CHAPTER TWELVE
After a long day at the ranch, Noble sat inside the Hangover, nursing a beer. On the jukebox a singer wailed out a country song about leaving a pretty girl with the bluest eyes in Texas. A caustic scoff rolled off his tongue. Four and a half months ago, he’d left the prettiest girl with the bluest eyes back in Vegas, along with his fucking libido.
Noble gnashed his teeth and cursed under his breath.
If he didn’t find a way to banish Ivy from his brain, he’d have to study Buddhism so he could become a monk. The zero desire to climb between the legs of any woman except Ivy’s was starting to worry him.
“That’s not what I’m saying, dammit,” Gina spat in a tone so angry it pulled Noble out of his internal pity party. Glancing up, he saw the bar owner and his twin scowling at one another. “You’re not listening to what I’m saying.”
“The hell I’m not,” Nate countered exasperatedly. “I’m just wondering why you don’t come right out and ask her what’s crawled up her ass and clear the air.”
“Because she’s the only real girlfriend I have in this town, besides your mom. I really like her and I’m not willing to risk losing that by getting all up in her face.”
“If she was such a real friend, she’d tell you what’s bothering her.”
Noble smirked as Gina bristled. Their conversation was about to get ugly.
“Nate?”
“Yes, my love?”
Nate’s voice was low. He reached up to touch her—fatal mistake, bro—but Gina slapped his hand away.
“Don’t. That’s not going to help.”
“What is?”
“I don’t know.” Gina exhaled a heavy sigh.
Noble wasn’t sure who or what the drama was all about, and honestly, he really didn’t care. “If you two are done fighting, can I have another beer?”
As Gina filled his mug from the spigot, Nate nuzzled in close behind her. “Just go over and talk to her in the morning. All right?”
“I’ll try,” Gina conceded.
Nate kissed the top of her head and gave a satisfied nod before glancing up at Noble.
“What are you doing here, man? It’s Saturday night. You’re usually banging a bed-bunny and her headboard right about now.”
Noble glanced at the clock on the wall and drained his mug of beer as he purposely blocked the twin connection shared with Nate.
“Funny you should say that. I need to go and…get busy,” he lied, hoping he’d truly blocked his brother out. “See you two lovebirds later. Oh, and no more arguing. You know what happens when you two fight.”
“Don’t say that,” Gina scolded. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you that you never invite negativity into your life by saying shit like that?”
“Nope,” Noble said with a wry grin as he lifted off the barstool. “I was too busy learning different ways to make the ladies scream.”
“Of course you were, you silly man-whore.” Gina chuckled and flashed him a wink.
“Catch y’all later,” he called out as he reached the front door.
Noble kept his internal barrier up until he was far outside of town. He hated hiding things from Nate, but he hated lying to the man even more. Life was pretty black-and-white as far as Noble was concerned. He didn’t like playing around in shades of gray. It rubbed him the wrong way.
Driving aimlessly toward the ranch, Noble knew if he returned home this early, questions would be asked. Instead of turning into the long gravel drive, he continued along the blacktop a half mile more. Slowing the truck, he turned onto a bumpy dirt road. The access path leading to the creek, cut straight through their property.
When he and his brothers were kids, the whole family would pile into his dad’s Suburban and drive down this same dusty path to the creek. While the boys splashed and swam in the cool springwater, his mom would shake out a huge quilt and sit in the shade watching them and laughing, or quietly read a book. Hours later, she’d unpack a picnic basket and they’d all sit on the blanket eating lunch as the warm wind dried their skin.
The memories sent a melancholy smile to tug Noble’s lips. Those days had been golden. Carefree. Happy. Growing up, Noble had heard the hushed murmurs and tsks of pity for the couples in town who’d separated or divorced. When he was seven years old, Noble began to worry that his parents might choose to take that same ominous path. When he’d finally gathered the courage to ask his mom about the state of her marriage, Nola simply smiled and hugged him tightly. She’d alleviated all his fears when she told him that she and his father made a vow to one another, and to God, to love, honor, and cherish each other until they died.
Noble spent the next twelve years convincing himself that the Grayson clan was impervious to the embarrassing and life-altering horrors of divorce. Then Sawyer married Sara, and a short time later, the safety bubble Noble had built around him cracked. Fissures had grown into ragged, sharp-edged maws that opened up and shredded his guileless idealism. The taboo curse of infidelity had ripped Sawyer apart, along with his marriage. The seeds of mistrust in monogamy had been sown in Noble’s mind.
