CHAPTER SIXTEEN
To Ivy’s relief, the café was nearly empty when they arrived. When Noble led her to a booth in the back that virtually hid them from everyone but the waitress, she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him stupid.
Her ravenous ache to kiss him again, along with a dozen other salacious things, was driving her mad. These stupid pregnancy hormones were going to be the death of her. If she wasn’t crying at the drop of a hat, she was wrestling to keep from molesting Noble’s fine, sexy ass.
Spending the past few hours in the same room with the man had been murder.
In order to keep her hands off him and her clothes on, Ivy had continuously reminded herself that Noble was the town slut. It didn’t help. Every time she whipped up a batch of frosting, she wanted to smear it over his sexy body and lick it off him. Need was humming through her like a live wire in a swimming pool.
Thankfully, she’d been able to gloss over the details about McMillian.
But she’d been at a total loss when it came to dancing around Noble’s ridiculous marriage proposal. Thank god he hadn’t been serious. She had enough life-altering shit to deal with.
After the waitress brought their drinks and took their dinner order, Noble pinned her with an expectant stare.
“Oh, the story about Harvey, right.” Ivy chuckled.
“Yes. And don’t skim over anything this time. I want every detail,” Noble warned, with a wickedly handsome grin.
As she relayed the events that had unfolded while Noble had been in the process of returning to Texas, his buttery-rich laughter poured over her like sweet, sticky syrup. Her nipples were as hard as marbles, and Ivy feared when it was time to leave, there’d be a puddle of need on the seat beneath her.
When she got to the part about leaving Celina’s engagement ring behind, Noble was howling in laughter and wiping tears from his eyes.
“What amazes me is even after all that, Harvey is still begging Celina to take him back,” Ivy said shaking her head in disgust.
“He’s desperate. He knows he’ll never have a woman as beautiful as Celina again.”
“You met my sister?”
“Yes, I did, briefly. Right before Harvey and I were getting ready to… Oh, hell. I should have figured out you two were related then.” Noble chuckled. “When Celina found out we were hitting the strip clubs—thankfully he canceled the hookers—”
“Hookers?” Ivy hissed. “Harvey hired…hookers for you guys to…”
When Noble told her about the groom’s grand plan to make some kinky memories to think about while plowing her sister, Ivy lost what little appetite she’d mustered. Of course, during the story, Noble had painted himself the quintessential choirboy, which she didn’t buy for a second. He’d never have to pay a woman for sex…they’d easily pay to play with him.
She tried to ignore the twinge of needless jealousy slithering through her and counted her blessings that she’d been able to save Celina from marrying such a sick, disgusting prick.
Suddenly, Noble turned somber and reached across the table, threading his fingers through hers. Sadness lined his face. “Look, while you were baking, I read about the trial on my phone. I wish you would have told me more was involved than inappropriate sexual innuendos.”
“I never said it was innuendos.” Her tone was surprisingly defensive. Ivy tried to pull her hand back, but Noble wouldn’t let go.
“No. But you didn’t insinuate that he’d gotten physical with you, either. What did he do to you, sweetheart?”
“I’d rather not discuss it. It’s over and done and resurrecting the past is a waste of time.” She inwardly cringed at her sharp tone.
Noble leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “Fine. But there’s one question that’s eating me up inside. Did he rape you?”
“No. After he put his hand up my skirt and his fingers under my panties, I kicked him in the balls and ran.”
Shoving down the rage of the filthy prick touching Ivy so inappropriately, he worked to paint on a slight smile. “I’ll need to keep an eye out for your fists and knees if we ever get into an ugly fight.”
“Might be a wise thing to do,” she quipped with a sassy smirk.
“What is your lawyer hoping to accomplish tomorrow?”
“I honestly don’t know. But I hope she’s coming with a game plan for us to put into motion.”
“I’ll have Nate cover for me at the ranch tomorrow.”
“You work on a ranch?”
A little smile tugged the edges of his mouth. “I just realized there’s a whole lot we don’t know about each other.”
Because it was only supposed to be a one-night stand.
Ivy had never imagined how that one night would change her whole damn life.
Noble was in the process of telling her about Camp Melody, melting her heart into a massive puddle, when a thunderous boom shook the whole building, rattling the dishes on the shelves.
“What the…” Alarm etched his face as Noble stood and tossed a twenty on the table before heading for the door.
