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I stood, tossed a few bills on the table, then looked to Rory. Yeah, he was right there with me. I could see the eagerness, the hope, in his eyes. “Let’s go get our girl.”
CHAPTER TWO
IVY
Even though school was over for the year, the kids off enjoying the start to their summer break, my last teacher work day had been jam-packed with faculty meetings and cleaning out my classroom. I had an hour before I had to pick up Lily from her summer camp. Enough time for me to get some groceries so I could make dinner for me, Lily, and my great aunt, Sarah. The sky was clear for once and I hoped to eat outside on the patio.
I loaded up the last box of classroom supplies and carried it to the parking lot. One of my coworkers called out, “Have a great summer, Ivy!”
Smiling, I turned to reply but stopped so suddenly my mouth was left hanging open.
If my coworker noticed, she didn’t say anything. Or, if she did, I didn’t hear her. I was far too focused on the two men who were blocking the path to my car. I swear my heart skipped a beat, then took off like a runaway
train at the sight of them. They were leaning against a red sedan like they belonged there in the parking lot of this Seattle suburb elementary school.
Cooper and Rory.
But they didn’t belong there. They didn’t belong here, in my world. My home.
Oh god. My head started spinning and that was when I realized that I’d stopped breathing. I inhaled deeply, hoping a little oxygen would make some sort of sense out of what I was seeing. Who I was seeing.
It couldn’t be them.
But it was. There was no doubt. I would recognize Cooper and Rory anywhere. Even here, now, and looking like they did. They weren’t boys anymore. That was my first thought as my gaze greedily drank in the sight of them. They shouldn’t be here. I didn’t want them here.
Yes, I did.
No, I didn’t. I couldn’t.
Yet somehow the sight of them was a relief. Like getting a sip of water after being so dang thirsty it hurt to swallow.
They’d survived the military, come home. Come here.
With no more connections to Bridgewater after my grandmother died and I settled permanently in Seattle, I hadn’t heard what had happened to them. It hadn’t stopped me from wondering, to check the Bridgewater newspaper online and ensure there wasn’t an obituary for either of them. God, tears threatened at the thought, then at the sight of them.
I didn’t know how long I stood there staring. Long enough for them to take a good long look at me in return.
“It’s been a long time, Ivy.” That voice. It had said dirty words to me that night. The one night we shared. Perfect words. Rory was the first to break the silence between us. God, he was still hot as hell. He’d always been good looking—the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. But now…well, now he could add brawny, muscular, and chiseled to that description. He looked taller, heavier, packed with muscle. His dark hair was cut shorter than it had been in high school; it no longer fell over his forehead. But then, I supposed that was a side effect of his military lifestyle. He wore a snug black T-shirt and faded jeans, and he filled out the shirt to perfection. Even from where I stood a couple yards away I could see the biceps bulging beneath the short-sleeves.
Rory took a step toward me, but Cooper stayed where he was leaning against the car. He looked the same…but different, if that made any sense. He still had the same blond hair and boyish good looks, but there was something guarded about him now. Wary. His blue eyes weren’t filled with laughter like I remembered and that easy smile was nowhere to be seen. He tipped his head when my gaze met his and for a moment I had the crazy urge to run to him and hold him tight. To feel his beating heart, to feel his breathing, his strong grip. To know he would never let go.
They were both still watching me. Still staring. I realized that I still hadn’t said a word. They were waiting for me to speak.
Problem was, I had no idea what to say. I wasn’t even sure how I felt at seeing them. No, I knew. Stunned obviously speechless. Scared, which was a given. I’d never planned on seeing these two ever again. I’d prayed they would go home to Bridgewater alive, but I never expected them to come here, to find me. Not after that night when my life got turned upside down. Now that the shock of seeing them was starting to pass, the significance of their visit hit me hard and nerves made my stomach churn.
Oh god. Did they learn about Lily? Was that why they’d come? To take her away? There was only one way to find out.
“What…what are you doing here?” The words came out through stiff lips and my tone was colder than I’d intended. Rory’s head jerked back as if I’d slapped him, but Cooper didn’t flinch at the harsh greeting. He just kept staring at me with those pale blue eyes. Eyes I saw in my dreams. Something about the way he was looking at me made me cross my arms in front of my chest as if I could physically shield him from looking too closely and seeing too much. Of discovering the truth. Yes, I’d changed, too. I was no longer eighteen. I’d had a child. My breasts weren’t what they used to be and I had more curves, broader hips. And while they couldn’t see them through my clothes, stretch marks.
Rory recovered quickly and his lips curved up into that lopsided grin that used to make my knees weak. The way they felt rubbery now meant he still could. I drew in an unsteady breath.
“You’re a hard woman to track down,” he said.
My spine stiffened at that. So they’d been looking for me for a while then. Shit. I shrugged. “It’s not like I was hiding.” That was the truth. I hadn’t taken any drastic measures to hide from Rory and Cooper…but I hadn’t gone out of my way to seek them out, either.
I left a lot behind when I moved from Bridgewater. When Grandma died first semester freshman year, I had no reason to go back. I’d been reeling from grief and only a month or so into college classes…that was when I’d learned I was pregnant. Eighteen and pregnant, just like my mother. But unlike her, I hadn’t had Grandma to turn to. Instead of the dorms, I’d stayed with Grandma’s sister, Aunt Sarah, to save money, but we both agreed that schooling would have to wait until I had the baby and it was older.
I ached to call them, to tell them they were going to have a child, but I couldn’t. They’d wanted to serve their country and I knew they would have walked away if they had a responsibility elsewhere. Besides, it had been my fault I’d gotten pregnant. I’d been the one to tell them condoms weren’t necessary. I had been on the Pill. It hadn’t been a lie. I just hadn’t known about the issue with antibiotics weakening the effectiveness. My stupidity hadn’t been their fault. While Lily was far from a burden, neither of them had wanted a child right out of high school. At first, I’d thought they’d reach out to me, but time marched on and they never did, so I never contacted them.
