Page 87 of Lonely Heart
“It doesn’t feel like enough,” I confessed. “Ava was right, because things could have been so much worse.”
“Yeah, they could have been. But if you’ll recall, Ava also said that it was a good thing you were on the phone with me, because if you hadn’t been, thingswouldhave turned out so much worse.”
My fingers were still stroking absentmindedly through her hair. The pain in my throat was excruciating. Ivy was being far more gracious than I deserved.
“You’re hurt,” I said softly. “You have these marks on your body, the bruises on your face and arms. And I just watched you roll your body over to this side with nothing but pain in your face. That’s on me, Princess. The pain you’re experiencing is my punishment for not being there for you when you needed me.”
Sadness washed over her expression as she sought my free hand and lifted it to her lips. She kissed my knuckles. “You were there, handsome. You’ve got your own physical battle wounds from tonight right here on your hands. I only saw some of what you did to that guy, but I heard all of it after my eyes had closed. You were there for me right when I needed you the most, when I could no longer fight on my own.”
There was one other thing I was thankful for—my ability to not only do what needed to be done to defend Ivy, but also to stop before I’d taken it too far. It wasn’t that I cared what happened to the asshole who’d dared to hurt Ivy—I was sure I could have continued to pummel him until the police arrived—but I’d had enough sense to realize he wasn’t going anywhere, and Ivy needed me more in that moment.
“The way I see it, you never should have had to fight on your own. You never should have had to fight at all.”
“But I did. And I’m okay now. I’m okay because you got there and did what you had to do to protect me.”
“You don’t even want to go home, though,” I noted.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I’m not sure I could ever feel safe there alone. I realize they arrested him and that he’ll likely face some time in prison, if I’m lucky, but it doesn’t feel safe there anymore. And it’s ironic, because after I was attacked the first time, it never dawned on me that he had everything in my purse, including my license. He knew where I lived, and I never imagined he’d ever violate that space. I truly believed he was after a quick score that night, whatever money he could get. I should have known he’d see my last name and try to use that to his advantage again. The bottom line is that he knows where I live, and while I don’t know his criminal history, it’s unlikely to believe or hope he’d spend the rest of his life in jail for what he did to me. What happens when he’s free again? I don’t want to be there, waiting to find out.”
If there was one thing that had never been up for debate, it was that Ivy was the kind of woman who always knew what was best for herself. So, I’d be a fool to question anything she was saying about her plans for home. If she didn’t feel comfortable there, if she felt unsafe, it wasn’t going to be me who forced her back there.
“This is not the way I would have wanted this to happen, so it feels wrong to even feel good about it, but I like the idea of you moving in with me.”
She smiled at me, her expression warming. “I think that might be because you love me.”
And then there was that.
One more thing for which I could feel gratitude. Ivy and I had officially said those words to one another. While there were a couple of good things that had come out of tonight, that was easily the best.
I smiled back at her. “I do love you.”
“I still can’t believe it. Marco Kingston is in love with me.”
Lifting her hand that was still linked with my fingers, I brought it to my lips and kissed it. “And Ivy Westwood is in love with me.”
“Do you know how happy you’ve made me?”
“If it’s even half as happy as you’ve made me, then I think I understand,” I assured her.
Relief swept through her, and her eyes roamed over my face in silence for a long time. “I know what we’ve shared with each other tonight, Marco, and I hope you know how special it is to me. But I want to be sure about this. You mentioned me moving in with you. Are you sure you’re ready for that? It’s kind of quick, don’t you think?”
“No.”
“No?”
“Ivy, I’ve known you for more than half of my life,” I pointed out. “Maybe we haven’t been together in the official capacity for very long, but I know who you are. And I’m at a point where I know what I want in my life. I couldn’t be more thrilled at the prospect of you moving in with me. And no, I don’t think it’s too quick at all.”
“At least we know my family will be supportive of it. The whole family, too.”
I shook my head, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “I can’t believe everything with Cooper was all just a misunderstanding. He never thought to indicate he’d be happy to see us together, and I never wanted to confront him about it.”
“Do you think everything will be fine in the long run between the two of you?”
I nodded. “Unless I do something to break your heart, which I can promise you right now is never going to happen, Cooper and I are going to be fine.”
The silence stretched between us, both of us seemingly content to be where we were. Though I still felt some guilt about what happened to her, I did my best to look on the bright side. She was here, and she loved me.
Ivy’s eyelids got heavy, and the exhaustion from the day took over for her. “Tired?”