Rocked & Romanced, page 57
She smiles. “Let’s find out.”
After just an hour into the first game, I’m amazed at the camera angles and the graphics they can make on the screen. It makes following the game so much easier. These newscasters can pull stats up in a heartbeat, and the instant replay is remarkable.
This is the life I want, and I’m so close to getting it that I can’t think of that possibility that stands in the way that this is all just a pipe dream.
Chapter 24
Ivy
It’s been six months since I’ve seen David. It was hard to let him go because I know he has to finish up a tour, so our next visit isn’t for four more months, and I’m getting a little antsy. I hate being away from him, but knowing the next time I can see him really helps.
The kids just know Daddy has to go away for work. Because really, how do you explain time travel to someone who isn’t even in kindergarten yet?
Brian has been working on David’s and his plans to get him here. He tried to explain the geeky side of it to me, and my eyes glazed over. Kevin took mercy on me and distracted him.
I’m lying in bed and having problems sleeping. My gut says something is up, but I can’t place it. I get up and go check on the kids and find them both in bed sound asleep. When I get back downstairs, Brian and Kevin are both in the kitchen.
“Can’t sleep, either?” I ask as I sit down at the bar top.
“No. I feel like something is up, but I just can’t place it.” Brian shrugs his shoulders.
I see Kevin making some french fries, our go-to snack, and Brian is mixing up our dip when there is a knock on the door. We all look at the clock and see it is almost midnight. Who the hell is it?
Kevin goes to answer the door, and we are all on edge until we see David on the other side. I run to him and see his face red and tears running down his face. He squeezes me into a bone-crushing hug, and we collapse against the door.
“You weren’t there,” he mumbles into my neck.
“David, I don’t understand.”
“She died, and you weren’t there!”
“David, baby, who died?” I ask softly.
“My mom.”
“What? No, that's next year! Of a brain aneurysm.”
“No, I just left her funeral and wake.”
I look at Brian with panic in my eyes. He is already on his phone.
“No, we mixed up the dates. It was this year.”
“Shit.” Panic rips through me as I get him to the couch.
I kneel in front of him and take his face in both hands.
“I am so sorry. I would have been there with you, and I had every intention of doing so. I am so, so sorry.”
He hasn’t stopped crying, so I wipe the tears from his face.
“Let’s go to bed,” I whisper and stand. He follows me to the bedroom, and I spend the night holding him as he tells me everything from the past few days down to the funeral. I can’t believe we mixed up the dates.
I don’t remember falling asleep, but the next thing I know, the kids are bouncing on the bed, squealing that Daddy is here. Despite everything, he wakes up with a smile on his face when he sees them. He holds them a bit tighter as we snuggle in for breakfast in bed and watch morning cartoons.
When Brian comes to get them for lunch, I see the pain all over David's face, so I snuggle up to him.
“What's on your mind?” I run my hand down his chest.
“If my plan doesn’t work, if it’s really me in that grave at Ivy Hill, I know the pain they will be feeling. That rips me apart, Ivy. I have to find a way to take care of them.”
“You know you can’t be associated with us in any way, right?”
“I’m going to find a way, Ivy. You can count on that.”
David has been here for two weeks, and I’m assuming he heads home tomorrow.
“I’m going to miss you when you leave tomorrow.” I kiss his neck, which causes him to laugh.
“I’m not leaving tomorrow.”
“But it’s been two weeks.”
“Yeah, but everyone thinks I’m in rehab because I couldn’t take my mother dying, so I have four more weeks before I have to go home.”
I let that sink in. All those six-week rehab visits where no one saw him. Could it be they are when he is here?
I smile. “So rehab is code for visiting me, huh?”
“Yep.” He smiles too.
“I can get on board with that. I still plan to come to visit in four months as we have planned.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Good, I will need some Ivy time after the end of that crazy tour. We rescheduled some dates. My manager wasn’t happy, but since his contract is up in a few months, he hasn’t pushed the issue. He’s worried I won’t re-sign him, so I’m enjoying that.”
“Will you re-sign him?”
“Probably. He can be a pain in the ass, but he has gotten me this far.” He sighs. “I’m going to tuck the kids in for their naps, then I need to talk to Brian and see how far he’s gotten on our plans.
“What plans?”
“Go get us lunch, and I’ll meet you there and explain.”
When he joins us at the table, he explains that Brian has been working on setting up an identity for him, but it’s a slow process so he doesn’t flag any systems. Once it’s done, I will be able to add him to the kid's birth certificates, we will be able to get legally married, and he can do simple things like get a driver's license.
“What about people recognizing you?”
“Well, I’ve been working with a voice coach to learn a more Southern accent; they think it’s for a movie. And my natural hair color is blond, not this black, so I will go back to that, and you said you love my beard.”
I can’t help but smile. David has the sexiest beard, and boy, does it feel great when he wakes me up in the morning with his head between my legs.
“Stop thinking dirty thoughts, woman. I have stuff to do,” he jokes, and I laugh.