Ivy grabbed her purse and bolted from the booth right behind him as customers rushed to the windows and darted out the door.
“Fire!” a middle-aged man yelled, pointing in the direction of her bakery.
“No. No. No,” Ivy whispered as she sped past Noble and sprinted down the sidewalk.
He stayed on her heels, even when Ivy veered off the crowded sidewalk and into the street, until she encountered a wall of heat. Skidding to a halt, she watched flames from the broken windows of Sweet Flours licking up into the night sky. Trembling in shock, she barely felt Noble wrap a protective arm around her waist.
“Son of a bitch,” he spat furiously. “Did you leave the ovens on?”
Unable to speak, Ivy shook her head as she numbly watched her dreams literally going up in a crackling inferno. A despondent cry slid past her lips as her knees gave out. Before she could crumple to the ground, Noble pulled her in tight against his rugged body.
How did this happen? The question spooled through her head in a constant loop of shock and disbelief. Tears spilled from her eyes, blurring the red, orange, and blue flames into a gut-churning kaleidoscope of heartbreak.
From somewhere behind her, a loud siren wailed. Every muscle in her body tensed as she jerked her head toward the sound.
“It’s the alarm…calling out the volunteer fire department,” Noble explained. “Come on, let’s get out of the middle of the street before we get run over.”
“Too late. I’m already roadkill,” Ivy mumbled, trapped in a horrific nightmare she couldn’t escape.
Noble began leading her from the churning flames and acrid smoke. They’d only made it a couple of feet before Gina and Nate surrounded them.
“Oh, thank god, you’re alive.” Gina, body shaking and tears flowing freely, wrapped Ivy in a tight hug. “I thought you were inside the bakery when it exploded.”
“Exploded?” Ivy repeated numbly.
“Didn’t you hear it?” Nate asked incredulously.
“Yeah,” Noble confirmed. “We were at Toot’s eating dinner.”
“Damn glad you weren’t inside that, brother.” Nate’s voice was thick with emotion.
“You and me both,” Noble agreed.
When Gina released her, Ivy peered back at the fire, helplessly watching it consume her future. Any hope of providing a comfortable life for her and the baby was gone.
“Oh, god,” she wailed. “What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to sit down before you fall down, darlin’,” Noble instructed in a tone that brooked no argument.
Nate eased in on the other side of her and both men led her inside the Hangover.
“I’ll get a little shot of brandy for her,” Gina announced as Noble and Nate eased Ivy into a chair near the front window.
“I-I can’t drink,” she protested.
“A little sip won’t hurt you, darlin’. It might keep you from going into shock, which would be twice as bad for you and the baby,” Noble whispered gently, kneeling down beside her.
Ivy feared shock already had her in its grip.
She stared out the front window of the bar. Watching the curious and visibly worried crowd clogging the sidewalk growing larger, Ivy felt detached…paralyzed.
With lights flashing and siren blaring, Jasper pulled his cruiser to a halt in the middle of the street. He climbed out of the vehicle, staring at the flames before searching the throng of people with a decidedly worried expression. Megan, the pretty young girl who frequented the bakery, ran up to the sheriff and pointed at the bar. He gave her a grim nod, looked back at the fire, and then jogged toward her place of refuge.
As she heard him enter the bar, Ivy watched several men dressed in bright yellow coats scurrying to unroll thick gray hoses along the street.
“You just scared ten years off my life, Ivy,” Jasper announced as he took a seat in the chair across from her. “Any idea what caused that explosion?”
“No.” Ivy shook her head. “Noble and I were eating dinner at Toot’s. After the explosion, we came out and…” She turned her head and stared at the wicked, destructive flames still shooting from the building.
Gina pressed a tumbler containing a splash of amber liquid into Ivy’s hand. She lifted it to her nose and sniffed the strong alcohol. Her stomach pitched and her mouth began to water. She quickly set the glass down. Noble took her hand and held it, absently drawing tiny circles along her knuckles. His touch tamed a bit of the riot within her. Ivy was grateful he was there.
“You warned me things were going to get a little crazy around here, but I wasn’t expecting this.”
“I wasn’t, either,” Ivy answered automatically. A split second later a rush of fear consumed her. “Do you think it was intentionally set?”
“Don’t know. We’ll have to wait for the fire marshal to sift through everything once the boys put the hot spots out.”
