by Quinn, Taryn
He nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket and laced his fingers with mine. His blue eyes were earnest and clouded with doubt. “We’ve been texting about it all day. I didn’t think.”
“No, you didn’t.” My words were still harsh, but my voice was less certain. I didn’t know how to feel. I’d been doing everything alone and I was so afraid to count on him in any way.
So afraid to want—to need—him to stay.
He turned me to face him. “We weren’t trying to be high-handed. I honestly just thought you’d be happy. That’s all we want for you, Ivy. All I want.”
I nodded. “I love it. I do.”
“Good.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I bastardized an app a mate of mine created. It works with your truck’s stereo.”
“How? The radio is a tape deck.”
“Believe me, it took some working. I’ll rip out the—”
At my look, he cleared his throat. “If you’d like, I’ll replace the stereo in the future.”
If he was going to be around to do that was the better question, but I simply nodded. “Better.”
“Right. Well, I rigged the speakers to the truck and found a tape adapter that actually worked with Bluetooth.”
“Really?”
“It’s not perfect, but…” He pressed a few buttons, frowned, and fiddled with his phone. “Stupid piece of shite.”
I snorted.
“Just wait, fairy queen and you’ll see.”
I opened my mouth to correct him. To demand he call me Ivy. Even Ivy Rose, but I just couldn’t. Not when he was licking the corner of his mouth as he frowned over his phone.
Suddenly “Born to Be Wild” came blaring out of my speakers.
“Fuck, yeah. I knew it was going to work.” He grinned down at me then pointed to the sign. “Born to be Wildberry, yeah?”
I laughed. “I got it.”
“I have a playlist with all the flavors we have listed. See, right here I’ve got ‘Purple Rain’ for your icee flavor.”
He was so excited and his eyes were shining with delight.
I didn’t even think. I simply rose on my toes and kissed his cheek. He immediately stopped what he was doing and shoved his phone into his pocket. “Ivy.”
I lowered myself back onto my heels. “Thank you.”
“Right. You’re welcome.” He stared at my mouth and it took everything in me not to kiss him. It would be so easy to do that. To throw myself at him. Even with this baby bump in the way, it would be so easy to walk right into his arms.
I took a step back.
Too easy.
I cleared my throat. “We’re almost done.”
“That we are.”
“Ahead of schedule, thanks to you.”
“Too little, too late if you ask me.”
“No. I really appreciate all you’ve done to make this truck come in under budget and early.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
I laughed. “I’m sure it hasn’t been. Your poor hands aren’t used to this kind of work, music man.”
“No, but I don’t mind.”
We stood together in the waning light of the evening. I’d worked the day shift at the diner, but it was June and the days were longer now. It was a good quiet between us. As quiet as Crescent Cove could be in the hours just past dinner anyway.
“Can I take you out, Ivy Rose?”
My gaze shot to his. “What?”
“On a date. A proper date.”
“You want to take me out?”
“It’s occurred to me that we’ve skipped all the steps that come with getting to know one another. Let me take you to dinner. Not at the diner. To a place that has a bread basket and a dessert cart that will make you feel decadent.”
I couldn’t stop the smile. “You mean like a restaurant where I have to dress up?”
“If you like. I don’t care what you wear. You can wear your smashing overalls if you want. I just want a night with you.”
I looked at my paint-splattered sneakers. “A night with you got me into this little predicament.”
“No sex.”
I shot him a look. “No?”
His neck reddened. “Well, I’m always wanting to get skin to skin with you, but for now, I just want the pleasure of your company. Across a table.”
“I’d like that.”
“Yeah? Tonight?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Oh.”
“Tomorrow all right? I actually have a day off.”
“And you’d spend it with me?”
“It looks like it.”
His smile widened. “It’s a date.”
“I guess it is.”
I hoped like hell I wasn’t making a huge mistake.
Twenty-Four
“I’m insane.”
“No, you love him. Now stop moving.”
I twisted my head around. “I never said that.”
Kinleigh grabbed my hips and twisted me straight. “If you don’t stop squirming, I’m going to stick you,” she mumbled around a pin in her mouth.
I blew out a breath and straightened up. When I’d come to her crying about my clothing predicament—again—she’d set me in front of the mirror with a dress she’d obviously been working on.
A dress made for my additional curves.
I fluffed the fluid middle of the pastel blue dress. It had tiny violets on it and fit like a dream.
“You know you could make bank in this town making cute pregnancy outfits. We all seem to be knocked up.”
Kinleigh laughed and tucked her chin on my shoulder. “I was thinking precisely the same thing. I stole some of the material from the hem on this dress. Shortened it a few inches.” She slid a pin along the seam at my hip. “Luckily, you have nice legs, so it worked out.” She unzipped the dress. “Step out and I’ll do some of my magic sewing.”
I let it shimmy to my ankles, then I wandered over to the rolling rack and flipped through the hangers of clothing as the soothing sound of Kinleigh’s sewing machine played accompaniment to the chamber music she had playing today. You never knew what kind of music would be playing. It usually matched her outfit.
