by Vanessa Vale
Of course, we couldn’t do jack shit about it at the time. Not with her going off to college in Seattle to become a teacher and us heading into the army. We’d never hold her back from her dreams and on top of that, we’d had nothing to offer her. She’d had to go and we’d let her. And since she was ours, we couldn’t hold her back. We had to give her everything that she needed, that she deserved, and that included leaving us for school. And so she’d gone west and we’d gone east to boot camp and then to the Middle East to war.
But now…well, now we’d saved up some money. Being deployed to a sandbox didn’t give much opportunity to spend any of it. We had enough to open our own helicopter business for tourists and the like. With the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone National Park nearby, scenic tours were popular. Same went for taking well-off hunters and campers into the backcountry. Well, Rory would take them and I’d push papers. Regardless, we were back for good, with a solid plan for our business and more than ready to move on from the military.
All we were missing was our woman.
We aimed to get her back…if we could find her. We’d been trying to track her down for seven years, ever since we said goodbye to her and went our separate ways. At first we’d sent letters to her grandmother’s house from boot camp, but each and every one was returned. We found out later that her grandmother had passed away that first fall and her house was sold. Then we tried to track her down at that college she’d headed off to in Seattle, but found out she’d only been enrolled for one semester. Then nothing.
The woman we planned to marry had fallen off the face of the earth.
Every time we returned to Bridgewater for a family visit we always asked around, but no one seemed to know what became of Ivy. Word must have spread, because Jessie was giving Rory a knowing smile.
“You two still hung up on that girl?” She looked up and waved to someone who’d come through the front door. “It’s been years now since she left this town behind.”
Jessie turned to me and I did my best impersonation of the old Cooper—the one without the scars and the nightmares. I gave her my best slow, lazy smile. “Yes, ma’am. We’ve had our heart set on Ivy for a long time now. We just can’t seem to track her down.”
Something shifted in Jessie’s expression. Some of the teasing faded and she seemed to be studying me closely. Too closely. But whatever she saw seemed to make an impression. “You know, I don’t normally gossip—”
I ignored the smirk Rory shot my way from behind her back. Everyone knew Jessie had all the news in town and wasn’t afraid to share it. But apparently she had a code of ethics when it came to gossip.
“Normally I wouldn’t share that girl’s business with anybody, but I know you boys and I do believe you’re only asking because you care about Ivy.”
I shot Rory a quick look and saw the same shock in his eyes. Was this it? Had we finally gotten a lead on our lady?
“That’s the truth,” Rory said, holding up his fingers like he was still a Boy Scout. “That girl stole our hearts back when we were kids, and we aim to make her ours.”
Rory might have been laying it on thick, but he was telling the truth and Jessie must have seen that because her gaze softened until she looked downright emotional. “That’s what I was hoping you would say.”
I gripped my mug tight to keep from showing my impatience, but God almighty, we’d been waiting seven years to find Ivy. “Do you know where she is, Jessie?”
She drew in a deep breath. “I sure do.” She paused and I thought for sure I’d have to sweet talk it out of her, but then she said in a rush, “She’s in Seattle.”
I hadn’t realized just how hopeful I’d become until those hopes came crashing down. I saw Rory’s shoulders sag as well. He still mustered a small smile. “We tried Seattle. She said she was going to school there, but she only registered for one semester. We couldn’t track her down after that.”
He looked my way and it didn’t take a psychic to read his mind. Another dead end.
Jessie made a sound of disgust that had us looking up at her once more.
“My goodness, for two grown men who’ve seen something of the world, you sure are dense.”
I stared up at her in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“If you’d asked the right questions all these years, you would have gotten the answer straight away.”
Rory leaned forward over the table and I could tell he was fighting the same battle to avoid losing patience with the older woman. “And what questions would that be?”
Jessie talked slowly as if to two morons. “After her grandmother passed, what other family did she have left?”
Rory and I shared a blank look, one that said who the hell knows?
Everyone knew that Ivy’s parents split when she was a baby. Her mama was young when she got knocked up and she and Ivy’s dad didn’t want the burden. They hadn’t wanted to be trapped in Bridgewater, from what I heard. So they dropped Ivy off at her grandma’s and never came back. I remembered hearing that story for the first time when I was a kid and wondered how in hell Ivy could be so sweet and trusting with parents like that. Her grandmother must have done something right to keep her from feeling bitter and abandoned.
Rory was the first to answer. “Her parents, I suppose. But I thought she didn’t have anything to do with them.”
Jessie sighed and glanced over as the chimes above the door signaled another new customer. The mealtime rush was coming in. “She doesn’t. No one’s heard from her mother and that fool boyfriend of hers in years. They didn’t even show up for her grandmother’s funeral.” Jessie scowled at the thought. “Probably too ashamed to show their faces.”
I saw the customers take a seat and knew we were running out of time before Jessie had to get back to work. “She didn’t have any other family, did she?”
“Not immediate family, no,” Jessie said. The way she stressed immediate made it instantly clear. I sat up straight and tried not to get my hopes up too much. Who knew how accurate town gossip was? And that’s what this was. Rumors. Yet I wanted to reach out and shake Jessie to get her to spit it out. She was enjoying this way too much.
