28. Callum
Ivy finally left at ten pm to go home. It took an hour to convince her to leave, but my girl had an interview tomorrow she had to nail. I wanted her feeling and looking her best. I deserved an award, actually, for being so selfless.
Yeah. Real martyr. Putting Ivy’s entire life goal first instead of you.
You’re so annoying. When are you out of the hospital?
Today, assholes. Today. I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. I should be dismissed at noon today. The thought of going to the football house and living on the third floor seemed annoying. I sure as hell wasn’t going back with my mom.
Maybe Ivy will offer?
Yeah. That’d be ideal, but then I wouldn’t want to leave, ever. I did also just ask her when we could live together, and she’d stuttered through it. Too soon, probably.
“Knock, knock.”
The morning nurse had taken over for the night one, and Shirley was kinder. The night nurse was not putting up with my dramatics, even if they were deserved.
“Hello, Shirley.” I pushed up onto my bed and smiled at her. “Can I break free soon?”
“Yup. I’m taking vitals, but everything looked good last night. You’re young and healthy. No complications.” She measured my temperature, then blood pressure. It was our routine already.
“You seem like someone who doesn’t like being caged. You’re gonna be limited the next few weeks.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to deal with that somehow.” I gripped the back of my neck as my phone went off. “Oh, I gotta get that. My girlfriend has a big interview today!”
Ivy: I arrived. I am ready. I am sweating.
Callum: You can do this. You are a badass.
Ivy: What if I fuck up?
Callum: Then we try another team!
Ivy: How are you feeling? How’s the ankle?
Callum: Don’t deflect. You practiced your talking points, and Allpress would be a fool not to have you.
Ivy: Well, of course you’d say that.
Callum: Ivy Lee Emerson. I know your flaws and your strengths and your best and worst memories. I know all of you, and any team would be lucky to have you. Not enough. Send me a selfie.
Ivy: *Eyeroll*
I grinned. She took a picture of herself eyerolling. It was the least attractive pose possible, but I snorted.
Callum: Even with your face like that, you’re a ten out of ten.
Ivy: Okay, he’s here. Wish me luck!
Callum: Good luck, baby. Let’s move to Chicago together.
“Mommmm.”I groaned as she helped me stand. “Stop it!”
“Stand up. Be a grown man. Jesus, child.” She flicked my forearm. “They need to move you to the wheelchair to leave.”
I’d never been shot, but my ankle felt like it. It pounded, and my head spun from the pain. “Carry me?”
“Ha. No.” She laughed and guided me to the chair. “Look, I got you a balloon. Your sisters and I all split it.”
“Incredible. I end my college career, and you all dish out three dollars for an I’m Sorry! Balloon.”
“But it has glitter!”
“Why are you so weird right now?” I held onto the balloon with one hand, my phone in the other. It was earlier than I thought. Ivy still hadn’t checked in from the interview, and I was using every modicum of strength to not call or text her. Her and Allpress could’ve hit it off and gotten coffee. Or she could be giving him a tour of the stadium and catching up with Henry. There were a million possibilities, but I hated her not being here.
I wasn’t being a prick. I just missed my girl. She made every scenario better, and I craved her hands on me. But I wouldn’t do anything to upset her. Not after scaring both of us for twenty-four hours, where my act of heroism had the opposite effect.
My mom joked with the nurses as she pushed me out of the room. “Your coach will come to the football house tomorrow to talk to you. Doesn’t want you trying to leave the place yet.”
“Ugh, the house.” A small part of me held out hope Ivy would appear at the last second to offer her apartment. It was nice, smelled great, and she was there. The guys would help out with whatever I needed, but going up three flights of stairs would wind me.
“Dean said they’d clear out one of the front rooms that you could stay in for a few weeks.” My mom patted my head. “You’ll be fine.”
Sleeping in the entry room? Fuck. That would be annoying as hell. Okay, yeah, I mean, it’d be an adjustment for everyone, but it’d be better than stairs. They are trying to be kind.
