Hopefully, her parents weren’t freaked out by some body armor or riot gear. If they were, that would definitely set the pace for this evening.
As he parked in her driveway, there was a Land Rover and a sleek Mercedes already there. He parked his antique truck behind them, and took a deep breath.
Clearly, this was going to be one hell of an uphill battle to get them to see he was good for their daughter.
He was going in with the disadvantage.
When he knocked on the door, a woman appeared, and it wasn’t Blue.
It wasn’t her mother either.
“Yes?” she asked.
She had a freaking housekeeper?
Oh, Jesus.
“I’m Ivan Bennet. I’m here to see Blue. Can you tell her I’m here?” he asked.
“Yes, sir, I can. Will you please follow me?”
He wished he skipped the flowers and went home to change. This was going to be a disaster. He was dressed like he was heading out to kill someone.
He felt so out of place. The housekeeper was dressed better than him, and already he was beginning to get that feeling of fight or flight, and the latter was winning.
This was bad.
He began fighting the nerves.
Inside, it only got worse. Blue’s home was big on the outside and lush on the inside. There were chandeliers, marble floors, and he and his buddies had raided palaces like that in the Middle East.
He wanted to run.
Screw love.
He was better off alone.
Just as he was about to turn around and head back to the door, he heard the housekeeper announcing his arrival.
“Miss Garrick, you have a guest,” she said, as she led them into the sitting room.
Blue stood the second she saw him.
“Ivan!”
Her smile said it all.
“I brought you these,” he said, handing her a bunch of blue flowers. He’d picked every blue one they had. “They still aren’t as beautiful as my Bluebell.”
She gave him a kiss.
He was tense.
“We were having a drink before dinner. Would you like some wine?” she asked. “Or a beer? I got our favorite.”
“Beer is fine, thank you.”
She motioned to the housekeeper. “Come in and sit by me,” she said, so damn thrilled that he showed. He’d met her halfway. By coming to dinner, he proved that it wasn’t all about his needs but hers too. That was all she wanted from him, and now they would be perfectly fine.
She could tell.
She led him into the personal space, and it felt like Blue. It was white, sparkly, and just like her. Everything there reminded him of how he didn’t fit in.
He was dark, dirty, and dingy.
Shit.
Immediately, Blue began making the introductions. There was pride in her voice as she held his hand in hers.
“Ivan, this is my mother, Liza McCall,” she said. “Mom, this is Ivan.”
It was hard not to notice that Blue looked just like her mother. The only difference was the woman was older. Thankfully, she had that same warm smile.
It helped him relax.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am. I’m sorry I’m late. I was tied up with Elizabeth Blackhawk.”
“I’d love to be tied up with her,” Blue’s father stated as he was drinking. “I bet that would be fun.”
Oh, he had no idea.
Elizabeth would chew that man up and spit him out in seconds.
“Shut up, Joseph. No one wants to hear about your kinkery. That’s why you had to leave your toddler at home. She couldn’t be trusted not to give every man in the room head.”
Blue gave Ivan the look. It was the one that said, ‘I told you so’ and also ‘ignore him—we do’.
“Ivan, this is my father, Joseph,” she said, as he shook his hand.
“It’s my pleasure, sir.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Joseph stated.
Just then, Blue’s housekeeper came in carrying two beers. One for her, and one for Ivan. She handed her the flowers.
“Can you put these in a vase for me? I don’t want to leave Ivan’s side. I’m so excited. Thank you.”
The woman left.
They sat.
“So, you work for the Blackhawks?” Liz asked.
“I actually work for a division outside the Capitol Police,” he stated. “My job is security duty. I was personally chosen by Ethan Blackhawk to make sure his wife stayed uninjured. Since he’s a power player in DC, they warrant private security.”
And it was a damn hard job too.
Like today for instance. Had he not been so freaked out about meeting these two people, Elizabeth wouldn’t have been clocked by that mug.
Ivan was off his game.
He screwed up.
“That sounds fascinating,” Liza stated. “I have to admit that I am always so curious about people. Maybe I should have been a psychologist.”
“Yes, because you’re crazy,” Joseph stated.
“Yes, I did marry you and let you touch me…ONCE, so I guess I can’t argue that.”
Blue laughed.
Then she sipped her beer.
Ivan began relaxing. This wasn’t that bad. The two of them were sniping at each other, and that meant they wouldn’t be paying attention to him.
“What did you do before you were security?” Liza asked. “Or has that always been your life?”
“I was in the military, Ma’am. I’m a Marine.”
Blue stared at him like he was the best thing in her life. She couldn’t help it. He understood how not coming had hurt her, and he showed.
For her.
“I did my tours there and was injured.”
Blue told her parents what had happened, using medical terms.
Ivan let her.
He was getting overheated. The pressure was abating, but now he was acutely aware of all the guns and Kevlar.
Blue’s mother smiled warmly at him.
