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I pull her back into my chest, coiling my arms around her. “Sometimes, there are several paths to the same destination.”
I’m not sure how that applies here, but I’ll find the right one for us, Little Storm.
She twists in my arms until she’s facing me, chin lifted. “I have no idea what mine is. My purpose orsword.My father told me hehad something exciting planned for me after I graduated, but … six weeks before, he had the stroke. My mother didn’t know his plans, and I’ve felt a little lost since.” Her lip trembles with that admission, but she fights it, searching me with her watery blues. “But I’m happy to be a passenger on your purpose until I find my own.”
“You’re no one’s passenger, Ivy. You’re the destination.”
She blows out a breath and drops her head, so I shut off the water, wrap her in a fluffy towel, and move us into the open area of the bathroom.
As I’m drying her off, I catch her wistful eyes in the mirror. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” She notes my narrowed gaze and continues before I have a chance to warn, “Our night has been so wonderful, Wells. I don’t want to be too much of a girl right now—that’s all.”
Cupping her pussy and pinching her nipple beneath the towel, I smirk. “I can assure you, I’m very happy with how much of a girl you are.”
“Cute.” She slants her head, still eyeing me in the reflection, and sticks her tongue out.
My eyebrows dart up. “I honestly don’t know the last time someone’s done that to me.Refreshing.Now, tell me what you were thinking that makes you too much of a girl.”
She swallows, and her gaze drops from mine. “It feels like a big switch. I mean, at the wedding, I thought you maybe wanted to be with me, but then you didn’t. And now, you’re being so sweet, and I’ve wanted this and …”
I set the towel on the counter and grab a brush from my drawer. “It’s a lot. September’s been a big month. You’re allowed to have big emotions, Ivanna. We’ll figure it out.”
The last sentiment is more for me than her. She nods, and I start to work the bristles through her hair, relishing this vulnerable candor between us.
“Would you have accepted whatever your father had in mind for you?” I ask.
“Most likely,” she says, watching me in the mirror. “He knew me better than anyone. If I didn’t agree, he would’ve respected that. But I trusted him. He’d never point me toward something lightly.”
He certainly wouldn’t have. He’s the most thorough, well-thought-out man I’ve ever known. I’m sure being able to anticipate every angle is a necessity in neurosurgery, but Dr. Thomas Kingston is a genius, even in my world. And he used every skill he had to protect his daughter.
This would all be different if he hadn’t fallen ill. He would’ve helped me transition her long before that ancestry test. It would have been dangerous, but presumably smoother. Although we wouldn’t be standing here as husband and wife. Not yet anyway. Maybe not ever because my motives would have clouded everything between us before she fell for me even if her father encouraged her to look past it.
Dr. Kingston pulls up the driveway in his Aston Martin V12 Vantage. I stroll out of the garage to meet him. It’s just us today. The guys know him well enough now, but I appreciate our one-on-one time, and they’re all working.
He steps out of the car, a broad smile on his face. “Gavin,” he croons, handing me a bottle of Macallan 18 and pulling me in for a hug. “Good to see you, son.”
“You too, sir. Always. Thank you for the scotch.”
“Thought we’d do a little celebrating. Eight more months. Our girl has grown to be quite impressive.”
Seeing beyond his doting father confidence, I notice the “our girl” in his words. In all the times we’ve met over the years, he’s never said that before.
I chuckle. “She’s a force, Tom. Impressive is an understatement.”
He smacks my back as we walk to the patio, hand gripping my shoulder. “And you paved the way for her. Well done on the votes.”
“Thank you. It took some effort, but my grandfather saw the payoff.”
“And you will too. I’m happy for you, Gavin. I told you I neededyou to put Ivanna first, and you’ve done that. You earned your place at the table in their eyes and mine.”
I smile and nod. I’m a multimillionaire many times over, probably edging to billionaire status by thirty-five. And the power will be beyond what I’d ever imagined, but it all feels a little empty, more removed than I expected. Like I’m losing something. Losing her. When she isn’t even mine.
“Did I ever tell you the story of how I fell for Natasha?” he asks, sitting at the table while I pour us each a drink.
“I don’t think you have.”
“I was in medical school, dedicating every moment to studying and mastering neuroscience and physiology, determined to be the best, when this blue-eyed blonde stole my attention. Back against the tree, books all over the grass, pencil in her mouth, and hair falling out of a ponytail. The most beautiful mess I’d ever seen. I discovered she was a freshman, psychology major, taking a heavy class load. Pursuing a relationship would’ve been bad news for both of us, a distraction that could derail our career paths. So, for a year, I allowed myself only glimpses. Trying to let that be enough. Until—fifteen months after I first saw her—I couldn’t stand it for another minute. And the rest is history. We were a perfect fit.”
