39. Xaden
THIRTY-NINE
Xaden
Ivy is shivering in my arms, and I have to get her warm. Worse, there is still a police report and doctor’s visit ahead of us.
I know that all she wants to do is rest, but we have to see this through to the end. I won’t have this asshole coming back and trying to hurt what’s mine.
“Okay, baby. We need to get you inside and dry off.” I scoop her up into my arms. “And we need to go back to the police station to give our statements.”
I feel Ivy tense as I walk us to the house. “Umm…”
“I know, hun. I know. But we need to finish this. He attacked you. You have more than enough grounds to get him thrown back in jail. Not to mention that I’m pretty sure tracking you down and harassing you isn’t a part of the guy’s parole. It’s just…it’s time. We need to talk to the police, trust them to help.”
She burrows into my chest, seeking out the warmth and comfort, but Ivy nods. I’m not going to ask for more than that. I know this is rough, and we’re going to take things one step at a time.
“First things first, though. We get you dry.”
“Thank you, Xaden. I…thank you.”
When Ivy is warm and in dry clothes, I bring her back outside—with an umbrella this time—and we drive to the police station. The desk clerk at the front lets us back so that we can meet with the detective taking over the case, and Ivy and I sit down.
“Ms. Campbell, thank you for coming back in.” The detective turns to me. “Thank you for bringing her by, Mr. Ledger.”
I nod. I spoke to Detective Pembrook before driving off after Ivy. I promised that she would be back—to discuss the charges.
“Now,” she turns back to Ivy, “I’m Detective Pembrook. I’ll be handling the case, and I’ve been assured by Mr. Ledger here that you want to press charges. Is that right?”
It takes a moment, but Ivy nods. “Umm, yes. He, umm, he broke his parole too, right?”
Pembrook raises her brows, and damn, this is all so awkward and stiff, but I know we have to go through with this. Ivy needs to see it done.
“Yes, he did. Per the stipulations of his parole, which I have the paperwork for, Mr. Campbell wasn’t to contact you in any way or leave New York. I understand that you have evidence of his texts and calls on your phone?”
Ivy nods again, moving as if she’s not really present. “I have some. I…I wasn’t as thorough as I should have been.”
Shaking her head, Pembrook reaches out and lays a hand on Ivy’s. “Hey, these are formalities. The man was seen attempting to throw you in front of a moving car by several witnesses. It’ll be damn near impossible to refute that. We just want all our ducks in a row for sentencing.”
Something changes in the way Ivy looks at the detective, and she tilts her head. Scooting forward in the char, Ivy leans in, and I’m quick to put a hand on her back, not knowing where this is going.
“Sentencing? So…so you think he’ll go back to prison?”
Ivy’s voice is thick, and I watch her eyes tear up.
Pembrook grins in a tight line, nodding just once. “I won’t say one hundred percent because I need to be realistic with you, but I do. I don’t think there’s a jury in this country who wouldn’t see the damning evidence against him and find Mr. Campbell not guilty.”
A rush of tears falls from Ivy’s face, and she cranes over the table as she lets herself break down again. I cover her with a hug, closing my eyes as I smile against her shoulder.
“I…I really didn’t think he was ever going to leave me alone.” Ivy looks up, glancing between me and the detective. “I…I have my life back.”
I pull Ivy close, acting as her anchor in the storm. Pembrook nods at me, offering a sympathetic gesture.
“I’ll do everything I can to ensure that, Ivy. I will.”
Reaching out, I take Pembrook’s hand and shake it. “Thank you, Detective. Truly.”
“You’re both welcome. For now, let’s just start with those statements. Okay?”
Ivy collects herself and lets out a long breath. “Of course. Let’s do it.”
We’re out of the police station a few hours later. It took about as much time as I expected, and I called Mason while Ivy was chatting to Pembrook about Daisy.
He’s agreed to watch her for the evening, and she doesn’t seem any the wiser that something so dangerous happened, which is exactly how I like it.
Ivy comes out when she’s finished, and I hang up the phone, thanking Mason one more time for watching Daisy.
“Hey. Finished?” I open my arms as she walks toward me, taking Ivy in my arms again.
She nods against my shoulder. “Yes. Done. For now, at least. There’s the trial to deal with and all that stuff, but today is over. And I’m so damn ready to relax.”
Ivy looks up at me with an exhausted smile. “I might fall asleep right here.”
With a chuckle, I start walking us out to the parking lot so that we can go home.
“Well, how about a movie night with take-out dinner? Mason is going to watch Daisy so that we can…come down from all this.”
After a moment of surprise, Ivy’s expression melts into one of utter gratitude. “Oh, that’s…yes, yes, please . I need that.”
“Of course, babe. You know I’ve got you.”
Leaning into my side as we walk, Ivy pauses for a moment, pulling my face down toward her.
“I do, Xaden. I do know that. And I’m sorry I ever let fear make me doubt it.”