“So if you’re never going to marry anyone, why can’t you let Ivy go?” Noble asked out loud. “She was just another partner to chase pleasure with.”
Even as those last words left his lips, Noble knew the time he’d spent with Ivy had fulfilled him far more than simply pleasure. Still, he didn’t want to acknowledge or even let his conscience suggest that the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty had ruined him for all others.
But as his grandma Grayson would always say, the proof is in the pudding.
“Fuck!” Noble growled.
When he crested the tiny hill, his headlights illuminated the black F-350 truck parked near the edge of the creek. He knew instantly that it was Ned’s truck.
As Noble pulled to a stop, his older brother quickly shielded his face until he killed the engine and the headlights. Then Noble climbed out of his truck.
“I’m fine. Go on home. Call April and tell her I’ll be home later.” Ned’s voice was thick with emotion, sending Noble’s senses on high alert.
“First of all, I haven’t even talked to April. And secondly, you’re not fine if you’re sitting out here by yourself. What the fuck is going on?”
“I just want some time alone. Go home, Noble,” Ned mumbled as he turned and plopped back down on a flattened patch of native sideoats grama grass.
With a shake of his head, Noble strode to where his brother sat and silently eased down beside him.
“I’m not leaving you here to brood alone. You’re my brother. If you need—”
“What I need I can’t have,” Ned interrupted curtly.
“Why not? What is it you need?”
“Because there’s no such thing as a crystal ball. No magic beans or pills or any other mystical supernatural shit that’ll give me the answers I need.”
Noble nodded, pondering how to get the man to open up and talk about what had him so agitated. “I guess the first thing to ask is, what’s the question?”
Ned scoffed. “Trust me, Noble. You can’t help me.”
Clearly his statement was meant as an insult, as it stung like a slap to the face. “Why not me?”
“Because you’re the poster child for anti-monogamy.”
“Just because I’m never saying I do doesn’t mean I don’t know shit about women. I know more about them than probably any other man in a hundred-mile radius.”
“Okay, Mr. Estrogen. What I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this creek bank, understood?”
“I’ll take the blood brother oath,” Noble affirmed. “I’ll even get the knife out again like we did when we were young if you want me to.”
Ned shook his head and stared out across the prairie for several long minutes before he turned and inhaled a deep breath. “My wife’s gone and I don’t know where the fuck she went.”
A pang of fear slammed Noble’s gut. “What do you mean gone? Did you call Jasper?”
“No, I didn’t call Jasper. April’s not missing. She’s at the goddamn house…at least physically. But emotionally? Well, I have no fucking clue where that part is hiding.”
Immediately, Noble’s brain flipped back to the hospital as they all sat in the surgery waiting room. When the doctor finally had come out with the good news about Nate, April and Noble hadn’t shared so much as a kiss or a hug. Ned had simply squeezed his wife’s hand as she sent him a brittle smile.
“You’ve been struggling with this for months, haven’t you?”
Ned snapped his head up. His brows were slashed and eyes narrowed. “How did you know that?”
“I picked up on it the night of Nate’s surgery.”
“Yeah, that was a stellar day. April and I were in the middle of World War III when Norris knocked on the door and said Nate was missing.” Ned paused before a perturbed scoff rolled off his tongue. “After they found him in the field, April didn’t even want to come to the hospital to see if he was okay. She wanted to stay home and study her Bible.”
“Her Bible?” Noble echoed in confusion.
“She’s gotten real involved with the Ladies’ Auxiliary at the church. Every Wednesday she hosts a Bible study group. Reverend Thompson and a whole slew of women invade the living room to read and discuss passages.”
“You don’t join the discussions?”
“I’m sure Mom would love it if I did, but no, I talk to the man upstairs on my own.” Ned picked up a stone and tossed it into the creek with a plop. “I can’t even swear in my own house anymore without April taking me to task about it.”
Noble simply arched his brows and wrinkled his nose.
“This is way too much TMI, but we don’t make love anymore. We just fuck…but only when she thinks she’s ovulating so we can procreate. It’s only with the lights off, and her nightgown can’t be raised any higher than her goddamn navel. I haven’t seen my own wife’s tits for…fuck, I can’t even remember. She’s turned into a prude. I don’t even know who April is anymore. She’s definitely not the hot, horny woman I married.”
Noble didn’t have a clue in hell of what he was supposed to say to that.
“We used to make love on the back porch, under the stars. I loved watching her come in the moonlight. Now, all I can do is pull the memories out of my head and hope she’s enjoying what I’m doing to her, ’cause I honestly don’t even know if she comes for real anymore or is just faking it so I’ll cop a nut and get off her.”
