“And also a few thousand cheaper.”
Ivy shook her head. Yes, it would be cheaper, but she loved the city.
Her cell rang from the bedside table, and her stomach clenched, hoping she didn’t have to go to work.
“Hi, Mom.” She pushed away from Gabe, wrapping the sheet around her.
“Ivy, are you coming to dinner today? We haven’t seen you for a couple of days.”
“Sorry, I got caught up at work since Friday. I’m here with Gabe. We would love to come to dinner.”
“Gabe…oh good,” her mom said.
“Yeah, he surprised me by showing up here.” Ivy fluffed her hair and bit her lip.
“Okay. It’ll be nice to see him. See you both at six.”
Ivy clicked off and looked across at Gabe, who was sitting beside her, his arm around her. “Your parents don’t like me,” he said deadpanned.
Ivy tickled his ribs. “Remember that time they invited you to Dad’s birthday when I was away for that conference? They love you.”
Gabe smiled, but his expression turned stony, and he rubbed his hands through his hair. “Ivy, I don’t have a lot to offer.”
“Shut-up. We’re not going down this road again, okay? I love you. I don’t care about your family. Well, I care that your brother tried to do something horrible to me, but you saved the day. I have family, Gabe. I just need you.”
He stroked her hair; his amber eyes bore into her. As a shiver raked her body, she leaned back into him as his knuckles slid down her cheek.
“You’re my family, Princess. I love you.”
And as his lips lashed onto hers, her heart exploded. God, she was glad they were together. That they had grabbed his second chance and ran with it, that he held them up, led them forward when she wanted to let go.
Ivy held her phone up and snapped a picture because it was totally social media-worthy. Though she wouldn’t post it until she showed Gabe first.
On the McNeil’s farm, with the sun setting in the background, strong and tall Gabe was nuzzling the mean old grey stallion, stroking its usually pinned back ears.
“You’re a good horsey orsey, yes you are. Thanks for letting me ride you today.”
Ivy snorted, covering her mouth.
“What? It’s true. Look how majestic he is.”
If she had known the way to Gabe’s gooey centre would be through horses, she would have insisted on going for more trail rides.
After dinner, her mom pulled her aside while doing the dishes and said, “You seem happier with him, Ivy. But make sure this is what you want. You’ve spent a lot of time invested in this relationship.”
And it was true, almost a decade of her life had been spent with Gabe. From when she was a young professional, trying to prove herself, to when she climbed the ranks and always missed dinner, to her losing her making that post, their separation and her lost confidence. But with Gabe back, she found herself again. Because he brought out the best in her, that couldn’t be denied.
“You should have come trail riding with me before.” Ivy rested her foot on the crossbar of the gate.
Gabe gave Menace one last pat. The horse snorted at them and then turned away, grazing on grass.
“Princess, there are a lot of things I should have done. A lot of things I wish I had done. I can’t change them, Ivy, but I can promise you, you matter to me and going forward, I am going to make every decision with you in mind.”
“Does that mean living downtown?”
Gabe shook his head. “You know there’s a place for sale here up the road. I like the country life.”
Ivy hesitated, unsure if he was being serious, baiting her or honest. She decided it was a mixture of all three. “Gabe! No, I can’t live this far outside of the city and this close to my parents.”
