Page 36 of Saving Ian Pope

The following morning, I woke up and reached for Ivy, but she’d already gotten up, leaving behind the scent of her floral perfume and the muskiness of our mingled bodies. I rubbed my eyes as the strains of my last hit wafted into the bedroom. Was I dreaming?

I bolted out of bed and grabbed last night’s briefs on my way to the living room. I hopped into the kitchen on one leg, pulling on my underwear. “I can’t believe it; you’re actually listening to my music.”

“Why wouldn’t I be listening to this banger?” Waving a knife at my crotch, she said, “You need to cover that up in here.”

I snapped the waistband of my underwear around my hips and grabbed her from behind. “Be careful with that thing.”

She winked. “That’s what she said.”

“Seriously, are you listening to an oldies station, or what?” I nuzzled her neck and nibbled on her shoulder.

“Don’t denigrate yourself.” She reached back and tapped my head with the handle of the knife. “Didn’t you tell me something like that the first day we met?”

“I’m sure I didn’t use the worddenigrate, but probably.” I popped a piece of banana in my mouth.

She asked, “Did you get a lot of work done last night?”

“I did, yeah. So excited about this music.”

“So, you’ll start recording next week?” Her hands fluttered around the countertop as if she’d forgotten how to make a smoothie.

“Not right away. I’m going to finish the songs with a writing partner, someone I worked with in the days of the band. We might do some of the work in the recording studio. Jack already scheduled time for us.” I touched the ends of her ponytail as it swung against her back.

“You’ll be busy.” She finally found the spinach and stuffed it into the blender. “You’ll get to spend some time with your daughter, too.”

“Can’t wait. I’ve been in touch with her mum, and she’s agreed to let me see her unsupervised. That’s a huge leap for her.”

“And you.” She started piling ingredients into the blender almost at random. “Three more days. I’ll take you to the airport.”

Was that a catch in her voice? I opened my mouth to speak, but she cranked on the blender, drowning me out. With my smoothie on the way to being liquefied, I reached around her and flicked off the switch. “I’d like you to come with me.”

“To England?” Her voice squeaked, and she gripped the edge of the counter.

Stroking her back, I said, “Did you really think I could leave you behind? Is that what you want?”

She turned, wedging her back against the counter and folding her arms. “I can’t just give up my life here.”

“You’d be able to work. You don’t have a nine to five job here. You could use one of the rooms in my house for an office. It’s not like you have...”

“Family?” She raised her eyes to my face, and her bottom lip trembled.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” I pinched her chin. “I know you have Chloe and your other friends and your writing group and your work at the animal shelter, but you could come back here whenever you want. You wouldn’t have to sell your place. You’ve been to the UK before. You liked it, right?”

“Of course, yes, but I don’t know if I could just uproot my life.”

“Sometimes it’s seemed to me like that’s exactly what you’d like to do, Ivy.” I traced the edge of her ear. “But I don’t want to pressure you. I know we have something between us, some bond. Am I delusional?”

“If you are, I am, too.” She shuffled forward a few steps and buried her nose against my chest. “I’ve been pushing your departure out of my mind. I don’t want you to go. I wish you could stay here with me.”

“I know, but it’s not just the record. I need to have a relationship with my daughter. I’ve selfishly squandered the time I could’ve been with her, and now that I’m...better, I need to restore her trust in me.”

“Of course, you do, and I want that for you.” She spun around and poured the green sludge from the blender into two glasses. “I could visit.”

I squeezed the back of my neck. “Do you want a long-distance relationship where we’d see each other a few times a year? It’s not like Chloe and Trent in San Diego. You’d meet someone else, and I’m not tying you down like that.”

The thought of Ivy with another man felt like a knife to the gut. She never mentioned ex-boyfriends. I’d glanced at her phone a few times and had seen texts from someone named Matt on a couple of those occasions. Was he an ex? I knew she must have one or two of those. Those condoms in her nightstand were proof enough, and I didn’t flatter myself our sex was so hot just because I was Ian Pope. Ivy was a sensual person, loving and demonstrative. She did have the giant purple vibrator in there too, so she could be going it alone, although it’s not like we hadn’t been able to have some fun with that together.

Handing me a glass, she asked, “What are you thinking about?”

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