Noble shook his head and scowled. “All of this because she got involved in the church?”
“I don’t know. All I know is everything between us started changing months ago and I can’t seem to put things back the way they were.” Ned picked up another stone and tossed it downstream. “So while I appreciate your offer to help, all your knowledge of women isn’t going to do shit, baby bro.”
“No, this is pretty much out of my wheelhouse. I’m sorry, man. I really am. Maybe you two should sit down with Reverend Thompson and talk about how intimacy is more than repopulating the earth.”
Ned shook his head. “No way. I don’t want everyone in town knowing my wife’s turned into a damn ice queen, or that I can’t satisfy her sexually anymore.”
“Dude!” Noble gaped. “It’s not you. You’re a Grayson…a sex machine, for fuck’s sake. None of us are lacking in the seduction department. Trust me.”
“I used to think so, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Have you tried to seduce her…do things to her you used to when you first met?”
A humorless chuckle slid from the back of Ned’s throat. “I just told you I haven’t seen my wife’s tits in eons. I haven’t had my mouth anywhere but the lips on her face for even longer than that.”
“Shit, man. That’s…that’s not normal.”
“Tell me about it.” Ned sighed and shook his head. “So, what the fuck are you doing out here? Can’t find any willing women to seduce tonight?”
“Just came out here to think as well.”
“About?”
“Nothing important,” Noble lied.
“Right. We both know that’s bullshit. What’s her name?”
“What makes you think it’s a woman?” Noble asked trying to deflect his brother’s all-too-accurate assessment.
“Why else would we both be out here, man? Someone’s fucking with your head just like April is fucking with mine.”
Noble considered opening his mouth and spilling his guts…revealing every spine-tingling detail of the unbelievable night he’d spent with Ivy. Ned might be able to offer some sage advice or insight on how to finally exorcise the woman’s ghost from his soul. But his brother’s plate was already full, overflowing, in fact. The last thing he needed was Noble whining like a pussy-whipped bitch.
“Nah, nobody’s fucking with my head except me.” Technically, he wasn’t lying. But self-preservation dictated he redirect the conversation about women off himself and back on Ned. “So, any idea what you’re going to do about April being such a prude?”
“Not a fucking clue.”
“Maybe you two should take a vacation, you know, go someplace romantic.”
“What was Las Vegas like?”
Noble’s heart sputtered.
Where my wildest, wettest dream came true.
He swallowed tightly and shook his head. “Nah. Take her to Colorado or someplace up in the mountains, where you two can be completely alone.”
“We’re alone in the country every damn day, Captain Obvious,” Ned taunted with a crooked grin. “It hasn’t done a bit of good. Just sayin’.”
“True. I don’t know, man. Take her to Disneyland. Teach her how to be…young at heart and spontaneous again.”
“Hmm,” Ned grunted. “You might be on to something there.”
“See? I’m more than just a talented sex machine.”
Ned actually laughed. “Spare me the details, man.”
“Jealous, I know.”
“No, man. I don’t want to barf listening to you brag about all your sexploits.”
“’Cause you’d get jealous.”
They both chuckled briefly before Ned turned somber. “Thanks for not leaving when I told you to go.”
Noble reached up and slapped his brother on the back. “No need to thank me, man. You need me? I’m always here, no matter what.”
“I appreciate that. I guess I’d better get back home.” Ned stood and stuck his hat on his head. “You staying?”
“Yeah, for a few. It’s peaceful here.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, man. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I hope you can find a way to reach April.”
“You and me both.”
The doubt in Ned’s voice made Noble frown. As his brother climbed into his pickup and drove away, he replayed their conversation. Noble couldn’t help but wonder if another Grayson divorce was on the horizon.
“Christ,” he muttered in disgust.
Life was complicated enough. Why anyone would want to add another person into the mix escaped him.
Yeah, but you’d love to add Ivy into that mix and you damn well know it, a little voice in the back of his head taunted.
“Maybe, but I’d never commit my life to her or any other woman,” he murmured to himself.
Noble tossed his hat on the ground and gazed up at the stars. Ivy was out there somewhere. He couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing. Or who was she with. That thought sent an unexpected spike of red-hot jealousy streaking through him. He scrubbed a hand over his face at the absurdity of his bewildering reaction.
“I need to get a goddamn grip,” he scolded himself. “It’s a Saturday night and I’m sitting in the dark, still pining for a girl I’ll never see again. Christ, I have to be the sorriest bastard on the whole damn planet.”
