Page 57 of Trust Fall
Cleo saw Ivy’s glassy eyes from across the room. She made her way over and wrapped her arms around Ivy’s waist from behind. She rested her chin on Ivy’s shoulder as they both took in the room.
“You ok, my love?” Cleo asked, low enough for only Ivy to hear.
Ivy slid her hands over Cleo’s and tilted her head back to rest on Cleo’s shoulder. “More than ok, babe. So much more than ok. I can’t believe this is my life.” She let out a contented sigh. “It’s so much more than I could ever have dreamed of.”
“And we’re just getting started,” Cleo said, tilting her head to kiss Ivy’s cheek.
A loud roar interrupted their moment when Cleo’s dad nudged Evan as he was taking too long removing his block from the wooden tower of Timber, causing the whole thing to come crashing down.
“What did you do that for? I was winning,” Evan shouted at his dad. Toni sniggered beside them and Oliver whispered something in her ear, making her blush as she looked at Evan.
“By the look on her face son, you’ve already won,” Rob said, tipping his head over to Toni who was watching them.
“Let them be, Rob,” Fiona warned her husband with a look, but her face couldn’t help smiling. She turned towards Cleo and Ivy. “I think I’ve gathered all the empty pizza boxes, and I’ve stacked them with the moving boxes for recycling.”
“Aw thanks Fiona, you know you didn’t have to do that,” Ivy said, giving Cleo’s arms a gentle squeeze.
“That’s what moms do, love, you may just get used to it,” she smiled at Ivy and Cleo’s heart grew with love for the woman who had helped her heal Ivy’s heart about families over the past eight months.
“Speaking of boxes,” Cleo said, and she kissed Ivy’s cheek before unwrapping her arms from around her girlfriend who whimpered at the loss of Cleo’s body against hers.
She walked over to the counter where her phone was sitting, pressing pause on the music coming through the speakers. Ivy watched her, confusion across her face, and everyone else turned to see why the music had stopped.
Cleo moved slowly back toward Ivy, hand extended, reaching for hers. Somewhere to her right she heard Gabby, her mom, Lana, and Toni all gasp in unison. Ivy’s eyes didn’t leave Cleo’s, neither did her look of confusion. Until Cleo pulled out a small box from her jeans pocket.
The look on Ivy’s face instantly changed to one of uninhibited love as her eyes welled with tears and the hand that wasn’t holding Cleo’s was against her heart.
“Ivy,” Cleo started, “when I first met you, I hadn’t looked at another woman in over six years. But then you crashed into my life, literally,” a low rumble of laughter rumbled around theroom, “and you made me realize how much joy I had been missing. I used to think that loving someone took work, effort, and constant compromising. But Ivy, loving you has been as easy as breathing air. You accept me exactly as I am, you’ve never once tried to change my quirks.” Cleo paused.
“Except from buying more power suits,” Ivy cut in, laughing through the happy tears already running down her cheeks as Jade and Evan shoutedburn.
“Flannel addict,” Cleo retaliated with narrowed eyes and a smirk as she tugged the bottom of Ivy’s turquoise flannel, and she heard Lucas, Gabby, Oliver and Toni shouthear, hearin unison.
“Anyway,” she laughed then took a deep breath to settle her nerves back down. “Every day that I get to start my day and end my day with you by my side, is the best way I can think to spend the rest of my life. You’re my heart, you’re my home, and you’re my safe place. You’re the person I look forward to falling in love with a little more every day. So please, Ivy, love of my life, will you make me the happiest woman in the world,” Cleo bent down on one knee and opened the box to reveal a platinum band with a single princess cut diamond causing Ivy to gasp and move her hand from her over her heart to her mouth, “and do me the greatest honor of letting me call you my wife?”
“Oh my God, yes!” Ivy said, barely a heartbeat after Cleo asked. She dropped to her knees and threw her arms around Cleo’s neck and pulled her in to kiss her over, and over, and over. The room erupted with cheers and laughter, and even a few comments offinally.
Ivy eventually pulled back to let them both stand, and for Cleo to slip the ring on her finger. “You’re wrong you know,” she whispered to Cleo as she lifted Ivy’s hand to her mouth and placed a kiss on her newly adorned finger.
“Oh? About what, my love?” Cleo asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You said making me your wife would make you happiest woman in the world,” Ivy placed her left hand on Cleo’s chest over her heart as she looked at her ring for a moment. She raised her eyes up to lock with Cleo’s, “but that title belongs tomethe second I get to call myself Mrs. Ivy Foster.”