“Love, I understand. I won’t say it’s not tempting as hell not to pick up the challenge and see if you’ve changed or developed any new interests. But I’m not ready to put you or Geoff in a position where Monica can claim she deserves something because I cheated on her with you. That’s the last thing I want. However, I pose we see how this goes and when Monica is finally gone and can do nothing, we revisit this idea of a second chance.” Heath had no intention of holding back. After this conversation and his divorce was final, he’d consider there was no holds barred between them. But there’s nothing that said he couldn’t flirt and tease her. Warm her up to the idea before then. “Heath, it’s late and I hate it when you and Geoff have your mind set on something and expect everyone, including me, to go along with your plan with no questions asked or objections made.” Heath smiled at that; there she went, calling him out before he said anything about what he thought of this, or
Ivy worked in her room on her bed rather than in her office space. Memories of doing hours of homework like this flooded her memory. After about twenty minutes like this, she remembered why she put the desk out there in the small dining room. Her muscles and joints weren’t pleased with this position for working. But she had to get the budget finished. She could see the end of it. Right now, she’d finished plugging in the numbers and started cross referencing the numbers for accuracy. Then the mathematical review. Several hours into this, her eyes were going cross-eyed, and she could feel her body stiffening up. But trying to keep her mind off what Heath said and knowing he slept right now, near to her. He’d said a lot and done things she wasn’t sure she should have let slide as she had. Now she couldn’t forget his kiss. She cursed herself out for falling back into old habits that ended up in failure. Ivy prided herself on not repeating the same t
“Remember what you promised.” It surprised ivy when Geoff gathered his crutches. His words stopped her from protesting that Heath took liberties with how he ordered her son around. She didn’t expect Geoff to… Ivy wasn’t sure if he warned or threatened his father. Now she didn’t know who to scold first. “Don’t worry, I remember. I’m just frustrated. Remember what I said about how grownups sometimes say angry words and argue? Well, this is one of those times. Your mom’s scared other people will say mean things about her. She’s pointing out it’s not fair because even though I’m involved. They won’t do this to me because I’m their boss and a man. They’ll be too scared to say this about me because I can take their job away for this.” Heath patiently spoke to Geoff, explaining everything is such a calm voice Ivy didn’t recognize him at first. “Why is there a difference?” Of course, her son would go into full interview mode to learn everything and more
Ivy snorted as she raised her cup of tea to her lips before she finally responded. “Monica thinks she’s smart, but she’s slow sometimes. She acts impulsively, often as well. I’m not sure what it is with her, but it’s like she is reading off a script or something sometimes. I swear there are times when she sounds like she hasn’t got the emotions to relate to the situation or the people with. Life is like a game and she’s out to take everything she can get.” “That’s pretty much a very good summation of Monica. Did you know she speaks Hungarian and Russian fluently? When I asked her about when she learned it, she tried to tell me she learned it from a phone app. Ivy, we were eating with a client who spoke both languages and he told me she spoke with a local dialect. I forget which region it was, but he could identify it.” Ivy took did a double take when Heath didn’t argue. Again, she wondered about whether she’d been wrong, and he’d changed while she was gone. Gone? What mad
They were ready on time and Heath almost had them out the door when Ivy disappeared quickly to the bathroom and the doorbell rang. “I’ll get the door, Geoff. You can sit and relax.” Heath instructed his son as he strode to the apartment’s front door. “That’s Kathy. I bet mom didn’t call to tell her she doesn’t need to take me to school,” Geoff said from his seat on the sofa. “Well, it’s time we met. After all, she’s your mom’s friend. Thanks for the warning.” He said before he opened the door. A woman who looked like a cross of punk rock princess and a nineteen fifties housewife stood there about to knock on the door. Her eyes went wide when she took in Heath’s sturdy form before her. She said nothing as her mouth made the same of an ‘O’. “You must be Kathy. Come in.” “Uh, who are you, and where are Ivy and Geoff?” She stood there in a green overall dress with a flower print shirt beneath it, which Heath thought with her pink curly hair she looke
Kathy left them after she ogled the car and driver as they got Geoff settled in the back of the car. Once they settled into their seats and were on their way to Geoff’s school, Heath looked at his calendar for the day. “Parker, my assistant has made an appointment for me to test drive several vehicles that will suit us better as a family. How about we book a meeting to discuss your department’s budget for two this afternoon?” The change in the conversation took Ivy aback. “You don’t need to waste money on a large family car. I’m sure we can make do with what’s available. Wait, I haven’t submitted the budget yet. I’m not ready. I only finished the budget last night, and you haven’t looked it over yet.” “Ivy, if you’re still the sensible and down-to-earth woman I’ve known for many years, I can hazard a guess that you’ve been frugal and reasonable with your budget. I doubt I’ll find anything to complain about.” She stared at him for a mom
