23. Marco

23

MARCO

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

Nothing about this day had gone anything like I’d planned. I’d anticipated leaving work, picking Ivy up, and coming back to my place, so we could discuss our plans to reveal the news of our relationship to her family, and ultimately, mine.

But that never happened. We didn’t need to have that discussion.

And while there was a part of me that was relieved to know it was out in the open now, there was the other part of me that wished things had gone according to our original plan.

The amount of guilt I felt was nearly unbearable.

Ivy and I were back at my place now, and we were sitting here on the couch, after having some dinner, the television on for some background noise. No sooner had we finished eating and set our plates aside, Ivy repositioned her body and rested her head in my lap.

For the first few minutes, I merely stroked my fingers through her hair and allowed a bit of gratitude to seep in. Thankfully, she was here with me. Thankfully, she hadn’t been hurt worse.

But once the appreciation I felt had enough time to settle, and I continued to take in all the marks on her face and the exhaustion in her body, regret creeped in and consumed me. There was so much I wished I’d done differently. I wished I would have told Liam I couldn’t stop and talk with him. I wished Ivy and I would have found a way to tell everyone the truth sooner. I wished I would have been able to get to her faster than I had.

With my apology lingering in the air, Ivy pulled her attention away from the television, shifted her head in my lap, and looked up at me. That angry purple bruise on her cheek, which had endured two rounds of icing so far, was a reminder of how horribly I’d failed to protect her.

Ivy, to her credit, had been taking it all in stride after we left her place. She hadn’t exactly been as talkative as usual, but she wasn’t spending her time wallowing in self-pity, either. Despite how horrifying the entire ordeal had been, she was still the toughest woman I’d ever known, still putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward.

Her concerned stare was fixed on mine. “What did you say?”

“I apologized for not being there. I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner tonight.”

Ivy’s head might have been pointed in my direction, but her body had been facing the opposite way. Recognizing the seriousness of the conversation, she shifted her body. And I watched as she winced with her movements.

“What happened tonight is not your fault,” she said, her voice troubled.

“I realize I didn’t exactly drop that guy off at your place and let him in, but I should have been there for you.”

Even through the devastating events that occurred tonight, Ivy insisted on using logic. “You couldn’t. You were already on your way before he got there. You couldn’t have done anything more than you did tonight. And let me just say, what you did tonight means the world to me, Marco.”

“It doesn’t feel like enough,” I confessed. “Ava was right, because things could have been so much worse.”

“Yeah, they could have been. But if you’ll recall, Ava also said that it was a good thing you were on the phone with me, because if you hadn’t been, things would have turned out so much worse.”

My fingers were still stroking absentmindedly through her hair. The pain in my throat was excruciating. Ivy was being far more gracious than I deserved.

“You’re hurt,” I said softly. “You have these marks on your body, the bruises on your face and arms. And I just watched you roll your body over to this side with nothing but pain in your face. That’s on me, Princess. The pain you’re experiencing is my punishment for not being there for you when you needed me.”

Sadness washed over her expression as she sought my free hand and lifted it to her lips. She kissed my knuckles. “You were there, handsome. You’ve got your own physical battle wounds from tonight right here on your hands. I only saw some of what you did to that guy, but I heard all of it after my eyes had closed. You were there for me right when I needed you the most, when I could no longer fight on my own.”

There was one other thing I was thankful for—my ability to not only do what needed to be done to defend Ivy, but also to stop before I’d taken it too far. It wasn’t that I cared what happened to the asshole who’d dared to hurt Ivy—I was sure I could have continued to pummel him until the police arrived—but I’d had enough sense to realize he wasn’t going anywhere, and Ivy needed me more in that moment.

“The way I see it, you never should have had to fight on your own. You never should have had to fight at all.”

“But I did. And I’m okay now. I’m okay because you got there and did what you had to do to protect me.”

“You don’t even want to go home, though,” I noted.

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I’m not sure I could ever feel safe there alone. I realize they arrested him and that he’ll likely face some time in prison, if I’m lucky, but it doesn’t feel safe there anymore. And it’s ironic, because after I was attacked the first time, it never dawned on me that he had everything in my purse, including my license. He knew where I lived, and I never imagined he’d ever violate that space. I truly believed he was after a quick score that night, whatever money he could get. I should have known he’d see my last name and try to use that to his advantage again. The bottom line is that he knows where I live, and while I don’t know his criminal history, it’s unlikely to believe or hope he’d spend the rest of his life in jail for what he did to me. What happens when he’s free again? I don’t want to be there, waiting to find out.”

