Page 129 of Don't Call Me Daddy
Visit Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania.
I’ve already gotten my first assignment as a groundskeeping assistant, which is probably a nice way of saying I’ll be taking out the garbage and picking up dog turds. I signed a contract … and I’m not sure how I’d go about getting out of it.
I bite my lip, but before I can say anything, Leo wraps an arm around me, pulling me into a hug. He kisses my forehead as he strokes his hand down my back.
“Come on. We’ve got an hour-long drive to the airport, and I don’t want to get stuck in traffic.”
“Yeah … okay.” I nod as I take his hand and let him lead me through the forest and back to the car.
I’m silent the whole way as I gnaw on my cheek, second-guessing everything I thought I’d decided this morning. When I glance at Leo, I see him tapping his fingers to the beat of the music on the steering wheel, looking as carefree as I’ve ever seen him.
Is he not sad about me leaving? Did I misread him last night? Will he even miss me at all, or does he know he’ll be too busy in his new CEO role?
The questions weigh heavy on my tongue, but the more I watch him sing along to Taylor Swift’s “Out of the Woods”—from the playlist I made him—the more I realize that maybe all this time, I was falling in love all on my own.
I think of my sister and the list that weighs heavy in my pocket. This was always the plan, right? Who was I to think I could veer off course?
Tears burn behind my eyes as the realization finally sinks in, and a lump tightens in my throat, making it hard to breathe. Leo pulls into the airport parking lot rather than going through the drop-off line.
“You don’t have to stay. I’m more than capable of checking myself in,” I say, pulling the latch of the door handle the very moment he puts the car in park.
“Ivy, what are you—” Leo’s words are interrupted as I jump out of the car, rushing to the trunk to grab my things.
Maybe he isn’t upset about saying goodbye, but I don’t think I can look him in the eyes right now without crying, and the last thing I want is for him to take pity on the twenty-two-year-old who caught feelings when he’d made it abundantly clear what his motives were.
I feel like such an idiot. Of course he’d follow the plan without question. It’s the only reason either of us was helping each other, and it’s not like I ever told him I had second thoughts.
I tap my foot as I impatiently wait for him to pop the trunk, holding back the stinging tears.
He walks to stand beside me, placing a palm over mine for just a moment before I snatch my hand away.
“Leo, don’t. Just … just open the trunk and let me get my stuff. Let’s not drag this out any longer than we need to …”
I can feel his gaze on me as he stands there, probably trying to decipher my closed-off body language and feeling confused because this is what I’ve been talking about ever since we met.
“Ivy … I want you to know?—”
“Just open the trunk, Leo,” I bite out, my tear-filled eyes looking up to meet his, where he gives me a look of utter confusion.
He reaches for me, but I take a step back, shaking my head, feeling so stupid and heartbroken with only myself to blame.
His lips roll together, and if I didn’t know better, I swear I’d think he was trying to hold back a smile.
Great, so he agrees that I am being ridiculous. Fantastic. I suppose it helps to know this was one-sided, that I’ve been misreading his signals for weeks. At least by tonight, I’ll be on the other side of the world, and I can pretend this never happened. Hell, maybe I’ll move there permanently, and then I’ll never have to worry about seeing him ever again or hearing his name or anything that reminds me of Ashford Falls.
He clicks a button, and the trunk pops open, revealing not just one, but two large suitcases. I look at him in confusion as the tiniest spark of hope flutters in my chest.
This time, his lips pull into a full-on grin, and his eyes crinkle at the corners. He takes a step, closing the distance between us, and he tilts my chin and brushes my hair from my face. “If you thought for one second that I’d let you move halfway across the world without me, then you’re even crazier than I thought, baby girl.”
I shake my head. “What? No. Leo, what are you saying? You can’t come with me. You’re the CEO now. I can’t let you give that up for me. It’s everything you’ve always wanted …”
He runs his thumb over my trembling lip as he stares down at me. “You, Ivy Lane, are everything I’ve ever wanted. I just didn’t know it until I found you wandering around in those woods.”
“You can’t. I can’t let you give this up for me?—”
“Ivy, baby, I’m not giving anything up. I don’t have to.”
My brows furrow. “I don’t understand.”
