Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Owen
We sleep for a few hours, exhausted from the long day and the intense sex, then wake up to our stomachs rumbling.
As we get dressed, I can’t help noticing our matching style.
“It’s almost like we planned this,” I say, pointing at our reflections in the mirror over the dresser.
We’re both wearing blue robes. Hers is denim blue, nearly the color of her eyes, and made of something soft and plush. Mine is navy blue plaid flannel, and the stripe matches her robe perfectly.
Her gaze lands on mine in the mirror, then quickly darts away. “I should probably go.”
I catch her wrist and spin her into my arms. “Not yet. You promised you’d have dinner with me.”
Her body melts into mine, most of the tension easing. When we touch, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. And if I’m any good at social cues, it seems she feels the same.
“And wine,” she says, lifting her gaze from my mouth to my eyes.
I let my lips rest on hers for the barest of moments before pulling back. “You can have as much as you want.”
She kisses me back, stretching her arms up and looping them around my neck. “I think I’m gonna need an entire bottle.”
I cinch her tighter to my chest, thankful we had the whole night to ourselves. I love having Hannah around and miss the hell out of her while she’s gone, but I’m thankful to have this time alone with Ivy.
If Emily hadn’t insisted she take Hannah this weekend, I wouldn’t be here with Ivy right now.
In the kitchen, Ivy takes a minute to check her phone, then puts it away with a sigh of relief.
“No demands for a puppy?” I ask.
“Not yet, but I know it’s coming. We’ve never had a pet before. We move too much.”
“Why is that?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.
She shrugs. “You know why.”
“I know you don’t want to live in the past anymore.”
“No place has really felt like home. Then the press finds me and starts hanging around, interrupting everything.”
“So, you move?” A cold feeling settles in my chest.
“Yeah. I uproot my daughter, lose all my friends, start over again.”
For a man who loves his routine, it’s a nightmare. “And what about Olivia’s dad?”
Ivy avoids my eyes. “She doesn’t have a dad.”
Curiosity burns a hole inside me. “Everyone has a dad.”
“Not a dad like you,” she says, finally looking up at me. “Olivia has a biological father, but we weren’t really together at the time.”
The tip of jealousy slices through me at the thought of Ivy with another man. “And now? Where is he now?”
Ivy shakes her head. “I’m not sure, but he doesn’t want anything to do with Olivia. She’s never even met him.”
My chest tightens. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She forces a smile. “Olivia and I just fine being a duo.”
“That’s something we have in common. Sometimes I feel like it’s me and Hannah against the world.”
Ivy laughs. “More like you and Hannah against every piano teacher in town.”
“You heard about Mrs. Johnson?”
“Olivia told me.” She comes into the kitchen and opens the pizza box, peering inside. “You know I’d be glad to show her a few things.”
“That would be very generous of you.”
“Oh, I’ll be charging you.”
“I’ll pay anything you ask if you can get Hannah to find her love for music again.”
“Deal,” Ivy says, extending her hand.
We shake on it, then seal it with a kiss.
We open an excellent bottle of Pinot and eat pizza cold straight from the box. Ivy connects her phone to my speakers, and we take turns playing our favorite songs. We scoot our stools closer together and scroll through songs, smiling when we both pick the same one.
I could get used to Ivy’s bare knee brushing mine as we eat a post-sex meal and down half a bottle of my favorite wine.
“Can I ask you a question?” Ivy asks after we’ve finished everything but the garlic knots.
“Of course.” Anything .
She pauses for a long moment, looking into her wine glass before lifting her gaze to mine. “Why do you have condoms in your bedside drawer?”
I nearly choke on my wine. “What?”
She avoids my eyes, staring at her clasped hands instead. “You seem very prepared.”
I reach out and cover her hand with mine. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
She squints up at me, nose wrinkling. “It depends.”
I cup her chin and gently lift her face to mine. “Do me a favor?”
Her brows lift. “Right now?”
“Yes, right now.”
She gives a tiny nod. “Okay.”
“Go look under the sink in the kitchen.”
She scoots back from the counter, frustration written all over her face.
“What do you see?” I ask when she opens the cabinet.
“Cleaning supplies. A First Aid kit.” She rummages around. “A fire extinguisher.”
