Chapter 47
forty-seven
GREER
Greer started at the sound of the door. She checked her phone, but there were no texts, and it was way too early for anyone to be home from work yet. Her heart was in her throat as she sauntered as calmly as possible toward the front door to see who it was. The twins were playing in the playroom at Lachlan’s house, but she hadn’t managed to go and pick up Alaric from school yet. She still had an hour before she needed to leave.
And surely Lachlan wasn’t home from the office this early.
Rounding the corner, Greer stopped. Ivy stood in the front hallway, a lost look on her face. She seemed so small and fragile. Greer frowned and started toward her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Ivy’s lips thinned, and her shoulders were tight and square. “ Nothing’s wrong,” she repeated.
“Why are you home so early then?” Greer took her hand and held it in her own. Her fingers were cold, chilled. But her cheeks had color to them, and she didn’t have that pale forlorn look in her gaze anymore. “What happened?”
“Abagail sent me home.” Ivy cleared her throat.
“W-why?” Greer pulled Ivy away from the front door and back toward the playroom so she could check on the twins.
“So that I could prepare.” Ivy seemed like she was in another world entirely.
Greer wrapped an arm around her waist and settled her onto the couch. Halle crawled into Ivy’s lap and gave her a hug before tottering off.
“I’m going to need you to fill me in.”
“I don’t know where to start.” Ivy ran her fingers through her hair. “No, that’s not true. I do know.” She took in a deep breath, her face going from blank and worried to a smile, her lips curling upward, her eyes squinting in the corners, and she turned to meet Greer face-to-face, a light in her eyes that Greer hadn’t ever seen before. “I won.”
“Won what?”
“Custody. The divorce trial. It’s final. I went to the lawyer’s office to sign paperwork before I came home. It’s done.” Ivy took Greer’s hand and squeezed it tightly, not letting go. “I won custody. Penny has visitation every other weekend and some holidays. It’s really done. I almost can’t believe it.”
“Why not?”
“It feels so…” Ivy wrinkled her nose in the most adorable way. “…anticlimactic.”
“Because there’s not a big fight? Or a big celebration?”
“Because what did I win?” Ivy frowned, the light vanishing from her eyes. “I just spent the last two years in hell, knowing full well that that hell isn’t going to end just because some papers have been signed. In fact, it might start up fresh because of what the judge decided. I fully anticipate that she’ll file again to adjust the custody arrangement, but at least the divorce will stay finalized.”
“That’s a plus.” Greer’s heart went out to her, breaking a little bit. “Did you think you’d be happy? Sad? Relieved?”
Ivy shook her head. “I don’t know what I thought, but it wasn’t this. This is just… I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“Then don’t.” Greer patted Ivy’s knee. “Just let it be, whatever it is, and go from there. You’ll figure it out eventually.”
Ivy sighed and leaned into Greer’s shoulder. “I’ll get the boys back after this weekend, and then they’re mine. Permanently.”
“It’ll be so good for them.” Greer wrapped her arm around Ivy’s shoulders and tugged her in so that Ivy could rest on her more fully. “It’ll be good for everyone, I think.”
“Yeah, it will.”
“I don’t suppose now is a good time to bring up the fact we need to renegotiate my contract.”
Ivy laughed, the sound blooming from her lips and reaching out into the room. “I can’t even think about that right now.”
“Right, that’s what I thought.” Greer grinned and dropped a kiss into Ivy’s hair. “Just making sure.”
They stayed quietly wrapped up together until it was time for Greer to leave. She got the girls set up and then left them with Ivy while she drove down to the school. She immediately hopped on the phone to text Lachlan and Nathalie, telling them that they needed to be home on time tonight. She didn’t tell them why, because it was Ivy’s news to share, but they needed to be there to support Ivy through whatever this was.
Greer was happy that Nathalie and Lachlan came home on time and didn’t even mention work. They walked into Lachlan’s house and stared at Ivy, waiting for whatever answer Ivy was going to give them. But she didn’t say anything. She walked directly into Nathalie and Lachlan’s arms and just held them.
Lachlan waved to Greer and ushered her over to join in the embrace. Greer hesitated, but she did wrap her arms around Ivy’s back and held onto all of them tightly. Davina and Halle wiggled their way in between their legs, and then Alaric even joined them. All that was missing was Shepherd and Leon and it would have been the entire family.
