I tuck her in, kiss her soft little cheek, and brush her hair back from her face.
“Night, bug,” I whisper into her ear. I get a smack of her lips in reply, then she rolls over to get comfortable.
I grab some gym shorts and a dry shirt before heading into the bathroom. Once I’m changed, I leave the bathroom and I’m pleasantly surprised to see the adjoining door wide open.
I peek a look into Ivy’s room and see her freshly showered, laying on the bed with her computer in her lap. Her bare legs and feet are crossed at the ankle, and she’s leaning up against the headboard. The sounds of her keyboard clicking fill the space, and I lean against the door jamb, content with just watching her for a minute.
After a few minutes, I knock lightly on the wood at my side. She stops typing, looking at me over the top of her screen and smiles.
“Hi,” she says softly.
“Hi. You hungry?” I reply equally as soft due to the sleeping toddler behind me, though the girl couldn’t be woken up if I tried.
She shakes her head. “No, I’m still full from the dinner Delilah and I had.”
I nod, “Okay, I’m going to order something. You wanna keep me company while I eat?”
She’s still smiling. “Sure.”
I order my dinner, and a burger with fries for Ivy anyway. She says she’s not hungry, but I have a feeling she’ll change her mind once the food arrives. I tip the staff and wheel the cart into Ivy’s room, closing the adjoining door—I don’t want to disturb Lilah.
“Oh shit. That smells good,” Ivy moans.
I shake my head and sit down next to her on the bed, propping myself up against the headboard as well. I scoop Ivy’s ancient computer off of her lap and set it on the comforter between us.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
I grab her plate off the cart and place it on her thighs. I’m just starting to cut into my steak when she speaks.
“Wes… did you order me food even though I said I wasn’t hungry?”
I pop a bite into my mouth, “Yep.”
“Oh my god, I love you,” she groans, then digs into her food.
I ignore the satisfaction washing over me from hearing those words from her mouth, and continue to eat. We eat in silence for a while, just enjoying the food and each other's company. Out of the corner of my eyes, I watch Ivy devour her burger, and do my best to refrain from laughing at how ravenous she is, just after claiming not to be hungry.
She picks up her phone to text a couple of times throughout the meal, and like an idiot, I ask, “Is that Chase?”
She sets her phone down on the nightstand, and licks ketchup off her other thumb. “What?”
“Chase. Maverick said you two exchanged numbers,” I say, honestly impressed with how even my tone is.
“Oh. Yeah,” she says, pushing around the fries on her plate. “He’s texted a couple times. He seems like a nice guy.” She shrugs. “Just not really feeling it from him, you know?”
The amount of relief that floods my system is embarrassing. I try like hell to keep a straight face, even though I suddenly feel a thousand pounds lighter. I have to physically stop myself from yelling “Fuck you, Chase!” or something equally inappropriate. Before I can say anything though, she continues.
“I’m just texting Sophie about my book. Getting her opinions on some… scenes.”
I hear her, but I barely process what she’s saying because I’m so relieved she’s not texting that asshole.
Something nudges my side, and I turn to see Ivy poking her finger into my ribs.
“You good?” she asks, chuckling.
I clear my throat. “Yep, sorry. Oh, let me take that.” I take her empty plate, and mine, setting them back on the food cart beside the bed.
She’s wiping off her hands when I get a good look at her computer. Jesus, this thing has gotta be at least fifteen years old.
