Epilogue
EPILOGUE
“A re you sure?” Ivy asked.
“Like, seventy-five percent. Seventy-four.”
She smacked him with a cushion when his nose scrunched at her.
“You’re such a dick! I take it back.”
“Can’t. It’s non-refundable.”
“It’s like a hundred years old and was free,” she replied pointedly.
“Exactly, how would I get a refund on that?”
She rolled her eyes.
“But you’re definitely sure?”
“Couldn’t be surer.”
“Me neither.” She grinned up at him, air vanishing from her chest as he suppressed her grin with his own.
He grabbed her waist, yanking her down the bed with him, unfazed by her wild cackle. Brushing a hair from her cheek, his hand flowed smoothly into holding her jaw, tugging on her lower lip with his thumb. Ivy adjusted herself under him, wiggling until she maximised their points of contact. Wiggling more just to hear him groan again. He threaded his other hand through hers, stretching them upwards and anchoring her left hand on the pillow. A spoilt sigh escaped her, and she rolled her hips against him. Laughing at it, he obliged, matching her pace with his core and teasing her mouth open with his. It had been a year since she had officially moved to the island. Her bed in Tong was really ceremonial at this point, barely used and soon to be no more as her tenancy agreement drew its last. This bed, this room, this house, this mouth had become home in ways Ivy had never even thought to consider in the past.
Before they could get too far, there was a sudden drumming on the bedroom door.
“Hurry up,” Ally’s voice trailed along the hall.
“Get out of my house,” Ross barked back, holding himself over her, forcing Ivy’s eyes to wander over his taut forearms instead of his face.
“Pick a new spot to hide your spare key then!”
Ivy smirked up at him.
“Don’t you start,” he said, rolling off her and standing up. He bit back a smile when he looked down at her sprawled out on the bed. “Well, they’ve made it inside now, we’re stuck with them.”
Ivy took his outstretched hand and allowed herself to be dragged from the bed. He tugged her to his chest and spoke into her crown.
“How do you want to do this?”
“However you like as long as I get to ding the glass at the start.” She looked up from his arms to catch him roll his eyes affectionately.
“Fine, I’ll give up the one good bit.”
“Basically nothing interesting other than that bit. I’d just stay here without it.”
“Well, I do need you there, so deal.” He pressed a kiss against her temple and then led her to the kitchen.
Kirsty was already rifling through the fridge when they reached them, the entire room looking like it had been hit by a professional chef bomb.
“Hey, what are you—” Ivy started when Kirsty finally breached for air.
“Oh my God, what is that?!” She screeched.
Her eyes snapped wide to Ross, who just shrugged.
“Eyes like a fucking hawk,” he muttered, barely concealing a smile.
By now Kirsty was on them, the offending hand, diamond ring and all, in hers. Holding it up to her husband, she shouted his name.
“What?” Ally replied, not yet turning around while he chopped something.
“Alasdair!”
“What is so…” he trailed off, a grin tearing up his cheeks when he followed her command finally. “Well look at that.”