Ivy felt swept away as Heath just took over. He didn’t have any rights here right now. Heath wasn’t legally seen as his son and now he’s telling Geoff’s teacher they were trying to reconcile, and if that wasn’t bad enough, Geoff heard every word. “Heath, please. We have discussed that briefly, and we aren’t sure if it’s even possible. Let’s not jump the gun on this. Geoff, please don’t think this is a final decision. It’s got a long way to go before it’s set in stone. If it’s ever set in stone.” Ms. Jackson eyed Ivy now speculatively, and then Heath. Ivy knew she was trying to calculate the chances of them getting back together. “Ms. Smythe, are you saying that Mr. Allan is not telling the truth?” She gave Ivy a concerned frown that Ivy felt wasn’t genuine. “What I’m saying, Ms. Jackson, is that Mr. Allan likes to have things his way, and like Geoffrey, he will state his wishes as facts before there’s any real facts to point in the direction of t
Ivy leaned back once he’d made his point. Everything she’d convinced herself of about Heath and his wants and dreams went out the door right then in that moment. He was interested in her still. After seven years, he hadn’t complained about how her body changed even once. Heath mentioned the changes but only in reference that he acknowledged them and liked them. At the time Ivy hadn’t believed him, but right now he sat there watching her with a satisfied smile on his face and his damp fingers stroking her inner thighs. “That isn’t fair, Heath. That’s not how you win an argument.” “No, I’m demonstrating the facts that support my side of the argument. Love, you’re as invested in this as I am. Or do I need to whip out my dick and give you another child right now to prove that our unfinished business will never end? Damn, I’m really tempted to do that right now.” Ivy looked down at his lap and she could see the evidence that she’d been the o
In the school cafeteria, Jimmie Marks cornered Geoff to taunt him with the information he got over the last few weeks about him. Jimmie was told that Geoff was poor and his mother married his dad for his money. “So, you got a stepdad. It still doesn’t count. Your dad didn’t want your mom or you.” Jimmie tried to mess with Geoff and embarrass him in front of everyone who heard him. He’d heard from his housekeeper’s son all about Geoff because he’d gone to school with him. Maybe he was a little jealous because his family hadn’t been invited to the Allerfords summer house for their yearly party. “He’s my real dad not my stepdad. It wasn’t that he didn’t want me or my mom. Don’t you read or listen to the news? You’re so stupid. My ex-stepmom lied to my dad and made him think my mom didn’t want him. She then made it, so my mom had to leave. My mom had enough of the nonsense and left. When she did that, she didn’t tell my dad where she went. His mom and dad made him marry my ex
“Wait, is Alice dating him?” Heath missed a lot because he wasn’t in the trenches like Ivy. It didn’t surprise her he was unaware of Ed’s search for a wife among the female staff. Ivy kept brushing him off, knowing if he chased her, then he wouldn’t chase any other woman. He was a nice guy if the woman wasn’t his wife. Or at least that’s how Ivy saw it. “He’s trying to make his moves on her, that’s obvious. I don’t think he’ll fool her. Maybe she can fix his mistaken beliefs. I lacked the time or interest to try. So, all the power to her if she tries. Though I think she’d be wasting her time.” Ivy leaned back in her seat and explained. She tried to act like she didn’t feel the tension coming from Heath. Ivy couldn’t believe he felt so threatened by what she’d just said. His concern for Alice was decent, she guessed, because Alice was her friend and co-worker. “I’m glad to hear you say that. You had me worried there that you thought I didn’t apprecia
Ivy settled in the limo’s backseat, heading home. What a change to taking the train. It didn’t matter that she didn’t go home at once. It was nice to have someone drive her in comfort. The dark interior and gentle lighting somehow made everything easier. Heath liked them to pick him up as well. The three of them would go home. Kathy didn’t use her beat up old car anymore, because Heath insisted, she use the car he’d bought as a family car to transport Geoff safely. With Parker’s help, Heath had Kathy using a member of their security team to mail her packages and pick up her packages from her post office box. Ivy had to admit Parker played dirty by sending her a glitter bomb she’d opened after she got back to her studio. She called Ivy furious claiming Parker admitted to sending it to prove to her that anyone could send her a bomb. Kathy still felt outraged, even though she understood the point. Ivy could understand her outrage, even though the point
