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“You too, Shelly.” I hugged her back. I knew she’d been through a lot since I’d been gone. Her ex was an asshole, and I was counting my days to get my hands on him. “You look great.”
“Son,” my father held my shoulders to look at me, “I’m so happy to see you’re in one piece.”
“I am, Dad. Only a few scrapes,” I joked. Then Demi stepped up, and I felt my mood shift.
“What, no hug for me?” She gave me a hurt look, so I leaned in and hugged her. “I’m all prepped,” she purred in my ear. “Just say the word, and we’re out of here.” There was a time when I would have faked an illness just to get her alone. There were never feelings involved; it was an understanding. We both had needs, and we enjoyed each other satisfying those needs. Demi was pretty and a nice girl but was high maintenance. She liked to be waited on and wanted to be on a pedestal when she was outside the bedroom. All things I hated. A woman should be loved, cherished, and cared for, but it should never be something to demand. It should happen naturally.
“Come, let’s all sit.” I sidestepped her comment. Demi had known my family for years. I assumed they thought we were more than we were. I really needed to set the record straight tonight. The fact that they seemed in good spirits told me they hadn’t heard about Brown’s death yet. I tucked that topic away, not wanting to deal with it tonight. I needed a mental break.
My sister went for the corner seat, and I eyed her hard. She tossed her hands up with a grin and a nod.
“Sorry, it’s been a while.” She shifted seats and beamed at me. “How is it that you’ve been through hell and back in a third-world country, yet you still look twenty-two?”
“I don’t have a kid.” I winked, and she lifted her water glass to mine.
“That’s true.”
“Well, maybe kids are in your future.” Mom gave a side glance to Demi, as I nearly choked on my water.
“We haven’t talked about that yet.” Demi squeezed Mom’s arm, and I felt like I was drowning.
Yet?
“Come on, Ty, we aren’t young anymore.”
What the fuck was this crap?
“I don’t want kids,” I chimed in. “You know kids and Army don’t mix.”
“Maybe it’s just the act of making kids?” Demi whispered, and her hand landed on my thigh. I grabbed it and sat it back on her lap. She just chuckled and went back to the conversation with my parents. I wondered just what kind of conversations they’d had while I was away.
“You seem off.” My sister turned in her seat. “Something’s different.”
“Nope.” I sipped my water, but I felt her probes burrow into my head.
“You know, Mom was mentioning spending the week here. Spend some time with her boy.” She played dirty. “Maybe I could convince her not to if I had a little incentive.”
“I hate you.”
“Oh, I know.” She snorted into her glass. “So, what gives, brother?”
Something pulled my attention to the window, and I clenched my fists when I saw what it was. Now I knew why Mark made a reservation for me here.
Ivy
I was shown to a seat in the front by the window and handed a glass of Josh cabernet sauvignon. Nice. Then I was told I looked lovely this evening by Zack. He was genuine, so I greatly appreciated his compliment. The truth was I had changed at least a hundred times, trying to find an outfit Patrick might like. Then the girls came in with something called a Marcus Martini, and soon after, I let my insecurities go and decided to wear one of my favorite outfits. The black flowy skirt hit tastefully mid-thigh, a pink silk blouse with gray buttons, and skinny gray heels, and I was ready to go. I had a small obsession with the color gray, and silk too, I guessed.
Savi suggested I should sweep my hair into a loose, low bun with a few strands left to frame my face. I agreed and felt more confident with that than Mia’s suggestion of boho pants and a long shirt that just wasn’t my style.
Sloane, who I found very intriguing, stayed in the background and watched. I wondered if it was her professional background that caused her to be that way or just her nature. I knew JAG lawyers were a different breed, as were military psychologists. Perhaps we had more in common than I knew. I made a mental note to get her alone for a walk sometime and get to know her better.
“You’re more confident in that outfit, Ivy,” Sloane had said. “You’ll be yourself in that.”
I was a confident woman, so her comment hit home. I just hoped the fact that I wasn’t myself with this from the start wasn’t a sign that it was a bad idea.
I left the house earlier than I had planned to, as Quinn had a few errands to run and my nerves were getting the best of me. Savi was in the kitchen trying to get an ETA on the guys when I left, so I slipped out with a quick wave in her direction.
I checked my phone as I sat and sipped my wine and realized Patrick was fifteen minutes late. Not a good start, I thought as Quinn caught my eye and gave me a warm smile.
