Page 31 of Summer Nights (The Kingston Brothers #3)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Cooper

I hated keeping anything from Ivy, but I didn't want her to know that I was looking for her father. She wouldn't be happy about that. But I had to know why he'd abandoned his daughter before she was born, and I wanted to impress upon him the damage he'd left in his wake.

Tonight, Ivy was out with her girlfriends, so I went over to Hudson's for dinner.

When I got there, he asked, "Everything cool with you and Ivy?"

I couldn't blame him for thinking I was there because something was wrong. That was the usual reason for one of my visits. "The baby's healthy, and we're getting the nursery done. She has everything on her to-do list checked off."

Hudson raised a brow. "Why do I get the impression that all the items on your list aren't taken care of?"

I sighed. "I did something, and I'm not sure Ivy's going to be happy with me when she finds out what it is."

Hudson carefully turned over the chicken slathered in barbecue sauce. "Shouldn't you talk to her about it then?"

"It's complicated." I blew out a breath. "It's her father."

Hudson paused and looked at me. "Is he back?"

I shook my head. "I hired a private investigator to find him."

He raised a brow. "You did that without talking to Ivy?"

My stomach rolled at the concern flashing in his eyes. "Yeah."

"What if she doesn't want to find him?" Hudson asked.

I swallowed hard. "The investigator hasn't found anything yet. But if he does, should I tell her? Or do I confront him by myself?"

Hudson was quiet for a few seconds, probably sorting out the best way to address it with me. "You have to tell her. You can't keep it from her, at least not for long. When she finds out you've been hiding things from her, it won't go well."

I was pleased that my brother knew her so well and didn't judge her. He accepted her as she was and wanted me to be careful with her. "I want to protect her."

Hudson leveled me with a pointed look. "Ivy's used to doing everything on her own, and she's very private. She'll view this as going behind her back. It will feel like a betrayal to her."

I ran a hand through my hair, conflicted. "She should have closure regarding her father. Why should she go through life thinking that him leaving was her fault? Why shouldn't she know if there was another reason?"

Hudson shook his head. "He left before she was born. That says more about him than her."

"I'm not sure she sees it that way."

"Be there for her when she needs you to listen. But I'm telling you, she's going to be upset with you, no matter how altruistic your feelings are." Hudson removed the chicken from the grill, along with the peppers.

We sat down to eat, the night heavy with humidity.

"How are things otherwise?"

I wrapped my chicken and peppers into a soft tortilla with hot sauce. "I've read about possible worst-case scenarios that can occur late in pregnancy. I don't share those with her though."

Hudson nodded. "You don't want her to worry."

"I want to protect her from everything." It was this all-consuming feeling that grew larger each day we were together.

"You're with an independent woman who won't appreciate you hiding things from her. You should be upfront with her."

"I need to find him first."

"Did you ask Ivy's mom about him?" Hudson asked.

"I'm not sure she’d tell me the truth anyway." I took a large bite of the fajita.

"I know you want to protect Ivy. I just hope that she sees it that way," Hudson said with a meaningful look.

I had good intentions, and I wanted to look out for her. Ivy might not want me to do those things, but that was who I was. I took care of the people I loved.

"You okay?" Hudson said as he lifted his drink and sipped.

I blinked, a little taken aback by the realization. But maybe I should have known. "I think I'm in love with Ivy."

"Yeah, I figured that. You moved her in, and now you're tracking down her dad. All signs of serious commitment."

"You don't think that was a bad idea with how cagey Ivy can be about relationships?" My stomach tipped when I thought of her reaction to my feelings.

"You can't help who you fall in love with or when. Elena grew up on the island, and I barely remember her. But when we met again as adults, I couldn't get her out of my head."

"Would we be in this same place if she hadn't gotten pregnant?" I asked, wondering if this was the inevitable outcome for us

"It sped everything up; that's for sure. It forced Ivy to deal with things between you. Have you told her how you feel?"

"I asked her to move into my bedroom. The moving-in together was an arrangement to make co-parenting easier on us.

But sharing a bedroom felt like we were truly living together as a couple.

It was a huge step for her. I can't just spring it on her that I love her.

What if she doesn't feel the same way? Or she's not ready to confront her feelings for me?

" The questions were swirling around in my head.

"I'd say there's no rush. She's living with you and having your baby. But she might not appreciate your meddling in her family's business. What if she wants to keep her father firmly in the past?"

I rolled my neck to ease the tension there. "Ugh. Why are relationships so hard?"

Hudson chuckled. "That's what makes them so worth it. In the end, you get everything you want, but it's quite the journey to get there."

"You're saying I'm in the middle of the journey, and I can't give up?" I asked, needing to understand where he was coming from.

"Something like that."

"It's worth it though, right?" I'd seen him and Elena together. They supported each other and their families. It was obvious they were in love with each other.

"I can't imagine life without her at this point."

I had to figure this thing out with her dad because I couldn't lose her.

The next morning, I woke to my phone buzzing with an incoming call.

I checked on Ivy who was curled away from me on the bed.

She'd gotten in late last night and immediately fallen asleep.

I didn't want to wake her, so I slipped out of bed and took the phone into the living room.

