14. Marco

14

MARCO

I didn’t get frustrated.

I always believed there was nothing worth getting that worked up about. What good would it do to lose my mind over something? It was always better to put that energy into solving the problem.

But even if I’d always been able to apply that logic to all situations in my life, it seemed impossible to do it now.

I couldn’t remember a time when I felt so frustrated.

For more than a week now, I’d been trying to get Ivy alone. All I wanted to do was talk to her, to address what I hadn’t been able to address since she’d shared it with me—she was lonely.

It seemed that the moment an opportunity presented itself, someone or something always popped up. And every time it did, I was left wondering if perhaps that was a sign. From the start, Cooper had made it clear where he stood. Was it possible that the constant interruptions were a sign, a warning to not cross a line that could destroy the relationships I had with everyone in the Westwood family?

What made it worse was that I could easily see the look on Ivy’s face each time she thought we’d have a few minutes alone to talk. The lack of a discussion about it was killing her. And while I guess I could have called her late at night just so we wouldn’t have to worry about interruptions, this wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have over the phone.

So, every night when I climbed into bed, I wound up feeling tortured. I thought about her, about her feeling so alone and believing nobody would ever want her.

And every night, I felt sick about it.

I felt guilty. Like I’d wasted precious years of both of our lives. Why had it taken something so horrible happening to her for me to notice her and how much I wanted her?

This couldn’t go on any longer. I had no choice but to take drastic measures. If I had my way, if things went according to my plan, this was going to be the last night Ivy would ever feel so alone.

She was at the hotel tonight—there was that event she’d been working on for a few weeks—but tomorrow morning, I was going to go to her place and do it. I was going to stand in front of her and tell her how things had changed for me, how I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and how badly I wanted to pursue something with her.

Maybe that was risky, maybe I’d wind up creating a rift between Cooper and me, but I couldn’t stay away. I couldn’t deny the way I felt about her. I couldn’t pretend she didn’t mean anything, that she didn’t consume nearly every waking moment.

There was no longer any question about it. I’d already wasted too much time, and waiting any longer wasn’t an option. So, I was going to do it. I was going to tell her the truth and give her what she wanted, what I wanted. All I had to do was get myself through one more night.

I’d gotten home from work a little while ago and had immediately hopped in the shower. In my line of work, it had always been the way of it. But recently, with all the work I’d been doing in the villas, taking a shower the moment that I walked through my front door had become a necessity. And now, all I needed to do was grab myself some dinner before I’d spend the next few hours thinking about Ivy and everything that I planned to say to her.

But the second I made it to the kitchen and yanked open the door on the refrigerator, my phone rang. I picked it up and saw Cooper’s name on the display. “Hello?”

“Hey, Marco. I’m so sorry about this. I know you left not too long ago, but is there any way you can come back to the hotel tonight?” There was a strain in his voice, a mix of panic and frustration.

I closed the refrigerator and moved out of the kitchen. “Yeah. Sure. What’s going on?”

“I just got back here myself. Ivy has that event in the ballroom tonight, and she called me because there’s a leak. She’s panicking, and I think it’d be much easier to handle this if I’ve got an extra set of hands.”

I’d already made it back to my bedroom and had yanked off the sweats I’d been wearing. As I pulled on a pair of clean jeans, I said, “Give me ten minutes. I’ll be right over.”

The relief in his tone was undeniable. “Thanks, man.”

Regardless of the situation, I never would have refused going back to the hotel to help Cooper with something like this. But in this situation, it was different. Sure, I was technically going to be lending him a hand. But now it was like I was doing something to help Ivy. I couldn’t have stayed away if I tried. And I certainly didn’t tell Cooper that he didn’t need to thank me since him calling me would lead to being able to get another glimpse of his sister.

Instead, I replied, “No problem.

I disconnected the call, pulled on socks and a pair of sneakers, and was out the door in a flash. In the rush, I hadn’t even grabbed a sweatshirt as I flew out the door.

Ten minutes later, I pulled up outside the hotel. And the moment I walked into the lobby, my eyes landed on Ivy. Her expression was worried, panicked. Cooper hadn’t been lying.

She came out from behind the desk as I made my way in her direction, and then I got the shock of a lifetime. Her hands curled around my bicep as she stared up at me with pleading eyes. “Thank you so much for coming back here tonight. This is an utter disaster. I’ve never had anything like this happen before.”

