21
Tiny watches me closelyas I muck the stall beside him. He is the goofiest horse I have ever met, and he is glued to me every chance he gets.
Cleaning stalls is seriously the part of chores I hate the most and the one I procrastinate for the last part of the day whenever possible.
It has been a few days since we went to Hilltop, had sex in the bathroom, and left to come home to do it all over again in our bed. I catch myself reliving the moment in my head as I scoop up each pile.
I hear a car pull up at the house and it does not sound like Logan’s truck. The dogs are barking like crazy, so I know it is not a familiar vehicle to them. I put down the shovel and rub Tiny’s head as I walk past him towards the end of the barn. The sun is bright and blinds me as I step out of the barn towards the house. Blinking a few times, I finally notice the car that pulled up and I stop dead in my tracks.
“Dad?”
My father is stepping out of his car and looking around. I walk towards him, confused and looking around seeing Logan’s truck but not seeing Logan anywhere.
“Dad?” I say louder, getting his attention. He is dressed like he just left work. A suit and tie with dress shoes.
“Ivy!” he says, shocked at my appearance, “What on earth have you been doing?” he asks me, looking at the dust and mud on my jeans.
“Muc—cleaning stalls,” I say, “What are you doing here?” I ask, confused.
He clears his throat and says, “Stephen told me where I could find you.” Of course he did. He looks around, “This is a beautiful place.”
He’s trying to change the subject on me, and it confuses me even more. “Where’s mom?” I ask him sternly.
He looks nervous, “I came alone. You know how your mother is, Ivy. She’s still not happy about the wedding and how you ran off.” He states, shuffling his feet with his hands in his pocket.
“And you?” I step forward, “What did you think about it?”
He clears his throat again and that is when he pulls his hand out of his pocket. I notice it’s bandaged. Seeing where my eyes went, he rubs his knuckles with his other hand, “I made sure Stephen would not be a problem for you again. He has run off with Courtney and we haven’t seen them since.” He lets out a breath like he’s been holding it, “I am so sorry that I did not come sooner, sweetie. Your mother lied to me about your phone. She said you turned it off so we couldn’t find you. If I would have known she did it, I would have been here sooner.”
In that moment I run to my dad and bear hug him, tears falling down my face. “I’ve missed you, Daddy.”
He hugs me back, but I feel hesitation in his embrace. I know there is something else going on. Looking up at him, I ask, “What’s wrong?”
He runs his hand through his hair and shifts nervously. I am now nervous myself. “Can we sit down and talk, sweetheart?” he asks, gesturing to the porch. I nod and walk with him towards the swing.
“You look happy.” He says as we sit down, and he brushes my hair out of my eyes. I smile but my eyes tell him to finish saying what he came here to say.
“I love you, Ivy. I need you to know that because after what I’m about to tell you... you may not feel the same about me.” He looks down as if he is ashamed of something and my gut gets a knot inside it.
Logan comes walking around the side of the house and my dad looks and sits up straight, “Who are you?” He speaks, protectively.
Logan walks up on the porch, but taken aback by his words, mirrors my father’s tone. “Id like to ask you the same thing. That’s my girl you”re sitting near. Care to state your intentions?” He steps towards me, and I grab his hand.
“Logan, this is my father.” The tension eases in both of their faces as they calm down. Logan brushes his hand off on his pants and reaches out to shake my father’s, “Nice to meet you-” he looks at me, “James,” I tell him, “James. I’m Logan Parker”
Logan nods and my father shakes his hand. I notice the attempt to twist their hands in dominance, but Logan stands his ground. They release when my father chuckles, surrendering. “You got my approval boy.” He sits back relaxing in his seat.
“Do you need anything Logan?” I ask him, “My father was needing to speak with me about something.” Logan, understanding the need to be alone with my father, shakes his head and bends down to kiss me on the lips deeply. “Sir.” He says leaving and nods to my father.
“Quite the guy you”ve found, there.” My father says as he watches Logan walk to the barn.
I smile, “He’s everything I could have ever dreamed of. He sort of reminds me of you.” My dad looks uncomfortable again and he turns to me. “I need you to understand what I am about to give you is not because I do not love you. It is because I do. Ivy, I want you to know, you will always be my little girl.” He looks at me for a moment and then kisses my forehead.
Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulls out a large envelope. It looks old and worn. Tears prick his eyes, and he hands it to me. “I do not want you reading it until I leave. All of the information you need is inside. Please remember, darling, I love you and nothing in this envelope changes that.” He grabs my hands and stands before walking towards the end of the porch. “You belong here, Ivy. More than you know. I am amazed this is where you ended up.” He pauses, “I’m so proud of you. Call me when you get done reading it if you can. I love you.” He turns and walks off the porch, opens his car door and he’s gone faster than he came.
I’m confused, looking down at the bulky envelope in my hand. It”s addressed to my parents. There is a set of keys I can feel from the outside, a few documents and something else that feels like a thicker piece of paper.
I take a deep breath and open the envelope. Turning sideways in the swing, I dump everything out and take it all in. There is an envelope that says, Open me first on the outside. I grab it and open it to find a handwritten note on a few of the sheets. It”s written in pen. I unfold it even though I am still confused and start reading the first line.