Since Jeff was being transported to the hospital – Brian arrived just in time to ride with him – Jack insisted Ivy be checked out, too. She claimed she was fine, but he was adamant. He sat with her while Brian secured their prisoner and listened intently as the doctor laid out a list of demands regarding Ivy’s care if she didn’t want to spend the night in the hospital.
“She has a concussion,” he warned. “We’ve given her a CT scan and I don’t believe she has a brain bleed. You need to watch her closely, though. She needs rest and I would recommend she spend tomorrow in bed.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Ivy protested, waving off the comments.
“She’ll stay in bed,” Jack promised. “I might even stay with her.”
Once the doctor left to see about her discharge papers, Brian edged into the room and leveled his partner with a serious stare. “He’s going to recover. He’s not even hurt all that badly. He has two cracked ribs and, funnily enough, a concussion. He will be staying here overnight. I’ve already called two uniforms to watch over him. Then he’ll be transported to the jail tomorrow so we can start ironing out charges.”
“I guess it’s good that he’s alive,” Jack offered. “It might be easier for Amy if he was dead, though.”
“He’s never going to get out of prison,” Brian supplied. “He’ll be locked up for life and never get access to his child. I think that’s the best we can hope for in this case.”
“I guess.”
Brian’s gaze was equally as stern when it landed on Ivy. “As for you, what were you thinking running over our suspect? Jack had everything under control and was about to take him into custody.”
“He had a gun.” Ivy wasn’t the type to back down under normal circumstances and that was doubly true today. “Besides, he hit me in the face. Will you look at this?” She gestured toward her black eye and swollen cheekbone. “He had it coming.”
“He definitely had it coming,” Jack agreed. “I still don’t think you should’ve barreled into him like that.”
“It all worked out, didn’t it?” Ivy stretched out on the bed. “He’s alive. He’ll be going to prison. Amy is okay. What more do you want from me?”
“I would like a quiet twenty-four hours,” Jack replied without hesitation. “In fact, I might spend the day with you in bed tomorrow to make sure we get it.”
Ivy’s smile was serene. “I think that sounds like a great way to spend the day.”
AN HOUR LATER, IVY WAS eager to leave the hospital. Jack had a firm hold on her arm as they hit the lobby. There, to both their surprise, Max, Michael, and Luna sat waiting for them.
“Where’s Amy?” Ivy asked, instantly alert. “Did something happen to her?”
Max arched an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. “She’s okay. Physically, I mean. I think it might be a while before she’s okay mentally.”
Ivy’s heart dropped at the tone of his voice. “You didn’t send her away, did you?”
“What if I did?”
“Max!” Ivy smacked him in the arm as hard as she could. “I can’t believe you did that to her. I promised you were the sort of guy who stuck around. Why did you make a liar out of me?”
“Not everything is about you.”
“No, but … I really thought you would be okay with this.” Ivy’s heart sank. “She didn’t lie out of malice, or to confuse you. She was trying to protect her son. Max, you can’t hold that against her. We have no idea what she’s been through. You said it yourself: It’s going to take time.”
Max tried to hold out – he found the disappointed look on Ivy’s face to be amusing – but the bruises and swelling were enough to stop him in his tracks. “Amy and I are still together. She’s out in the parking lot with Caroline and JJ. She’s about to bring him in to meet us.”
“Oh.” Ivy was momentarily taken aback. “Well, you’re an even bigger jerk because you freaked me out.” She hit him again. “I knew you wouldn’t just walk away, though.”
Max’s lips curved. “I have no intention of walking away. If you want to know the truth, now that it’s all over, I actually feel better about things. Now I know why she was always holding back. Hopefully that won’t be a thing moving forward.”
Ivy’s eyes widened as she turned them to Jack. “Didn’t I tell you he would feel that way? I mean … that’s exactly what I said.”
“You’re beautiful and wise,” Jack agreed, lifting their joined fingers so he could kiss her hand. “Now you’re going to get your beautiful and wise behind home so I can take care of you. You heard the doctor. You’re on bed rest for the next thirty-six hours. No exceptions.”
“Oh, but … I have work.”
“I’ll handle work,” Michael offered. “I’m probably going to need to borrow your car, though, since my truck is going to need some body work.”
Ivy pressed her lips together and averted her eyes, causing Jack to laugh and Max to shake his head.
“She saved the day,” Max said finally. “I mean … I was pretty sure Jack could take him, but it was a lot easier to just let Ivy hit him with a truck than to risk a gunfight.”
“I happen to agree.” Jack beamed at his fiancée. “You’re still going to bed when we get home and not getting up until I say you’re ready.”
“You guys are absolutely no fun,” Ivy lamented, her eyes moving to the front door as it opened to allow Amy entrance. She had a small boy with her. He had dark hair and eyes and looked nervous as his mother led him toward the small group. When she caught sight of Ivy, Amy let loose a long sigh of relief.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said. “I didn’t know what to think when Jeff hit you the way he did. You went over so fast … and I was afraid he’d killed you, too.”
“It turns out I have a hard head. I’m fine.” Ivy hunkered down even though it caused her head to throb and leveled her gaze on the boy. “You must be JJ.”
He nodded, solemn. “Yeah. How did you know that?”
