Chapter 16
IVY
While helping Chad out with his girls is a little bit of torture—for both of us, I think—it’s also a thrill.
After talking everything out last night, it’s like I’m his partner.
Well, maybe his partner in training. Obviously, we’re still brand new, and he’s doing ninety-nine percent of parent responsibilities, but he leans on me in little moments and I love it.
I love helping him like this. I love being here for him to support him in a way he needs.
I love the secret looks he casts my way.
The girls pick up that there’s something different. Well, Scarlett does, at least.
“Daddy?” she asks when we’re settled on the plane and waiting for takeoff. “Is Ivy your new best friend?”
Chad and I share a look across the first-class aisle—another bonus of choosing to go home with them to Houston. Chad paid for my flight change and my upgrade. I’m sitting by the window with Scarlett next to me, and across from us, Chad sits in the aisle seat with Zoey next to the window.
I’m sure Carlie can’t help herself, but she peers around the edge of her seat in the row in front of us and wiggles her eyebrows. Luckily, Scarlett’s looking down, coloring on her tablet.
“Ivy and I have always been good friends.” Chad winks at me, probably because Scarlett is still focused on her coloring.
“But now you kind of want to be with her a lot more.” Scarlett colors in a flower and looks up at me. Then she turns to her dad, expression questioning.
Chad glances at me and gives a shrug. “I like spending time with Ivy,” he says.
Zoey kneels on her seat and leans over Chad. “I like spending time with Ivy.”
Scarlett beams at me and gives me a hug. “Me too. Do you want to be our nanny too? Then we could have two nannies. That would be so much fun.”
I burst into laughter. “Do you think Carlie needs help being your nanny?” I ask, grateful the conversation has moved on past how much Chad and I like each other. At least she didn’t ask me to be her mommy or something. Things could have gotten dicey.
Scarlett goes back to coloring. “Sometimes Carlie says she needs another Carlie to help with all the stuff. You could be like another Carlie to help out Daddy.”
Carlie snickers from in front of me. “With benefits,” I hear her whisper. I reach through the space between her and Law’s seats and flick her shoulder. She and Law laugh harder.
“I’m not sure I can be as cool of a nanny as Carlie. How about I just be your friend who helps out sometimes?” I pull out the bag of Skittles I always take on flights to make sure my ears pop, and offer Scarlett some, then pass the bag to Chad to share with them.
Law mutters something to Carlie about if I’m going to call Chad daddy, and I flick him as hard as I can. “Gross,” I hiss at him. His grin widens.
See what I mean about him being like my brother?
“I think that sounds like a great idea,” Chad says, but even his voice is tinged with amusement. At least someone thinks Carlie and Law’s jokes are amusing.
Once we land in Houston, there’s a big SUV that Law hired waiting to take us home. The driver drops off Chad first. He waves at Carlie to stay put when she moves to slide out to help him put the girls to bed.
“I can handle bedtime. I’m not on call until the morning.” When the girls are turned away, pulling their adorable little carry-on suitcases up the sidewalk to the front door, he leans in and plants a quick kiss on my cheek. “See you later.”
“Yeah,” I whisper, sliding my hand down his arm before he pulls away to hurry after the girls.
When I’m settled in the first-floor guest room of Law’s house, lounging on the bed with my ankle propped up on some extra pillows, I call one of my closest life-coach friends, a woman who I went through training with right after I graduated from college.
“Hey, Ivy, how was Denver?” Allie asks when she answers.
Though she lives in Florida, we text each other all the time.
She knew I’d be mostly radio silent over Christmas since I was going to see Law.
The way Law needed to change our relationship after meeting Carlie was something Allie and I discussed at length as she helped me process my feelings, even when I knew it was the right move for Law.
“Amazing, actually,” I say. “It’s kind of why I called. I need to do a check-in to make sure I didn’t just jump into a relationship the same way I did with Caleb last spring.”
“With who?” Allie asks, her tone filled with shock.
“Did I ever talk about Chad Harrell with you? He’s Law’s neighbor, and they’re really good friends.”
She hums. “The name sounds familiar.”
“He’s a single dad and has these two amazing little girls.”
“Oh, right!” Allie says. “The ones Law’s girlfriend takes care of.”
