Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
IVY
My house looks fantastic.
Better than when I lived in it, honestly. There’s nothing personal here, no fluffy blankets or things that say that a person lives here, but it’s clean and fresh.
And it’s not really my home anymore.
“You okay?”
Xander walks up behind me and loops his arms around me, kissing the top of my head, and I lean back against him.
“It looks great,” I say, meaning every word. “Walker and his guys did a good job.”
It took a couple weeks for the flooring to arrive, and then he had to work me in, between other jobs, but that was okay because I wasn’t in a hurry.
I don’t even live here.
“You don’t seem happy.”
I sigh and pace away from him, around the empty living room.
“I’m not unhappy.” I cross my arms over my chest and turn to face Xander, who’s tucked his hands in the pockets of his jeans and is waiting for me to elaborate. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Talk to me, wildcat. I can’t help if I don’t know what’s going on in your head.”
I blow out a breath and tuck my hair behind my ear.
“The house is great, and Walker did a great job. I’m happy with the work.”
“Okay.” His voice is calm, but his jaw is tight.
“But now what? What do I do with it? Am I moving back here when you go back to Denver to rejoin the team? Do I sell it? Do I rent it out? Do I keep it, in case—”
I stop and frown down at my feet.
“Finish it.”
I sigh and shake my head. “In case you decide—”
God, I can’t finish the thought because it makes my chest catch and my stomach hurt, and suddenly, he’s in front of me, and his fingers are under my chin, tilting my face up.
“Decide what, Ivy?”
“That you don’t want me anymore.” It’s a hushed confession.
One that I’m not comfortable saying out loud, and I can see by the way his face falls that it was the wrong thing to say.
“This is still new, Xander. What if something changes, and you don’t want me with you anymore?
Do I keep this house on standby? Keep paying the mortgage and let it sit empty in case you fall out of love with me and ask me to leave? ”
He gently brushes his thumb over my freckles.
“Sell the house, baby.”
I blink in surprise. “You don’t have to say that just because I’m having a moment, and—”
“Do you want to know what I love about you, Red?”
I huff out a breath. “I know, I’m an insecure brat, and—”
“You’re the sweetest fucking woman.” He brushes his thumb over my other cheek. “So damn kind. Even to people who haven’t earned your loyalty or trust, you put their needs first. We’re going to work on you being a little more selfish.”
I press my lips together, and his eyes float over my face, as if he’s breathing me in through his gaze.
“You’re smart as hell. And fuck me, if you’re not so damn good at your job. It turns me on to see you work because you know what you’re doing. You’re so confident, and when you lay down the law with me and give me rules, I want to bend you over and fuck the hell out of you.”
I lift my eyebrows at that and bite my lower lip.
“You’re sexy without trying. Your hair and these freckles are my undoing. You have a little mole at the small of your back that I could spend an hour kissing. Don’t even get me started on your tits.”
I pull in a breath, and Xander cups my cheek so tenderly, I have no choice but to lean into his touch.
“When I tell you that I love you, I’m not saying that I love you for now.
And I don’t use those words lightly, Ivy.
We’re a we. Not just for now. Not just until I’m healthy enough to play again.
So sell the house because you don’t need it.
If you want to use it as an investment and rent it out, that’s up to you.
But you don’t need to hang on to it just in fucking case. ”
I swallow thickly and then lean my forehead against his chest, and he rubs his big hands up and down my back.
I didn’t know that I needed that reassurance. To hear him say that this is for the long haul and not just for now, while he’s here in Montana. Because I can’t imagine ever being without him, and I definitely don’t want to move back into this house.
“Okay. I’ll sell it.”
“Good.” He kisses my forehead. “We need to go meet up with Walker now, if you’re still up for it.”
I nod, and Xander leads me out of the house. I lock up behind us, and once we’re in his SUV, we drive into town to the coffee shop Buzz.
“I’ll have a small hot chocolate,” I say with a smile at the barista, and while Xander orders his drink, I pull my scarf off and turn to let my eyes scan over the café.
It’s a nice place, with plenty of tables and chairs, and there’s even a fireplace in the corner, currently roaring away.
It’s the middle of a weekday, so it’s not too busy, and Walker nods at me from a table in the corner.
Xander pays for our drinks, and when we have them in hand, we walk over to join the contractor.
“Thanks for meeting with me,” Walker says as we take our seats.
“It’s not a bother,” I reply with a smile and grip the hot cup between my hands, trying to warm them.
I’m always so freaking cold.
“Let’s talk about Lucky’s,” Xander says and looks down at me. “What are your thoughts, Red?”
I nibble my lip and look out the window toward the building that I used to know so well. Right now, it’s charred and roped off so no one goes inside it.
“The bar was never my first love,” I admit and turn back to them. “It was just what paid the bills, I guess. And it could have been so much more than it was. I always thought it would be awesome to make it into an actual pub with a kitchen. But I’d want it to be a sports bar. Sports themed.”