“Fuck,” Noble mumbled under his breath as he moved in closer behind her and placed a wide hand on her shoulder.
The bell above the door tinkled, and a parade of people rushed into the bar. When Ivy spotted Sawyer, she studied the other three young men frantically striding toward them. The resemblance to Noble was almost as uncanny as Nate’s.
Oh, god, his family’s here.
An older woman Ivy recognized from the bakery raced up to Noble and hugged him in a death grip.
“You’re all right. Oh, thank you… Thank you, God,” she cried out in relief. “When Nate called and said there was an explosion at the bakery and that you might be inside, I nearly had a heart attack.”
“I’m fine, Ma,” Noble assured after kissing the top of her head.
Noble shot a scowl at Nate. “I told you we weren’t in the building.”
Ivy didn’t remember that exchange between them at all.
“I know. When I tried to call home to let them know you were still alive, no one answered,” Nate explained.
“Sorry,” Noble apologized sheepishly. “I’m a little rattled.”
“Aren’t we all?” Ivy mumbled under her breath.
Over the next several minutes, she was introduced to Noble’s parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law. Janice would have been proud—for once. Even though Ivy’s whole world was literally going up in smoke, she still managed to greet each of them with a polite smile, ignoring the billion ants crawling under her skin.
The Graysons chattered on top of one another as everyone stared out the window, watching black smoke billow from the building as numerous streams of water attacked the flames.
Ivy closed her eyes. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and pull the covers over her head, but she didn’t have a bed anymore, or clothes, or shoes, or a computer, or tax receipts… She didn’t even have a damn toothbrush.
The reality of everything…literally everything that had been taken from her, plowed her under like a ten-ton bulldozer.
Panic and grief spiked, sending her stomach tumbling in a vomitous roll. She clenched her fists and willed herself not to throw up but couldn’t contain the pitiful whimper that spilled from her lips.
“Oh, god. I’ve lost everything…everything,” she wailed, hiding her face in her hands and coming completely undone.
As deep, guttural sobs tore from her throat, Noble plucked her up from the chair. Cradling her in his arms like a child, he carried her back behind the bar and into the little kitchen. He eased onto a wooden chair next to a small table. Ivy clutched her stomach as fear of the future overwhelmed her.
Curled up against in Noble’s arms, she cried and cried. He held her, caressing her face, and murmuring tender reassurances. Like a badly needed balm, his whiskey-smooth voice smoothed the deathly sharp edges that shredded her soul. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before wiping the last of her tears away with the pads of his thumbs.
“You’re coming home with us. We’ve got plenty of room at the ranch. Then tomorrow, we’ll focus on doing what’s necessary to start rebuilding the bakery. All right?”
Ivy didn’t have the energy to fight him and simply nodded.
“Wait.” She sniffed. “You said us. You still live at home?”
Noble gave her an embarrassed shrug. “I’ve been living and working on the ranch my whole life. Until now, I’ve never had a reason to move out.”
“Until now? What’s that mean?”
“You’re not raising our baby alone. But that’s a discussion for another time.”
“Baby?” His mother stood in the doorway wearing a look of abject horror. She wobbled as if ready to pass out and quickly latched her hand to the doorjamb.
Ivy’s heart leapt in her chest. Mortified, she closed her eyes, wishing she really had been turned into roadkill.
“Like I said,” Noble began as he stood, lifting Ivy with him, “that’s a discussion for another time. But congratulations…Grandma.”
“Grandma…” Nola whispered. She lowered her head and smoothed a hand over the flowing blouse hiding her own pregnant belly.
It was Ivy’s turn to be stunned. Her eyes grew wide as she glanced up at Noble and wiggled from his arms to stand on her own two feet.
“I should probably warn the rest of the family. We’re going to be living with hormones gone wild for a bit,” Noble said with a chuckle. “I know you won’t mind, but I invited Ivy to come stay with us, Ma.”
“Darn right I don’t mind. In fact, I insist. The mother of my grandchild needs to be with family. Especially with all this…trauma going on,” Nola stated with the same tone of finality Noble often used.
She crossed the room and cupped Ivy’s cheek with a sympathetic smile. “Don’t you worry about a thing, sweetie. We’ll take good care of you. Brea, April, and Gina have tons of clothes. They’ll let you borrow until we can get you back on your feet again.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Grayson,” Ivy whispered, fighting back another round of tears.