If there was one thing that had never been up for debate, it was that Ivy was the kind of woman who always knew what was best for herself. So, I’d be a fool to question anything she was saying about her plans for home. If she didn’t feel comfortable there, if she felt unsafe, it wasn’t going to be me who forced her back there.

“This is not the way I would have wanted this to happen, so it feels wrong to even feel good about it, but I like the idea of you moving in with me.”

She smiled at me, her expression warming. “I think that might be because you love me.”

And then there was that.

One more thing for which I could feel gratitude. Ivy and I had officially said those words to one another. While there were a couple of good things that had come out of tonight, that was easily the best.

I smiled back at her. “I do love you.”

“I still can’t believe it. Marco Kingston is in love with me.”

Lifting her hand that was still linked with my fingers, I brought it to my lips and kissed it. “And Ivy Westwood is in love with me.”

“Do you know how happy you’ve made me?”

“If it’s even half as happy as you’ve made me, then I think I understand,” I assured her.

Relief swept through her, and her eyes roamed over my face in silence for a long time. “I know what we’ve shared with each other tonight, Marco, and I hope you know how special it is to me. But I want to be sure about this. You mentioned me moving in with you. Are you sure you’re ready for that? It’s kind of quick, don’t you think?”

“No.”

“No?”

“Ivy, I’ve known you for more than half of my life,” I pointed out. “Maybe we haven’t been together in the official capacity for very long, but I know who you are. And I’m at a point where I know what I want in my life. I couldn’t be more thrilled at the prospect of you moving in with me. And no, I don’t think it’s too quick at all.”

“At least we know my family will be supportive of it. The whole family, too.”

I shook my head, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “I can’t believe everything with Cooper was all just a misunderstanding. He never thought to indicate he’d be happy to see us together, and I never wanted to confront him about it.”

“Do you think everything will be fine in the long run between the two of you?”

I nodded. “Unless I do something to break your heart, which I can promise you right now is never going to happen, Cooper and I are going to be fine.”

The silence stretched between us, both of us seemingly content to be where we were. Though I still felt some guilt about what happened to her, I did my best to look on the bright side. She was here, and she loved me.

Ivy’s eyelids got heavy, and the exhaustion from the day took over for her. “Tired?”

“Yeah.”

“Ready for bed?”

“As soon as I can muster up the strength to get off this couch, I will be.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“What?”

I grinned at her. Then I flipped off the television and slid one arm beneath her knees as the other went behind her back. I stood from the couch with Ivy in my arms, looked down at her, and said, “It’s just like I told you that night in the hotel. Whenever you need me, you’ve got me. That hasn’t changed, Princess. It never will.”

Even through the exhaustion, Ivy’s eyes sparkled. “Take me to your bed, handsome.”

So, that’s what I did.

My legs carried me away from the couch and to the bedroom. And after I took care of Ivy, getting her settled, and locked up for the night, I climbed into bed with her, tucked her body close, and fell asleep feeling the warmth of the woman I loved beside me.

IVY - ONE MONTH LATER

Marco and I had gotten it wrong.

When it came to my family, especially Cooper, supporting us, we’d mistakenly assumed the worst.

And for the last month, they’d proven to us just how wrong we were. My parents had everyone over for dinner the weekend after we’d shared the news. Marco and I had been on several double dates with Cooper and Skye, Tate and Ava, and even Wyatt and Rhea. Liam and Jules remained as equally supportive—Liam doing it in his own quiet way, Jules being far more bubbly about it.

It took Marco and me a minute to adjust to it, though. We’d spent so much time at the start keeping ourselves restrained that it was an effort to act in front of my family the way we would have if we’d been alone.

But we eventually got there.

And now, we were here at my parents’ house again, celebrating my birthday. Feeling so content with where things were in my life, I’d opted for something smaller this year. Maybe that was a reason to celebrate in a bigger way, but it felt unnecessary to me.

I was finally content.

I no longer found myself standing in a crowded room, wondering how I could feel so alone.

I could look across the room, see Marco caught up in a discussion with someone else, and have him send a knowing look my way.

He’d just done that very thing. He’d been talking with Tate and Cooper when he glanced in my direction. His entire expression changed, his face lighting up. I jerked my head in the opposite direction, turned, and walked away, knowing he’d come and find me.

I’d meandered into one of the formal sitting areas that was unoccupied, one that was rarely used, because I wanted to steal a quiet moment with him.

Sure enough, Marco didn’t keep me waiting.

He strode into the room and came right for me. After he slid his arms around my waist, he asked, “What does my birthday girl need?”