“She has a great aunt,” Jessie said. “Her grandmother’s sister. In Seattle.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, some of the weight I’d been carrying slipped away. We might have returned to town and started a business, started to put down some roots. But they would mean nothing without Ivy.
After a million dead ends, we finally had a lead. We had fucking hope and I hadn’t had that in a long, long time.
Rory gave me a shit-eating grin, stood and kissed Jessie on the cheek. The woman smiled and preened at the surprising burst of affection. “Jessie, if we didn’t have our hearts set on Ivy, you’d be the one for us.”
Jessie sputtered, then patted him on the shoulder before going off to fill more coffee cups down the line of booths.
I stood, tossed a few bills on the table, then looked to Rory. Yeah, he was right there with me. I could see the eagerness, the hope, in his eyes. “Let’s go get our girl.”
CHAPTER TWO
IVY
Even though school was over for the year, the kids off enjoying the start to their summer break, my last teacher work day had been jam-packed with faculty meetings and cleaning out my classroom. I had an hour before I had to pick up Lily from her summer camp. Enough time for me to get some groceries so I could make dinner for me, Lily, and my great aunt, Sarah. The sky was clear for once and I hoped to eat outside on the patio.
I loaded up the last box of classroom supplies and carried it to the parking lot. One of my coworkers called out, “Have a great summer, Ivy!”
Smiling, I turned to reply but stopped so suddenly my mouth was left hanging open.
If my coworker noticed, she didn’t say anything. Or, if she did, I didn’t hear her. I was far too focused on the two men who were blocking the path to my car. I swear my heart skipped a beat, then took off like a runaway
train at the sight of them. They were leaning against a red sedan like they belonged there in the parking lot of this Seattle suburb elementary school.
Cooper and Rory.
But they didn’t belong there. They didn’t belong here, in my world. My home.
Oh god. My head started spinning and that was when I realized that I’d stopped breathing. I inhaled deeply, hoping a little oxygen would make some sort of sense out of what I was seeing. Who I was seeing.
It couldn’t be them.
But it was. There was no doubt. I would recognize Cooper and Rory anywhere. Even here, now, and looking like they did. They weren’t boys anymore. That was my first thought as my gaze greedily drank in the sight of them. They shouldn’t be here. I didn’t want them here.
Yes, I did.
No, I didn’t. I couldn’t.
Yet somehow the sight of them was a relief. Like getting a sip of water after being so dang thirsty it hurt to swallow.
They’d survived the military, come home. Come here.
With no more connections to Bridgewater after my grandmother died and I settled permanently in Seattle, I hadn’t heard what had happened to them. It hadn’t stopped me from wondering, to check the Bridgewater newspaper online and ensure there wasn’t an obituary for either of them. God, tears threatened at the thought, then at the sight of them.
I didn’t know how long I stood there staring. Long enough for them to take a good long look at me in return.
“It’s been a long time, Ivy.” That voice. It had said dirty words to me that night. The one night we shared. Perfect words. Rory was the first to break the silence between us. God, he was still hot as hell. He’d always been good looking—the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. But now…well, now he could add brawny, muscular, and chiseled to that description. He looked taller, heavier, packed with muscle. His dark hair was cut shorter than it had been in high school; it no longer fell over his forehead. But then, I supposed that was a side effect of his military lifestyle. He wore a snug black T-shirt and faded jeans, and he filled out the shirt to perfection. Even from where I stood a couple yards away I could see the biceps bulging beneath the short-sleeves.
Rory took a step toward me, but Cooper stayed where he was leaning against the car. He looked the same…but different, if that made any sense. He still had the same blond hair and boyish good looks, but there was something guarded about him now. Wary. His blue eyes weren’t filled with laughter like I remembered and that easy smile was nowhere to be seen. He tipped his head when my gaze met his and for a moment I had the crazy urge to run to him and hold him tight. To feel his beating heart, to feel his breathing, his strong grip. To know he would never let go.
They were both still watching me. Still staring. I realized that I still hadn’t said a word. They were waiting for me to speak.
Problem was, I had no idea what to say. I wasn’t even sure how I felt at seeing them. No, I knew. Stunned obviously speechless. Scared, which was a given. I’d never planned on seeing these two ever again. I’d prayed they would go home to Bridgewater alive, but I never expected them to come here, to find me. Not after that night when my life got turned upside down. Now that the shock of seeing them was starting to pass, the significance of their visit hit me hard and nerves made my stomach churn.
Oh god. Did they learn about Lily? Was that why they’d come? To take her away? There was only one way to find out.
“What…what are you doing here?” The words came out through stiff lips and my tone was colder than I’d intended. Rory’s head jerked back as if I’d slapped him, but Cooper didn’t flinch at the harsh greeting. He just kept staring at me with those pale blue eyes. Eyes I saw in my dreams. Something about the way he was looking at me made me cross my arms in front of my chest as if I could physically shield him from looking too closely and seeing too much. Of discovering the truth. Yes, I’d changed, too. I was no longer eighteen. I’d had a child. My breasts weren’t what they used to be and I had more curves, broader hips. And while they couldn’t see them through my clothes, stretch marks.