Repulsed by his inability to get his head screwed on straight, Noble plucked the cell phone from his jeans and started scrolling through his contacts.
It was time to put the past where it belonged and climb back into the saddle again.
Names of women who’d eagerly welcome him into their beds and between their thighs slid past his eyes. He imagined their faces…the shapes of their naked bodies…the sounds of their voices as they screamed in pleasure. Yet not a one aroused him in the slightest.
With a heavy sigh, he shoved the phone away and allowed memories of Ivy to flood his mind. Instantly, his cock thickened and grew stiff.
“Figures you’d wake up now…traitor,” he groused, looking down at his crotch.
Grabbing his hat off the ground, Noble launched to his feet and stormed to his truck.
When he returned to his house, his dad was sitting in the recliner, thumbing through a hunting magazine. Norman lifted his gaze from the page and shot Noble a quizzical expression. “That sure didn’t take long.”
“Nope.”
“Don’t tell me you’re losing your stamina,” he teased.
“Not hardly.” Noble dragged out his cocky attitude and smirked. “Just tired. It’s been a long week. I’m heading to bed.”
“You feeling okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” Liar. “Night, Dad.”
“Night, son.”
Noble strolled down the hall, stripped off his clothes, and climbed into bed. It was nearly three in the morning before he finally gave up, gripped his cock, and stroked himself off to visions of Ivy writhing and screaming.
Two weeks after Doc Knight informed her the rabbit had died, Ivy leaned against the counter in the kitchen. While the scent of butter, cinnamon, and yeasty breads filled her senses, she stared at the screen on her cell phone, struggling to find the courage to call home. She absently caressed her hand over the visible baby bump at her belly. Thankfully, the apron she wore during business hours hid her delicate condition, though that wouldn’t be the case much longer.
Nibbling her lip, she vacillated on whether or not she could wait another week…or six, before informing her folks they were going to be grandparents. Her damn wonky hormones had her crying at the drop of a hat lately. She didn’t want to fall apart over the phone when she heard their startled gasps and disappointed sighs.
“Stop being a wuss and just get it over with,” she spat, chiding her procrastinating self. “It’s not like you’ll be able to hide the truth much longer, from them or anyone.”
Especially Gina.
Ivy set her phone down and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Every day Gina continued to come into the shop, dissecting her with a stare that grew more and more penetrating, as if trying to probe deep inside Ivy’s brain to uncover the reason their easy relationship had suddenly turned so brittle. And every day, heart heavy with guilt, Ivy would paint on a placid smile as she danced around the beastly elephant in the room…that only she could see.
The buzzer on the wall behind her pealed, alerting her that someone was at the front door, and nearly startled her to death. She glanced at the timer before hurrying out of the kitchen and into the main floor of the shop.
Willy, the brown-clothed delivery driver who had started regularly dropping off her orders, stood outside the front door with two large boxes leaning up against his leg.
The baby bed and mattress had arrived. A skitter of excitement rippled through her. Ivy wasn’t ready to admit to anyone but herself that she’d fucked up, literally, but she had come to accept her situation…mostly. She’d be damned if she’d be unprepared for the inevitable arrival of the life growing inside her. So she’d started discreetly ordering things for the nursery online.
She was damn glad now for the hindsight to ask Rick Hastings to divide the spacious loft upstairs into two rooms. Baby Addison would have his or her own space to listen to music, do homework, or hide out and brood when teenage angst came calling.
“Hi, Willy.” She smiled before signing for the delivery.
“Hey, Ms. Addison. Sorry to bother you on your day off, but…”
“No bother. I’m glad they’re finally here.”
“This one’s pretty heavy,” Willy informed, tapping a finger against the shorter box as he dropped his gaze to her belly. “The other one is light but awkward. I’d be happy to carry them in for you.”
“That’s kind of you, but they need to go upstairs to the second floor.”
“Lead the way, ma’am.”
She flashed him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
At the top of the stairs, Ivy entered the room she’d fashioned into a nursery. After laying down a base coat of muted mint-green, she’d adorned he walls with colorful hand-painted dragonflies, ladybugs, and flowers.
“Oh, wow. This is awesome!” Willy complimented as he eased the boxes to the polished hardwoods. “Your little tike’s going to love this room.”
“Thank you.” Ivy beamed before a wave of worry crested. “I, um, I know you make a lot of deliveries in town, but I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t mention the nursery here to anyone.”
“Oh, no, ma’am. I won’t say anything.”