I kiss her, holding her cheek cupped against my palm. “It’s fine, babe. I understand. Let’s just get you home.”
Stepping into my arms all the more, Ivy wraps herself around me. “I’m already there.”
We stand there for a moment, but it’s cold and chilly, and we both want to relax on the couch. So, we set off for the car and hop inside to head back to the house—to our house.
The drive is quick, thankfully, and when we get inside, I make sure Ivy is set up on the couch—warm and cozy—before I put in the order for some Chinese food.
Snuggling into the sofa, we turn on some stupid movie, nothing intense or scary, and I revel in the way Ivy’s weight relaxes against my chest as she sits in front of me.
“Do you think I’ll be a good mom?” Ivy asks, and I scoff, making a face at her.
“You’re going to be an incredible mother, Ivy. I don’t doubt it for a second.” I kiss the top of her head, and Ivy hums in appreciation. “I’m a little rusty, but I’m sure changing diapers will come back to me like riding a smelly bike.”
She giggles, swatting playfully at me, and then Ivy leans back over her shoulder, staring up at me.
“We’re going to do this whole family thing. I’m actually going to get this reality I’ve always wanted, and it’s because of you. I love you, Xaden.”
I kiss her, letting my lips press into her for a minute before leaning back to say, “I love you, too, Ivy. So damn much.”
Food eventually comes, and we dig in while we talk over the TV like it’s not even on. As the quiet movie plays in the background, I stare at her, mapping every detail of Ivy’s face until the question bursts out.
“Why did you move to Red Lodge, of all places? I’ve been wondering since that first day you moved in next door.”
Laughing lightly, Ivy finishes her bite of sweet and sour chicken and then smiles as her stare drifts off to the side—like she’s remembering something fondly.
“There was a rough day back in New York, which, you know, when wasn’t there. But I was sitting on a bench in Central Park after watching a particularly brutal fight between my parents.”
Ivy sighs, chuckling through her nose. “I was just a teen, and I didn’t know what to do. I was about ready to give up on life when a woman came up next to me and sat down. She asked if I was okay.”
The emotions are so clear on Ivy’s face, and I watch her recount this story with rapt attention.
“I told her the gist of what was going on, and she could tell I was dealing with a lot. She suddenly mentioned that she was moving out of the city really soon, actually. To a small town called Red Lodge. I didn’t understand why she’d mention it, but then she said that if I ever wanted to leave the city, get away from what was making me so upset, I could join her in Red Lodge.”
“Ivy, that’s…oh my God. What are the odds?”
We both laugh lightly, but Ivy is still staring out into the middle distance wistfully. “I know. She said, ‘You won’t regret it. I promise.’ So, I knew that when I finally got the chance to leave the city, when I couldn’t stay there, Red Lodge would be safe place for me.”
There’s a beat of silence, and Ivy’s eyes go glassy. “Hun? What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head, smiling over at me through the tears. “I’ve been thinking about that day a lot. It’s been on my mind since I got here. I…I wanted to find her. To go look for the woman I met and thank her for getting me here. It took until I was giving my statement to the detective for me to put it together that I was never going to get to say it to her.”
I frown, my brows crinkling together as I take Ivy’s hand. “Why not?”
Ivy glances at the photo of Maeve on the mantelpiece above the fireplace. I can see the tears sparkling in her eyes even as she holds her smile.
“Because it was your wife, Xaden.” She looks back at me as my jaw drops open. “Maeve told me to move to Red Lodge.”
Everything in the world crystallizes into a fixed point of connection, and I realize that Maeve, however unknowingly, is the reason for Ivy coming into my life.
If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now—with a new baby on the way.
A sob breaks free, and I don’t even care. I let the tears fall as I look up at the picture and then back at Ivy.
“She…”I shake my head, thinking about Daisy and Ivy and this life and the child I’ll be lucky enough to meet soon. “Do you think she knows? Do you think Maeve knows that I’ve found you, found this ?”
Ivy nods, her own tears raining freely down her face, and then presses herself into my arms.
“I do. I think she knows, Xaden. Because I can feel this love so profoundly in my bones…I think she’s saying good luck.”
Another sob racks us both, and I pull Ivy tighter against my chest.
I don’t know what happens after all this. I don’t know what the future holds or whether there’s some grand design that made all this work out.
But whatever it may be, I’ve never been more grateful in my life. Even more, I’ve never been happy like this, and as I feel Ivy’s heartbeat against my chest, I can’t stop smiling.
It’s a moment before I pull her face up toward mine and lock eyes with her.
“I love you, Ivy.” I look down toward her belly. “And I love whoever is in there getting bigger every day. I don’t know how I got this lucky, but I promise you with everything I have, I’m never going to let this go. Not for anything in the world.”
Ivy smiles, taking my face in her hands as her forehead touches mine. “You and me both, baby. Whatever it takes, I’m going to make sure you always know how much I love you.”
She kisses me, and I give everything I have to it. Because this is where I belong—right here with Ivy and our family.