Steam punk meets corset was on the menu today—with a side of dramatic flair because of her newly pink hair. Had to love my bestie. Life was never boring with her in my life for sure.
Thank God for her and my brother, especially with the little one I was carrying around. My hand slid to my belly absently. Nothing was kicking around in there yet. According to my baby books, it would start in a few weeks—if I was lucky. Sometimes not until past the halfway mark.
Halfway. It didn’t even compute. The weeks were bleeding away so fast, then other days it felt like no time had passed at all.
The bell for Kinleigh’s front door jangled and I zipped behind the trifold screen in the dressing area. Hanging out in my bra and granny panties was all right with Kinleigh, not so much for anyone else.
“You’re early.” Kinleigh’s voice was flat with displeasure.
“I know it. I was worried I’d be late and well, I’m very early.”
“She’s not ready.”
“It’s all right. I’ll wait.” His voice was a little nervy, the Irish a bit thicker than it usually was. I remembered the way his voice changed when he was with me. While he was inside me. The way his Irish flowed as well as his hips.
Cripes.
Halt. Reverse. Put away that line of thinking, young lady.
Oh, who was I kidding? I peered around the screen.
He was wearing black dress pants and a fitted summer weight shirt in a light blue. His brown hair was in that messy tumble of amber and copper streaks from the sun. He wasn’t the type to use a lot of product, but it was obvious he’d made an effort to dress up.
For me.
I swallowed down a lump.
He spotted me and I tried to duck back, but too late. He was headed my way.
&
nbsp; “Dammit,” I muttered. Usually, Kinleigh had a dozen silky robes back here to shrug on between outfits. “Not a single one? Really?”
“Ivy?”
“Naked,” I blurted out.
His dress shoes stopped clicking on the hardwoods, then he started walking again.
“Did you hear me?”
“I did, yes.”
“That means you stop walking, LC.”
He paused again, but then his stride lengthened.
Shit, I didn’t mean to let his nickname fly free. It was so ingrained from the time we’d spent together.
He hovered just outside of the screen. “May I come back there?”
“No.”
“Fairy queen.” His voice was cajoling. The heaviness in the air made all those fluttery feelings come alive in my belly, in my chest, and along my fingertips. The lust part was easy. If we had any hope of becoming more than this—more than just a pair of lusty strangers—then we needed to do this the right way.
“Third date, Rory.”
There was a beat of silence. “Excuse me?”
“Third date is when you get to see skin.”
“I’ve tasted every part of you, love. And I do mean every.”
My skin flushed. That was very true, but I had to believe there was more to us. More to me and him as a… God, a unit? More than just parents to a little miracle. An untimely one, but still a miracle.
“I do not need to know all the particulars between you, thanks.” Kinleigh bustled over and flipped the finished dress over the top of the screen. “Ready.”
I quickly pulled the dress down and slid it over my head. It fell around my midsection as soft as a sigh then swished around my knees. “Oh, Kin.”
“I know. It’s glorious.”
I laughed. My bestie didn’t have any self-esteem problems when it came to the clothes she chose or altered. And I couldn’t fault her. I twisted in the mirror and smoothed my hand over the gentle curve of my middle. It didn’t hide it, but it didn’t showcase it like some things I’d tried on in stores. The dress was pure comfort in every way.
“I left a cute pair of boots out here, as well as a pair of sandals. Whichever your feet are into.”
I slowly came out from the dressing area. Kinleigh knew me well. Some days it was all about the swollen feet, some days it was everything was too hot. Today, those cowboy boots would be perfect.
Especially with the cool breeze coming off the water that day. I could feel a storm in the air. It seemed fitting for our official first date. Handily, I’d always been good at facing storms.
It remained to be seen if Rory was as well.
“You’re stunning.” Rory’s eyes were hooded in that bedroom way that made me want to drag him back to the room at the Hummingbird. Where everything was easy and life didn’t intrude.
But that wasn’t what this date was about.
I straightened the skirt of my dress. “You’re not so bad yourself.” I snagged the boots, then plucked out a pair of socks from my bag. He watched me move to the large ottoman in the middle of the dressing area. I didn’t hop around the room putting my socks on anymore.
I was too worried about losing my balance.
He waited patiently for me, then held his hand out. “Now you’re stunning with a side of perfect.”
“Laying it on thick, buddy.”
“Never. Just speaking truth.”
I narrowed my gaze, but took his hand. “Is this all right for your plans?”
“More than.”
I turned to Kinleigh. “It’s perfect.”
“It’ll do for my first preggers dress.”
I laughed and rushed to her, releasing Rory’s hand. I gave her a hard hug.
“Are you sure?” she whispered into my ear.
I nodded. I had to give us a try. Even if the smart half of me said I should be sprinting for the door. There was a smaller, more fragile piece of me that wanted to lean into the hope. To lean into the love that was already building inside me. And not just the baby.
I backed away and relinked my fingers with Rory’s. “Ready?”
He nodded. “So much.”