Geoff enter his new school. He realized his insignificance among the other kids in school, but this time, he wasn’t alone. Three kids he met at the cottage a few weeks back were with him. They were his friends; they said to him. He’d accept it because his dad said he needed to make friends to learn to be like him. “Thanks for bringing me, Kathy. We know where we’re going.” Kathy blinked at Geoff in surprise. Geoff desired to appear as a helpless child, needing help to navigate the school corridors. “Okay, quick check then. Have you got your bag, water bottle, lunch, phone, and hat?” “Yup.” Geoff said. He insisted on wearing a fedora he found as his dad unpacked a box of old clothes. “Okay, then go seize the day and try to avoid getting in trouble. Don’t forget your security is in the parking lot. No leaving the school grounds without them and they’ll bring you home. Parker is with your dad today and I’m getting my workroom se
Heath watched Ivy lose her confrontational nature, and that sexy hidden kitten came out to play. He loved it, because when this happened, she had no limits. He panted as she opened her blouse to reveal she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her hands moved to his waistband and Ivy had the air kissing his cock in moments before she was kneeling between his thighs, sucking on him like he remembered she used to do. His eyes devoured the sight of Ivy’s glistening lips bobbing on his hardening shaft. “Babe, slow down or the enjoyment will end too soon. You know I’ll want a good long taste of you too. God, you remember how good that is,” Heath said. He felt himself gasped as her small teeth nipped at his foreskin. His thighs shook a little. She’d barely gone down on him, and he wanted to lose himself. “Enough. I hope you have got no panties on either, or I’ll rip them apart to get to your cream.” Ivy resisted when he tried to pull from her mouth. She teased him by hol
Ivy and the other wives could head off for several potential disasters. Finally, she witnessed Heath’s efforts to make the day of a dream come true. Thankfully, the wedding planner realized how dated and difficult achieving this was to arrange. In the end, Heath got what he wanted, and Ivy understood him better. He’d kept a storage space of things he couldn’t part with that she’d left behind when she’d left. One of which was a dream book all about her dream wedding. She’d made the book about a decade before she met Heath in her teens, like many girls. So, it was out of date by the time she’d met him. The only reason he’d known about the book was she’d found it one day and told him about it. But she’d forgotten about it. With help from her new friends and the planner, they could achieve their goals. Ivy got stronger and walking became easier. She returned to work and life continued. Geoff now seemed content with his two reliable parents.
The weekend had been going well. The men didn’t disappear, as Ivy believed. They’d stayed close to the house and the kids. Ivy learned that this was normal. The men in Alec’s circle tended toward wanting to foster family bonds and friendships with people who had similar interests. The men all found they disliked how their parents raised them, and this was their answer to their problem. “You don’t know how glad we are. It’s you here and not her. Is it okay if we mention her? I don’t want to make you feel awkward.” Ivy sat outside on the patio after a rather enjoyable dinner. Heath had stayed true to his word, and the men were watching the kids play beside the lake. “It’s fine, I guess. Some argue I don’t consider her as much as she considers me. So, please understand, I probably won’t have much to say about her.” “You’re not angry at her for messing up your life?” “I’m sorry? Messing up my life. How? Everyone has r
Ivy couldn’t believe how present Heath became. Present for Geoffrey and herself, that is. He’d planned everything and stunned her when he revealed how he’d remembered her dream wedding one evening. He’s changed from the man who only cared about marriage paperwork. But what had Ivy scratching her head was he’d written it all down and he wanted her to review it to ensure her wishes hadn’t changed. Or she preferred a newer style. Her preferences and opinions now took a precedence they never had before. Heath ensured that she and Geoff enjoyed the best at the Allerfords’ beachfront event. Heath went with Geoffrey shopping for clothes, as well as for school supplies. Geoff looked like an entirely different child, right down to his expensive new haircut and running shoes. Ivy initially dismissed it, as Geoff naturally outgrows clothes and requires haircuts. That happened to boys his age. She’d finish but clothing in one size to buy
“Really?” Geoff was sure his dad would have limits. Geoff just needed to figure out what they were. His dad would surely appreciate his lack of tantrums and materialistic desires. At least not yet, anyway. Perhaps when he discovered what other children possessed. But right now, he enjoyed having his own gaming space and a lot of rooms to himself. Stop using the dining table for art and having to clean up before and after meals. “In the past, I used to dictate and control you and your mother’s actions and choices. Now is different and your mom and I decide together. But I have the connections and influence, so I’m the one that makes things happen. The young man will prioritize school, grades, and friendships. Learn from me to network and build connections for your family’s future. Remember the job I’m taking over from your grandfather?” They both wrinkled their noses when a member of the hospital staff pushed a cart by them with something smelly in it.