It was a wonder I could think straight for the way she was holding on to me. But that look in her eyes, the panic I could feel radiating from her led me to feeling something I felt weeks ago in that hotel room, or even just a week ago in the villa—the desire to fix everything for her, to do whatever she needed me to do to make it better.

Instinctively, I placed my opposite hand over hers, brushed it over the skin on the back of her hand, and promised, “Don’t worry. We’ll get it figured out.”

Ivy gave me a nod of acceptance. She removed one hand from my arm, slid the other down toward my wrist, and tugged on it. “Okay. Come on, I’ll show you where the problem is. Cooper’s probably already losing his mind.”

We made our way down the hall toward the ballroom, and though I was prepared to do whatever work I needed to do to help Cooper fix the leak, there was a part of me that wished the corridor was longer. I didn’t want Ivy to let go of me. I didn’t want to lose her touch on my skin.

We came to a stop in front of the closed ballroom doors, and my time to enjoy her, even if not how I had envisioned it, was over. I used my opposite hand to reach for the door. And when I pulled it open, I ushered her in ahead of me.

The moment I stepped inside, my body locked. “Surprise!!”

My eyes scanned the space that was filled with so many of my friends and family. They’d all shouted that single word, but it was the one beside me that came through loud and clear.

I turned my attention to Ivy, my brow furrowed with questions. Ivy was beaming at me, practically bouncing on her toes. She threw her arms over my shoulders and hugged me. “Happy birthday, Marco.”

Seemingly unbothered by the rest of the people in the ballroom, I hugged her back. “What did you do?”

After she released her hold on me and took a step back, she answered. “There’s no leak. We’re celebrating your birthday tonight.”

My birthday was tomorrow. And while I’d grown accustomed to the Westwoods throwing birthday parties—they always had something special for me every year—something of this magnitude was completely unexpected.

I didn’t get a chance to respond to Ivy, to say even a fraction of the words that had popped into my head, because the crowd all but rushed forward. Everyone on my side of the family—my parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins—were all here. Each of them had stepped forward to wish me a happy birthday, and just when I thought I’d gotten through it, the Westwoods stepped forward followed by many of my coworkers and friends.

With each person who stepped forward, it was like the sea separating me from Ivy. Before I knew it, I’d looked to my right, and she was nowhere to be found. And as much as I might have wanted to go in search of her, there was no way I could do that and not insult every other person in attendance.

Ivy’s parents had walked up, and I had no choice but to stay right where I was. Malcolm clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Happy birthday, son.”

“Thanks, Malcolm.”

Evelyn gave me a hug and offered similar sentiments.

When she stepped back, my eyes met hers, and I said, “I get the feeling you were the mastermind behind this.”

Evelyn Westwood lived for celebrations, just like her mother-in-law, Wendy.

“I didn’t do anything to stop it from happening.” She shrugged, a smile playing at her lips. “We all wanted to do this for you. Malcolm, me, the rest of the kids. That day I walked in on your meeting with my sons and asked Cooper to see me afterward was because I wanted to talk to him about this. Cooper reached out to your family, and everyone got in on the planning.”

I offered an appreciative smile and shook my head. “It’s a lot, though. This wasn’t necessary.”

Malcolm barely allowed me to get those words out when he said, “This doesn’t feel like nearly enough.”

“Pardon?” I tipped my head to the side and eyed him curiously.

He took a step closer, his hand on my shoulder again and squeezing. “I know I already told you this once, but I don’t think I’ll ever say it enough. What you did for my daughter weeks ago is a debt I’ll never be able to repay.”

I got it.

I understood his need to make it clear how much he appreciated what I’d done, even if I didn’t think it was necessary. Ivy was his daughter, and he felt an obligation to protect her. But I’d fully accepted his words of appreciation weeks ago. He didn’t need to continue trying to find ways to show his thanks.

If I hadn’t worried about how he—or perhaps Ivy’s brothers—might react, I might have told him I intended to look out for Ivy from this point forward, to make her safety and happiness my responsibility.

Until I could talk to her and see where she stood, I figured it was best to keep my mouth shut. There was no point in starting trouble if Ivy had no interest in me being the guy who could give her the companionship she was seeking.

