cross-legged on one of the barstools, feeling lighter than I have in years.
I keep glancing at my phone, thinking about texting Remy to see what he’s doing. I miss him.
Junie’s on the rug with Lola sprawled beside her, one paw gently draped over Cobweb, who purrs so loudly it’s practically a motor. Junie giggles every time the kitten bats at Lola’s tail, and Lola just sighs like she was born to babysit a tiny human and a cat cousin.
“See?” Willa says, nodding toward them. “I told you Cobweb would win her over.”
“She’s a good girl,” I say, smiling as Lola rolls onto her back so Junie can rub her belly. “Honestly, I think she’d follow Junie to the moon if she could.”
My mom sets a plate of cookies on the island, hands a napkin of them to Junie, and sits, brushing flour from her hands. “All this love in my house,” she teases, her eyes sparkling. “Tate and Willa making eyes at each other every time they breathe, and now Remy and Ivy…who knew?”
My face goes hot, but Willa grins like a cat. “Oh, everyone knows,” she says. “You two have that look.”
“What look?” I protest, but I can feel the smile tugging at my lips.
“The look,” Rowan says knowingly. “Like you’re half annoyed and half dying to climb him like a tree every time he walks into the room.”
I bury my face in my hands, my face going hot. “You’re all ridiculous.”
My mom laughs. “You’re glowing, sweetheart. It’s a good thing. Must be all those romance novels you’ve been reading.”
The truth is that I haven’t even had time to read any of them. I’ve been too busy living out my own romance novel, and I’m not complaining.
“So,” Rowan says, taking a sip of tea. “Speaking of couples, I’m going on a date this weekend.”
All of us turn to stare at her.
“What?” Willa gapes. “With who?”
“His name’s Jonah,” Rowan shrugs, trying to look nonchalant, but her cheeks are pink. “He’s new in town. Works down on the boats.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I say, leaning forward. “Are you serious?”
Rowan nods.
Wow.
“Oh, boy.” Willa grins and sucks in a breath. “Does Finn know?”
Rowan shrugs, too casually. “Why would he care?”
I can’t help but wonder that myself. Because Finn will absolutely care.
Finn’s face flashes in my mind, solid, steady with his broad shoulders and quiet watchfulness.
Finn who is wildly in love with my sister and has been for years.
Finn, who is also her best friend. Picturing him hurt makes me feel so upset for him.
“You should tell him,” Lilith says gently, like she just read my thoughts. “See what he has to say about that date.”
Rowan rolls her eyes. “It’s just a date, Mom.”
“Uh-huh,” Willa teases. “I wonder if Finn will think that’s just a date.”
“I don’t think this is going to go over well, that’s all I’m saying,” I tell her, not liking how this is going to play out.
Junie looks up from the floor and says, “Uncle Finn won’t like that, Rowan. He says you’re his endgame. I don’t know what that means, but I don’t think he’s going to like you going on a date.”
“He said that?” Rowan asks Junie, and she nods solemnly.
She purses her lips and says, “Hmmm.”
But I don’t miss the thoughts passing over her face that she’s not sharing with the class. Something is up with Rowan.
I settle back against the stool, warmth spreading through me. This is what I always wanted. Sisters, laughter, love that fills up a whole room. And maybe, just maybe, a future where we all get to have the love we all deserve.
The house is quiet when we get home, except for the low crackle of the fire. Remy’s on the couch, boots off, stretched out with a book in one hand and an open bottle of beer on the table next to him.
“You’re back early,” he says, setting the book aside as I kick off my shoes. Junie runs to give him a hug. She bounces off with Lola on her heels to go play before she has to get ready for bed.
“Mm,” I hum, crossing the room and sinking onto the couch beside him.
His arm goes around me like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Have fun?”
“So, Rowan had news.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Good news or bad news?”
I grin. “Depends who you ask. She’s going on a date this weekend.”
That gets his attention. “With who?”
“Jonah. New guy in town. Works on the boats.”
He makes a surprised sound, rubbing his jaw. “Finn know?”
“That’s exactly what we asked.” I curl my legs under me, watching his face. “She said no, but I think maybe he should.”
Remy leans his head back against the couch, smiling faintly. “I think Finn already knows more than he lets on.”
“You do?”
“Mm-hmm.” His arm tightens around me. “He notices everything about Rowan. He’s just too damn stubborn to do anything about it.”
I laugh softly. “Sounds like someone else I know.”
He tips his head to look at me, and there’s a flash of heat in his eyes that makes my stomach flip. “Yeah, well. Worked out for me, didn’t it?”
I nudge him with my knee. “It did.”
For a while we just sit there, the fire throwing shadows across the room, Junie’s sounds of playing drifting from down the hall. Remy’s thumb traces idle circles over my arm, and the quiet between us feels safe, full.
“You think Finn and Rowan would be good together?” I ask after a bit.
“I think Finn needs someone who’ll love him for who he is,” he says. “And Rowan might be the only other person stubborn enough to pull that off.”
I smile, picturing it, and rest my head on his shoulder. “Then I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
He presses a kiss to the top of my hair. “Guess we will.”
Remy gets Junie to bed and tucked in and joins me on the couch as we sit in front of the fire, wrapped up in each other.
And just like that, the world feels right.
Tate’s helping a customer tie a tree to the top of their SUV while I’m stocking cocoa cups at the stand. Across the lot, Remy is lifting another tree like it weighs nothing.
I hear it before I see her, a familiar woman’s laugh, flirty and just loud enough to carry.
