I smiled at her, “As soon as I manage to take off my jeans.”
She slowly moved off my legs and said, “Let me help you with that.”
Then she pulled off my jeans, and I knew from that simple gesture I had to tell her soon about me not being a single daddy because I didn’t want Ivy in my life just so that she could stay over once in a while. I wanted more than that, and I knew that time wouldn’t make any difference in my thoughts about our relationship. I had a feeling that she felt the same way, but a conversation would prove it. Right now, I needed to get her in the shower. Just so I could make her soaking wet all over again.
Chapter Ten
Ivy
I had to work from home today with my car being in the garage. I could have called a taxi, but I felt like walking. The last few days I’d hardly been out for a jog or done any exercise. It seemed to be the only exercising that my body had been experiencing was in the bedroom with Chad.
I could call him and ask him what he was up to today. I had a feeling that maybe we were spending too much time together because he wanted to get out and work or even invest in something but so far that time seemed to be spent with me.
Shit, I’d never had a relationship, and neither of us had said that we were officially dating. He had introduced me to a couple of his friends. They were nice, but never his sister and that always bugged me.
I’d done the same with Willow and Chloe when she came to town to visit. She was my best friend back in the law firm in Chicago, and it was great catching up with her on all the gossip in the office. But for the first time in the year that I moved back home I didn’t miss Chicago. I didn’t even hate my job so much. The crazy part about it is that I’m enjoying it.
Hazel’s getting older and we seem to connect more and part of me wishes that I didn’t rush back to work. Mom has said it so many times and I never really understood it until now. This is the time that I would never get back. I’d even thought about maybe going part-time. God knows I didn’t need to be in the office this much. I could do some things at home, or even b just cut down my hours. Tomorrow when I go back in, if they’ve sorted out the leak, then I may suggest it to one of the partners. If they’re not game, I still may leave. There’s more to life than working and I didn’t need the money. Being at home could save me the money that I need for the preschool fees. Too many things to think about and not enough time.
I decided to pop into Starbucks. I felt like a coffee and maybe just hanging out there for a little while before going home. I couldn’t believe it when I saw Joshua’s stroller heading in the same direction. I thought that there could only be one person pushing it. If it wasn’t Chad, then it had to be his sister Olivia.
I ran up to him and her, but maybe Chad wasn’t ready to introduce us. Shit, what the heck? I was only going to say hello to her.
“Hi,” I said as I got to the front door of Starbucks.
Her eyes darted from me to her friend. Or it could have been her mom? They had the same sparkling hazel eyes and even short haired bob, but the weird part was she had Joshua but not her daughter. The one that I’d never got to meet.
“Sorry, do we know you?” The taller woman with gray hair and her dark-shaped bob said. It felt as if everyone in their family was good looking. I could see it in Joshua with his bright hazel eyes. Funny, I never thought about it until now, but he had the same shade of eyes as Olivia, not Chad.
I shook my head, “No, but I know Joshua’s dad, and I just saw you so I thought that I would come over and say hello.”
“Brent? You know him?”
The woman asked, the one that I assumed was Olivia, so I asked for clarification.
“Olivia, right?”
She nodded, but I could see the confusion written all over her face. To make matters worse, customers were trying to get out of Starbucks, and I was blocking the door.
“No, I know Chad. Joshua’s dad,” I laughed nervously as I could hear someone on the other side tapping on the door telling me to move.
I did that, and then the elderly woman said, “But Brent is Joshua’s dad and Chad’s…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Olivia said. “Nice to meet you. You’re Ivy I take it. Chad’s told me so much about you. This is my mom. She just came back from her cruise, so I haven’t been able to fill her in on everything.”
I moved out of the way and the customers that were trying to leave Starbucks passed by us, but couldn’t help but give me a piece of their mind. I ignored them as I watched Olivia’s mom and Olivia exchange looks. There was something wrong, and the moment I mentioned Joshua’s dad, his mom had asked if I knew Brent? Who was Brent?
I smiled at her, but I felt as if there was a conspiracy and Olivia was in the loop, but her mom wasn’t.
“Did you have a nice cruise?”
My question was directed at her mom, but Olivia answered for her.
“Yes, she did.”
“But Olivia, is Brent in touch or something? I don’t understand why this woman…sorry, is it Ivy?”
I nodded my head, so she continued speaking. I could tell that Olivia felt uncomfortable as she turned a bright shade of red.
“Mom, let’s get you inside. You look tired,” Olivia smiled at her.
“Well, I’m going to Starbucks, too. Maybe we can share a table or something?”
Olivia blurted out, “No.”
Whereas her mom, who wanted answers as I did, said the complete opposite, “Yes.”
That was when things started to get even stranger. Olivia took me to the side, as quick as lightning; I walked away from her mom and Joshua in confusion.
“Ivy. I am so sorry about my brother. You need to talk to Chad. I just lost my job. My mom just came home, and I need to speak to her.”
The thing that was bugging me the most wasn’t just about the fact that there was something wrong with this picture. I knew that Chad was lying to me. It was clear by the way that both Olivia and her mom mentioned Brent. So, where did Chad fit in all of this?
