Chapter 9 #2
“I’m trying to believe that you really do want what’s best for her, but you’ve already uprooted everything she knows. I guess I should’ve expected another decision like that.”
“You’re what’s best for her, and I’m going to be too–whether that’s in this house or on a tour bus.”
“I don’t want to consider that right now,” I admitted. “I’m doing everything I can to keep an open mind, even though you basically blackmailed me into coming here.”
“I know we didn’t meet under the best of circumstances, but I’m hoping we can at least be friends, Cassia,” Memphis said, softening his voice. “I started us out on the wrong foot, and I apologize for that.”
“I don’t blame you, Memphis. I know I sound bitter–and I am, a little–but I’ll keep an open mind if you promise not to pull anything like that again.”
“I won’t. From now on, we’re a team, and I’ll talk to you like an adult. I promise.” He stuck his hand out. “Friends?”
I couldn’t help but smile as I said, “We’ll see.” He frowned, refusing to let go of my hand until I gave in. “Friends.”
“Good! Now, I took you at your word when you said that you were only bringing clothes, personal items, and Ivy’s crib, so I had my sisters help me choose bedroom furniture for everyone.
They’re supposed to be neutral so you can .
. . honestly, I stopped listening at that point, so I’m not really sure what she said, but we can get anything else you need. ”
I burst out laughing and admitted, “I zone out when my sisters get going too.”
“I’m glad it’s not just me! Anyway, there are clean sheets for the beds, but Scarlet is dying to take you shopping for bedding and all that shit.
I’ve seen her bedroom, and she seems to have found an underground pillow warehouse out there somewhere.
Her bed is covered in unnecessary pillows. I don’t get it, but you do you.”
I pretended to be shocked as I asked, “How did you hear about the secret warehouse?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me. She tried to put fifteen of the damn things on the couch, but I reminded her that they’d just get thrown on the floor or end up being used to hit people. It made her twitch, but she got over it.”
“You have two sisters, right?”
“Yes. Scarlet and Dahlia. Dahlia’s the oldest. I don’t mind shopping with her, but going with Scarlet is a hard pass.”
“Why?”
“Because Dahlia is a mechanic, so she shops at junkyards and part stores. Those are my kind of places.”
“They sound like polar opposites.”
“They are, but don’t get it twisted–Scarlet can pull an engine and drop a new one better than most men. She just wears gloves while she does it so she doesn’t fuck up her manicure.”
“I have a feeling you’ll be saying that about Ivy one day,” I said. “Her fascination with cars and motorcycles was always a mystery, but I guess it’s just in her blood.”
“It is. My grandpa opened a shop ages ago, and it’s still thriving. Papa Smokey has retired, and Dad’s working towards that, too, so my cousins Ransome and Elvis are learning how to run it.”
“Ransome and Elvis? Really?” I asked with my eyebrows raised.
“My name is Memphis. I can’t throw shade.”
I bit my lip. “And your brothers?”
“Chevy, Loyal, and Harley.”
“All very unique names,” I said, trying to hold back a grin.
“They’re not even the most unique in my family,” Memphis announced with a smile.
I couldn’t hold it any longer and burst out laughing. “I can’t imagine what you’ll name your children!”
“Mitch, Joe, Mike, Dan, Duane, Billy, Stacy, Melissa, Pamela, Kaylee, Jennifer, and Christy.”
He looked so serious I laughed even harder. “That’s quite a list. It seems that you’ve put a lot of thought into it.”
“It’s a running joke in my family. Whoever has kids first gets dibs on the ‘normal’ names.”
“And Ivy is the rebel, I guess.”
Memphis softly said, “Ivy is a good name. Classic. Easy to spell.”
“Her father . . . my brother was named Ivan. Ivy is named after him.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, but at least now there’s a legacy to remind you of him.”
“Thank you,” I said, touched by his words. I looked around the room and let my eyes follow the stairs to the landing. “Are our rooms up there?”
“Actually, the rooms I picked for you and Ivy are down here. Your sisters can choose which ones they want upstairs.”
Memphis led me back toward the hallway and opened the door at the end.
“This is a smaller room, but I thought it would be perfect for Ivy.” Then he opened the door to the right and said, “I figured you’d want to be close to her, so I picked this one for you.
If you’d rather be upstairs with your sisters, though . . .”
“No! This is perfect!” I said as I walked inside.
The corner bedroom was massive with a wall of windows on one side and French doors leading out to a covered porch on another.
The attached bathroom was tiled in bright white with a huge soaking tub I knew Ivy would adore.
I slid open the pocket door and gasped. The closet was bigger than most bedrooms I’d seen.
“Are you sure this is supposed to be a closet? It’s big enough for Ivy to use as a bedroom. ”
“It’s a little over the top, I know, but when I chose the house plans, I knew I wasn’t ever moving, so I planned for this to be the primary bedroom one day.”
“I thought the one by the kitchen was the primary,” I admitted.
“No, that’s the nursery on the plans, but I took it for myself since it’s close to the kitchen and the garage.
I was using this as a home gym, but I relocated everything to the garage a few days ago.
There are four rooms and two bathrooms upstairs.
I thought that someday when I had kids they could gradually move up there as they got old enough. ”
I turned and stared at Memphis in amazement before I said, “You put a lot of thought into this.”
“The house? Yeah. Like I said, I don’t plan on ever moving, so . . .”
“Not just the house,” I interrupted. “But making us comfortable.”
“I want this to be your home for as long as you want it to be, Cassia.”
I looked around the room and then back to the man that had flipped my whole world upside down. “You surprise me at every turn, Memphis.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
“It is. I was terrified you’d just rip Ivy out of my arms, but you’ve made space for all of us. Even my sisters.”
“That’s how family works.”