“Well, if you are working, then so am I.”
The routine we fall into over the next few weeks is a slice of the life I send up a prayer every night for.
Chapter 25
Ivy
The past four months have dragged by. I know he had to go back and finish up his tour, but none of us wanted him to leave. The kids drew him pictures to take with him, and while they were sad to see him go, and they didn’t want him to leave, they have done great with him being gone. I’m sure watching Daddy on TV helps, and they have every one of his movies memorized by heart.
Today, I am walking past that familiar newsstand again and making my way up to Ivy Hill, September 17, 1966. I give my name to the guard, and he calls Clint to verify it’s me.
“Ivy, we have an interesting visitor today.” He hugs me and guides me inside.
“Interesting how?”
“Anna showed up out of the blue with his son.”
“What does she want?”
“We don’t know yet. Supposedly out of the goodness of her heart, she thought to stop by since she was in the area and let David see his son she has been keeping from him for the last year.”
“Right. Well, I will take your lead. Do I go in and be friendly, do I go in and be a bitch, or do I go shopping and come back in a few hours?”
Clint laughs. “Ivy, if David finds out I sent you shopping, he will have my head. No, no, let's get you in there.”
I stop at the kitchen door. This is the first time I have been back since Helen died. The last time I walked in that door, she wrapped me in a huge hug and was so happy to see me. I should have been here to say goodbye, to hug her one more time, to hear her laugh at the dinner table, and watch her smile so big when we rave over a new recipe she tried out.
I should have been here for James and David. I should have been by their side at her funeral and the wake. I should have been here, and I wasn’t. I’m kicking myself even more for that, and I don’t think I realized how guilty I truly felt until now.
I know David has forgiven me, but will James? I could have warned him it was his last night with her so he could have spent every second holding her and telling her how much he loves her. Can he ever forgive me for that?
I guess I hesitate long enough because Clint breaks me from my thoughts.
“What’s wrong, Miss Ivy?”
“I should have been here, Clint. When Helen died, I should have been here.”
“It was a sad day, but you will see they are doing well. We all are.”
With a nod and a deep breath, I step into the kitchen as tears fill my eyes. It isn’t the same to see James sitting at the bar without Helen. He looks older and sadder, but he still manages a huge smile for me and comes over to hug me.
The moment I’m in his arms, I burst out crying. “I’m so sorry I mixed up the dates. I should have been here.”
“Oh Ivy, David came back, and we talked. It’s okay, and honestly, I’m glad I didn’t know. It would have been so much more painful for me to know. This way, I know she didn’t suffer, and while it was hard, we are doing well on this side.”
His words don’t stop the tears from falling. But he holds me tight until they stop. He kisses my forehead and smiles.
“Now, I’m glad you’re here. Did Clint tell you who made a surprise visit today?”
I sigh. “Yes. I don’t know what her agenda is, but I guess I’m about to find out.”
James holds up his finger and goes to pour me a glass of wine.
I laugh. “If I’m still in there in an hour, send in something stronger.”
I make my way to the living room and poke my head in to see his son Scott sitting on the floor playing with some toys, and Anna sitting next to David on the couch. I can’t hear what they are saying, but Anna is leaning in, and David looks uncomfortable and is leaning away from her. I smile and head back to the kitchen and get a questioning look from James.
“Let me get a drink for David. From the looks of things, he needs it more than I do.” James pours me a drink, and I walk into the living room, not even caring what conversation I am interrupting. David sees me, and his face lights up. He jumps up and rushes over to hug me.
I laugh and hand him the drink. “I was expecting you earlier this morning.” David gives a fake pout that makes me laugh.
“Sorry. Kevin got home from a delivery and was telling us about it, and we lost track of time.”
“David, we aren’t done talking,” Anna whines, and it makes my skin crawl. Judging by the look on David’s face, it makes his skin crawl too.
“It is anything important?” I whisper.
“She is trying to set up times for Scott to stay with me while she visits her friends back in France.”
I nod just as Anna stands up and comes over and tries to grab David’s arm, which he yanks away and wraps around my waist.
“Sorry, Ivy, but we have parental business to talk about.”
I roll my eyes at her and walk over to Scott.
“Hello, I’m Ivy,” I introduce myself.
“I’m this many.” He holds up four fingers.
“No way! My son Adam is five!”
I smirk because I see Anna catches on right away when her jaw drops, and David smiles.
“You know I was told there is a waterfall here, that true?”
“Yes, it’s in the back room!”
“No way! Can you show me so your mom and dad can talk?”
He jumps up and picks up his toys and heads out of the room but stops to look at me.
“Follow me!”
I laugh and follow him, giving David a wink before I leave the room and hear him mumble as I walk by, “Evil woman.” He knows what I did.
“Look right there!” he points.
“Wow, I’ve never seen a waterfall in a house before. It’s so cool!”
“Yeah, my dad’s house is the bestest house I’ve ever seen, but my mommy doesn’t let me come here much.”