I threw my arms over his shoulders, lifted on my toes, and brushed my lips against his. “Just a minute to ask you a question.”

His hands drifted south toward my ass. “Mmm. And what is it you’re curious about?”

If there was one thing that hadn’t dulled, it was the spark between Marco and me. In fact, as everything else in our relationship seemed to have gotten even better, so did our intimacy. I might have teased him about it once before, but I was just as insatiable as he was. I couldn’t get enough of him.

“I was wondering how it feels,” I said.

He was hard between us and didn’t hesitate to press his hips forward. “You’re asking me that question? I think I should be asking you.”

Smiling, my lips still inches from his, I shook my head. “I’m not referring to that. I completely understand how that feels. What I want to know is how it feels to be you. How does it feel to be thirty, dating a woman who is still in her twenties for two more years?”

He chuckled, his hands squeezing my ass. “Oh, well, I think we both can agree I’m the lucky one here. But I think you’d be surprised by how much of that feeling for me has anything to do with your age. In fact, that has nothing to do with it.”

Obviously, I already knew that was the case, but I still enjoyed teasing him about it. “Oh?”

“It’s all the other stuff,” he shared.

“What stuff, specifically?”

Marco laughed again and cocked a brow. “Fishing for compliments?”

I shrugged. “Maybe. It is my birthday. Don’t I get to make a wish?”

“Fair enough, considering you granted mine on my birthday.” He lifted one hand to the side of my head and brushed my hair back, ultimately settling his hand at the back of my skull. “It’s you. It’s the fiery personality, the fun-loving disposition, and the softness in your heart. It’s the way you love, and the way you let me love you. It’s the way you make me laugh and how my heart rate picks up every time I’m around you. It’s the way you look in your professional attire and how it’s almost as good as the way you look wearing nothing at all. It’s the way you keep things interesting and fun, and the way you get excited about spending time with me. So, really, it’s just you, Princess. You are the reason I feel so lucky. Because there’s just far too much about you not to love.”

I felt breathless, like my chest had expanded far too much to fill it completely with oxygen. “Why is it that today’s my birthday, and I feel like you’re the one that deserves a special treat now?”

Marco buried his face in my neck, his body vibrating with his laughter. “And there’s another reason I’m so lucky.” His arms tightened around me, and he lifted his head to look at me. “Tell me what you want.”

“What do you mean?”

“What is your birthday wish?”

I shot him a confused look. “Didn’t you just give it to me with all those things you said?”

He shook his head. “No. No, that doesn’t count.”

Funny. It meant everything to me. “Okay. Well, I guess my wish is that you never find any reasons to want to leave me.”

“Consider that wish granted. That’s not something you need to worry about, Ivy. Pick something else, something I can give you now. Tonight.”

I narrowed my eyes playfully. “Are you sure this is a wish for me? It sounds like you want me to choose something that’ll be for your benefit.”

“Can you blame me? And let’s face it, don’t act like you haven’t taken every opportunity you can to get your hands on me. I’ll remind you that you can’t even make it through the workday without needing to text me to meet you in one of the hotel rooms.”

“Okay, that was more than I needed to hear.” Marco and I both got wide-eyed at the unexpected voice and spun around to see Wyatt standing in the doorway. He looked uncomfortable at best.

“Are you okay?” Marco asked him.

His head moved slowly from one side to the other. “You know, when I walked in on Cooper and Skye in the bathroom at the lake house, or Tate and Ava in the conference room, it was all fun and games. But I didn’t need to know about my sister setting up lunch hour rendezvous in the hotel. I need to find Rhea and make sure she keeps me from stumbling into something like this ever again.”

I pressed my lips together to stifle the laughter as he walked away. Then I looked up at Marco, saw his eyes were shining, and the two of us burst out laughing. It felt wonderful, and honestly, I needed nothing else.

But since I knew it would make him happy, I came up with something. “Okay, okay. I know what I want.”

“Tell me, and it’s yours.”

“I want one more hour here with my family, along with another piece of cheesecake. Then I want you to take me home and ravish me until you’ve had enough.”

“Well, there’s only one problem with that.”

“Which is?”

“I’ll never tire of ravishing you.”

I beamed at him. “Looks like you’re in for a long night of work, then.”

He shrugged and smiled proudly. “I’m used to working hard, so that doesn’t scare me. Come on, let’s go get you your cheesecake.”

Before he led me out of the room, I urged Marco to give me a kiss, one that would last me at least until after I’d gotten another piece of cheesecake.

Then we rejoined the party for another hour before he took me home and gave me a night to remember.