Page 71 of The Writer
“I’d like that, too. And the house-”
“Don’t with the house. I’m going to see a lawyer and make it official. I don’t need it. It’s yours, and I should have signed it over to you more formally years ago.” It’s the right thing to do, and one I should have done a long time ago. It’s never been mine, not really. And I certainly don’t want to start a life with Ivy with such a physical link to Amanda.
“And if she says no?” Dan asks. I shrug. Either way, that isn’t changing any of my decisions today. It does, however, make my heart tighten in my chest.
“She won’t. She might not say yes right away, but that I can cope with.”
“Okay, buddy. Good luck. Keep me posted, and I look forward to meeting her.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”
We end the call, and I make my way back to the car.
~
Geoffrey pulls up to Earlwood, and the weight of the box inside my pocket seems to grow under the shadow of the house. I make my way in through the heavy doors and listen for the sounds of anyone about. Part of me considered asking for her father’s permission first, but that doesn’t seem to be the right play with Ivy.
Willow appears from one of the corridors off of the main space. “Oh, you’re back,” she says, as she walks towards me.
“Yeah. Had to duck out for a bit.”
“It’s pretty intense being here with all the family.”
“That’s one way to put it.” A knowing smile passes between us. After witnessing Landon and his father this morning, it’s clearly not been an easy relationship path for her either. “Do you know where Ivy is?”
“I’ve not seen her for a while. She was with Landon around lunchtime, though.”
“Thanks.”
I go up to the bedroom and open the door, with no clue what I’m going to say. Ivy’s sitting on one of the chairs under the window, her legs crossed, as I walk in. She turns her face to me, a wide, soft smile coming across her features.
“Where have you been?” she asks.
“I had an errand to run.”
She gets up, dropping some papers that were in her hand. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I have a lot going on right now, and you caught me off guard," she says, moving towards me. Her forearms rest on my shoulders, body up nice and close. “I do want to talk about us. Just understand that this is how my mind works. There’s only so much space in it, and there’s too much going on right now.”
A calm settles over me. “I know.” This is who she is, and this is exactly why I need to do this my way.
“Why are you smiling?” she asks, suspicion clear in her eyes.
“No reason.”
“Okay. I suppose I'm also sorry I was so defensive, but I don’t like to be pushed into anything. Including a relationship. You’re right, though. It feels like we’ve known each other a lot longer than we have.”
“Most couples don’t have to go through a kidnapping and overseas extraction before their first date.”
She chuckles. Rightly so. It's true. The sum of our time together doesn’t equal the strength of our feelings due to our experiences. At least not for me.
“Like it or not, Ivy, we’re in a relationship.”
Her head drops to rest on my chest. “Maybe.”
“Well, keep that in mind. I have something for you.” I take a step back and pull the soft, velvet box from my pocket.
“What the hell is that?” she snaps.
“Open it.” I hand the box over and ignore the crease forming between her brows.