“I told you, she’s magical,” Amy teased. “She’s the reason everything is okay now, that we’re okay.”
“Really?” JJ didn’t look convinced. “I guess you’re okay. Your hair is neat.”
Ivy laughed. “Thank you. That’s high praise coming from you.”
Slowly, JJ tracked his gaze to Max. “Who are you?”
“I’m … your mom’s friend,” Max replied after a beat, dropping to his knees so he wouldn’t look intimidating to JJ. “I’m hoping to be your friend, too.”
JJ didn’t look convinced. “Oh, yeah? What can you do that’s fun?”
“Well, it’s summer, so I thought we could take some trips to the lake … and I own a lumberyard. You can visit me there. Oh, and we can go fishing. I’m an expert fisherman.”
“Really?” JJ made guppy motions with his lips. “I’ve never been fishing before.”
“I think we can make sure that’s not a thing for much longer,” Michael offered, grinning at the boy. “Then, in the winter, you can go sledding with Max. He’s also an expert sledder.”
“I am,” Max agreed gravely. “No one sleds better than me.”
Ivy raised her hand. “Um … I do.”
“Please.” Max rolled his eyes. “I’m the one who taught you how to sled. I’m way better than you.”
“That’s a big load of crap,” Ivy muttered, frowning. “I can’t wait to beat you over the head with a sled, that’s so ridiculous.”
JJ laughed, the delightful sound filling the room. “Sledding sounds fun. Not as much fun as fishing, though.” The last person in the group he stared at was Jack. “You’re big,” he said finally. “Like … huge.”
Jack chuckled. “I’m tall,” he agreed. “That comes in handy when you’re fishing. I think I’ll go with you and Max a few times this summer, just to make sure he’s teaching you the right way to do it.”
“Okay.” JJ seemed happy with the offer. “Do we have to stay here, though? I don’t like it here.”
“You mean Sha
dow Lake?” Amy’s brow creased with concern. “I thought you liked Shadow Lake.”
“Shadow Lake is cool. I meant the hospital. I was kind of hoping we could get some ice cream.” The sly look JJ sent his mother told Ivy the boy knew exactly who to go to when he wanted something. That number would only grow with time.
“I think ice cream sounds fabulous,” Ivy offered, stepping forward. “I’m supposed to rest, but I think a dose of ice cream first is just what the doctor ordered.”
Jack started to shake his head and then darted a look toward JJ. He was resigned when he spoke. “Fine. Ice cream first. Then bed.”
“Yay.” JJ clapped his hands. “I love Superman ice cream,” he said to Max. “Can we get that?”
“Absolutely.” Max extended his hand for JJ to take and the boy slipped his much smaller hand into Max’s without a moment of consideration. “Superman is my favorite, too. I think we’re going to get along fine.”
“I think that goes for all of us,” Ivy offered, holding Amy’s watery gaze. She looked happy, if a bit nervous about the new life she had in front of her. “Welcome to the family.”
She meant it. Amy and JJ would be part of them now. They wouldn’t want for anything, which was exactly how it was always meant to be.
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Acknowledgments
I’m a romantic at heart. A true romantic. I love the idea of a happy ending, so much so I have trouble writing a sad one. The world is sad enough. I like escaping in fiction. That’s just me. I like sarcasm and snark – but I’m not sure a sad ending is in me. If you’re looking for an edge like that, you’re probably looking in the wrong place. Just FYI.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Books by Lily Harper Hart
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Grave Insight
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Grave Misgivings
Grave Concerns
Grave Discovery
Grave Decisions
Grave Seasons
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Grave Haunting
Grave Paths
Grave Danger
Grave Missteps
Grave Demands
Grave Wedding
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Wicked Days
Wicked Dreams
Wicked Times
Wicked Places
Wicked Warning
Wicked Fog
Wicked Season
Wicked Winter
Wicked Hearts
Wicked Wishes
Wicked Whimsy
Wicked Haunts
Wicked Delight
A Harper Harlow Mystery
Ghostly Interests
Ghostly Issues
Ghostly Deceits
Ghostly Worries
Ghostly Images
Ghostly Wrecks
Ghostly Asylum
Ghostly Tricks
Ghostly Distress
Ghostly Despair
Ghostly Holiday
Ghostly Ordeal
A Rowan Gray Mystery
Welcoming Seas
Murky Seas
Stormy Seas
Sunken Seas
Choppy Seas
Churning Seas
Dangerous Seas
Perilous Seas
A Hannah Hickock Witchy Cozy Mystery
The Dirty Coven
Crossovers
Wicked Ghosts
Wicked Seas
Ghostly Seas
Hardy Brothers Security
Deadly Intentions
Deadly Intuition
Deadly Illusions
Deadly Proposal
Deadly Prospects
Deadly Ever After
Deadly Honeymoon
Deadly Questions
Deadly Addition
Deadly Vacation
Deadly Secrets
Deadly Storm
Deadly Dealings
Deadly Christmas
Deadly Desperados
Deadly Arrival
Deadly Rivalry
Deadly Memories
Deadly Adventure
Deadly Reunion
Deadly Conflicts
Deadly Payback
Deadly Waves
Deadly Forever
Wicked Respite Page 19