Page 26 of The Parent Pick-Up
Her gaze lands on mine in the mirror, then quickly darts away. “I should probably go.”
I catch her wrist and spin her into my arms. “Not yet. You promised you’d have dinner with me.”
Her body melts into mine, most of the tension easing. When we touch, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. And if I’m any good at social cues, it seems she feels the same.
“And wine,” she says, lifting her gaze from my mouth to my eyes.
I let my lips rest on hers for the barest of moments before pulling back. “You can have as much as you want.”
She kisses me back, stretching her arms up and looping them around my neck. “I think I’m gonna need an entire bottle.”
I cinch her tighter to my chest, thankful we had the whole night to ourselves. I love having Hannah around and miss the hell out of her while she’s gone, but I’m thankful to have this time alone with Ivy.
If Emily hadn’t insisted she take Hannah this weekend, I wouldn’t be here with Ivy right now.
In the kitchen, Ivy takes a minute to check her phone, then puts it away with a sigh of relief.
“No demands for a puppy?” I ask.
“Not yet, but I know it’s coming. We’ve never had a pet before. We move too much.”
“Why is that?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.
She shrugs. “You know why.”
“I know you don’t want to live in the past anymore.”
“No place has really felt like home. Then the press finds me and starts hanging around, interrupting everything.”
“So, you move?” A cold feeling settles in my chest.
“Yeah. I uproot my daughter, lose all my friends, start over again.”
For a man who loves his routine, it’s a nightmare. “And what about Olivia’s dad?”
Ivy avoids my eyes. “She doesn’t have a dad.”
Curiosity burns a hole inside me. “Everyone has a dad.”
“Not a dad like you,” she says, finally looking up at me. “Olivia has abiologicalfather, but we weren’t really together at the time.”
The tip of jealousy slices through me at the thought of Ivy with another man. “And now? Where is he now?”
Ivy shakes her head. “I’m not sure, but he doesn’t want anything to do with Olivia. She’s never even met him.”
My chest tightens. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She forces a smile. “Olivia and I just fine being a duo.”
“That’s something we have in common. Sometimes I feel like it’s me and Hannah against the world.”
Ivy laughs. “More like you and Hannah against every piano teacher in town.”
“You heard about Mrs. Johnson?”
“Olivia told me.” She comes into the kitchen and opens the pizza box, peering inside. “You know I’d be glad to show her a few things.”
“That would be very generous of you.”