Rory recovered quickly and his lips curved up into that lopsided grin that used to make my knees weak. The way they felt rubbery now meant he still could. I drew in an unsteady breath.
“You’re a hard woman to track down,” he said.
My spine stiffened at that. So they’d been looking for me for a while then. Shit. I shrugged. “It’s not like I was hiding.” That was the truth. I hadn’t taken any drastic measures to hide from Rory and Cooper…but I hadn’t gone out of my way to seek them out, either.
I left a lot behind when I moved from Bridgewater. When Grandma died first semester freshman year, I had no reason to go back. I’d been reeling from grief and only a month or so into college classes…that was when I’d learned I was pregnant. Eighteen and pregnant, just like my mother. But unlike her, I hadn’t had Grandma to turn to. Instead of the dorms, I’d stayed with Grandma’s sister, Aunt Sarah, to save money, but we both agreed that schooling would have to wait until I had the baby and it was older.
I ached to call them, to tell them they were going to have a child, but I couldn’t. They’d wanted to serve their country and I knew they would have walked away if they had a responsibility elsewhere. Besides, it had been my fault I’d gotten pregnant. I’d been the one to tell them condoms weren’t necessary. I had been on the Pill. It hadn’t been a lie. I just hadn’t known about the issue with antibiotics weakening the effectiveness. My stupidity hadn’t been their fault. While Lily was far from a burden, neither of them had wanted a child right out of high school. At first, I’d thought they’d reach out to me, but time marched on and they never did, so I never contacted them.
It may have taken a little longer, but I still managed to get my degree in education and the job of my dreams teaching at an elementary school. It had taken years, but I’d finally gotten my life together after the unexpected pregnancy nearly derailed me.
And now that I had it all worked out—a good life, a beautiful daughter, a great job—these two had to show up and throw my life for a loop all over again. Just seeing them stirred up all kinds of feelings I’d buried. Deep. I forced herself to ask the question I feared the most. “Why were you looking for me?”
Cooper finally spoke then, his gaze never faltering. “We think you know the answer to that, Ivy.”
My heart stopped in my chest. What the hell did that mean? They somehow learned about Lily and wanted her?
He took another step and he was close enough that I could see his eyes. Really see them. The hurt, the darkness. My heart ached for what I remembered seeing, for what was missing now. He’d always been so happy, so carefree. I hated to think what had happened to make those blue eyes so hard.
Rory moved toward me then too, and it took everything in me not to back away. I knew they wouldn’t hurt me, but they could ruin everything I’d created for me and Lily, whether they meant to or not.
“We came for you, Ivy,” Rory said.
I stopped breathing as his words registered. Looking from him to Cooper and back again, I thought for one second maybe they were joking. They couldn’t be serious. What came out of my mouth was somewhere between a laugh and a gasp. It ended up sounding like I was choking on air.
Rory was still wearing that sexy grin, but Cooper was most certainly not laughing. “We’ve missed you, Ivy. We want you in our life.”
I shook my head to clear it, because honestly, Cooper’s words were affecting me far more than I wanted to admit. A warmth spread through me because of what he’d said as well as their almost tender looks. Stares that said better than words that they really had missed me. That they wanted me in their lives.
Oh god, they wanted me in their lives.
That heat spread down to my core as I caught their looks of desire. I squeezed my thighs together to ease the ache. Oh hell, they wanted me. And I still did, it seemed. I never stopped.
I shook my head slightly, trying to organize my thoughts. It d
idn’t matter that they wanted me. I wasn’t a teenage girl anymore. I was an adult, with responsibilities. And, most importantly, a child. With that thought in mind, I forced myself to walk past them to my car using the box as a damn shield.
“What we had is ancient history,” I said as I passed. “It was one night. It didn’t mean anything.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” Rory called after me.
I felt a smile tugging at my lips at his teasing tone. Goddammit, he was still charming as hell. I didn’t trust myself to turn around, too afraid they’d see the same desire mirrored in my eyes, or the smile that wanted to spread at the thought of them spending so much time and energy finding me. It felt good to know they’d thought of me, too. That I hadn’t just been one night to them, regardless of what I was saying. It hadn’t been just one night for me. Not just because of Lily as a living reminder of our time together, but because I hadn’t had anyone since. Not like them.
“It’s not a challenge,” I said as I popped the trunk with my key fob and put the box inside. Going around the car, I opened the driver’s door, then turned to face them. “I’ve moved on. It’s time you guys do, too.”
The words felt like shards of glass coming out of my throat, but I’d forced them out anyway. Yeah, in my dream world I would have loved to go back to whatever motel they were staying at and fuck them silly. No, to grab hold of them and never let go. But it wasn’t about me and what I wanted. I had a daughter to think about. Lily deserved to have a solid home life, which was what she had with me and Aunt Sarah. I’d made my decision to leave these guys in the past and it was no use second guessing that choice now. No matter how ruggedly handsome they were. They couldn’t just be hot cowboys. No, they had to be brash military men, too. That combination was lethal to my defenses and made my ovaries jump for joy.