I ran a hand through my hair before I answered. "Hello?"

"Jack Knight here. The investigator you hired to find Clint Baker."

My stomach dropped. "Did you find him?"

"I did."

This was what I was looking for, but I wasn't sure I was ready for the answer. "Where is he?"

"He's living in south Florida and working as a mechanic."

That meant he hadn't lived far away when Ivy was growing up. "Has he always lived there?"

"Since he left Sanibel, yes."

He was so close. He could have been a father who saw Ivy several times a year, if not more often. Why had he ghosted Ivy and her mother?

"He had a son about a year after Ivy Buckley and settled down with the mother. They had one more child a few years later. By all accounts, he's involved with his family and supports them."

The air whooshed out of my lungs. He had another family but had abandoned Ivy. This was worse than I thought. I wanted to keep this information to myself, but what if she found out I had him investigated?

"Is there anything else you needed to know?" Jack asked.

I sighed. "That was it. I appreciate you getting the information so quickly."

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else."

I clicked off the call and opened the slider to sit on the patio.

It was a beautiful morning with the pool shimmering in the morning light and the sound of waves crashing on the shore, but I hurt for Ivy.

Her father abandoned her, then moved on to have another family. A good one from the sounds of it.

Why couldn't he check in with Ivy? Why couldn't he send her mother child support?

I needed to know why for Ivy's sake. I had a feeling there was more to this story. Decision made, I snuck into the bedroom and grabbed fresh clothes, showering in the spare bedroom before heading out.

Ivy needed her sleep, and I needed answers. I'd talk to her about it when I got back. I just hoped she'd be willing to listen. I'd put this into motion, and I couldn't back down now. I was so close to knowing the answers.

I drove to the address that Jack had sent me in his emailed report. I saw the one-story home that appeared to be well taken care of, and then I headed toward the garage that he worked at. I wondered if he was already at work this morning.

I got out of my truck and approached the man who was standing in front of the garage.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Clint Baker. Does he work here?"

The man looked me over. "That's me."

"You're Clint?" I asked him, taking in the man who was in his early fifties in overalls that had seen better days. His fingers were permanently stained with grease and his skin smattered with wrinkles.

"That's right. How can I help you?"

"I'm dating your daughter." I wasn't sure how else to begin this conversation.

His brow furrowed. "I don't have a daughter."

Anger shot through me. "She's the one you left behind on Sanibel Island."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm telling you that I don't have a daughter."

I sighed, assessing whether he was telling the truth. "One you know about anyway."

He leaned forward. "Are you saying I have a daughter that I never knew about?"

His confusion was too genuine to be contrived. "Her name is Ivy Buckley. Her mother told her you took off before she was born."

"What's her mother's name? I was involved with someone on the island, but it wasn't serious."

"Tessa Buckley."

"Yeah, that's her. Are you saying she was pregnant when I left? If so, why didn't she ever say anything? I would have supported her. I'd would have wanted to see my daughter."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know. But they struggled and sure could have used your help."

He was quiet for a few seconds as if he was contemplating his new reality. "Can I meet her?"

I winced. "Ivy doesn't even know I'm here."

"Is she going to be happy about you meddling?"

"No."

"I'll let you sort that out. But when things settle down, I'd love to meet her." His eyes went unfocused as he stared off into the distance. "I can't believe I have a daughter."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that she was pregnant too. That seemed like something that she should reveal. "She thinks you abandoned her. That you left because you didn't want her."

Shock crossed his expression. "I never would have left if I'd known."

I believed him because he supported his current family. He was steady, holding the same job for decades. I wondered if Tessa preferred the story that she'd been abandoned by this man.

"I was with Tess. As far as I remember, we were exclusive. But who knows? That was a long time ago."

"I don't know what Ivy's going to want to do with this information. If she'll want to reach out or not."

"I'll leave it to her then. But tell her I'd love to meet her, and that she has two younger brothers."

Clint pulled out his phone to show me pictures of his sons. They looked like they were taken at a holiday gathering.

All I knew was that Ivy deserved a father who was present in her life. Her mother should have told her the truth. I couldn't imagine hiding this information from my daughter, letting her believe that her father didn't want her.

"I have to get back to work, but let me give you my number. Let me know how she is."

"I'll do that."

We exchanged information, and then I got into my truck and drove to a nearby coffee shop. I needed caffeine after that encounter. I couldn't believe her father was right here all this time. How was I going to tell Ivy that her mother had lied to her?

I couldn't imagine why Tessa had lied about Ivy's father, unless she was so hurt by the breakup, she didn't think he needed to know he had a daughter.

But to push that feeling of rejection onto Ivy was unacceptable.

I wanted to confront her mother, but it was something that Ivy could do when she was ready.

I had to tell Ivy about what I'd learned, but I didn't want to upset her. Would this be bad for her pregnancy? Or would it bring closure and maybe relief? Her father hadn't known she existed.

Clint was genuinely surprised, and his track record spoke for itself. He was involved with his sons and likely would have been with Ivy too. The positive was that she was gaining a father. That could only be a good thing, right? I hoped she saw it that way.