“Olivia, where’s your daughter? I mean if you’re out with Joshua. Why would you take your nephew and leave your daughter alone? I don’t even know her name.”
She sighed, “Please talk to Chad.”
“But your daughter?” I questioned as she left my side.
Her mom answered the question for me, “Daughter? Olivia doesn’t have a daughter, just Joshua.”
Olivia sighed, “Mom. Let’s get inside.”
The picture was starting to get clearer by the minute. Their mom had answered the question for me. Chad and Olivia were sister and brother. Which could only mean that Chad was his uncle, not his dad. All this time, he’d been playing me for a fool, and I’d gone along for the ride. I was fed up with men treating me as if I was foolish. He was the bad boy that I didn’t want in my life. I should have stayed away, but I didn’t. I walked like a zombie from The Walking Dead all the way back home wondering whether I should tell Chad that I found out his dirty little secret or whether to just keep the fuck away from him. The thing that I should have done, the first moment I laid eyes on him.
Chapter Eleven
Chad
Ivy was going to be fucking impressed with my culinary skills today. Mom was back from her cruise, and when I told her that I had been taking culinary lessons, she was pretty impressed. I did want to cook her lunch, but she was in town with Olivia. Apparently, having a girlie day out. I offered to look after Joshua, but mom wanted to spend time with him.
It didn’t sound like much of a girlie day out when they usually just spend too much time hanging out at Starbucks. I swear that place is an automatic magnet for moms and the retired. They always seem to want to hang out there.
I sent Ivy a text telling her that when she finishes work she should come to mine with Hazel. Sometimes I wonder if she has her phone in her hand all day waiting for my text. She usually replies in about ten seconds. Today, nothing and it has been nearly four hours since I sent it.
<
br /> I shook my head about my paranoia, but I just couldn’t help it. I’d spent the last three months calling or texting, and she would reply straight away. What had happened today?
Shoot, was it our anniversary or something?
Even worse, her birthday?
Shit, I started to go through my calendar, because Martin had warned me about stuff like this. ‘Make sure you remember anniversaries and birthdays.’
He gave me a little guide book on relationships, seeing as he was the King of them these days. Noah and Kylie have another barbecue, and I wanted to take Ivy with me. But, I knew that I couldn’t take her without her knowing the truth. This fucking charade has gone on for far too long. Like three months too long.
“Yep,” I said as soon as I picked up the phone. I was lost in my thoughts and wondering if I’d missed something else and this is why Ivy hadn’t responded to my text. I sent it twice, and my phone said that not only did she receive it, but she read it, too.
“Chad, it’s Olivia.”
I shook my head, “Sorry sis. I didn’t know who it was.”
“Did you speak to Ivy?”
I cleared my throat because I was a bit surprised about sis mentioning her name.
“No. But you don’t know her.”
She choked, “Well, I do now. I thought that you told her all his time. I mean it’s been ages. Why didn’t you tell her Chad? Mom knows now, and she’s pissed. It was so fucking selfish. I mean you put this on me. Joshua. You showed me pictures of her. But I didn’t expect this. I mean God Chad.”
She was talking too fast and in riddles, which I fucking hate, so I didn’t know what she was talking about and she loves to do this. Mom does, too, and I feel as if I’m about to lose my fucking mind every time they do it. One will start a sentence, and the other would finish it. But neither of them make any sense.
“Mom. Ivy. You. What? Spill it out but slower this time.”
She took a deep breath, and I knew that whatever she had to say would involve me having to sit down. I moved to the living room and closed my eyes as I listened to what she had to say word for word.
“I was going to Starbucks with mom. You know I just needed to get out of the house. Losing my job has just driven me insane…”
“What? Did you lose your job? When? You just told me that you were on vacation.”
She murmured, “I couldn’t deal with telling you about it. I’m still trying to process the whole thing in my mind. One minute they’re giving me deadlines that I can’t reach without staying in the office 24/7 and the next I’m being told that my work’s not up to par.”
“Fucking bastards! We’ll sue. Don’t worry about that. They are not going to get away with it. You’ve been there five years. Even after you had Joshua, you took less of your maternity time and went back to work. That’s dedication and hard work all rolled up into one. They had no right…”
She gasped, “Chad, they had every right because they were right. I have a hard time focusing. I haven’t been honest with you either which is why I had to talk to mom.”
“Oh?”
She sighed, “Yes, Brent wants us to give it another go. He wants me to move to NY with him and give it a go there.”
I laughed, “Over my dead body. I mean the guy dumped you when you were pregnant and he just comes back and expects you to take him back.”
“That’s not exactly true. Brent dumped me before that. We were having problems and I tried to get pregnant on purpose just so that he wouldn’t leave…”
I had to interrupt her; I didn’t want to have this type of conversation on the phone. It was best to do it face-to-face. I’d learned that from the problems we had with Dan. He’s a new man now. Things started going in the right direction once we got his family involved. Then again, I saw Olivia every day, and she never said anything to me, but she wanted to do it all on the phone. I wonder what made her change her mind now?