“Thank you. It’s just…well, I’m…” She caressed her stomach. “I like my privacy.”
“No need to explain, Ms. Addison. I didn’t see a thing here today.” Willy gave her a grin and a wink.
“Thank you.”
Before Willy left, Ivy handed him a sack of the lemon squares she’d baked an hour ago and walked him to the door. As he drove away, Ivy closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the sun, drinking in its warmth, while the early spring breeze skipped over her skin.
When she opened her eyes and dropped her chin, Gina stepped onto the sidewalk, eyes glued to Ivy’s stomach as a look of shock lined her face. “You’re fucking preg—”
“Shhh,” Ivy cut her off as she nervously checked the sidewalk. Thankfully, the only people around were well out of earshot. “Come inside…we-we’ll talk there.”
Guilt and dread thundered through her veins.
Dammit! Why didn’t I put on an apron this morning?
She knew why. It was Monday, the bakery was closed, and she hadn’t expected to see anyone…especially Gina.
“Right. Right.” Gina hurried inside, murmuring expletives under her breath.
As soon as Ivy shut and locked the door, Gina was in her face. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
“I-I haven’t told anyone.” Ivy knew her excuse was as flimsy as parchment paper the second it rolled off her tongue.
“Well, it certainly explains why you’ve been so goddamn moody lately.”
“Moody? I haven’t been moody.” She’d simply been hiding behind walls in hopes that no one would learn her secret, especially Gina.
“Right. And I’m a fucking nun,” Gina said with a laugh. “Honey, you’ve been treating me like a leper for weeks. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what I did or said that pissed you off.”
Like razor blades, that revelation sliced Ivy’s shame wide open. Tears filled her eyes and her voice trembled. “Oh, god, Gina. I’m s-sorry. I didn’t mean to make you think that you—”
“No. No. Don’t start crying. Once you turn on the waterworks, those damn pregnancy hormones make it nearly impossible to stop.”
Ivy sniffed and brushed at the tears spilling down her cheeks as she gaped at the woman. “H-how do you know?”
Sorrow, palpable and profound, settled over Gina’s face. “I just do.”
“You’ve…you’ve been preg—”
“Guess we’ve both been keeping secrets, huh?” Gina announced with a slight shrug.
So it would appear. “You want some coffee?”
“Unless you’ve got something stronger. But then…you can’t drink anymore for a while, can you?” Ivy shook her head. “Sure, I’ll take a cup.”
While Gina settled in at a table near the kitchen, Ivy prepared a cup of coffee for her friend and hot caffeine-free tea for herself. All the while her mind whirled. What was she going to say? Ivy hated to lie, but she had to. There were no other options.
Donning a mask of protection, Ivy sat down across from her friend and inhaled a deep breath. “I’m sorry if I’ve been moody. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. It’s just…I’ve been in a state of shock and—”
“So who’s the baby daddy?”
Your boyfriend. Ivy swallowed back the words singeing her tongue and waved her hand absently. “Just a guy… It was a one-night-fling thing. We were both kind of drunk and—”
“And your libidos took over,” Gina said with a chuckle.
Ivy nodded.
“So I take it the guy…he doesn’t know?”
Ivy shook her head.
“You plan on telling him?”
“No. I-I… He’s got a life with someone and he’s happy.” Ivy averted her eyes to the rim of her coffee cup as she stammered. “I-I don’t want to ruin that for him.”
“Oh, fuck. Do not be a martyr. I know you don’t want to rain on his happy little parade because you’re a sweet girl, but you need to face the facts. You’re going to need help raising this baby…maybe not physically, but financially for sure. And I’m not saying you should let the sperm donor be a part of yours and the baby’s lives, but at the very least, he needs to fork over some child support. Raising a kid is damn expensive.”
“I don’t need his money. I have money.”
“Really? You got a hundred thousand or so lying around?”
Not anymore. Ivy skimmed a glance around the room, mentally calculating the astronomical amount of money she’d spent on equipment and renovations.
“Because by the time that little bundle of joy graduates high school,” Gina continued, “you’re going to need that and more to get him or her into a decent college.”
Ivy had saved some money from her settlement, but it wasn’t nearly enough to fund a college education. She hadn’t even thought that far down the road yet. Her sole focus was surviving childbirth. “I’ll figure something out. I’ll be fine.”
“I have no doubt about that. But you still need to make the dipshit who didn’t glove up pay.”
