Sitting next to her mom, hearing them say her name, and watching her walk across the stage is one of my proudest moments. Standing, I stick two fingers in my mouth, whistling as she stops in the middle of the stage to look up at me. I can see the smile on her face as she reaches her hand up to blow me a kiss.
After the ceremony is over, I walk with Charlene down the stairs toward the front of the event center waiting for Ivy to join us. It reminds me of the same night we had not too long ago when I waited for her to come walking out of Vibrate, the night we got back together.
“I’m so proud of you, honey,” Charlene says, as Ivy finds us, shuffling through the crowd of people.
She wraps her arms around her, whispering something in her ear as Ivy stares at me over her shoulder.
I wink at her, earning me another one of those beautiful smiles.
It wasn’t long after Ivy and I got back together that Charlene and my father’s divorce was filed and finalized.
I hated to say it when I found out they eloped, but it was inevitable. Jasper Ward is a selfish man. Hell, where do you think I got it? He’s never been faithful to any woman he’s been with, and I’m glad Charlene got out before she was in deep like my mother.
She seems to be doing well, though. After they separated, she made the move to Chapel Hill where Ivy went to school. She wanted a fresh start and being close to Ivy again was good for both of them.
Charlene moves to take a step back, as Ivy steps in close to me. Pulling her in my arms, I press my face in her hair, kissing her.
“I’m proud of you, too, baby.”
“Thank you.”
Whispering low enough for only her to hear me, “All I keep thinking about is how beautiful you look. Wear that cap and those heels for me later tonight, please.”
“You would, Ward.” She laughs, pushing back at me.
My face turns serious. “Ivyana Marie.”
There’s a heat that passes over her face when I call her by her full name. She doesn’t say anything, simply nods. I press my lips together, firmly, and shove my hands in my pockets to resist pulling her out of here, in front of her mother and finding us somewhere private.
She knows it, too, as she looks at my arms and the fists bulging in the pockets of my pants, biting down on her lip to hold back her smile.
We join her mom for dinner before we hit the road. It’s late by the time we make it to Myrtle Beach, staying at the beach house for the weekend.
Ivy’s sitting in the middle of the bench seat of my pickup, her head on my shoulder, sleeping.
“Wake up, baby. We’re here.”
She lifts her head, looking up at me as I kiss her softly. Reaching over, her hand grips the front of my t-shirt, deepening it. Our tongues tangle together, and I almost forget we’re sitting in the middle of the open driveway, where the neighbors not too far could likely see us.
“Let’s get you inside, and we can finish where this is going.”
She grins, nodding as she slides over to my side and climbs out behind me.
I pick up both of our bags from the back of my truck as she grabs the keys from my pocket, heading toward the front door. I haven’t been back here since we were here last summer. I thought about coming back after she left, wanting to get away, but I couldn’t without her.
She flips the lights on as I set our bags down by the door. We both look around the room as she spins on her heel, looking up at me.
Raising my eyebrow suggestively, her body molding against mine as my hands roam over her sides, reaching for the back of her thighs to pick her up. Her legs wrap around my waist, rubbing against me in the most deliciously torturous way possible.
I walk with her like that through the entryway and into the dining room, setting her on the edge of the counter. Her arms are band around my neck, holding me against her as her mouth ravages me.
It’s been two weeks since we’ve been together, and my body is on overdrive wanting to feel her again. Her hand slips between us, reaching for my belt.
I want to help her, to speed this process along, but when she finally gets the belt through the loop and tugs my zipper down, her hand quickly finds its way home wrapped around me. I have to lock my knees in order to keep myself standing because the feel of her soft, warm hand stroking me has my eyes rolling back in my head.
“Fuuuuuuck.” She presses a kiss against my lips, hard and full of passion.
Reaching my hands up, I twist my fingers into her long, curly hair holding her mouth against mine. My breathing comes out ragged, struggling through every move she makes.