Don’t be ungrateful.
Go with the flow.
Be sad later.
“Okay, that’s nice of them.” I swallowed down the self-pity. Maybe I wasn’t handling this injury as well as I imagined. Dark thoughts were trying to intrude., like what if the guys treated me differently? What if Ivy never wanted to visit? What if she found me annoying now that I needed help? What if I missed football and regretted everything? “You dropping me off there?”
She shrugged, not quite looking at me. My mom was strange like that. Nonchalant. That was why it was so weird when my dad did what he did. My mom was so whatever about it. Mad? Yes. But she kept on living her life, which made my dad even angrier.
I admired that about her, and that was a part of the reason I acted that way. I could do that now. Seem unflummoxed. Yeah, my career was done, and I’d live in a living room for twelve weeks and barely see Ivy or the team. I could… binge-watch shows. Eat what I wanted.
Silver linings, baby. I had to focus on them, even if my chest tightened with dread and unease. Who was I gonna be without football? I could still be me, chaos and energy and teamwork, but what did that look like now?
A blip, a tiny flash of excitement hit me. I was ready to find out what else there was.
“Thank you so much for getting him down here!”
I knew that voice. Ivy. I snapped my gaze to my left where she approached wearing an all-black dress that hung above her knees. It hugged her body, and her glasses slid down her nose. Fuck. She was beautiful.
“Your mom helped me out.” She blushed before bending down and kissing me on the cheek.
Lilac and sunshine and fresh-cut grass greeted me, along with her delicate perfume. I gripped her hand, suddenly not worried about a damn thing anymore. She was here.
“How are you doing?” She cupped my face and knelt to be eye to eye with me. Her green ones were like the color of a forest, vibrant and dark. “I’m so sorry I got here so late!”
“No.” I shook my head, overcome with emotion. I held it together for everyone else all the time, but around Ivy I could be me. My voice cracked. “How was the interview?”
She grinned before letting out a squeal. “It was amazing, Callum. Amazing. We get along so well and have the same vision for increasing women in sports. He’s looking for people who want to grow with the organization. Gah!”
Bam. Just like that, my worries went away.
“Fuck yeah, baby.” I pulled her into my lap, not caring that my mom was right there or nurses were around us. I kissed her jaw, then her cheek. “So you got the job?”
“I don’t know yet, but it feels like I did? He said he’d call tomorrow.” She kissed me hard, right on the mouth. “My adrenaline is flying. I have all this chaotic energy I need to get out.”
Is she insinuating… damn.
I arched a brow, and she wiggled hers. My god, she was perfect. “That’s amazing. I am so proud of you. I knew you’d kill it.”
She slid off me, sadly, before giving my mom a side hug. “I got it from here. It was so nice catching up with you.”
“You too, hon.” My mom met my gaze over Ivy’s shoulder, and my mom looked happy. Proud, even. “Seeing you two together is the best thing I’ve witnessed in years. Let me know once he’s settled, and we can find another weekend to get together.”
“That sounds perfect.” Ivy beamed before waving at my mom’s retreat. She disappeared toward the parking lot, leaving Ivy and I in the circle. “I have a favor to ask you.”
“Anything. As long as it doesn’t require me standing.” I glanced up at her as she pushed the wheelchair. “What is it?”
“Maybe it’s not a favor. It might be forgiveness.” She chewed the side of her lip before winking at me. “I took a chance and did something.”
My gut swirled with unease, but I trusted her. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine.”
“I don’t know.” She stopped in front of my car.
How does she have my car?
“Ivy…”
She leaned against the passenger side door, the sun hitting her just right. She was stunning. Her full lips and intense eyes, perfect body with scars that showed her strength. My future wife stared at me with mischief, and I was here for it.
“Are you not wearing anything under your dress?”
“Callum!” She blushed and swatted me. “No, of course I am. I’m at a hospital.”
“That’s a dumb reason. We’re all wearing onesies with our butts exposed, so that’s not a legit excuse.”