“My father was a Marine. He was all about the corps, Ivan. That’s a wonderful way to serve your country.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
She stopped him.
“Ivan, you can call me Liza. I’m pretty informal, and ma’am isn’t my thing.”
Blue agreed as she leaned into Ivan’s body.
“You’re still wearing your body armor,” she stated. “Do you want to slip out of it?”
“Yeah, maybe I should. I was with Elizabeth up to the last minute. I wish I went home to change.”
“That’s okay, Ivan. I don’t mind,” she reassured. “It’s an informal dinner. Get comfortable.”
“Can you show me?” he asked. “This place is overwhelming. I feel like I need GPS.”
She laughed.
“I can.”
Blue got up and lead him down a hall.
“Here’s a powder room,” she said. Then, before he could go in, she leaned into him. “Thank you for this. You coming here means everything to me.”
While uncomfortable, he just had to get through this mess. He just had to get through dinner without making a fool of himself.
He kissed her.
“I’d die for you, Bluebell.”
Honestly, she believed him, and Blue couldn’t love him more than she did at that very moment.
“I’ll keep your spot warm,” she said, touching his cheek. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” he admitted.
Yeah, if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be here. To him, this was the ultimate sign of his devotion. The only thing past this was proposing.
Ivan headed into the bathroom and began pulling off his gear. He stripped down to take the under-layer of his body armor off. It felt symbolic.
He was taking off his protection.
He was stripping off his identity that he’d used to protect himself. For Blue, he was about to leave himself vulnerable, and he hoped for the best.
Ivan was going
to be the real him.
Pulling his polo shirt back on, he gathered up his military-grade gear and opened the bathroom door.
That’s when he could hear the heated discussion, and Blue seemed to be in distress. Immediately, he was ready to rush to her rescue.
Only, he couldn’t.
It was about him.
“Daddy, I don’t really care,” Blue stated.
“He is covered in tattoos, and he was only a soldier. Now he gets shot at for a living. We’ve all seen the news. He’s got a short shelf life, Blue. Move on. Find a man who will be able to give you the finer things,” Joseph said.
“Joseph,” Liza warned. “Maybe you should stay out of this and let Blue decided what is good for her. She’s an adult,” Liza said, trying to shut him up.
Only, it wasn’t happening.
Well, at least Ivan wasn’t hated by both of them. It looked like Blue pegged this one.
“He’s not good for her, Liza. He’s not what we saw for our daughter, and we both know it. We didn’t put her through the best schools, the best colleges, and then endow her with a trust fund so some common man could come in and ruin everything. We have one child, and she is ours to protect.”
“DAD!”
“It’s true, Blue. There was that concert pianist or that botanist. They were smart. They were better choices. That professor was so very interested in you,” he said, as he drank his wine.
“For your…”
He cut her off.
“No. NO, BLUE!”
“I love Ivan, and I don’t care about his job,” she said. “I have that same lowly civil service job, Dad.”
“He’s a target. You’re going to get the call he’s dead, and then what? I’m not raising your children when he’s in a body bag!”
“DAD!”
“No. He’s not the one. Move on. It’s final.”
Ivan had heard enough. He walked back into the room carrying his military gear, and that’s what it took to shut the man up. The whole room went silent.
Blue stood the second she saw him. There were tears in her eyes, and he understood.
It was goodbye.
So, he was going to make it easier for her. He would be the man and take the brunt of this.
“Blue, I’m leaving. I’m sorry.”
He headed toward her.
Gave her a kiss on the lips and let it linger. He knew it was the last time he’d ever kiss her.
“Goodbye, Bluebell. He’s right. I’m not good enough for you, and we all know it. You should listen to him. Find someone worthy of you. I just want you to be safe and happy. It’s all I ever wanted.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
“No, Ivan. No, please don’t leave me,” she whispered.
He touched her cheek with his palm and wiped a tear with his thumb.
“I have to go. It’s better now than that body bag. I love you. I’ll always love you.”
With that, he nodded at Liza. “It was a pleasure, Ma’am. Thank you for your time. For the record, you raised an amazing woman, and I’m blessed for the time I had with her the last few weeks. Have a good night.”
And he was gone.
Blue was stunned.
She didn’t know what the hell to think. Ivan had been hurt, and her father had crossed a major line on this one. Blue ran to the window to see him toss his things into the back of his truck, hop in, and tear away from her home without looking back.
She spun and pointed at her father.
“That was deplorable! You are such a hateful, mean, vicious person. I love him so much! I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him!”
“And do what? Cry when he takes a bullet to the brain?”
“Joseph! Enough! You’re a poor example of picking a good mate. You married a child. In fact, mentally, you’re fucking a child, so zip it. What you just did was horrendous. You tore that man apart so he could hear it. You have the manners of a cockroach.”
Blue began crying. She began weeping as she sat on the couch.
Her mother sat by her.