“Call me Nola, and no thanks are needed. You’re part of the family now…right?” She arched a stern and quizzical look at Noble.
“We’re still, ah…working on that,” he stammered with a crooked grin.
“Work harder, sweetheart,” Nola instructed before she turned and left the room.
“Just a word of warning,” Noble started, still smiling. “She’s going to wear you down.”
“Wear me down?”
“Convince you to say yes to marrying me.”
Ivy held up her hand. “Not tonight, Noble. I-I can’t handle any more.”
“Right.” He cringed. “Let’s get you home and tucked into bed.”
“Whose bed?”
“Mine, of course.”
She wondered how many other women he’d taken home to send sailing in ecstasy.
“Isn’t that a little awkward?”
“What?”
“Bringing women home…you know…to your bed?”
“I don’t know. You’re the first.”
The first? Oh, wow! Maybe he isn’t such a big man-whore after all.
Even though she doubted Noble would be joining her in his bed, butterflies dipped and swooped low in her belly. When he leaned in and pressed a soft, passionate kiss to her lips and moaned, the butterflies flew away and a wave of tropical heat consumed her.
After rejoining his family, Noble led her out of the bar.
Outside, Ivy forced her gaze to the bakery. Huge spotlights erected on the street shined on the charred, skeletal remains of what was once her pride and joy. Ivy’s heart ached. The acrid smoke clinging in the air burned her lungs.
As the rest of the Grayson family spilled from the bar, a buzz of whispers wafted over the crowd. Noble chuckled and slung a purely possessive arm around Ivy’s waist.
The familiar scrutiny made her skin crawl. She donned the impassive mask she’d worn during the trial, but the defiant lift of her chin left a bitter taste on her tongue.
“Just a word of warning, darlin’…if you ever hit me with that look, I’ll take you over my knee and paddle your ass,” Noble whispered in her ear.
Ivy peered up at him, expecting to see mischief dancing in his eyes. Instead, she found irritation. “You don’t get to shut me out…ever. Understand?”
Unnerved that he could read her so easily, Ivy swallowed tightly and nodded.
As his family piled into a massive, weathered Suburban, Noble opened the passenger door to a beefy silver pickup truck.
“Buckle up. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you—”
“I need to talk to Jasper for a minute. It won’t take long,” he assured and shut the door.
In the side mirror, Ivy watched him jog up to Jasper, who was standing next to his cruiser. The two exchanged a few words before Noble climbed in behind the wheel and started the engine.
“What was that all about?” she asked as he slowly eased the truck past the smoldering remains of her shop.
“I asked Jasper to check with his sources in Dallas to find out where and what Eugene McMillian was doing tonight.”
“You think he blew up my shop?”
“I certainly don’t believe it was an innocent gas leak, darlin’,” Noble drawled, threading his fingers through hers and resting them on top of his thigh.
“Me, either.”
Ivy tried not to fixate on the fact that if she hadn’t gone to dinner with Noble, she’d be dead. Was McMillian crazy enough to kill her?
The insane amount of heat radiating off Noble’s leg and crawling up her arm, couldn’t curtail the ominous chill sluicing through her veins. Paranoia pierced and Ivy’s pulse raced as she peered in the side mirror to see if they were being followed. The road behind them was inky black, but her fears continued to mount.
“Me, dad, and my brothers will each take a watch tonight,” Noble announced as if reading her mind. “A heavily armed perimeter watch. We’ll keep you safe, sweetheart.”
“Thank you.”
His assurance should have calmed her. But knowing that Noble shared her level of paranoia only heightened Ivy’s angst.
Focusing on the red taillights of the Suburban in front of them, she mentally tried talking herself off the ledge, but it wasn’t working.
“When it comes to business, McMillian is beyond savvy,” she stated.
“If he’s a multi-billionaire like the article said, he’d have to be,” Noble agreed. “But is he cunning and deceptive enough to commit murder? Without leaving any incriminating evidence behind?”
“I doubt it. Outside the boardroom the man’s inept as hell. He can’t even brew a pot of coffee without his secretary’s help.” That realization ignited a sliver of hope inside her. “If McMillian is behind the fire, I hope he left a trail so bright the International Space Station can see it.”
“Me, too, sweetheart,” Noble said as he slowed, turned off the paved two-lane, and followed the Suburban down a bumpy gravel road.
