Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Wyatt
Ipush open the locker room door, and my smile widens the second I spot Ivy waiting just outside with Sienna and little Lila.
“Hey, you,” I say, crossing the space and wrapping her up in my arms.
“You were amazing,” she murmurs into my chest.
“Thanks, baby.” I lean back slightly. “Did you enjoy it?”
There’s a spark in her eyes that I haven’t seen in days, and it eases something tight in my chest. Her glow is coming back slowly.
“I had the best time,” she says with a smile. “Sienna and Lila were great company.”
Sienna steps forward with a grin. “I’ve already invited Ivy and you to dinner sometime soon.”
“I’d love that,” I reply, matching her smile.
“Ivy and I swapped numbers,” Sienna adds. “I’ll text you with a night that works, Ivy.”
“Looking forward to it,” Ivy says.
“Did you want to wait and meet some of the team?” I ask her, stepping out of the embrace and tangling her fingers with mine.
“Sure. Okay,” she says with a shy smile.
I squeeze her hand just as the door opens and Lewis, Sienna’s husband, steps out.
“Hey, there’s my girls,” he says, walking to Sienna and kissing her before taking an excited-looking Lila into his arms. He presses kisses to her rosy cheeks, her giggles echoing down the corridor.
I watch them with a smile tugging at my lips. That’s the future I want. Ivy standing here after training, holding our baby, waiting for me. The image plays so vividly in my mind that it almost feels real. And God, I can’t wait for the day it is.
“Lewis, this is Ivy,” I say, when he’s finished tickling Lila. “Ivy, Lewis.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ivy says.
Lewis smiles. “You too, Ivy. Wyatt hasn’t shut up about you since training started.”
“Lewis!” Sienna chastises. “Don’t embarrass him.”
I laugh. “I’m used to it.”
Ivy looks at me. “You’ve been talking about me?”
I wrap my arm around her. “Maybe,” I say with a wink.
Before she can respond, the locker room door swings open again, and Ricky steps out, flashing a grin when he sees Ivy.
“Hey, Ivy. Good to see you again.”
A faint blush creeps up Ivy’s cheeks. “Hi, Ricky.”
“You know,” he says, teasing, “last time we met, you gave me a fake number. Just wondering if that was an accident… or something else.”
He glances between us, clearly enjoying himself.
“It was something else,” I say on a laugh. “Definitely something else.”
He grins. “Decided you liked football after all, then?”
Ivy smiles and looks up at me. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Happy for you, man,” he says, clapping me on the shoulder. “You too, Ivy. Catch you later, guys.”
He walks off, and Lewis raises his eyebrows. “What was all that about?”
I laugh. “It’s a long story.”
“One for when you come over for dinner, maybe?” Sienna says.
“Definitely,” Ivy replies.
“I guess we should get this one home,” Lewis says, placing his hand on Lila’s back as she drops her head on his shoulder, her thumb going in her mouth.
“We’ll walk out with you,” I say, squeezing Ivy’s hand.
After saying goodbye in the underground parking garage, we walk hand in hand to my car. We’re driving away from the stadium when my phone rings through the hands-free. Checking the display, my heart pounds as I see Nash’s name.
I reach across the car and take Ivy’s hand before answering the call.
“Nash, what’s happening?” I ask, my voice tight.
“It’s over.”
My eyes widen, and I look across at Ivy, whose expression mirrors mine.
“It’s over?” I echo. “You’re sure?”
“She’s in police custody. She met with Cleo, and then we trailed her back to her place. We found laptops, burner phones, and a handful of fake passports. We got her, Wyatt. There’s enough evidence to link her to five or six extortion cases all over the U.S., yours included.”
His words register, but it’s like they’re filtering in through a haze. My mind can’t quite catch up with what he’s just said.
It’s over.
After everything this week; the sleepless nights, the reporters camped out, and the overwhelming fear of what might happen next, it’s really over.
We can finally put a statement out. Clear Ivy’s name. That’s all I’ve ever wanted from the minute this circus started, and now, thanks to Nash, I can.
“Thank you, Nash,” Ivy says, and I look across at her, silent tears tracking down her cheeks.
“Yeah, thanks, man. Even though saying thank you doesn’t seem enough,” I tell him, squeezing Ivy’s hand.
“I’m just glad we got her,” Nash says. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
He ends the call, and I pull the car over, killing the engine. We’re in my truck, and Ivy unbuckles her seat belt, climbs across the center console, and straddles my lap. I wrap my arms around her and hold her while she cries.
Even though it kills me, I let her cry for a couple of minutes, holding her tightly against my chest. When her tears subside, I gently squeeze her waist, and she lifts her head. I brush a piece of hair off her damp cheek, tucking it behind her ear.
“Can we go home?” she asks quietly.
I smile. “Of course.”
She slides back into her seat and buckles her seatbelt, glancing over when I don’t start the engine.
“Everything okay?” she asks.
I look at her, my heart thudding in my chest. “You’re going to move into the Willow Street place with me, right? I don’t want it to be mine. I want it to be ours.”
Her eyes widen. “Wait… what?”
I reach across the console and take her hand.
“When I walked through that house, Ivy, all I could see was you. You in the kitchen making pancakes, you curled up in the living room watching movies, you out back by the pool with a drink in your hand.” I smile.
“You decorating the giant Christmas tree in the entryway, bossing me around with tinsel and fairy lights.”
She laughs, and the sound wraps around me.
“I know my schedule’s crazy, and I won’t always be home. But when I am, I want you there. I want a life with you, Ivy. And someday, I want that house filled with little versions of you running around.”
She giggles. “Only if we get a couple of little Wyatts in the mix too.”
I grin. “So… is that a yes?”
Without a word, she unclips her seatbelt and climbs across the center console, settling into my lap again. Her arms wrap around my neck, and I feel her smile against my cheek.
“It’s a yes. I love you, Wyatt. I want all of it. You, the house, the future, everything.” She pauses, her tone softening. “But I have one condition.”
“Name it,” I say instantly. “Whatever you want.”
“I’m selling my house. Whatever I make from that goes toward the Willow Street place. Maybe it’s not much, but I want to contribute. I want this to be ours too, but in every way.”
I start to protest, but she shakes her head firmly. “That part’s non-negotiable.”
I press a kiss to her temple, holding her tightly. “Deal.”
“We’re really doing this?” she asks.
I nod. “We’re really doing this, baby. And I can’t wait.”
Holding her in my arms, something shifts, like the chaos finally quiets. Ivy’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Being Ash’s best friend, she was always around. Always a constant, but I never imagined this.
I never imagined us.
Not until something—and I don’t know if that was fate, timing or Ash—put her right in front of me in a way I couldn’t ignore. And once I really saw her, there was no going back.
I don’t know how I got this lucky, but I do know I’m holding everything I never knew I needed. And I’ll spend every day making sure she never doubts that she’s it for me.
The past is behind us. And for the first time in forever, the future feels like something I want to run toward.
With Ivy by my side, I know I’m already home.