Where the Ivy Hides (19 page)

Ryker

When we pull up at the park, me Lily is about to lose her marbles by the time she barrels out of the truck. I grab the picnic basket and her bags out of the back of the truck and yell over my shoulder when I spot Ivy a few cars away, “Lily Blake, your mum’s right here, darlin’, I don’t know where in Sam Hill you’re going.”

I spot Lily’s little black head bobbing as she runs back towards the car squealing and look back at Ivy, “She almost choked on her pancake this morning when I told her she was going to meet her mum today. Can’t say that I’ve ever seen that child get ready for anything as fast as she got ready for lunch,” I chuckle.

It warms me heart when I see her smile before she looks down, trying to hide her blush.

Lily’s loud, shrieking squeals abruptly stop at the same time her running feet do a few feet behind me, and I turn around and scoop her up. Just as her ankles lock on me hip, I point to Ivy.

“Lily, this is your mum. I found her and she found me. And guess what, me little darlin’?” I whisper, “She’s been looking for you.”

I’m not real certain where the words came from, but just like they always have with me Lily, they just came so I said them.

They must do the same with me Ivy, because she doesn’t miss a beat. “Hey, Lily. He’s right, I have been looking and here you are!” She smiles at Lily.

That’s all it really takes for a daughter to love her mother and vice versa; a single chance to love and be honestly loved in return. Just like that Lily hopped down and ran towards her mother where Ivy waited with her arms open for her baby girl. It’s enough to blur me vision with tears when I see the two of them hug.

Me two girls.
Ivy and Lily. If there ever was a better way to risk your heart as a father and as a man does for a woman he loves, I won’t be asking, because I’ve found mine. I’ve found me way.

The conversation is easy as me and Ivy lay out the blanket and set up the food. While Ivy looks closely at each of the cookies Lily sprinkled just for her, she makes sure each compliment is one in its own as Lily sits at her feet struggling with the straps on Ivy’s shoes.

“Ivy, love, now don’t let her take your shoes off if you want them on.” I say as I head back towards them from dropping the basket off in the back of the truck. “Lily, I’m begging, ya. Please sit still for a sec. Not everyone likes the feel of grass on their bare feet, darlin’, I know you do—“

To which me Ivy’s head pops up from admiring the cookies and she says, “I like the way grass feels under my feet, just fine. Lily, you’re fine sweetheart. Ryker, you didn’t put onions in here, did you, hon?” she asks pointing to the chicken salad sandwiches I made.

And just like that, all the other pieces just fit.

You know when you’re at your wits end because ya feel like you’ve been swimming for far too long, and ya just want to give up because you’re tired. But no matter what you do, nothing seems to work out easy? It feels like something is missing, and you can’t seem to get the pieces all to fit right.

It’s terrible, no?

Ay. I like me a bit of bad before I get a taste of good. Now, remember the times in your life when you’ve thought, gosh, things just keep going so right. It’s rare, but it’s there, and after what feels like a life time of lots with missing pieces, it feels like coming home when they all fall into place.

That’s where I’m at right now, sitting on this blanket, having a picnic in the park with me two girls named after flowers.

Ivy’s slow and growing presence in me and Lily’s life works well for us both. I felt it was best to fill out Lily for a week before committing to anything. So when the picnic was over, I didn’t try to bring up tomorrow or the next day. None of us did. I don’t know if it was because Lily was scared none of it was real, or if Ivy thought it may frighten our daughter. But none of us treated that Saturday like it was anything more than just a Saturday.

Now, by Tuesday, me Lily Blake had started a list. And by Friday, the number of places she had us scheduled to take her mum to had grown to five.

By the time we saw Ivy again, Lily’s list consisted of, and I quote:

Take Mum to the zoo.

Take Mum to the beach.

Take Mum shopping and call about our finger nails.

Ask Mum to teach me to cook.

Talk Daddy into asking her to marry him.

Ay, me little Lily has always shot for the stars. Silly knuckle noggin.

As I pat the back pocket of me jeans where I tucked Lily’s list this morning, I watch Ivy pull herself in the truck, chuckling at both me girls. Then after I slide behind the wheel, we hit the road for me Lily’s number one stop on the list.

We’re taking her mum to the zoo today.

Good God, it’s good to see Ivy smile. She just takes so well to me Lily, I probably shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. And proud.

