“I do. The timing of this one is a little too coincidental.” Max slung an arm over Ivy’s shoulders. “Come on. I’ll buy you a vegetarian burger down at the log cabin bar on the corner. I think you’re acting a little flighty. Maybe you should try eating more and having less sex.”
“Oh, puh-leez,” Ivy scoffed, casting one more look toward the empty spot where she was sure she saw something. “You would go without food forever if it meant you were having regular sex.”
“That is not true,” Max countered. “I would miss prime rib too much.”
“Well, at least you have your priorities straight.”
Twenty-One
“You look better than you did last night,” Brian said, his gaze wandering over Jack. “In fact, you look like you had a good night. If I didn’t know everything that was going on, I would think you were happy.”
“I am happy,” Jack countered. “I’m also worried.”
“How is Ivy?”
Jack made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “She’s full of herself and a pain in the ass.”
“You knew that going in. How is she otherwise? Did she freak out when she realized who she was talking with at the nursery? That had to be scary … even though she didn’t understand what was really happening until after the fact.”
“Do you want to know something about Ivy?”
Brian shook his head. “Not if it’s dirty,” he said. “I still think of her as the eight-year-old girl who brought me a bouquet of flowers when my mother died and told me not to worry because I would see her again. She has a kind heart.”
“She does have a kind heart,” Jack agreed. “She also only hears what she wants to hear.”
Brian barked out a hoarse laugh. “Oh, son, that’s not an Ivy thing. That’s a woman thing.”
“It’s annoying,” Jack said. “We had a huge fight about her going to that nursery yesterday. I realize now I should’ve seen it coming, but it never crossed my mind that she would be that stupid.”
“You didn’t call her stupid, did you?”
Jack shrugged. “Maybe a little.”
“Did she make you sleep on the couch?”
“We made up before bed,” Jack replied. “She likes to make up as much as she likes to fight.” He smiled at the memory.
“And how were things this morning?”
“She does this ridiculously adorable thing where she pokes her feet out of the covers no matter how many times I cover them up during the night.”
Brian pursed his lips. “You’ve got it bad, son. How was she otherwise?”
“Well, she dug her heels in about going to see Max,” Jack answered. “I thought I had the upper hand because she doesn’t have a car, but then I watched her stroll over to her nursery, schmooze her father, and steal his car when he wasn’t looking. She didn’t even think twice about it.”
Brian laughed. “That sounds about right. Why is she going to see Max?”
“Because she wants me to have a heart attack.”
“Why else?”
“Because she wanted to talk to him,” Jack said. “She said it was about her aunt’s birthday and she promised him lunch, but I think she honestly just wanted to see him.”
“Those two are close,” Brian said. “You’re going to have to get used to that. Ivy didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. Max was the opposite. They spent a lot of time together. He always went out of his way to include her … and protect her when it was necessary. I wouldn’t try to get between them.”
“I don’t want to get between them,” Jack argued. “I don’t understand why Max couldn’t go to her house and see her. I want her to be safe. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable.”
“Do you want to know what I think?”
“No.”
Brian ignored Jack’s petulant pout. “I think that you’re worked up about this for three reasons,” he said. “The first is that you and Ivy finally got together and you can’t help yourself from worrying about her. That’s normal, especially when things are just getting started. Ivy is an adult, though. She can take care of herself.
“The second reason is that you want to imagine Ivy happy and safe in her home while you’re out getting the bad guys,” he continued. “That’s a man thing. You’re going to have to get over that. I did the same thing with my wife and she didn’t like it any more than Ivy will. Ivy is a headstrong woman. When it comes down to it, she’s going to do what she wants. That’s one of the reasons you fell for her. You can’t ask her to change to suit your needs now.”
Jack rolled his neck until it cracked. “I know I’m being hypocritical.”
“The third reason you’re so worked up about this is because you think you brought it on her,” Brian said, not missing a beat. “Unlike the first two times she almost died, the enemy going after Ivy now is one coming after you. You want to push her away until this is over, but you know that you’ll lose any chance of a future with her if you do. Besides that, I don’t think your poor heart can take being away from her.”
“I don’t want to push her away,” Jack said. “That’s the last thing I want. In fact, if I could spend an entire week locked away with her, I would gladly do it. You’re right about me feeling guilty about why this is happening, though. I know it … and she knows it, too.”
“Of course she knows it,” Brian scoffed. “She’s a smart girl. She also knows that you can’t run away from your problems and that you’re going to need her when this all comes down.
“You have a choice in front of you, son,” he continued. “Do you want to date the woman you fell for, or do you want to try and mold her into something else?”
“Well, when you put it like that … all I want is Ivy,” Jack said.