Ivy adamantly shook her head. “No. I can’t tell him about the baby.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t. All right? Just drop it.” Ivy slammed her palms onto the table and launched from her chair. Tears streamed down her face before she could try and stop them. “I’m as guilty as he is.” Unfortunately, he won’t own up to that fact because he’s too busy covering his ass and pretending he doesn’t know me. “I wasn’t thinking with anything but my pussy that night. Sure, the sex was mutual, but I’m not going to let my stupidity…or his, ruin his life. So stop badgering me about it!”
Gina rose and eased in beside her. Without warning, she threw her arms around Ivy and hugged her tight. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to attack you. I’m worried about you and want what’s best for you and the baby.”
The genuine remorse pouring off the woman, coupled with the soothing hand skimming up and down Ivy’s back, ripped her remorse-ridden soul to shreds.
She ached to melt against Gina and drown in the compassion she offered…ached to confess her dirty secret and beg for forgiveness. But like acid, guilt sluiced through her veins—an ever-present reminder that she didn’t deserve Gina’s absolution.
Ivy tried to compartmentalize the myriad of blistering emotions licking through her but failed…miserably. The dam broke. She clung to the woman she’d betrayed and bawled like a damn baby.
“Shhh, shhh,” Gina cooed. “Don’t cry. Nate and I have your back. We’ll help you through this. Everything is going to be all right. I promise.”
The mere mention of Nate’s name made Ivy tense like she’d been doused beneath a vat of ice water. She sucked in a ragged breath and pulled from Gina’s arms.
“That’s kind of you, but I don’t need help…not yours and certainly not Nate’s.” Ivy unintentionally spat his name, then quickly pinched her lips together, inwardly cursing herself for her reckless slip.
Suspicion flared in Gina’s eyes before she narrowed her gaze like a scalpel. “What is it you’re not telling me?”
“Nothing,” Ivy lied.
“Bullshit. There’s something more to this. Tell me.”
Ivy averted her eyes once more as she shook her head.
Long, awkward seconds passed before Gina exhaled a heavy sigh. “Look, you’re not the first woman on the planet who’s screwed up. Trust me. I’ve screwed up plenty of times…badly. But when I took the chance and trusted someone with my secrets, I discovered they weren’t nearly as horrible as I’d made them out to be. I’m not one of the town gossips. You can trust me. You really can.”
Ivy hadn’t grown up having many friends. Her salt circle was small. She’d always been loyal to them, and they to her. But she’d never betrayed any of them the way she had Gina. If Ivy were to spill her secrets, their friendship would be unequivocally annihilated.
“I do trust you. That’s not the issue.”
“Then what is the issue, honey?” When Ivy slightly shook her head, Gina’s eyes grew wide. “I know the guy who knocked you up, don’t I? It’s someone here in Haven, isn’t it?”
Ivy mutely sat there, unable to refute her claim or push a lie past her lips.
Her deception was like a cancer, spreading inky blackness all through her system, contaminating her soul. Virulent and evil, it sucked the life from the virtues she’d always held dear. Virtues like goodness, truth, and love. Ivy felt empty and hollow. And as the walls began closing in all around her, fresh tears streamed down her face.
“It’s Reverend Thompson isn’t it?”
The absurdity of question yanked Ivy from her inner self-flagellation. “Reverend Thompson? Hell no! Are you crazy?”
“Probably.” Gina giggled. “But you have to admit, he is really hot. It’s no surprise that most of the women under the age of sixty suddenly found God the minute he moved to town. Rumor has it, his Bible study group has quadrupled.”
“I definitely did not have sex with Reverend Thompson. That’s just…wrong on so many levels.”
“Why? He’s Presbyterian, not a priest. He can suck and fuck any woman he wants. And there’s plenty of them who’d jump at the chance to enjoy sinning with him.”
“Well, I’m not one of them.”
“So, if it’s not the good Reverend, who is it?”
“Can we please just drop the subject?” Ivy begged. “The damage is done. There’s nothing anyone can do to change that now.”
Gina opened her mouth to say something when a knock came from the front door. In unison, they both looked up to see Noble/Nate peering through the glass, wearing a crooked smile. Ivy’s heart leapt in her chest as she lurched to her feet, wrapping her arms around her waist in an attempt to hide her stomach.
“Oh, shit. I forgot to tell Nate I was coming over to see you. He must be—” Gina stopped mid-sentence when she caught sight of Ivy. “Are you all right? You’re pale as a ghost.”
A whimper of panic seeped from between her lips. Her knees began to tremble and she latched on to the back of a chair for support.
“Sit,” Gina ordered before sprinting to the front door and ushering Noble/Nate inside.
