Page 43 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls (Ivy Falls #3)

PIPER

Beyond Fierce

Candles flickered in the dark room. Ford sat against the headboard, his arms wrapped around me as I laid against his bare chest. We’d tried to have dinner but only got past the salad.

This time we didn’t rush taking off each other’s clothes.

It was a slow dance of kisses, touches and sighs, like we were trying to stretch out our last hours together.

‘Have you spoken to your parents?’ I asked.

‘To my mom, briefly. My father is still pouting like a little boy.’

Ford showed up at the P&P right after his meeting with Dr Sheridan. In a few short sentences, he told me the director of the Humanity of the Seas had asked him to come back early. That another doctor had to leave due to a family emergency, and being down one physician made the daily clinic chaos.

‘What did she say about you leaving tomorrow?’

‘She’s sad but she understands this is what I need to do.’

I turned and put a hand on his cheek. ‘I’m glad you two are finally talking.’

‘Me too.’ He pressed a kiss to my palm.

I rested my head on his chest once more. This was the last time I’d get to do this. Be this close to him. Touch his warm skin. Relax in the feel of his arms. A sob filled my throat and I forced it down.

‘Dex came to the café today. He said you promised to email him and call regularly to check in. By the wide smile he gave me, it was clear that meant a lot to him.’

‘He’s a good kid. I want to make sure he stays on the right path. Focuses on his grades. The way his dad has treated him has left a mark. I hope that by staying in touch, he’ll be reminded he has another person in his corner.’

I didn’t share the rest of my conversation with Dex in the café. How he’d pleaded with me to get Ford to stay. He wasn’t the only one. Since Dr Sheridan had returned early, more than a few people had tracked me down at the P&P or Sugar Rush and asked how we could get Ford to stick around.

Yesterday morning, Barb and Susan cornered me in the kitchen as the last of the donuts were rising. I’d played off that things were nothing but casual between Ford and me, but they weren’t buying it.

‘Honey, keeping your feelings inside hurts no one but you,’ Barb huffed.

Susan gave me her sad eyes and nodded along.

I explained to them that things weren’t that simple.

That Ford had obligations, commitments he’d made, and that he was a solid enough man to keep his word.

It was another one of the reasons I’d fallen for him so quickly.

Did I want him to stay in Ivy Falls? Of course, but that was selfish.

Over these past weeks, I’d watched him spark to life when he spoke about his work in Senegal.

How committed he was to the program and the people.

The way it gave his life purpose. And with the latest text from the program’s director, it was clear he needed to be in Africa.

The pain that flooded my chest when I thought about saying goodbye was visceral, but he had people counting on him and I refused to get in the way of his purpose.

‘Tell me about the wedding.’ Ford’s voice halted my spiraling thoughts. ‘You met with Torran and Tessa today, right?’

‘Yes, and Lauren, the show’s producer. That woman I swear has more damn energy than a teenager who’s downed a few Red Bulls.’

‘She’s agreed to stick to the deal about the cameras?’

More than once, I’d confided in him that I was worried that once the ceremony got under way, Lauren and some of the crew would try to sneak some footage.

‘Yes, but I’ve made it clear that I’ll be watching every person involved with the show like a hawk. If I see a digital camera, a GoPro, anything that looks like it can record or film, it’s mine.’

His chest bobbed up and down behind me as he laughed. ‘You are the last person I’d want to go up against, Bird. When it comes to the people you love, you’re beyond fierce.’

‘Not fierce but…’ I chewed on my bottom lip considering the scenario where I’d have to wrestle a camera away from one of the crew who usually weighed at least a hundred pounds more than me. ‘Yeah, fine. I’ll accept fierce.’

He slid a hand over my hair. Tucked it back so he could kiss my neck. ‘How is Torran feeling?’

After he’d confirmed her pregnancy with a simple blood test, he’d suggested a few obstetricians. Torran had seen a female physician in Nashville last week who estimated an early March due date.

‘She threw up twice during the meeting.’

‘The first trimester is rough. After she gets past the twelfth week, her hormones will balance out and she won’t be so nauseous.’

‘I hope you’re right because at the moment she looks like she hasn’t eaten or slept in weeks.’

He held me tighter to his chest, and I wanted to stay in this moment where there weren’t any outside forces pulling us away from each other.

‘I had an idea I wanted to run past you.’

‘All right,’ he said with a halting breath.

‘The success of the musical has made me do a lot of thinking about what I want to do next.’

He kept softly combing my hair the way he had the first night we were together. It made me want to go back there. Freeze that place in time and never let it go.

‘I’m considering going back to community college to finish my basic credits. When they’re completed, I can transfer to Middle Tennessee State and get a degree in theater with an emphasis on directing.’

He shifted back, turning me to face him. ‘That’s perfect. You are damn talented, and whatever you set your mind to you can achieve. When would you start? How many credits would you take? What does the curriculum look like?’

‘Slow down.’ I gave him a quick kiss. ‘Those are all items I have to look into, but your enthusiasm makes me feel better. I’m glad I had the courage to say it out loud. Make sure it didn’t sound ridiculous.’

‘Dreams are never ridiculous. I believe in you, Bird. Whatever you set your heart on, you’ll make it happen.’

There was a tenderness to his voice that almost had me begging him to stay. To confess all the ways he made me felt seen. Loved. Instead, I let the air still between us, the fading candles casting long shadows across the bedroom walls.

‘What time is your flight?’ I asked when I finally found my voice again.

‘Noon.’ His breath hitched as he held me closer. ‘Can I ask you to do something for me?’

‘What do you need?’

‘If I call or FaceTime, please pick up.’

I swallowed back the swell in my throat. ‘Ford, we agreed this would be over when you leave.’

‘I know, but friends still talk. And I want an update on the wedding and Torran’s pregnancy.’

There was that flash of torment in his voice and it took every ounce of strength not to break down. I reached for his hand, kissed each knuckle. Maybe staying in touch was the next best thing to having him close. A small bit of contact every once in a while so I could know he was okay.

‘That sounds like a good plan.’

He pressed another kiss to the top of my head, the steady beat of his heart thrumming in my ear.

When he’d arrived in Ivy Falls, I’d seen him as yet another way of my former life haunting me, but his presence had been a sweet surprise.

It reminded me that my past did not have to be a legacy for my future.

That I could make good connections, trust my own judgment.

It’d been a risk to do this with him, but I couldn’t imagine a better partner leading me over that bridge to a new life.

I held on to his hand. His breath went steady and more than once I had to reassure myself that I was doing a good thing, the right thing, by letting him go without confessing how hard I’d fallen for him.

‘You sleepy?’ he asked in a rough growl, his hand moving under the sheets.

I turned over and kissed him, moving his hands to the places I wanted him to touch me. He worshipped my body in a way no other man had, his tongue painting a canvas across my skin, over my nipples, between my legs.

Words like love and stay played on repeat in my head as my body shook and writhed beneath him. I could have said all those words, but I stayed quiet as stars exploded behind my eyes and my heart shattered into a thousand pieces.