Page 151 of Playing for Keeps
I never imaginedus.
Not until something—and I don’t know if that was fate, timing or Ash—put her right in front of me in a way I couldn’t ignore. And once I really saw her, there was no going back.
I don’t know how I got this lucky, but I do know I’m holding everything I never knew I needed. And I’ll spend every day making sure she never doubts that she’s it for me.
The past is behind us. And for the first time in forever, the future feels like something I want to run toward.
With Ivy by my side, I know I’m already home.
EPILOGUE
Ivy
Almost twelve months later
“Ready, baby?”Wyatt asks as I step out of the bedroom.
Even though it’s the off-season, we’re in Phoenix for the weekend. The penthouse sold months ago, and Wyatt’s been renting this place as his base here. Our real home, the one off Willow Street, is finally finished. After months of planning and renovating, we moved in four weeks ago. It still feels a little surreal.
Wyatt and I spent what felt like forever choosing everything; cabinets, flooring, bathroom fittings, furniture, everything, even down to the light switches. I loved it, though. Every part of the process felt like we were building something together, something that belonged to both of us. But actually living there now, waking up beside him every morning… nothing compares.
He walks over and wraps an arm around my waist.“Shall we go, birthday girl?”
I smile and nod. When he asked what I want to do today, I told him I wanted to go back to the butterfly conservatory in Scottsdale. It was one of the first places we went together, and it feels like the perfect way to mark how far we’ve come.
We stayed the night in Phoenix last night, and after the conservatory, we’ll head back to Hope Creek for a birthday dinner with family. But before that, before the cake and celebration, I have something important to tell him.
And somehow, the quiet magic of that place feels like exactly where I need to say it.
Wyatt pulls into the nearly empty parking lot about twenty minutes later, and I glance over at him with a smile.
“Did you rent the whole place out again?”I ask, raising a brow.
“Yep. Not sharing you today,”he says with a playful smirk.“At least not until tonight, when I’ll have to give you up to everyone else.”
I laugh.“I’m still coming home with you, remember.”
His grin softens into something more tender.“Yeah, you are. Come on. Let’s go inside.”
We climb out of the car and meet at the front, our hands finding each other easily. As we walk toward the entrance, I feel that same little flutter in my chest I did the first time we came here, although back then, I had no idea what spending time together would lead to, and how amazing it would be.
Like last time, the moment we step inside, the air shifts. It’s warm and heavy with humidity, rich with the scent of tropical flowers. Butterflies dance around, occasionally drifting down to land on us. It’s just as magical as I remember, maybe even more.
And standing here again, surrounded by all this, I realize how much I love this place… and how deeply I love the man beside me.
I drop Wyatt’s hand and walk a little ahead, my gaze fixed on a giant butterfly that’s landed on a metal butterfly-shaped bench.
With my eyes still fixed on the butterfly, I whisper. “Look at this one, Wyatt. It’s beautiful.”
When he doesn’t answer, I turn around, my eyes widening and my hand flying to my mouth when he’s down on one knee, a ring box open in his hand.
“Ivy,”Wyatt begins, his voice unsteady,“when you walked into that charity auction for me just over a year ago, I knew in that moment, everything was going to change.”
He pauses, his eyes locked on mine.
“You’ve always been in my life, but like an idiot, I never truly saw you, not the way I should have. But the more time we spent together, the more I realized how incredible you are. And I fell… hard.”
Tears slip silently down my cheeks, his words sinking into every part of me.
