CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
THE NEXT FEW days flowed smoothly, although Nolan thought time was moving too quickly. With Ivy trying to finish up her current project and with him preparing for his trip to Paris, both of their days were extremely busy. However, they made sure their evenings and nights belonged to each other. When he got off work, he usually cooked dinner and she would arrive at his place around six.
He tried preparing meals at her condo but she didn’t have a functional kitchen. Instead of her buying cooking utensils she wouldn’t ever use, he decided to cook the meals at his place. The trade-off was that when eating out it would be her treat. Usually their place of choice was Sisters or Xavier’s. They’d gone to a movie and he’d taken her dancing a couple of times. When she’d complimented him on his dancing abilities, he’d told her how he and several of his cousins and brothers had taken dance lessons a few years back to keep up with Reese’s wife, Kenna, on the dance floor.
Every place they went was strategically chosen to make sure word got back to his great-grandmother. He tried to push to the back of his mind they were just following their plan and nothing more.
They shared a bed every night, either hers or his. Nolan was getting used to waking up with Ivy in his arms every morning and going to bed with her the same way. Her being a night owl and him a morning person seemed to work in their favor. He loved leaving her asleep in his bed and it seemed she didn’t have a problem leaving him asleep in hers. At first he kept telling himself they had only two weeks so there was no reason for her toiletries to be in his bathroom or his to be in hers, but it didn’t stop it from happening. Nor did it stop him from beginning to see her in a new light.
Last weekend he’d taken her with him to the hospital to visit the twins and unsurprisingly, found Reese and Kenna there. He knew the hospital was probably their second home since the twins were still confined. Kenna looked good and was anxious for her babies to gain more weight so they could go home. The names they had chosen for the twins were Landon for their son and London for their daughter.
He had introduced Ivy to Reese and Kenna since they had missed the family celebration supposedly given in their honor...not that anyone had expected them to show up. He could tell Reese and Kenna liked Ivy, and again he thought how well she fitted in with his family.
The buzzer on his desk went off and he picked up his phone. “Yes, Marlene?”
“Mr. Lee Madaris is on the line.”
“Please put him through.”
Nolan leaned back in his chair wondering how Ivy was doing and how close she was in finishing up her project. This coming weekend would be their last one together before he left for Paris. He would love it if she was able to get away. Maybe they could go spend a couple of days on Tiki Island. He’d check with his property manager if the place was vacant this weekend.
“Nolan?”
“Yes, Lee. How are things going?”
“Appears there’s a mix-up with some of the equipment you ordered. I’m going to need you here sooner than planned to check things out.”
Nolan lifted a brow. “How soon?”
“If you can leave in the morning that would be great.”
Nolan sat up straight in his chair. “In the morning?”
“Yes. With Peyton pregnant and due to deliver in a few months, DeAngelo is ready to return to New York, but he will delay things to be present at the meetings we need to have with you and Chenault. I’ll send my pilot for you. Think you can be ready to fly out around ten, tomorrow morning?”
Yes, he could but that meant leaving Ivy earlier than planned. It also meant he would be in Paris for three weeks instead of two.
“Yes, I’ll be ready,” he said. Moments later he hung up the phone, missing Ivy already.
He stood and walked over to the window. A part of him truly didn’t want to go but he knew he had no choice. He had planned to take Ivy to a movie tonight and he would still do so. And he’d let her know he would be leaving in the morning.
* * *
DAMIEN TOSSED HIS luggage on the bed and began unpacking. Before checking into the hotel, he had driven by Ivy’s grandmother’s house. When he’d seen her outside talking to one of her neighbors, that validated that she was still living in the same place.
He refused to admit to Whitfield there were problems but had a feeling the man suspected something. That meant Damien had to make certain Ivy didn’t give him any problems and he knew just the way to do that.
He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and punched a number he’d saved over the years. When the man came on the line, he said, “This is Damien Fargo...Yes, I’m back in town for a while and there’s a little job I need done. I want you to hook me up with the right person to do it.”
* * *
IVY SMILED WHEN she opened the door for Nolan. “I’m ready. I just have to grab my purse and turn off the lights.”
He entered and closed the door behind him. “Take your time. The movie doesn’t start for a while.”
Moments later when she returned, she saw Nolan standing in the middle of her living room with his hands shoved in his pockets. He was staring at her floor with a pensive expression on his face. “Nolan? Is anything wrong?”
He glanced up and she knew he hadn’t heard her approach. “I was thinking that maybe we could go somewhere other than a movie. Maybe dancing or something. There’s a live band at Sisters. The Roulettes. You enjoy them, don’t you?”
“Yes.” She studied his features. “Any reason for the change in plans?”
He drew in a deep breath and met her gaze. “Yes. Lee called today. I’m needed in Paris earlier than planned. I will be leaving in the morning.”
“In the morning?” She immediately felt her heart begin to ache.
“Yes. So it will be our last night together for a while.”
For a while? He really meant to say that tonight would be their last night together forever. She knew the plan. While he was in Paris she was to come up with a solid reason for them to break up and be ready to execute that plan when he returned.
“Oh.” Now she was the one who looked down at the floor when the meaning of his words stung like needles. They wouldn’t have another week as they thought. Only tonight. And she didn’t want to spend it listening to music or dancing. If tonight was all she would have with him, she wanted to spend it in the arms of the man she loved.
She glanced up and saw him watching her with an odd expression on his face. Was he ready to end things? Probably no reason why he shouldn’t be. In that case she intended to leave him with something to remember. She would leave her imprint on him, making sure even after they called it quits that he didn’t forget her.
“I got a better idea about tonight, Nolan.”
He crossed the room to stand in front of her. “What’s your idea, baby?”
“How about if we stay in and enjoy each other’s company?” Judging by the way his eyes flared, she knew he understood just what she meant.
“I think that’s a great idea.” And he swept her off her feet and headed for her bedroom.
* * *
HOURS LATER, IVY lay awake in Nolan’s arms listening to the sound of his deep and even sleep. Just like all those other times, her body was still reeling from so many pleasurable sensations. They had made love three times already and she knew before he left, they would do it again. From the intensity of their lovemaking, it was as if he was trying to store up as many memories of their time together as she was, but she knew that was just wishful thinking on her part. After making love they had drifted off to sleep.
Now she was wide-awake and thinking about what came next. He would expect her to come up with a plan for their breakup while he was away. He hadn’t said the plan regarding that had changed, and she had no reason to think it had. A wave of pain surrounded her heart in knowing that, once again, she loved a man who hadn’t loved her back.
Nolan shifted slightly in sleep and tightened his arms around her and muttered something. Her ears perked up. Had he just said her name? She listened and he said nothing again. His breathing returned to deep and even. He hadn’t said her name. She’d only wished that he had.