“Thanks, Kin.” I smiled back at her. Her posture wasn’t as sure, but she’d pasted a smile onto her face. I appreciated her protective nature. I’d taken comfort from it over the past few weeks. Maybe too much.
Rory led me down the stairs out into the blustery sunshine. The heat of the day was mixed with a charged air that lifted the hairs on my arms. His trusty sedan was parked right outside the building.
I could feel eyes on me. I turned to find my brother in the window of his shop on the bottom floor. His arms were crossed over his chest, and there was more than worry etched on his face. Not exactly menace, but I didn’t really need to poke the bear either.
Rory opened the passenger car door and helped me inside. I let him, because he seemed to need it. Even on that first night, there had been a bit of an old world gentleman inside him that was missing from most men. When he went for my seatbelt, I gave him a bland look.
“Right. Sorry. All tucked in?”
“As much as I’m ever going to be.” I placed a hand over my belly. The longing in his face made me reach for him. At least that was what I told myself when I settled his hand where mine had been. “There’s no kicking yet.”
“Right. Not for some weeks, yeah?” His blue eyes seemed even bluer today. Stormy as the air sitting over the town.
The reverence in his voice made my eyes sting. His touch was gentle, but there was no end to the wonder there.
His large hand smoothed over my new curves, the side of his fingers bumping along the edge of my bra. I resisted the urge to shiver, but it was way more difficult than I wanted to admit. For once, I was pretty sure he wasn’t trying to seduce. There was too much concentration on his face for that.
“I’ve wanted to ask questions, but didn’t want to overstep.”
“I wasn’t exactly in the correct state of mind to talk.”
“I don’t blame you, Ivy.” His gaze lifted to mine once more. “I behaved badly. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance to make it up to you.”
“Then you better feed me. That’s a good first step.”
“Right. We have reservations.”
“Where?” I snapped my belt into place.
“It’s a surprise.” He grinned down at me and closed the door.
I frowned out the window as he headed toward the edge of town. “We’re not staying in Crescent Cove?”
“No. We’re going somewhere special.”
I gave him a side eye. “Crescent Cove is special.”
“There are things beyond the Cove, my ginger fairy.”
My belly flipped at him using the shortened version of the town name that few people used other than residents. I opened my mouth to dissuade him from using his nickname for me, but it just didn’t seem worth it at this point.
Not if I was sitting here next to him on a damn date.
Suddenly, the idea of things beyond Crescent Cove became a little more daunting. Because that was where my life was. Where I wanted to raise my child—our child. But it wasn’t exactly the best place for someone like Rory. It wasn’t a hub for musicians. Sure, Ian and Kellan were close by, but they were a little different.
They were in a band, not locked in to working with others. Not scheduling around musicians.
Scheduling around me.
“You’re thinking mighty loud.”
“Have you thought about what this means?”
“This?”
“Us. Me and you. Even if you wanted to make this work.”
“If we do?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. But my life is here. Yours is so big, so much more than what I can offer you.” It nearly killed me to say it, but it was the truth. I only had an ice cream truck and a baby to offer him. Even if my truck took off, it would be a seasonal staple in town.
And the baby was going to change everythin
g.
“I’ve never cared about anything enough to want roots. I got out of Ireland as soon as humanly possible. I’ve split my time between New York and Los Angeles for most of my career.”
I swallowed. “I understand.”
“You misunderstand, Ivy Rose. I was speaking in past tense. Now there’s a whole world I need to figure out. You and the baby are only part of that. You may have believed that my absence was all about running. I won’t lie, some of it was. But only because what was happening between us rocked me. It obliterated my foundation.”
I turned in my seat a little. “We’ve only known each other for a short time.”
“That’s the heart of it, isn’t it? Why do you think it well and truly fucked me up?”
His accent was so thick I almost couldn’t follow him. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, dammit.” He blew out a breath and pulled off the side of the road onto the wide shoulder. It also happened to be near one of the walking paths that led to the lake.
I gave him a startled glance. “Don’t we have reservations to get to?”
“Fuck the reservations.” He pushed open his door.
I looked over my shoulder at the road. “Okay then.” I opened my door and followed him to the stone wall at the far edge of the shoulder. When I got to him, I tugged on his shirt to keep him walking. “There’s a path this way.”
He frowned. “You make me crazy.”
“Feeling is mutual. Let’s take a walk. This conversation obviously shouldn’t take place in a restaurant.”
“So you can toss me into the sea?”
“Lake.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Whatever. You know what I mean.”
I held out my hand. “I’m not in your will yet, Rory. You’re safe.”
“Nice to know there’s a few reasons to keep me around.”
I laughed. “Come on.” I held onto his arm a little more than I usually would. The cowboy boots were super cute, but not really cut out for the rocky path.
“Maybe we should turn back.”
“The view is worth it.” A distant roll of thunder heightened the moment. As if the sky was just as stirred up as both of us.
“All right, just hold onto me.”
It was a short path to the rocky beach. The water was a bit wild from the wind kicking up. Small waves held more whitecaps than usual, and the air was sharp with brine and the heaviness of impending rain.