Ivy nods solemnly. “He doesn’t trust vegetables.”
“Smart dog,” Maggie says.
“You encourage this,” I remark.
“I encourage critical thinking.”
“That’s not what this is.”
She fights a small smile. “You sure?”
Ivy giggles into her napkin. The sound should ease the tightness in me, but it doesn’t.
After dinner, Ivy begins to fade quickly, her energy burning out all at once. She presses against Maggie’s side in the hallway, fighting sleep with the stubbornness she inherited from me, while Winston curls himself across the top of her feet like a guard stationed for the night.
Irina appears a moment later. “Bedtime,printsessa.”
“I’m not tired,” Ivy argues, despite the fact that her eyes are already half closed.
One of Irina’s brows lifts slightly. “Of course not.”
Maggie bites back a smile while smoothing Ivy’s hair behind her ear. “Go get ready for bed, sugar.”
Ivy groans dramatically but finally pushes herself upright while Daisy rises beside her with a tired stretch.
“Winston’s sleepin’ with me,” Ivy announces.
“That sounds less like a request and more like a hostage situation,” Maggie says.
“It’s emotional support.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Halfway to the stairs, Ivy turns back suddenly. “Can I come to the shelter tomorrow?”
Maggie glances at me before looking back at her. “That depends on your daddy, sweetheart.”
Ivy’s hopeful eyes swing toward me. “Papa?”
Tomorrow. The shelter. The place already watched by men tied to Enzo. My pulse slows.
“Yes. But Viktor takes you and Irina.”
Ivy’s tired face brightens. She hugs Maggie hard around the neck.
“Goodnight, Maggie.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart. Sleep well.”
When Ivy finally leaves, Winston trots after her, and Daisy follows with a patient sway of her tail. Maggie watches them go before turning back toward me, confusion on her face.
Her brows draw together. “Why are you suddenly insistin’ on Viktor taking Ivy and Irina to the shelter tomorrow?”
I step closer, lowering my voice. “Because I want security with all of you.”
“With all of us?”
“Don’t argue with me about your safety,” I say.