I’m sad for this little boy, but I know it’s time to change the subject.
“Will you show me your tractor?” I ask as James comes to sit on the couch and watch us play.
A little bit into playing, I find myself humming the tune of “John Deere Green” without realizing it.
“What song is that?” Scott asks.
“Oh, it’s one that stuck in my head.”
“Sometimes, if I sing a song, it gets unstuck.”
I look at James, and he knows I’ve been caught. This song is one that was popular when I was growing up and not around yet.
Knowing this little boy has a long list of people who disappoint him over the years and not wanting to be one of them, I start softly singing the song for him. He picks it up pretty fast, and by the time David and Anna join us, he is singing the chorus pretty well.
Anna doesn’t look too happy, and she snaps when she sees Scott and me laughing.
“It’s time to go.”
He jumps up and runs over to hug me.
“Thank you for playing with me, Miss Ivy.”
Knowing I can give this little boy a small ray of hope, I whisper in his ear, “Things will get better once you’re an adult. Don’t forget that.”
He looks at me with a confused look on his face, so I hold my finger to my lips, showing him it’s a secret, and he smiles and nods.
He hugs James and David before running out after his mom.
“Well, isn’t she a ray of sunshine,” James says as David collapses on to the couch next to him. I get up and sit on his lap.
“I think the trip to France was just an excuse to come here because she knows no dates, and she kept saying I should take her out to dinner to talk about it and let Dad watch Scott.”
“She wants to be seen with you so she can sell a story,” I say. “Promise me you won’t ever drink anything she gives you. I have a weird feeling she’d try to drug you first chance she gets.”
“I promise, and I hate to say it wouldn’t surprise me one bit because I’ve already had that thought. I know where her mind is—get another kid, get more money—and I hate that. I wish I could find a way to get Scott away from her. Tell me he’s okay?”
I smile. “He learns the truth about her, and they don’t talk much now. The only time she was allowed at Ivy Hill was when they put your wedding section in the museum. He allowed her to come in and let the press get photos.”
He cringes and shakes his head. “It should be you there, not her.”
I sigh. “I know, but history is what it is. We know the truth, and that has to be enough.”
He rests his head against the back of the couch and looks at the ceiling for a bit before looking back at me.
“That day we toured Ivy Hill; it was the wedding exhibit you pulled me away from, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, I figured you didn’t need to know about it until the time came. I told you knowing what is to come isn’t a gift; it’s a burden.” I force a half smile at him.
He rubs my back. “That is a burden I will gladly share with you if you will only let me.”
“I know. A few more years and you will know everything.” I give a sad smile.
After dinner, we sit down with his dad to work on his will to make sure his son and his dad are taken care of.
“When does he… um, when we will…?” His dad stumbles over the question.
I give him a sad smile. “August 1969. We have a bit yet, but …” I pause and look at David. “I’d like to have you come home with us to meet your grandkids. I want you to know how to get to us so you can visit if everything works, even if not.”
I watch his eyes water, and he nods. David is smiling.
“I will get Clint and Nancy to hold things down here while we are gone,” David says, then stands up. “Now, it’s time for some alone time with my girl.” He takes my hand and pulls me toward the stairs, making his dad laugh.
Chapter 26
David
Two weeks fly by, and before I know it, we are standing in front of the rocks. I see my dad looking skeptical, and I can only imagine it’s how I looked when I was here the first time.
“Okay, here are the rocks you need. It only lasts a few seconds.”
Dad looks at me. “You have done this?”
I nod. “Several times.”
He nods, and Ivy offers her hand to him. He takes a deep breath and takes it. We walk into the center of the stones before stopping. My dad looks at his skin.
“You feel it?” Ivy asks, and my dad nods.
She counts to three, and they both touch the stone, and I watch them be pulled in. I take a deep breath, count to ten, then touch the stone myself.
The familiar sensation of being pulled, then pushed surrounds me before I end up on the other side.
I look up and see my dad looking around and relax when he sees me.
“It doesn’t look much different, but it sounds different.”
I smile. “Wait until you see the TV.”
Watching my dad with his grandkids was amazing. Anna never lets him do anything with Scott, but with Adam and Clara, he was able to be as hands-on as he wanted, and I caught him crying a few times. He is their only living grandparent, and he wants to spoil them as much as possible, so he was learning everything he could. He hated having to come back here just as much as I did.
That was eight months ago. Today, I am heading back through the rocks, back to my Ivy with a huge surprise for her that I have been putting in motion. This is another time the world thinks I am in rehab, so I have six weeks with not only my girl but also my kids.
Once back in 2019, I take in the new changes on Ivy’s street. There is a new house getting ready to be built, but otherwise, it looks almost the same as the first time I was here.
I knock on the door and hear the kids yelling, “Daddy!” and the sound of running feet, making me laugh.
When Ivy opens the door, she takes my breath away. She looks even more beautiful than the day we met; maybe it’s because I love her more today. Or maybe it’s because she has Clara on her hip and looks like everything I always picture as a mom.