Greer closed her eyes and breathed this moment in. She hadn’t realized how much she needed this. How much she needed to know that they were all in this together through every up and down, through every moment and fear, through the celebrations and the we don’t know what to call this moments.
“You all should talk.” Greer took the kids back to the playroom and entertained them until dinner was ready.
Before she knew it, it was bedtime and they were tucking the kids away in their beds. Well, Alaric was sleeping in the cot that was in the twins’ room for times like this, but they were all asleep and settled. Greer had no idea what to do next, and she wasn’t sure if Ivy had figured out any more than she had before—like a name for what she was actually feeling.
Greer was in the kitchen cleaning up when Ivy snuck up behind her and wrapped her arms around her back in an awkward hug. Greer smiled, turning around, her hands still damp from the sink, and she wrapped them around Ivy’s back.
“You shouldn’t be doing the dishes,” Ivy murmured and leaned up to kiss her. “You’ve been with the kids all day. Let someone else do them.”
Greer hummed and kissed her again. “I don’t mind.”
“I mind.” Ivy leaned up on her toes, kissing Greer fully. This kiss wasn’t quick, and it was meant to excite. Greer pulled Ivy into her, running her hands up and down Ivy’s back, over her ass, as their lips moved together, their tongues tangling. Ivy moaned, nipping at Greer’s lower lip.
“What are we doing?” Greer whispered before she dove back in for another kiss. It was still light outside, the sun from the June sky only starting to fade. But she was distracted by this beautiful woman in her arms, the first person who had started everything, the hope, the passion, the accidental masturbation.
Ivy moved from Greer’s mouth, kissing along her jawline to her ear and then down her neck. She didn’t say anything as she started to undo the buttons on Greer’s shoulder and pulled the shirt from her waistband. Her fingers touched Greer’s skin, sending shivers and goosebumps all along her body. Greer grasped onto the edge of the kitchen counter and held onto it tightly as Ivy made her way down over Greer’s collarbone to the tops of her breasts.
Sighing, Greer held still and focused on the soft touch of Ivy’s lips against her skin, the tender way she kissed and explored. Ivy pulled down the cup of Greer’s bra, exposing her nipple to the cool air, and immediately covered it with her mouth, swirling her tongue around it. She looked up at Greer, and Greer nearly lost every ounce of control that she had.
“Ivy,” she murmured. “Is this a distraction?”
“No,” Ivy whispered back, only taking her lips from Greer’s body for a brief second. She slid her hand around Greer’s back and pulled her in closer.
Greer moaned in response, her hips pushing out toward Ivy. She wanted Ivy to touch her everywhere, to strip her naked and take her right here. “Ivy,” Greer tried again, digging her fingers into the edge of the counter. “I need to know what this is.”
Ivy didn’t answer immediately. She worked her way back up Greer’s body, taking her lips and pressing their chests together. Greer kissed her, threading her fingers into Ivy’s hair and holding her. These kisses and touches were so melancholy, which was so out of the norm for Ivy. It put Greer on edge, and she wanted to know what was going through Ivy’s mind.
“It’s love, Greer,” Ivy said directly into Greer’s ear. “It’s love.”
“But what’s going on with you?” Greer scraped her nails lightly against the backside of Ivy’s head. “You’re worrying me.”
“Don’t be.” Ivy grinned at her, her eyes crinkling in the corners as her entire face lit up. “I figured out what I was feeling.”
“Oh?” Greer raised an eyebrow at her.
“Peace.”
Greer couldn’t stop the smile that echoed Ivy’s. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Ivy kissed her again. “But I want this, right now and right here. Just you and me for a minute.”
“And then?”
“And then everyone else. This is our time to celebrate us, to celebrate moving forward and to celebrate something new. Don’t you think?”
“For sure.” Greer dove in and kissed her hard. Her heart was bursting with happiness. Not just from the moment they were sharing now, but from all the future moments that Ivy had promised in that one simple confession.
Ivy’s fingers were at Greer’s belt, undoing the buckle and then undoing the button and zipper on her pants, pulling them down to Greer’s ankles. She pressed her face against Greer’s pussy, drawing in a deep breath of her scent. Greer’s heart thudded hard at the sight. Ivy was pure arousal right now. Still dressed in her high heels and skirt and blouse from work, her hair only slightly mussed, though Greer knew it’d be tangled before the night was done.