I loved her blush, but her little giggle was even cuter.
“What do you need forgiveness for? What did you do, baby?”
“How can you still sound so sexy, even when injured and unbathed?”
“Uh, rude,” I teased, unable to stop smiling.
“I conspired against you, and I was really proud of it until right now. Now I’m nervous. What if you hate the idea? What if it’s too soon? Even though you kinda asked about it, so I thought you’d be okay, but the stairs make it difficult, so elevators would be better?”
“Ivy,” I said, smiling hard. She rambled when she was nervous, and seeing her all cute and flustery made me laugh. She was fucking adorable, and I couldn’t wait to find out what she’d done. “I don’t know what you’re referencing.”
“I got all your stuff from the football house.” She swallowed. “I was hoping you’d live with me while you got better. I can take care of you?—”
“Fuck yes.” I closed my eyes and yanked her toward me. “Yes. Please. I want that so badly.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” I sniffed her hair, the growing tension in my spine snapping and disappearing with one breath. “I’m gonna be needy, though.”
“That’s okay. I like taking care of you.”
“That’s my job though.”
“No, we take turns.” She cupped my face and ran her thumb over my bottom lip. “Let me take care of you the next three weeks. Esme is totally okay with it. Your guys already dropped your stuff off with us.”
“Fuck, I love you. This was what I was dreaming about but was worried you wouldn’t be ready to offer. Thought it might be too soon.”
“If I learned anything the last two days, it’s that I am one hundred percent in with you. Forever. I want to be there for you when you’re hurting, when you realize what life is like without football. I want to hold your hand when or if you talk to your dad again or when you become an uncle. I held myself back a little out of fear of you hurting me again, but it’s worth it all. Okay? You are worth the absolute devastation you could do to me.”
“Devastation, huh?” I sniffed as my eyes got irritated by the sunlight. It was definitely the sunlight, nothing else.
“Yes, Callum.” She swallowed hard and adjusted her glasses. “You have the other half of my heart, and with that comes a lot of power.”
“I’ll take care of it, baby. You own all of mine.” I shrugged and placed a hand on her hip. “You know I’m never gonna wanna move out?”
“We can deal with that when you’re doing better.” Her gaze warmed, but then the playful mischief reentered. “Okay, O’Toole, I’m tough when I need to be, so you need to get your ass in the front seat. It’s gonna hurt, but you gotta power through. We’ll ice when we get home.”
“Can you boss me around shirtless?”
“Yes. Once we get home.”
That was the thing about Ivy. Home was wherever she was. Where she went, I followed.
“Are you gonna play nurse to me?”
“Shut up, Callum, and get in the car.” She crossed her arms and smirked, a challenge in her eyes. “Do you want me to lift you?”
Shit. “No. I don’t.”
With her injury? No. I was heavy. That got me into action, and I hoisted myself into the front seat, biting down the urge to yelp. My head spun from the pain, but I knew it’d get better every day. Plus, I got to live with Ivy. My actual dream.
You ever think things happen for a reason?
Yeah, like what if he had to get a broken ankle to get to move in with Ivy and finally overcome all the barriers she put up against you?
And what if you two never fought three years ago? Would she have worked for the team and reentered your life?
Life is weird, huh?
I reached across the console and squeezed her thigh, sighing with absolute contentedness. My voices were still wilding out, but they made sense. I hate that I’d once hurt Ivy, but it got us to where we were at today, and I wouldn’t trade this for the world. “Can you give me a naked sponge bath?”
“Jesus.” She laughed. “If you behave, then yes.”
“God, I love you.” I closed my eyes and relaxed as she drove us away from the hospital and toward her place. “How long do I have to wait to propose?”
“Have more pain pills, Callum. Please.”
“No. I want you to be my wife. I want to tattoo your face on my chest.”
“Okay, you’re ridiculous. How about we focus on you getting stronger and then we talk nuptials, deal?
I winked and took her hand in mine. We’d be engaged this time next year. I guaranteed it.