When Noble’s home came into view—a massive ranch house surrounded by tall, sturdy oak trees and acres of flat land—a soft smile tugged her lips.
“It’s not a mansion, but it’s home,” Noble announced as he pulled onto a concrete slab and turned off the motor.
“It’s beautiful,” Ivy whispered, taking in the well-manicured lawn and flowers bursting with color that surrounded the house.
“Sit tight,” Noble instructed before launching from the truck and hurrying to her door.
After helping her out, he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her up a slight incline to a huge wooden deck at the back of the house. His family followed them, talking in low, concerned tones. As she stepped through the sliding glass door, Ivy found herself inside a homey, spacious kitchen. The rest of his family gathered there as well, and then Noble’s cell phone began to ring.
He glanced at the caller ID and scowled as a hush fell over the room. “It’s Jasper.”
“Sit and try to relax,” Nola instructed, pointing to a chair at the huge wooden dining table. “I’ll fix you some hot chocolate.”
“Hello,” Noble answered, taking a seat beside Ivy. His eyes grew wide as he wordlessly listened. Then smirked and shook his head. “Are you serious? Well, I’ll be damned. Hang on a second, Jasper. I’m putting you on speakerphone. Ivy needs to hear this.”
“Hear what?”
“The International Space Station just called,” Noble said with a soft chuckle. “Ready on this end, Jasper. Can you repeat everything you just told me?”
“Ivy? You there? Can you hear me?” Jasper’s voice boomed through the device’s speaker.
“Yes. I’m here and can hear you just fine. What’s going on?”
“When I started interviewing the owners of the other businesses on your block, I got some interesting information from Ralph Bickermeier. He owns the Haven Tribune couple of doors down from your shop. Seems he forgot his lunch box at work today, so he went back to the newspaper office after dinner to pick it up. When he pulled down the alley, he said a fancy forest-green car was sitting in his spot. A fancy green Mercedes Benz with Dallas County license plates.”
“Did he write down the license number?” Dad, Norman, asked anxiously.
“He didn’t have to. Ralph’s one of them fellas that’s got a photographic memory. He rattled off the license plate number along with the make and model of the car hogging his parking space.”
“You already ran the number, right?” Noble pressed.
“I did.”
“And?” he and Ivy asked in unison.
“That fancy green 2018 Mercedes Benz Maybach is registered to one Eugene Caldwell McMillian of Dallas County, Texas.”
Eugene has been watching you. Janice’s words sent a shock wave of terror zipping through Ivy. Her heart thrummed wildly. McMillian really was trying to kill her. She fought the urge to run and hide as the impact of what it meant to find his car at the scene of the crime sparked a flicker of hope.
“If that isn’t kismet, I don’t know what is,” Nola whispered, shaking her head.
“I filed an arrest warrant for Mr. McMillian,” Jasper continued, “charging him with one count each of arson and attempted murder. I also faxed it to a close detective friend of mine down at the Dallas PD. As soon as he and his boys serve the warrant, that sum’bitch McMillian is gonna be cuffed and hauled in for questioning. If they can get a confession out of him before he lawyers up, he’ll be booked and locked up.”
Ivy felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. Noble jumped up from his chair and swooped her into his arms while his family celebrated with cheers, yells, and fist bumps.
“Guess that means we won’t need to take shifts keeping a perimeter watch up all night,” Noble murmured in her ear with palpable relief.
When the revelry died down, Ivy plucked up Noble’s phone. “Thank you, Jasper. Thank you so much.”
“I’m just glad Ralph forgot his damn lunch box and that we now have McMillian by the balls. You can relax now and let the Graysons pamper you. They’re damn good at taking care of others.”
“It’s what we do.” Nola chuckled as she placed a steaming mug of hot chocolate on the table for Ivy. “You come on by for dinner one night soon, Sheriff, and we’ll take care of you, too. Ya hear?”
“Yes, ma’am. I surely will. Oh, one more thing. Miss Ivy?” Jasper’s tone turned suddenly somber.
“Yes?”
“The first of your visitors arrived in Haven about twenty minutes ago. Pulled onto Main Street in one of those fancy vans with big ol’ antennas on top.”
“Oh, no,” she moaned.
“Don’t fret. I just wanted to let you know. Oh, and the minute I saw ’em coming, I grabbed my megaphone and told the folks gathered on the sidewalk to zip their lips around those characters, or they’d have to answer to me. By now the whole damn town knows how to say no comment,” he said with a chuckle.