“What’s going on?” His buttery voice was teemed with concern.
“I don’t know.” Gina anxiously rushed back to Ivy’s side. “She was fine a second ago and now…she looks like she’s about to pass the fuck out.”
Noble/Nate dropped to one knee in front of Ivy and peered up into her eyes.
Like a massive cyclone, the culmination of the truth she’d been hiding, the guilt eating her alive, and the raw pain from mourning the man before her who’d never kiss, touch, or send her to the stars sucked her up into a vortex of chaos. She let out a long, mournful sob as tears slipped down her face.
Noble/Nate turned a look of panic up at Gina. “A little help here, my love?”
“It’s all right, baby,” Gina softly assured. “She’s got a bun in the oven…one she won’t be selling to any customers, and whacked-out hormones are getting the best of her right now.”
That same crooked smile that had set Ivy’s soul on fire back in Vegas kicked up one corner of his mouth. “Well, congratulations, darlin’. Who’s the lucky father?”
The dogma of his unwavering façade felt like a knife through Ivy’s heart. Anger, caustic and seething, raced through her, decimating every shred of dignity and laying waste to the guilt and shame she harbored.
Ivy balled up her fist and clenched her jaw as she shot him an incredulous stare. Everything in her periphery faded beneath the red haze clouding her vision.
“You’re the daddy, you lying sack of shit!” Ivy yelled.
Noble/Nate’s smile slid from his mouth. His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped open in complete and utter shock. His act was more than convincing, but Ivy was putting a halt to his stupid charade.
“Oh, stop playing games and pretending you don’t remember me, goddamn it!” Ivy bolted out of her chair and cradled her stomach. “This…this baby is yours!”
“Nate? Is that true?” Gina screeched. Ivy blinked through her rage to find her friend’s face wrinkled in confusion and pain. Before Noble/Nate could even utter a word, Gina started shaking her head as she darted a look of bewilderment and pain between Ivy and her Noble/Nate. “No. No. There’s no fucking way he’s your baby’s daddy.”
The anguish in the woman’s voice crushed Ivy’s heart. She issued a wail of regret and then softly nodded. “I’m so sorry, Gina. God, I’m so fucking sorry, but he is.”
“The hell I am!” Noble/Nate bellowed indignantly. “Listen, lady, I don’t know what fucking game you’re play—”
“You’re the one playing games, Nate. I’m sorry Gina had to find out like this, but we both know how this happened.”
“I don’t know shit, lady,” Noble/Nate barked. “I also don’t know what you hope to gain weaving such destructive lies, but whatever it is, you’re not going to succeed.”
Ivy let out a watery snort. “I don’t want shit from you except for you to finally acknowledge it was me you spent the night with when we fucked each other’s brains out.”
“You fucked her?” Gina snarled.
“No!”
“Yes!” Ivy countered angrily.
“You son of a bitch,” Gina seethed. “When did you fuck her?”
“I didn’t. I swear!” Rage, blistering and white-hot, rolled off his rugged frame. His eyes blazed with an indignant fire.
Each ugly second that he denied their one-night stand only served to fuel Ivy’s fury.
“Liar! I suppose you’re going to try to deny that you ever said”—sneering, Ivy dropped her voice to a masculine timbre—“Christ, you feel like silk…hot, slippery silk. Shatter hard for me baby.”
“You motherfucker! You say those exact same words to me.” Gina’s voice cracked as she started to cry.
Noble/Nate tossed his head back, raised his hands to the ceiling, and let out an angry roar. The sound was so primal and loud a shiver rolled down Ivy’s spine.
“For the last fucking time…I. Did. Not. Fuck. This. Bitch.”
Bitch. Bitch. Eugene McMillian’s demeaning words echoed in Ivy’s head. A fury more potent than when she’d knocked Harvey Hay’s lights out blossomed within.
“I am not a bitch, you lying prick!” Ivy spat.
“I’m not the one who’s a pathological liar, darlin’. You hold that title, hands down.”
“Dammit, Noble,” Ivy barked. “Cut the innocent act. We both know—”
“What did you call me?” Nate interrupted, cocking his head as a slow smile tugged his lips.
“Noble,” she spat. “That’s the fake name you gave me that night.”
His expression instantly softened as he darted an enlightened glance at Gina, who was suddenly scowling. “And where exactly did you and I spend the night fucking each other’s brain’s out?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Ivy scolded. “At the hotel in Vegas.”
“Ah, got it,” Nate answered in a sudden, strangely calm demeanor. He turned to face Gina and nodded. “You and I need to talk.”