“It’s entirely unnecessary,” I insisted, finally snapping out of my thoughts.

“Not from where I stand.”

Right.

He was a dad. She was his little girl. I didn’t think his opinion would ever be swayed.

“Alright, well, this isn’t the time for such serious conversations,” Evelyn declared. “Happy birthday, Marco. I hope you enjoy your party with all of your family and friends.”

“Thank you.”

As they walked off, I had no choice but to do as Evelyn had suggested. With everyone surrounding me, it was impossible to walk off and find a quiet corner in which to sit and get lost in my thoughts.

For the next several hours, I was whisked from one group of people to the next, catching up with some I hadn’t seen in months. It was nice, and I was glad to be with everyone.

Between the food, music, and the company, the hours passed by in a flash. And all throughout the evening, I found myself battling between staying focused on the conversations I was having and stealing glances at Ivy.

In those moments I caught a glimpse of her, I was astounded. None of what I’d seen of her that day in the villa was there. She looked undeniably happy and carefree. She spent her time eating, laughing, and dancing.

There had been several instances when I’d notice her and move to head in her direction, but along the way, I’d get stopped and pulled into another lengthy discussion. It was nearing torture to be so close to her and feel like I was hundreds of miles away.

It wasn’t until the evening began to wind down, guests left, and the crowd thinned out when I finally had the chance to get within a few feet of Ivy. And I’d decided I wasn’t going to waste the moment. I wasn’t waiting until tomorrow morning.

I walked up and placed my hand on her elbow to capture her attention. She looked up at me and smiled. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you all night. I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself tonight.”

“I have. I was actually hoping I could talk to you for a moment, if that’s okay.”

Her lips parted, a hesitancy lingering in her stare. But she ultimately gave me a nod and excused herself from the conversation she’d been having with two members of her staff.

They walked away, leaving the two of us alone. “Will you dance with me?”

“What?”

“I’d like to talk to you, and as long as you and I are here, anyone can walk up and interrupt. I figure, if we’re out there dancing, I have a chance of getting you all to myself for a few minutes,” I explained.

Understanding dawned. “Sure. I’d love to dance.”

I led Ivy out onto the dance floor, grateful for the slow song that was filling the air. We made it there, and I swiftly pulled her into my arms. Being that close to her, holding her like that, I felt infinitely better.

For several beats, I didn’t say anything. I simply gave myself the opportunity to enjoy the moment, to enjoy her. I got lost in her beautiful face, those stunning eyes, and her pretty lips. I could have been content to stay like that forever, which was likely the reason it was Ivy who had to break the silence.

“Was everything okay tonight?”

“It was great, Ivy. I can’t believe you’ve been working on this for weeks.”

She smiled at me. “You’re thirty now. You deserved a big party.”

I shook my head. “I’m not thirty until tomorrow, I’ll remind you.”

Laughter spilled out of her. “You better live it up over the next few hours. Any last-minute birthday wishes?”

“Actually, there’s just one.”

Ivy raised a curious brow. “Oh?”

“It’s actually the reason I asked you to come out and dance with me, so I could talk to you,” I shared. “I want you to join me for dinner.”

“What?” Her body had gone rigid.

My arm tightened around her waist. “Tomorrow, if you’re not already busy, I’d like to spend my birthday with you. I’d like to take you out for dinner.”

“You want to take me out for dinner on your birthday?”

“That’s what I want.”

She swallowed hard. “Can I ask why?”

My eyes roamed over her face again, taking in every feature. “Because I think I’ve wasted enough time. Because I didn’t realize until far too late who I had in front of me all these years. And because the time that I have spent with you over these last couple of weeks has been the absolute best of my life. You said you were lonely, Ivy. I’d like to make it so you don’t have to feel that way anymore.”

Her lips had parted in shock, her eyes glistening. “I think everyone will notice if I burst into tears.”

My thumb absentmindedly stroked along her body, right where my hand gripped her firmly. “Don’t cry. Just tell me you want the same thing.”

“I do,” she rasped.

Relief swept through me, my chest expanding with the lightness that filled it. “So, you’ll join me for dinner tomorrow?”

She swallowed hard again. “I will.”

With those two words in hand, I didn’t need another thing. This had turned out to be the best birthday of my life, and if I was lucky, it would only get better from here.