“Yup. She got stuck in Houston for an extra day, and I ended up helping Chad out and … connecting with him.”
“Ahhh. And you’re calling to check that you’re ready to date and not just telling yourself you are because he’s a good kisser.”
“Mmmmm,” I say, thinking of the way he pressed me up against the door again after he carried me to the library at Ava and Gabriella’s rental. I shiver thinking about it. “He is a really good kisser.”
Allie laughs. “Okay, setting that aside. What do you like most about the potential with Chad—the kissing, or …?” She leaves the sentence open for me.
“The future.” The answer springs to my lips automatically. “It excites me to think about it. When Caleb and I said we were going to elope, it was kind of thrilling. To be doing something so spontaneous. And honestly, we could have worked just fine.”
Allie hums an agreement but doesn’t say more.
“But this …” I close my eyes and remember the way Scarlett and Zoey curled up in my lap at the game and fell asleep. “I should be scared that I’m dating someone with two kids, but … I’m not. I’m excited.”
“I can hear it in your voice,” Allie says. “Is your relationship with Malcolm still sticking with you, the way it was when you started dating Caleb?”
I laugh at that. When Malcolm confronted me at the game, once I’d told him I was okay and we should move on, it was like I knew it was the truth for the first time. “Nope. I saw Malcolm at the game.”
Allie gasps. “And …?”
“And he told me that the reason he never asked me to marry him was because he thought I’d dated Law and that he wanted a second chance. It was easy to tell him no. It didn’t matter why we’d broken up. It didn’t change anything.”
“You know you don’t need me to give you the go-ahead, right? You’ve already checked in on yourself. We both know this is a good thing.” Allie chuckles as she finishes.
I’m quiet for a moment, and Allie lets me be. That’s the nice thing about having other life coaches as friends. “Yeah,” I say. “I guess it’s that I’m falling so hard for him already. That feels a little too close to what happened with Caleb.”
“Except this time you’re not escaping. What feels different, Ivy?”
I close my eyes and think about spending time with Chad.
There’s a deep sense of calm and rightness, something that I can now recognize wasn’t there with Caleb.
That was heady and exhilarating and a rush—but it wasn’t this.
“I know deeply that it’s right. I know in a way I can’t explain, and I have words for everything. ”
“Hmmm.” I can hear the smile in her voice. “It sounds amazing. You’re good, Ivy. This is good.”
I grin to myself. “I know.”
I’m watching The Holiday a half hour later when there’s a tap at my door, and I pause the movie, calling, “Come in.”
Chad pushes the door open, entering with a sheepish smile. “Hey there.”
“What are you doing here?” Maybe it’s because the electricity between us is new, but I feel like I light up every time he’s near, like he flips a switch and my brain says, Yes, this is exactly what we want.
“Carlie can’t stop herself from ‘helping out.’” He throws up air quotes with his fingers and comes to sit on the side of the bed.
“The girls are asleep, and she said she and Law can watch a movie over there as easily as here, and you’re less mobile right now.
She seems really excited.” Chad wiggles his eyebrows.
I pat the space next to me, inviting him to cozy up. He obeys and slips an arm behind my back. “I think she’s just happy to see you happy. Considering everything she’s seen you go through, it must be a relief.”
He runs his fingers through some hair escaping from my ponytail. “Yeah,” he agrees, kissing the top of my head. “It will make dating you without telling the girls a lot easier if she’s eager to help out.”
I lay my head on his shoulder and turn to look up at him. “Just being with you is perfect. We’re going to be fine.”
“I know,” he says. “But …” He gives me a faux serious look. “For my own information, you never actually dated Law, right? I’m going to have to up my game if one of your exes is a pro-football player.” His eyes dance with mischief.
I smack him softly in the arm. “I never dated Law. Pinky promise.”
“That’s also a relief.” He lets out an exaggerated sigh and swipes a hand dramatically across his forehead.
I roll my eyes, but it’s fun to see Chad relaxed enough for teasing like this.
I like that I can help him with that. He leans over so his lips hover near mine.
“I’d better stock up, you know, on kisses.
Just in case. With the girls around, I’ll never know when my next one might be. ”
I smile as our lips touch. “Definitely not opposed.”
Then I put my arm around Chad, and I don’t let go for a long time.