“Oh my goodness.” Her joy radiates through the phone. “I’m so pleased for you.”
“Hopefully soon she can meet you,” I say optimistically.
“I’d love that. I can’t wait to meet her. What’s her name?”
“Ivy.”
“Beautiful name.”
“Beautiful indeed.”
“Lots of things to look forward to when we get home,” she says cheerily.
My cheeks ache from smiling too hard. “I can’t wait.”
“Me too, my boy. The doctor is coming over to check on me in a bit, so I’ll let you go,” she says, her voice full of warmth and hope. “I love you.”
“I love you too, mum.” I release a shuddering breath. “I’ll call you soon, okay?”
“Of course, speak soon. I love you more.”
“Not true.”
When she laughs, my heart expands, and I wish I could be there with them, holding her hand and supporting my father. A family. But I know I’ll see her soon, when she’s better. “Take care of yourself, JJ.”
Her words have my chest tightening. “You too.”
The call ends and I pull the phone away from my ear. I stare at the screen for a long moment. A smile etches its way onto my lips, and I soar with an emotion beyond relief—it’s all-consuming.
Sadness I’m not there, but reassurance that she’s getting better.
And the first person I want to tell is Ivy.
After getting dressed and heading downstairs, Andrea is setting the table with Ivy, James plating up the food. She catches my eye and offers me a smile as sweet as sugar. I return the gesture, even though my eyes are still slightly blurry from crying a few moments ago.
Her head tilts, as if she knows something’s up. I stare at her for a moment, signalling that I’ll tell her later. She nods, and I smile further, our silent conversations mean the world to me.
She fucking gets me. We get each other. Without even trying.
That’s what I adore about her. She’s always observant, always watching, always understanding.
We sit and eat lunch together, talking about light topics because I know Finn has been the main conversation, and it’s clear they need something else to talk about.
As soon as we clean up after our meal and dismiss ourselves from the table, I grab hold of Ivy in the upstairs hall. She blinks those massive green eyes at me, fanned by her long lashes.
“Hey.” She smiles, making my soul melt.
She has no idea how powerful that smile is. One little flick of her lips and she could send me into an early grave.
“Grab ice cream with me,” I say, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her shoulder.
Her head tilts. “Ice cream?”
My eyes gleam with joy. “Yeah, please? I need to tell you something.”
“Sure,” she says before rising up onto her toes and kissing my cheek. “I’ll meet you downstairs in a second.”
I bathe in the warmth of her kiss, pleasantly surprised by the action, not taking it for granted. Her affection is my fucking weakness. I could live off her acts of tenderness for the rest of my life.