“Thanks, Jasper,” Ivy said, worry lacing her words.
After ending the call, Noble pulled her tighter to his chest and brushed his lips against her ear. “Don’t worry, darlin’. Those vultures are gonna have to go through me to get to you, and they’re never gonna get through me. I promise.”
A sense of peace settled deep. Ivy hugged him hard and whispered her thanks.
“What do you need us to do for you, honey?” Norman asked, concern wrinkling his sun-kissed face. Ivy reluctantly eased from Noble’s arms and took a good look at the older man’s face, now illuminated by the bright kitchen lights. There was no doubt who Noble had inherited his striking good looks from.
“I honestly don’t know,” she replied, still feeling shell-shocked.
“Have you spoken to your family yet? Do they know what’s happened tonight?”
“Oh, gosh. No.” She slapped a hand to her forehead. “With all the commotion, I-I…” She grabbed her purse off the table and frantically dug out her cell phone.
“Perfectly understandable, honey,” Norman assured. “It’s been a bit of a wild ride. We’ll give you some privacy. Come on, kids let’s go see how the Rangers are doing at spring training.”
“Even though they’ve probably already heard the news, I should call Nate and Gina…let them know what’s happened,” Noble announced.
“I think we’re going to head on home, Pa.” Ned scowled when his wife, April, turned and walked out the door without uttering a single word. An awkward pall hung in the air. Something’s definitely amiss with that relationship. “It was nice to finally meet you, Ivy. And I’m sorry about your bakery.”
“Nice to meet you as well, and thank you. Luckily, I have insurance,” she quipped, hoping to lessen the tension. She sent him a slight smile as Ned walked out the door.
“You should probably make a mental note to call your agent in the morning,” Noble suggested as the rest of his family began filtering out of the kitchen.
“Yes. I’d already planned to. I need to call Alma Anderson, too. Let her know I had the business heavily insured.”
“I almost forgot.” Nola paused in the doorway as Noble talked on his cell. “Alma stopped me as we were walking to the bar. She saw the four of you take refuge inside and wanted me to tell you not to worry. She’s got plenty of insurance on the building, as well. You’ll be back in business in no time, dear.”
“Thank goodness.”
“I’ll go find you some pajamas and leave them in the bathroom for you, along with some fresh towels and a new toothbrush.”
“Thank you, Nola. Thank you so much for…for everything.”
The woman simply smiled and winked before disappearing down the hall as Noble finished his call.
Ivy stared at her phone, dreading the call she needed to make.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, just not thrilled to have to tell my folks about the fire and how McMillian tried to kill me. It’s not going to go over well.”
Noble slid his hand in hers and squeezed. “Just take a deep breath and make the call.”
She nodded, inhaled deeply, and made the call.
The instant Celina answered, the realization that Noble’s invitation to dinner was the only reason Ivy could still hear her sister’s voice slammed home.
I could have died tonight.
Her whole body began to shake.
Like a drum, her heart hammered against her ribs.
A cold sweat broke out over her face.
“L-Leena…it-it’s me,” Ivy stammered, gasping for breath.
“Easy,” Noble murmured as he plucked the phone from her hand and hauled her onto his lap before engaging the speakerphone option.
“Celina, it’s Noble Grayson.”
“Noble? What the hell…where’s Ivy? What have you done to her? Did that asshole Harvey ask you to kidnap her in order to get me—”
“Celina. Stop,” Noble growled. “Ivy’s fine. She’s here with me but is struggling to pull herself together. So I’m talking to you.”
“Pull herself together? Why? What the hell is going on?” Celina screeched. “Ivy? Dammit, say something!”
“I-I’m here,” she managed to choke out as she clutched Noble’s chest and struggled to tamp down the oily fears bubbling up inside. “Just…calm down and l-listen to Noble p-please.”
“I’ll calm down when someone tells me what the fuck you’re crying about.” Celina demanded.
“I’m trying. Take a deep breath and just listen, all right?” Noble instructed in a cool, rational tone. “There was a fire at the bakery tonight. I’m sorry to have to tell you that Sweet Flours is gutted…gone.”
“Fire? The bakery is gone? Oh, god, no.” Celina’s voice conveyed the same level of shock inundating Ivy all night. “Oh, sissy, I’m so sorry. Are you okay? You weren’t burned, were you?”
