Page 53 of When Ivy Met Mr. Holiday
“I was,” I felt embarrassed to admit. I was so ashamed of that time in my life. “But that was no excuse.”
Jaquelyn shook her head. “It’s sounds like the perfect one to me. I’m so sorry, Jack. Sorry you didn’t have any adults to love and take care of you when you were a child.” She paused, then beamed at me. “Yet you still turned into an amazing man. I admire you. Thank you for sharing with me.”
What?
“You admire me? Did you hear what I said?” I had to make sure.
“Yes,” she laughed. “Sorry if you were trying to scare me away. It won’t work.” She winked. “You’re stuck with our family now.”
I sat back and blew out a long, slow breath. A weight lifted off me. But Jaquelyn’s acceptance and love still perplexed me. I basically just told her a criminal was in love with her daughter.
Thankfully, because I’d been a juvenile, the court had sealed those records. Still, I couldn’t forget the mistakes I’d made.
“Let’s make Ivy a photo album,” she chirped cheerily, like I hadn’t just confessed to my crimes. “Then we’ll head to the shelter in Carson City to hand out gifts and serve food.”
I stared at her in awe at the sheer ease of her kindness. It was no wonder Ivy was so amazing. She clearly had the best teacher.
“I would never intentionally do anything to hurt Ivy.” I thought Jaquelyn should know, seeing as I’d just told her I had a criminal past. One the press would love to find out about.
Tori knew and already had the perfect spin prepared. If that story ever hit the light of day, she would make sure any press release framed me as the underdog who had risen above his circumstances.
Jaquelyn gave me a warm smile. “I believe you.”
Part of me had a hard time believingher, even though I wanted to. My father had never believed me, or in me. Andmy mother left when I was so young, she obviously hadn’t either. I supposed it made sense that I didn’t know how to accept this kind of love.
Did Ivy feel that from me? Did she sense the part I still held back?
Was that why she couldn’t give me all of herself? Because she was afraid I wouldn’t give all of me? Not just the good stuff, but the hard stuff, too?
The nights I’d gone to bed hungry.
The fistfights.
The parts of my past I tried to bury beneath the charm of Mr. Holiday and the box office numbers.
What if she wasn’t only afraid of losing us or being in the spotlight? What if she was afraid of being shut out? Of giving everything to someone who didn’t trust her with the worst of him?
What if she was right?
That question—it gutted me.
But my gut had been whispering the same damn thing for seven years—Ivy and I belonged together.
So, there would be no more evading or sidestepping her questions about my past. And I was finally going to give her a gift that mattered, not just some impersonal last-minute gift card. I was going to lay my heart out on the line with this photo book. There would be no question how I felt about her come Christmas morning.
The thought scared the hell out of me. But Ivy deserved to know the truth. All of it. Including that I was in love with her. And that she was absolutely wrong about men and womenbeing able to be friends. I would probably wait to rub that in later.
I looked Jaquelyn squarely in the eye and forced myself to accept what she was offering me—a chance to be part of a family.
“Thank you,” I responded, meaning every word.
“Shall we get to work?” she asked, smiling.
I nodded, knowing this gift had to be my best work yet.
Chapter Seventeen
“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”