“I’m coming over.”
She blurted out, “No. Brent’s here. Anyway, I called you for another reason. We can talk about this tomorrow when he leaves. I saw Ivy, she recognized Joshua, or maybe it was me. She knows, Chad. She knows.”
I dropped the phone and I could hear Olivia calling my name, but I felt as if all the air in the room had been sucked out because I couldn’t breathe. I knew that eventually Olivia would hang up and I could tell her that I was okay. I didn’t know if I was okay. I’d been a one-night guy until I met Ivy and I lied to her. Not a little white lie, but a big fucking one that was so far deep in the ocean I’d been drowning in for so long.
Now I knew why she didn’t reply to my text. She wasn’t coming to dinner tonight. I would be lucky if I ever saw her again. She hated me, and as I cupped my face, I couldn’t fucking blame her. I’d turned a two week lie into a three month one, just because I liked her. But the way that I was feeling right now. I knew that I was kidding myself. I didn’t just like Ivy. I felt a lot deeper than that. I fucking loved her.
Chapter Twelve
Ivy
I’d been in the car for the last twenty minutes. Luckily Hazel was sleeping, and I didn’t know if I should make a move and go to the preschool. This was the mother of all preschools, and they only did tours based on special invitations. Chad and I had managed to get past the screening stage, and I’d been thinking about leaving my job and maybe caring for Hazel full-time. The reality of doing that was beyond me.
I’d spent the last two weeks crying, not only did Chad lie, but he hasn’t even tried to call me. Not once. I haven’t heard from the man. I just got the letter about the preschool and thought about us when we were filling in the application. We were laughing. Joking about our kids being geniuses if they get into this preschool. Now, I didn’t know what to think about all of it.
I picked up my phone and decided that I would call Willow. She was my voice of reason, and she would tell me to get the fuck out of here. All this lying just wasn’t worth it.
“Hey Willow,” I smiled as she picked up the phone.
“Ivy, where you at?”
“Outside The Lords PreSchool.”
I hated to tell her that I’d considered going to do the tour when I said that I wouldn’t even think about it when she came over on the weekend. I saw the letter, but I never opened it until then. I thought that it was the typical rejection letter that nearly every parent received about the elite preschool.
She screeched, “Really? I didn’t think that you would go for it. You told me that you wouldn’t, and there was no way that Hazel would get in, so it was all a waste of time. Besides, aren’t you leaving work?”
She wasn’t just the voice of reason, but she was reminding me of the decisions I said I was making and I was swiftly changing my mind about them.
“Yeah, I know they won’t let me work part-time only Friday’s at home. Which isn’t good enough. The sitter’s great and I don’t have a problem with that. It’s just that I wanted to leave town because of him. Why should I leave because of him?”
“Hallelujah, at last, you finally admit it. Just don’t understand why you don’t call him.”
“Me?” I screeched so loudly that Hazel opened her eyes with fright as I did it. I gave her a reassuring smile and she closed her eyes once again. Back to her fantasy land, the one that had her smiling while she was sleeping peacefully.
I opened the car door to stop myself from making any more loud noises.
“He’s the jerk that lied, and he hasn’t even bothered to apologize.”
She hummed, “Hmm, he sent you a dozen red roses every single day for the first four weeks. He called you endlessly and you refused to pick up your phone. He turned up at work and your home and you refused to see him. What more do you want the guy to do?”
She had a point, Chad had tried to talk to me, and all I had done was slam the door in his face.
“There was no excuse for what he did. None. He lied to me, not for weeks but months.”
She interrupted my train of th
ought, “But did he lie to you? I mean you assumed that Joshua was his and he just went along with it. Okay, he went a bit OTT with making it seem like he was a single dad and he was dumped by the mom. But apart from that, I think the guy’s really into you, and the crazy part about it is that you’re into him, too. So, I don’t know why you wouldn’t give him another chance.”
I didn’t have an answer to her question. I could hear what he had to say about it. But Chad could have somewhere along the line told me that Joshua wasn’t his kid. He could have told me that he was his uncle and then we could have taken it from there. I knew that Willow was right. If he had told me, would I have given him the time of day?
Probably not.
Maybe the attraction was down to him being a single parent, too. I thought that we had a connection based on us both trying to bring up our kids without a partner. When I found out that it was a lie, then there wasn’t anything holding us together anymore.
“Willow, I need to go. It’s time for me to go in and luckily he has the sense not to show up.”
She sighed, “Maybe he doesn’t know about the meeting. After all, they sent the letter to your house, not to his.”
“Yes, I had the sense not to put his address down. We were supposed to be a couple. Two people trying to put our kids into preschool.”
She laughed, “The things you parents do to get your kids into the right preschool.”
“He did it for his nephew. I did it for my daughter.” I corrected her; Chad wasn’t a single parent. He didn’t even have a kid, yet he spent nearly every day with Joshua, and I remember when Joshua was starting to crawl how Chad acted as if it was the best day of his life. I wondered if that was a lie along with everything else.
“Just call me later, okay?”
I asked, “How come?”
Fake Daddy ( Single Brothers #2) Page 5