“She’s fine. We weren’t in the shop when the explosion happened,” Noble stated.
“Explosion? There was an explosion? From what? A gas leak?”
“No.” Ivy growled. Anger had suddenly replaced the angst from coming face-to-face with her mortality. “McMillian tried to kill me.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Hang on…Mom…Dad, pick up the phone. Ivy’s on the line and you’re not going to believe… Son of a bitch!” Celina spat in the receiver once more. “That man is certifiable. He’s even scarier than Harvey! Which leads me to…Noble? What the hell are you doing in Haven with my sister?”
“Ivy? What’s wrong, honey?” The sound of her mom’s voice was doubly heart crushing.
“Mom…oh, Mom,” Ivy moaned, choking on the emotions flooding her system.
“Ivy. Talk to me, baby. What’s happened?”
Then, like a ray of sunshine parting dark storm clouds, Noble took over. “Mrs. Addison, my name is Noble Grayson. I’m a, well, I’m a good friend of Ivy’s.”
“Noble,” Janice repeated softly before her voice took on a defensive edge. “Did you meet Ivy in Las Vegas, young man?”
“Yes, ma’am, I did.”
“Did something happen to the… Oh, lord, please tell me she’s all right.”
“She and our baby are both fine,” Noble stated proudly, sending Ivy a crooked smile.
“Baby?” Celina screamed. “Ivy’s pregnant? Oh. My. God.”
“Pregnant? Ivy’s p-pregnant?” her father barked.
“Hush, both of you. Let the man talk. I’ll explain it all later,” Janice scolded. “Go on, Mr. Grayson. Obviously something horrible has happened if you’re talking to me instead of Ivy.”
“Yes, ma’am. There was a fire…an explosion actually.”
While Noble broke the devastating news, Ivy nuzzled her head against his chest and closed her eyes. The reverberation of his deep, soothing voice and steady beat of his heart wrapped around her like a security blanket. Not only did he patiently and respectfully answer every frantic question her family lobbed at him, Noble stretched out his legs, crossed his ankles, and strummed his palm up and down Ivy’s back. He wasn’t the least bit apprehensive or intimidated talking to the parents of the woman he’d accidently knocked up.
Grace and poise under fire, she thought with a tiny smile.
The more she learned about Noble Grayson and his supportive, gracious family, the more Ivy felt her protective walls chipping away. He might be the town whore, but deep down, Noble was a caring, loving, and fiercely protective man. She could easily become enamored with him.
Become enamored? Ha. I’ve been head over heels for months.
Though she wasn’t ready to accept his proposal of marriage, Ivy couldn’t help but reevaluate her stance about blocking him from their child’s life. As long as it didn’t involve anything to do with the birds and the bees, Noble would be a positive influence to be sure.
“Ivy’s welcome to stay with my family as long as she needs to, Mr. Addison,” Noble assured before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Please let her know we’ll be arriving in Haven in the morning,” Janice instructed.
“I’m right here, Mom,” Ivy finally piped up. “I’m out in the country and perfectly safe with Noble’s family, but I’ll meet you all in town.”
“I’m glad to hear that, honey.”
“Thank you for taking care of her, Noble,” Celina said with a sniff.
“It’s my pleasure.” Noble peered down and sent Ivy a devilish smile.
She rolled her eyes and lightly swatted his chest.
After they said their goodbyes, Noble ended the call and cupped her cheeks.
“Let’s get you tucked into bed, darlin’. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day and you need to get some rest.”
“You mean…we’re actually going to sleep?” she taunted with a sassy grin.
“Eventually.” He moaned before claiming her lips in an urgent, passionate kiss.
Ivy was at a crossroads. Did she throw caution to the wind…ignore his reputation with the ladies of Haven, and spend another sweaty, thrusting, screaming night with him? Or did she shut him down and continue holding on to the bittersweet memories for the rest of her life?
Noble’s confession swirled through her brain. I wasn’t blowing smoke up your ass earlier when I said I hadn’t been with anyone since you, darlin’. I haven’t…
There was still so much they didn’t know about each other, but Ivy had spent enough time with Noble as he interacted with his family and the people of Haven to know he wasn’t a liar.
Clutching his shirt, she kissed him back with the same level of fire and fury he was unleashing on her. When he traced his tongue along the seam of her lips, Ivy opened for him…opened far more than her mouth for him…she opened her soul.