Something shifts inside me as I watch Lily and Ivy feeding the giraffe’s right before the zoo closes. Something that began shifting the moment me baby girl was born, but it was stopped by the absence of me Ivy. And I’m so thankful Ivy’s found what she was needing. I’m glad I listened to Roman that night, and I’m glad she got the chance she needed to spread her wings. She’s a bloody incredible woman, and I hope, God I hope she says yes when I check off that final thing on me Lily’s little list.

Me Ivy’s always loved the beach—especially at night. So many of our memories and so much of our story, as I’ll remember it, happened around the beach, that I can’t think of a better place to ask Ivy if she’d be me wife.

So, the trip was set.

Me and me Ivy were coming home and bringing our daughter with us. We’ll spend the first four days at a condo, where it’ll just be me and me girls, then on the fifth day we’ll be staying with me mum.

We pulled up to the little cottage situated on the beach just after noon on the first day, and get settled in pretty quickly. Ivy’s just gotten the last of everything unpacked and put away when I get back with the red snapper and vegetables from a little fish market down the way. After getting the rest of the groceries put away, we all go out to the beach. Lily can hardly keep herself in her skin she’s so excited. 

Lily’s never been real fond of the sand getting in her swimming knickers, so thankfully, none us get enough sun to burn.

We function so easy as a little unit. It seems almost effortless to slide back into our same routine almost three thousand miles away.

The first few days seem to fly by. And before I know it, we’ve packed everything away in the rental car and it’s our last night at the condo.

Now, me Lily is in on the surprise I have planned for her mum. I struggled with a hundred thousand different ways to ask me Ivy to be me wife, and I keep coming back to this:

Me and Ivy didn’t work when it was just me and her in the equation. And Lily Blake’s always going to be a part of me equation. Always.

So, I see no other way to do this, then to have us both ask.

With Lily still tucked in bed, playing her role of the perfect little angel she is and getting off to bed on time, I nervously struggle me way through our nightly routine until I glance at the clock and see it’s ten minutes to me go-time.

As Ivy comes out of the bathroom rubbing lotion in her hands, I slip me flip-flops on and finger the diamond in me pocket. “Ivy love, let’s head down to the beach since Lily’s asleep. It’s our last night here, ya know it? After we drop Lily off with me mum, no more beach for a bit, love.”

Jesus. Mary. And Joseph, can I sound any more daft or obvious.

“Ryker, if you want some sex on the beach one more time, all you have to do is ask, baby.” She saunters towards me as her robe slides open, revealing sexy tat after tat across the most flawless flesh God has ever created. Just as she gets to me, she wraps her arms around me waist after letting the silk material of her robe fall and billow around her feet. She stands naked in front of me before coming up on her tippy toes and wrapping her arms around me neck and kissing me softly. Then she quickly snatches her pink bikini from the dresser behind me before streaking towards the bathroom.

“All you have to do is catch me first, me Ryker love!” She laughs.

I won’t lie, it’s hard to keep me self planted where I stand and not chase her down and fuck her little arse against the bathroom wall.

Now when she walks from the master bathroom a handful of minutes later, dressed in her bikini and a see through cover without a stitch of make-up on, barefoot—me reserves and restraint become questionable.

Somehow, by the grace of God, I’m able to tell me Ivy to go out to the beach and get our pallet set up while I grab us some sparkling water and cut up a lime. As soon as I hear the door close to behind her, I knock twice on me Lily’s bedroom door, grab the pre-made basket of goodies I made earlier while Ivy and Lily were shopping, then head out the door.

I’ve never been as nervous I as I am when I step out onto the back porch, flipping the light on in the house for Lily Blake.

I’ve known me Ivy since I was ten and she was eight. I’ve known she was the only girl to ever hold me heart four years later. And I always hoped but never let me self believe, that one day I’d be lucky enough to ask her to marry me.

When I look up and see her sitting on our blanket in the sand, everything in the world except me Ivy disappears, and I know in me bones, that this time, no matter what—it’s got to bloody work. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it work.

When she turns and sees me, she smiles before wrapping her arms around me neck and gently kisses me. “I love you, Ryker David Killian,” she whispers against my lips.

I smile.

I pause.

I breathe.

And I move forward, all the while, praying to God she’ll say yes to me proposal.

Final Part