Ivy says goodbye to everyone and when she closes the door, she leans against it. “You don’t have to stay. I’m fine, you can be with your friends.”
I slowly walk toward her, her brown eyes following my every step. When I reach her, I put my hands flat on the door above her head and look down at her. “I don’t want to be with them, I want to be here with you,” I whisper. She gives a visible shiver and I grin. “I want to talk to you without fighting.”
She searches my eyes and nods. “I’d like that.”
I push off the door and take her hand in mine, leading her to the couch. When we sit down, I turn to face her. “I know it’s late and you’re probably tired, so if you want to talk in the morning, we can do that.”
“No, I’d like to talk now,” she says.
I nod and run my hand through my hair. “Tell me what you want Ivy.”
She looks down for a minute, but before I can force her to look at me, she lifts her head. “I wanted to move here and start a new life. I wanted a fresh start, but it seems everything is all but forcing me back to Vegas. I’m jobless and don’t have enough money to survive. I won’t be able to get a job that will allow me to afford this beautiful apartment and view.” She takes a deep breath and bites her lip. “I don’t want to be here raising the baby by myself. You want to be in his or her life and I don’t want to be the reason you aren’t. Harper said she’d hire me back at Souls Two and I’ll look for a place while I try to get out of my lease here.”
I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face as I look at her. It’s almost everything I wanted. I reach across and grab her hand and this time she doesn’t pull away. “We all want a fresh start, sweetheart, but running from it never works. I’m sorry it didn’t work out how you wanted, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy you’re moving back. You don’t need to look for a place to stay, you’ll stay with me. I already told you I want you there.” I pull her closer to me and grip onto her hips. Her breathing hitches and it makes my cock take notice. “I pushed you away because I have trust issues, not because I didn’t want you. I’ve never been more attracted to another woman. You’ve gotten under my skin without me even noticing and I’d like to see where this goes.”
A tear runs down her face and I quickly wipe it away. “I’m not scared of you Kace, I’m scared of falling for you and losing you.” She dips her head biting her lip. “I owed you that truth.”
I reach up and pull her lip from her teeth. “I’m not gonna walk away, sweetheart. I’m not that guy.”
She lifts her head and her sad eyes slam into mine. “I’m scared you’ll be killed, not walk away.”
The realization hits me hard and I close my eyes. I lean forward and rest my forehead against hers. “I’m not going to be killed. You’re giving me more reason than ever to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and buries her head into my neck. She’s crying and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close to me. I know it’s her being pregnant that is making her cry so much because in all the time I’ve known her, I never once saw her cry.
She suddenly jumps up and runs down the hallway, slamming the bathroom door. I rush after her and find her on the floor with her head in the toilet. I squat behind her and rub her back while she empties her stomach. When she’s finished, I wet two washcloths. I hand her one and the other I place on the back of her neck. She sighs as she lays her head down on her arm, still on the toilet.
“Are you okay?”
She lifts her eyes to me and shakes her head. “Yeah but I’m tired.”
I lift her into my arms as she tries to protest. I carry her to the bedroom and sit her down on the bed. “Let me help you out of these clothes and then I’ll get you some water,” I say. I pull her shirt off and I need to remind myself she’s not feeling well when I’m met with her perfect tits. She’s got no fucking bra on. I keep my focus on her pink and white shorts, pulling them off her legs.
“I’ll grab a shirt,” she says, keeping an arm around her chest.
“Where is it?” I ask, stepping back. She tells me where to find it and once I do, I hand it to her. I don’t trust myself to be any closer to her naked body. Once she has it on, I pull back her comforter and she crawls under it. I pull it up around her and smile before leaving the room. I grab a bottle of cold water from the fridge and I look for crackers in the cabinet. I did a little research when she left and read that crackers can help with morning sickness.
When I return, she is in a ball appearing so much smaller than normal. I can see she doesn’t feel well, and it kills me that I can’t do anything else. I sit on the edge of the bed and place the water on the nightstand. “I read that crackers can help with morning sickness. Do you want to try to eat a couple?” I ask, running my hand through her hair.
“Maybe later, I’ll just have a little water,” she says reaching for it.
She takes a few very small sips and I take it from her when she reaches to put it down. “Try to get some sleep,” I say, leaning over and pressing a kiss on the side of her head. “If you need anything, I’ll be in the living room.”
As I stand, she grabs my arm and I turn my head to look at her. “Can you lay with me awhile?”
I search her face noticing the exhaustion and hope in her eyes. “Of course, I can, sweetheart.”
I strip out of everything but my boxers and climb into bed next to her. I can’t remember a time I just laid with a woman, but in this moment, I don’t want anything more. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close to me. The feel of her small body pressed against me makes me feel peaceful for the first time since I was a kid.
I flatten my hand on her stomach and she startles. I give it a minute to see if she tells me to move it, but she doesn’t. I rub my thumb lazily against her feeling overwhelmed that my baby is inside of her. I press a kiss below her ear and sigh. “I know we didn’t plan this, but right now holding you and my baby, it’s the most peaceful and happy I’ve felt since I was a kid,” I whisper.
“I feel safe in your arms,” she whispers.
“You are sweetheart. You both are.”
She doesn’t say anything, but I can feel her relax more into me. I can also feel her wipe her tears. There’s nothing else to say, I just keep my protective hand over my baby as my arm keeps Ivy safely against me. I could get used to this.
“I’m going to try to get her to come back with me,” I say to Z as I stand outside smoking.