“Yes, we most definitely do.” Gina wiped the tears from her face.
“I-I’m sorry it all had to come out like this. I never meant to hurt you or ruin your relationship. I-I lost my shit…I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. But Nate and I need to talk for a few minutes…alone.”
“Of course.” Ivy sniffed. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
“Thanks.” Gina nodded soberly.
Ivy lowered her chin. Overwrought with remorse, she couldn’t look at either of them as she turned and left the room. Standing at the industrial metal sink in the kitchen, Ivy splashed cold water on her face. She inwardly berated herself for getting so angry with Noble/Nate that she’d detonated like a bomb and spewed it all in front of Gina. Ivy had let her fury override common sense. But dammit, she couldn’t tolerate liars.
At least Nate/Noble had finally tossed his mask of subterfuge away. Hopefully, he and Gina could find a way to salvage their relationship.
Ivy had clung to the fantasy that she might run into the man who’d managed to turn her world on its axis in just one night. But after discovering he was nothing but a lying, cheating pig, she’d unequivocally erased him from the masturbation movies that played in her mind. There’d be no way Noble/Nate could ever redeem himself.
“Bastard!” she muttered.
She wouldn’t bother wasting an ounce of pity on the man. He was getting exactly what he deserved. Gina, however, was a different story. The woman projected a rough exterior, but it was brutally obvious she was head-over-heels in love with the man. She deserved so much more than a skeevy player who’d probably been cheating on her all along. While the friendship she’d shared with Gina was irrevocably ruined, Ivy prayed her friend’s heart would heal quickly.
With a heavy heart, she silenced the timer that had started chiming and dragged several loaves of bread from the oven. Whenever Ivy needed to soothe away the jagged edges life tossed her way, fresh-baked bread was her go-to comfort food. Right now, she’d give heaven and earth to slice open a steaming loaf, slather it in butter, and eat the whole damn thing. Instead, she simply popped them from their pans and placed them on the cooling racks.
Gina poked her head in the kitchen. “Do you mind coming back out for a few?”
“Of course not.” Ivy studied the woman, trying to get a bead on her mood, but couldn’t.
When she stepped through the doors, she instantly noticed that Noble/Nate had left. She closed her eyes and exhaled a heartfelt sigh. “I’m so sorry, Gina. Sorry for so, so much. I should have told you what happened between us the first night you introduced us at the bar.”
“I wish you would have,” Gina said with a soft smile. “It could have saved us both a world of heartache.”
Ivy nodded sadly. “I’m sorry. I swear to God, I never meant to hurt you like this.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, sugar. You didn’t know.”
“No, I didn’t, but that’s no excuse. If I’d known he was already in a relation—”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I’m not following you.”
Gina moved in beside Ivy and gently wrapped a hand around her elbow. “I meant, you didn’t know about this.” Like one of the models on the Price Is Right showing off a new car, Gina extended her arm toward the dark hallway that led to the bathrooms.
Noble/Nate stepped from the shadow, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Ivy wrinkled her brow in confusion, but when a second Noble/Nate stepped from the blackness and locked eyes growing wide in unadulterated shock on her, Ivy’s heart sputtered.
Her body trembled.
A wave of dizziness sent her teetering in her tennis shoes.
Gina gripped her elbow tighter and leaned in close to her ear. “You didn’t know Nate had a twin. That one there’s your Noble.”
Twin?
All at once, a parade of mind-numbing emotions charged Ivy’s system.
Relief that she hadn’t slept with her best friend’s man came first, followed by excitement that the real Noble was actually standing in front of her again. But the stunned, blank expression now lining his face sent anxiety pinging through her like popcorn. What if he wasn’t happy to see her again? She swallowed tightly as she drank in the sight of his broad, strong body and sinfully intoxicating face.
“Ivy?” Noble whispered her name like a reverent prayer.
“Noble.” She barely breathed his name, too afraid that if she displaced the air, he might vanish, like smoke.
“Thank fuck you two know each other.” Nate grinned. “At least the baby will know its rightful father.”
“Baby?” Noble spat the word out as if it were poison.
He turned a ghostly white as he slid his shocked gaze from Ivy’s face to the slight bump at her belly. Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she tried to read the slew of emotions zipping over his gorgeous face.
Suddenly, Noble’s eyes fluttered toward the ceiling.
“Oh, shit!” Nate barked.
“Noble!” Ivy screamed. Finding her footing, she rushed forward as Noble toppled to the floor like a giant sequoia.