Walker nods. “That’s what I was thinking, too, actually.”
“Really?”
His lips twitch up into a half smile, and I blink at him because that might be as close to laughing as Walker gets.
“Yeah, and I think it would do well. I would change the name too.”
I nod in agreement. “I always thought the name was dumb, but my biological father, who started the bar, was Irish.”
I shrug, and Xander rubs a circle on my back.
“Okay, so what are you thinking, Walker?”
“I guess the first question is, do you want to sell outright, or would you prefer to have a partner?” he asks.
I look at the building again.
“Here’s the thing,” I say slowly. “I don’t want to own a bar.
I don’t love bartending. Maybe a couple nights a month at the most. I’m good at it, but that doesn’t mean that I love it.
I’m a physical therapist. That’s what I enjoy the most. So, I don’t think I want to own it at all. I think I want to sell it.”
Holy shit. In one day, I’ve decided to sell my family business and my house.
“I’m ready to buy it,” Walker replies. “But I understand if you want to list it to see what kind of offers you get. The building was old to begin with, and with the fire damage, it needs to be torn down and hauled away. So, you’d basically be selling a prime lot on Main Street in town.”
I nod and look to Xander. “What do you think?”
“It might be a fresh start to cut ties with something that hurt you, thanks to Brenda.”
Brenda made me hate Lucky’s.
But then Xander surprises me when he turns to Walker and says, “Are you looking for a silent partner?”
Walker’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Are you looking to invest?”
“In a sports bar in my hometown? That sounds sick, yeah. I’d be down for it. So if you need an investor, and if Ivy doesn’t object, we should talk about it.”
I look back and forth between the two handsome men and feel the tension leave my shoulders.
I kind of love the idea of not being tied to the bar anymore, but knowing that it’s still going to be a place where our regulars can go makes me happy.
“Would you be willing to hire Ben?” I ask. “He’s an excellent bartender and a good person.”
“I’m sure we can work that out,” Walker says with a nod. “If he wants the job, that is.”
I look over there again and then turn back to them.
“Let’s look into an appraisal and get this ball rolling.”
Both sides of Walker’s mouth tip up now, and he offers me his hand to shake.
“Thank you,” he says.
“You’re the one that’ll have to tear down that place and start from scratch,” I remind him with a grin. “So thank you.”
Walker leaves soon after, and Xander and I are left at the table, finishing our drinks.
“You really want to be part owner of a new bar?” I ask Xander. He reaches over and takes my hand in his and gives it a squeeze.
“I’m always interested in new investment opportunities. Walker’s a good guy, and I think this town needs something like that. So yeah, I would do it. But not if it makes you feel weird.”
“Oh, it doesn’t. Not at all, actually. I’m kind of relieved that I don’t have to make any decisions for it or deal with rebuilding.
I can wash my hands of it—and my mother—once and for all.
I can pay off the back taxes she owes, and give Ben and the others some pay to help ease the burden of being out of work.
If there’s anything left over, I should send it to Brenda. ”
Xander shakes his head. “No way, Red. She owes you a lot more than what might be left over after you pay her debts. You kept that place afloat for a long time.”
He’s not wrong. I sigh and decide to wait and see how I feel about it when the time comes.
Xander clears his throat, and I tilt my head to the side.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to come clean about something.”
He looks so guilty.
“Okay.” I squeeze his hand and lean closer. “What’s going on?”
“Brenda contacted me a while ago. Tried to extort money from me. Clearly that didn’t happen, and she doesn’t worry me, but I’ve had a private investigator keeping an eye on her because I didn’t want her to try to hurt you. I felt better keeping tabs on her.”
I exhale and close my eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
“Hey, no. This isn’t your fault, and I was purely trying to protect you. But I got a call this morning that Brenda’s in Arizona. She’s not good, Ivy. She’s homeless, and he says it looks like she’s using. I need to know what you want me to do.”
I pause, frowning at him.
“What do you mean? What in the world would there be to do about this?”
“Do you want me to pay for her to get off the streets and clean her life up?”
“Fuck no.” I shake my head, and I wish that we were alone because I want to climb in his lap and hug him to me.
“No, Xander. I don’t want you to rescue her.
She made her choices, and she’s a horrible human being.
I did what I could to help her, and she let her life fall to shit all on her own.
I hate that it’s come to this for her, but if you gave her money, she would waste it and end up right back where she is.
You sent her to rehab for me, and she basically threw it back in your face.
We’re done helping her. Because she’d never return the favor for me. ”
His eyes move over my face, and when he sees that I mean every single word, he nods.
“Okay. I’ll tell the PI to close the case, and we’ll leave it alone.”
“Good. I’m ready for her to no longer be an issue in my life. I just want to move on.”
He leans over to capture my mouth with his. “Then that’s what we’ll do, wildcat.”