“Okay, now open another cabinet.”
She opens the next cabinet and sighs. “What do your labeled recycling bins have to do with condoms?”
I stand up from the table and walk into the kitchen. “I’m trying to prove a point.”
“That you’re obsessively organized?” She laughs. “I’ve seen your classroom. I think it’s the only one in the whole school with a label maker.”
“I wouldn’t call it obsessive,” I say. “I’d call it prepared.”
A lightbulb goes off behind her eyes. “You are very prepared.”
I open another cabinet and show her my extensive spice rack, alphabetized, of course. “You have no idea.”
Ivy pulls open a random cabinet, her jaw dropping when she sees the inventory sheet hanging from inside the door. “Wow. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Impressive, right?”
She laughs so hard, she snorts. “That’s not the word I was looking for.”
I grab her around the waist and pull her close. “I kind of love it when you snort.”
She wraps her arms around my neck, smiling up at me. “I kind of love it that you’re so prepared.”
“Ivy?”
“Yes?”
I run my nose along hers. “Do you want to have a sleepover with me?”
She threads her fingers through my hair. “I’d like that.”
I lower my head to hers, and our mouths meet. The kiss is so all-consuming that I barely register the sound of the front door opening and closing.
“Owen!”
The sound of my name has me stepping back in surprise. I look up, and there’s my ex-wife, standing in the door jam
“What are you doing here?” I glance behind Emily, my heart beating wild. “Is Hannah okay?”
Emily crosses her arms. “You’d know if you were answering your phone.”
Panic rises in my chest, and I feel my face grow hot. “What’s wrong? Is she hurt?”
“I guess you’re the reason why Owen isn’t answering his phone.” Emily’s gaze zeroes in on Ivy, taking in her mussed hair and plush robe.
“Where’s Hannah?” I demand.
“She fell asleep in the car,” Emily says, still staring at Ivy. “You look familiar.”
I step between Ivy and Emily. “What’s wrong with Hannah?”
Emily lifts her chin at me. “Nothing.”
My shoulders inch down from my ears. “She’s okay?”
“Yes.” Emily shakes her head. “No.”
“What does that mean?”
“She’s being a brat. She hasn’t stopped whining since I picked her up.”
I’m torn between relief and frustration. “You’re saying you brought Hannah all the way home at—” I check the clock on the oven. “Nearly midnight because she was complaining too much?”
“I took her shopping and to high tea at the resort, and she complained the entire time.”
“Maybe you should have asked her if she wanted to go shopping or to high tea.”
“She missed the field trip. Her piano lessons stink. She wants a puppy.” Emily ticks off Hannah’s complaints, then narrows her eyes at Ivy. “You look like…”
Before she can say anything else, I usher Emily to the door. Once we are outside and I’ve peeked in the car to make sure Hannah is safe and sound, asleep in the backseat, I let Emily have a piece of my mind.
“She’s nine years old; she’s going to complain sometimes.” I glare down at her, wondering what I ever saw in her. “You can’t just give up on her because she doesn’t like what you planned.”
But Emily is not even listening. “Who is that woman?”
“She’s none of your business.”
“New girlfriend?”
“No comment.”
“Whoever she is, she’s not staying over. It’s in our agreement.”
I don’t bother arguing. It’s late and I need to get Hannah inside.
I pull open the door and unbuckle Hannah from the backseat. She’s so tired, she barely wakes up as I tuck her into my arms.
“You’re home,” I whisper in her ear.
She stirs and snuggles against my chest.
“Give me her bag,” I say to Emily, shifting Hannah in my arms to take it.
“I’ve got it,” Emily says.
I grab the bag. “No, you don’t.”
“That woman better not stay the night.” Emily follows me.
I ignore her and carry Hannah up the steps, closing the door in Emily’s face before I say something I’ll regret.
Ivy grabs the overnight bag from me and heads up the stairs. “Which one is her room?”
“To the left.”
Ivy puts Hannah’s bag in the room, then backs away toward the door.
“Don’t disappear,” I tell her, slipping off one of Hannah’s shoes.
Ivy lingers at the door. “I’ll see you later.”
My heart plummets as my plans for the night disappear like fog on the bay on a sunny morning, and I only hope later isn’t too far away.