The way Ivy shifted on her knees, the gentle kiss against Greer’s hip—there was so much freedom in this moment, in the action. Not that Ivy had held back before, but she was no longer shackled by the struggle of the last two years.
“This is for us,” Ivy murmured as she pulled down Greer’s underwear and pressed her face into Greer’s pussy. She started with a slow lick. Greer immediately spread her knees, and instead of gripping onto the counter for emotional support, this time it was for physical support.
“W-what do you want me to tell them if they come in here?” Greer gasped, her eyes half-lidded as she looked toward the living room where Nathalie and Lachlan were.
Ivy hummed, the vibrations sending ripples of pleasure through Greer’s body. She took her sweet time, licking and tasting, sucking and teasing, before she pulled away and scraped her teeth against Greer’s sensitive flesh.
“Tell them they can wait their turn.”
Greer gulped. What did that mean? Was she going to be the focus of tonight? Because she hadn’t ever let them all focus on her at the same time. Just the thought sent ripples of pleasure through her, the wetness between her legs growing even more, just in time for Ivy to lick her and swallow it. Ivy pressed her entire mouth against Greer, burying her face between Greer’s legs.
Groaning, Greer tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She tightened her fingers against the counter and held on to keep herself right where she was. She didn’t want to move. She wanted to be right here with Ivy between her legs. Her voice got loud as Ivy’s mouth became more insistent. Greer ground her hips down against Ivy’s face, her knees bending as she held herself up.
Ivy held her tightly, fingers digging into the backs of her thighs and adding to the overload of sensations rushing through her body. She cried out, her entire body tensing as pleasure raced through her and pooled right where Ivy’s mouth was pressed up against her. Greer tossed her head back, trying to hold herself as steady as possible. She wanted to come. She wanted the relief that the sensations would bring, but she wanted Ivy to stay between her legs for as long as humanly possible. She was so damn good with her mouth.
“Fuck, Ivy,” Greer muttered, gritting her teeth. She was so close. She was right on the edge of losing that little bit of control that she had left. Greer leaned forward before pushing her hips harder into Ivy’s mouth and crying out, her voice echoing through the kitchen before she bit back the sound.
Her heart raced as Ivy made her way back up her body with kisses and soft, tender touches. Their lips touched, and Greer melted into Ivy’s hands. They held each other close, kissing slow and lazy. Settled. That’s what this feeling was. Everything that had been up in the air was eased, and Greer felt settled, comfortable, like she belonged.
God, it felt good.
Ivy nipped her lip and backed away, winking at her. “Get dressed again.”
“What?” Greer frowned, flicking her gaze toward the living room. “I thought.”
Ivy shrugged and sauntered away, a grin on her lips and a sway in her hips as she went. Greer leaned against the counter, exposed and mostly naked, but she couldn’t bring herself to bend back down and pull her pants up yet. She still needed a minute from that orgasm.
When she pulled herself together and had her clothes back in order, Greer walked barefoot toward the living room. She could hear them talking, the television playing something. She sat down on the chair, the three of them on the couch, and immediately all eyes were on her.
“What?” Greer asked, trying to hold herself steady.
“I smell sex.” Nathalie looked at her directly. “And it smells delicious.”
Greer laughed lightly, her cheeks heating. “And?”
“And I’m a little disappointed in you two.” Nathalie faced Ivy, a stern look on her face. “I think a celebration should involve all of us.”
“It should,” Ivy agreed, that mischievous look in her eyes again. “Where would you suggest?”
Nathalie looked directly at Lachlan. “The bed. Because I’m too pregnant for this couch shit.”
“The bed it is.” Ivy turned and straddled Nathalie, their mouths pressing together hard and fast.
Nathalie was taken by surprise, her hands on Ivy’s hips as she held her firmly. Greer smiled at them, loving the way that Ivy wasn’t holding back, the way she willingly gave so much of herself to everyone, even when she was just barely holding herself together.
Greer needed a few more minutes before she stood up again, letting her muscles relax and recuperate after that orgasm in the kitchen. Ivy broke the kiss with Nathalie and turned to Lachlan. She stood up and held out her hand until Lachlan was standing and facing her.
“Show me what you want to do.”
“Sure.”
Ivy led Lachlan by the hand back toward Lachlan’s bedroom, leaving Nathalie and Greer alone. Nathalie pinned her hard with a look, her lips twitching at the corners as they threatened to burst into a smile.
“You taste good on her.”
“Oh God.” Greer covered her face.
“So very good.”