Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
“Just a few more minutes,” he murmurs sleepily. “Then pancakes.”
The phone in my pocket chimes again, and I ignore it, turning my attention back to Archer. His eyes are wide with an innocence only a child can possess as he watches the prairie dogs poke their heads up at Franklin Park zoo.
“Everything okay?” Ivy asks.
I secure an arm around her waist and pull her against me, secretly groping her ass while my lips violate the soft skin around her ear. “It’s grand.”
Her eyes fall shut, and she leans into me, but it’s a false comfort. Every time she gives in, her mind resists, and little by little the tension bleeds back into her body. She’s still fighting this connection between us. Her mind is a puzzle, and at times, I don’t know if it’s me or her own feelings she’s at war with.
She looks up at me with eyes that betray her confliction. “If you have stuff to do, you don’t have to stay.”
My jaw scratches against her cold skin, and she shivers. “Aye, I have stuff to do. Like spending the day with you and Archer.”
She buries her head in my chest to hide her expression, but I want to believe that for right now, she’s content. Just as Archer is over the next three hours while we follow him over every reasonable inch of the zoo. He presses his face against each glass enclosure we come across, carefully examining the little critters that peek back out at him. He chatters excitedly, and I catch a few rare glimpses of Ivy’s pretty smile. And I think she should be smiling like that all the time. She should also be wearing my ring on her finger, but it’s something I’ve yet to sort out.
“Thank you,” she tells me on the drive home. “That meant a lot to him. He had so much fun today.”
I glance over at her. “They’re only wee for a little while. They should enjoy every second of it.”
She melts into her seat and sighs. “I’m exhausted.”
I reach over and squeeze her knee. “Then ye better get a cup of coffee when we get home. The night is still young.”
She blinks. “What do you mean?”
“I had a notion I might take ye out this evening.”
The gears in her mind are turning, that much is obvious, but I don’t know what’s going on in there until she speaks. “What about Archer?”
“I’ve already sorted out a sitter. Rory is game to hang with the little lad.”
“Really?” She arches a brow.
“Aye, he loves kids. Can’t wait to have twenty or so of his own.”
Ivy’s fingers tangle together in her lap as she stares off into the distance. She’s nervous. It’s natural that she should be, and that’s what makes her a good mother. But at some point, she’ll need to learn to trust me.
“The lad will be just fine,” I promise. “We look after our own. No harm will ever come to Archer while he’s with Rory. I wouldn’t ask him if I didn’t trust him with my own life.”
She digests my words in her own time, and I don’t bother her until she’s settled into the idea. “Alright.” She shrugs. “I guess a couple hours out would be okay.”
“What are we doing here?” Ivy eyeballs the back door of Sláinte like it’s the gate to hell.
Ignoring her tone, I reach down to help her out of the car. “Thought we’d pop in to say hi to the lads.”
She takes my hand, but her back is rigid. I didn’t think she’d turn up her nose at the club, but I suppose this is the part of the date where everything goes to shite. We’ve already been to dinner—a nice Russian restaurant owned by a mate in the Back Bay. Ivy kept insisting she didn’t need anything fancy, and I almost laughed when her eyes roamed over the menu prices. That sort of thing is nothing to me, but it’s a lot to her. Sometimes, I’d like to forget that she was sleeping on the streets and going without food just a short time ago. Those days are over, and I want her to know it.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” She slips her hand into the elbow I offer as we walk toward the back door.
“I think it’s a grand idea. This is where all of my mates are, and I want ye to get to know them.”
She looks nervous as all get out but doesn’t argue about it any further.
“There’s just one wee little detail.” I stop before we go inside and turn to face her. “It’s an important one.”
Her brows pinch together in concern. “What is it?”
“The lads don’t know we’re married. Not just yet. We need to keep it that way for a while.”
She stares down at her shoes like they hold all the answers to her problems. “I won’t say anything.”