“Well, hello, handsome,” Vanessa drawls, leaning against the truck while Remy secures the twine. “What Hallmark movie are you in? Because I’d watch it.”
I nearly choke on my breath but manage to laugh, the sound sharper than I mean for it to be. Tate glances over at me, smirking like he knows exactly what just lit me up.
Remy doesn’t even look at her. He double-checks the knots, steps back, and gives the customer a polite nod. “You’re all set. Drive safe.” Then he’s already turning to help the next person, calm and professional as ever, like the comment never happened.
Only Vanessa reaches out and grabs his arm to stop him. Remy glances down at his arm and up at her and pulls his arm back. “Wait, I wanted to see if you wanted to get dinner some time.”
“Not only would my girlfriend have an issue with that, but I would, too. Please don’t touch me,” he tells her, politely and firmly.
I stroll over and say, “Everything okay here?”
Vanessa’s eyes narrow on me. Remy doesn’t miss this, either.
Remy ignores her and bends down and kisses me thoroughly.
She turns on her heels and stomps away, huffing.
“Well,” I say softly. “That was interesting.”
Remy just smirks and pulls me in tighter.
My pulse is still pounding when the last car rolls out, and the lot grows quiet again. Tate heads to the barn to grab more twine for tomorrow, leaving us alone.
I’m sweeping pine needles, a never-ending job, I’ve found, when I feel him behind me, close enough that his body heat cuts through the cold.
“You done?” His voice is low, rough, and it goes straight through me.
“Almost,” I say, leaning the broom against the wall.
Before I can blink, he’s kissing me, hard, walking me backward into the barn. My spine bumps the doorframe, and I grab at his jacket, stunned and breathless.
He breaks just enough to murmur against my mouth, “I saw you jealous, Ivy.”
I swallow hard. “I didn’t like Vanessa flirting with you.”
His mouth curves, but his eyes have gone dark. “How do you think I felt watching you date Douchey Derek all those years?”
My breath catches. “I didn’t think you noticed.”
His jaw tightens, and his voice is a growl. “I noticed.”
He kisses me again, slower this time, but deeper, like he’s trying to erase every memory of anyone else. I melt against him, fingers tangling in his hair.
We make it as far as his office before he flips the latch, shuts the door, and lifts me onto the desk like I weigh nothing. The room is small, lit by a rustic overhead light, smelling of hay and pine.
“You have any idea what you do to me?” he mutters, mouth tracing down my neck.
“Show me,” I whisper.
That’s all it takes. His flannel is off in seconds, then his jeans, my sweater, and the cold air feels like fire where our skin meets. He kisses me until I’m dizzy, until I can’t think about anything except getting closer.
He pushes my jeans down, his hands firm on my thighs as he steps between them, and then he’s inside me in one deep, perfect thrust that knocks the air out of my lungs.
“Remy—”
He groans my name and starts to move, slow at first, then faster when I grip his shoulders and beg him not to stop. The desk creaks under us, papers sliding to the floor, but I don’t care. All I can feel is him, filling me, grounding me, setting me on fire all at once.
When I come, it’s sharp and sweet, my whole body shuddering around him. He follows with a low, broken sound, holding me so tight I can feel his heart racing against mine.
We stay tangled together, breathing hard, the office silent except for the faint hum of the heater and the sound of us coming back down.
Finally, he pulls back just enough to look me in the eye, thumb brushing my cheek.
“That clear enough for you?” he asks, voice still rough.
I grin, flushed and wrecked in the best way. “Crystal.”
“I haven’t been with anyone in years,” Remy says quietly. “I know you’re on birth control; I’ve seen the packets.”
I nod, “And I got tested when I found out Derek was cheating. I’ve only been with you since. I’m clear.”
He kisses me again, slow and sweet this time, sealing something I think we’ve both been waiting on for years.
Remy finally steps back, still close enough that his breath brushes my lips. My sweater is hanging half off the desk, his flannel is crumpled on the floor, and there are a few pine needles on the back of my jeans from the desk.
“Well,” I whisper, catching my breath. “That was…”
He grins, smug and gorgeous. “Productive?”
I swat his chest, laughing as I hop down from the desk, legs still shaky. “You’re a hard worker.”
He bends to grab his flannel, shrugging it back on, but not before I get another long look at that chest that should be illegal.
“You think Tate heard us?” I ask, pulling my sweater over my head.
His grin widens. “If he did, he’s probably out there taking his sweet time, so he doesn’t have to walk in on us.”
I groan, covering my face with my hands. “He’s never going to let me live this down.”
“Good,” Remy says, stepping closer and hooking a finger under my chin until I look up at him. “I want everyone to know exactly how crazy I am about you.”
Heat blooms in my chest, soft and sweet this time. “You are ridiculous.”
“Yeah,” he says, leaning in to steal one last, slow kiss. “Ridiculous for you.”
When we finally leave the office and step outside the barn, the air is colder, the stars sharp against the dark sky. Tate is leaning against the fence with his arms crossed and a look that says he knows everything.
“Everything good in there?” he calls, one brow arched.
“Inventory check,” Remy says smoothly, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the truck.
Tate just smirks. “Sure. Inventory.”
I bury my face in my scarf, trying not to laugh, and Remy squeezes my fingers.
“Date night tomorrow,” he murmurs as he helps me into the truck. “No customers, no interruptions. Just you and me.”
“Promise?”
His answering smile is slow and devastating to my lady parts. “Promise.”