“Nothing really. I went to breakfast with your Auntie Soph, then wrote a little,” she says casually as Lilah grabs her by the hand and drags her over to the large pile of blocks on the living room floor.
Wrote? She writes? I make a mental note to ask her about that later. My chest starts to hurt when I think about her turning down Sophie’s invitation because of me. Should I have invited her? Maybe I should include her from now on. I don’t like the idea of her sitting at home when we’re out having fun—though I’m not sure she’d want to come.
I haven’t moved from my spot in the kitchen. I’m just standing here, watching her and Lilah interact.
“Hey, you want to know what I learned this weekend?” Ivy asks, “In mythology, female dragons are calledDrakaina. Pretty cool huh?”
“Woah,” Lilah breathes. “That means I’m like a Dr-dra-drakaina then.”
“You totally are,” Ivy says, grinning.
They’re not even looking at each other. They’re just building a tower together, perfectly in sync, like they’ve done this a thousand times before. Lilah’s tongue is poking out of her mouth as she focuses, and Ivy’s nose is scrunched up in concentration.
Not only will she walk into a pond fully clothed for Lilah, but now she’s learning dragon facts for my daughter? She really is going to be the death of me.
“I, um, left you breakfast in the microwave,” I blurt, needing to say anything to make my presence known.
She looks up, a little surprised. “Oh. Thanks, you didn’t have to do that.”
“I had leftovers.”
I didn’t.
I purposefully made more for her.
She nods. “Cool, thanks. I never wake up early enough to eat in the morning,” she adds with a giggle.
What the hell? Okay, she eats breakfast now. Every day. Here.
I grab my backpack and walk over to kiss my daughter on the head. “Be good. I love you.”
She murmurs her reply, fully engrossed in her block tower.
Then I look at her nanny.
“Bye, Ivy.” Our eye contact lingers a little too long.
She breaks it first. “Bye, Wesley,” she whispers, turning back to the blocks.
I have to bite back a fucking groan at the sound of her using my name in that voice. That’s going to haunt my dreams. That ass in those jeans, and the way she said my name.
I don’t know whether to hate or love my past self for slipping up and introducing myself asWesleyinstead of my usual Wes.
All I know is that I’ll be fucking my fist in the shower tonight to that plump ass and breathy voice.
8
Ivy
Seeing Wes for the first time after Friday night was nerve-wracking. I didn’t know if he would be weird, or cold again—even though he claimed he was sorry for being a douche.
My biggest worry though, was how to act around him after what I’m calling,The Porch Incident. The way his hand slid down my back and held me to him. As quick as it was, it put me in some sort of trance. Like I was ready for anything he was about to do to me. Like he wasn’t my boss who didn’t like me.
Thank the mother above Delilah knocked some sense into us, and yelled for dinner. He got so…weird afterward, and I’ve come to the conclusion it’s because he didn’t mean to touch me like that. Even still, I felt dizzy all the way home.
I decided I wasn’t going to apologize to him. He’s the one who got a little handsy. Yes, I know I initiated the hug, but damn, I was excited. He offered me the job, and I just got so overwhelmed, I let nature take over.
Sue me.