“Get out!” Liza stated. “Go home to your toddler, and think about what you’ve said tonight. Ivan is only after her money? You have a gold digger in your bed. You’re an asshole and a hypocrite!”
Joseph grabbed his keys and phone. “One day, Blue, when you find the right one, you’ll thank me for this. That’s the proof. He ran. He didn’t even try to fight for you. That’s not a man worthy of you.”
She wept harder.
Joseph left, and Blue sobbed. This was a mess. Ivan showed up, had to bear her father’s brunt, and now he was gone.
She’d lost him.
“Mom, he was the one. He was the one, and now it’s ruined. I’ve lost him.”
She stared at her daughter and knew exactly how to handle this. She knew her girl, and she knew which buttons to push to get Blue to act.
“Are you a coward?”
Blue didn’t understand.
“If not, then you go after that man. You pack a bag, you go find him, and you tell him that he’s the one. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, Blue. If you know that Ivan is the one, and he treats you like you want, then go find him. Don’t listen to us. Listen to YOU!”
She already knew he was the one.
“He treats me like I’m so valuable.”
Then she told her mother about her last case, and how Ivan had saved her as she was about to be killed. As her mom listened, wide-eyed, she waited for her to freak the hell out and beg her to come back to the practice.
Only, she didn’t.
“Yes, he’s the one,” Liz said. “That right there is something you should have tossed at your idiot father.”
“And I’ve lost him.”
She hugged her daughter.
“Fight.”
“He’s the one, momma.”
Liz gave her a kiss. This was the moment she’d always wanted for her child.
“Then I’ll help you pack.”
And she did.
When he pulled into the driveway of his little home, his heart was destroyed. He’d never felt this kind of pain before in his life. This was exactly what he’d hoped to avoid, and here it was.
It sucked.
Ivan knew that he’d never come back from this. Losing Blue and hearing her father tear him down was too painful. He’d never recover from what had just happened.
The sad part was they were right.
That’s exactly why he didn’t fight, he didn’t stay and argue, and he didn’t try to convince them.
Everything the man said was the truth, and he couldn’t deny it. He’d been less than her from the start, and being with Blue had been a pipe dream.
Now he had to let go.
He had to set her free.
Heading to his refrigerator, he pulled down a picture his mother had snapped of him and Blue on the porch swing. He took it down and placed it in the garbage.
He couldn’t see her every day and know he’d lost the woman he was supposed to marry. Opening the drawer, he pulled out a box. Before he left, his mother had given him the antique ring that had been his grandmother’s. It was nothing special, but it was delicate, pretty, and reminded him of Blue.
He’d wanted to give it to her that moment, but he knew he had to wait for her parents to meet him.
Then he was going to take her out ring shopping and let her pick out whatever she wanted.
It was one hell of a fantasy.
Only, that was never happening.
Ivan put it back in the drawer and closed it. He couldn’t look at it anymore. Tomorrow, when he got the chance, he’d mail it back to his mother.
She’d understand.
For now, he needed to find a way to numb his heart and soul.
Beer.
He needed a beer.
Opening his refrigerator, he found one and popped the cap off. He chugged it.
Ivan didn’t feel any better.
He felt worse.
Then he held it against his chest.
And mourned.
When she was dropped off by her mother, she gave her a kiss, told her she’d call, and grabbed her bag from the back seat of the Land Rover.
“Go get your man. When you get him, you bring him to my place. I like him. He saved my girl. He gets the privilege of being with her in my book.”
“Thank you, momma. I love you.”
“Save that Marine!”
Oh, she was.
This was like a military operation.
She was storming the beaches of his house and getting her heart back.
Screw her father.
She wanted Ivan.
She wanted him more than anything in the entire world, and she would get him. If he thought he could retreat and she wouldn’t follow, he was wrong. While they’d been away in Boston, she told him she’d fight for him.
Blue told him she’d follow him into Hell if that was what it took, and she meant it.
Now she was walking the walk since she’d done the talk. Blue wanted Ivan as her own.
As she walked up to the door, she dropped her bag and work gear.
Then she rang the bell.
It didn’t take long until she heard him heading her way. When he opened the door, he didn’t look good at all. His eyes were red, he looked like he was suffering, and she was done seeing Ivan hurt.
He was hers to protect.
“I’m home.”
Her being there caught him off guard, but her saying that really shocked him.
What was she saying?
“Can you help me carry my things?” she asked, grabbing her giant suitcase. She dragged it into his house, past him, and then dropped it.
Then she took the beer and stole a sip.
“We’re going to have to order dinner,” she stated. “I’m starving. I hope pizza is okay with you. I’m totally in the mood and I’m not washing dishes.”
What the hell?
Was he dreaming?
“What are you doing?” he asked, staring at her like she was crazy. Did the last hour not happen?
“I’m moving in.”
WHAT?
Did she just say…?
Ivan was confused and a whole lot of terrified by those words.
“Why?” he asked, finally able to speak. He didn’t know if he should freak out or celebrate.
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