Page 53 of Ivy

“Good, almost done. He’s coming in next week for another meeting.” Her phone dings in her hand and she smiles at the screen, before excusing herself.

Peaches winks at me and I smile at her.

“I dread the day Bailie gets a boyfriend.”

“Why just Bailie? Why not Carter?”

“Because Carter is a boy; he can handle the girls. Bailie is my baby girl. No boy is touching her.”

“Yeah, this is a conversation for another time, Beast,” Ivy exclaims.

The door opens and an older lady walks in. Mutton dressed as lamb pops into my head, and I chuckle. Ivy gives me a confused look, but I just shake my head.

“Can I help you?” Peaches asks.

“Yes, I have an appointment with this sexy guy here,” she says, running her finger over my forearm. Ivy tenses but doesn’t say anything. She’s had a few run-ins with clients touching me in front of her, but she normally puts them straight. I step back and look at the woman.

“If you’ll follow me to my room.”

“Oh, yes, please. Aren’t I a lucky lady.” She winks at Peaches.

“Lady?” Ivy coughs under her breath.

We walk away, and I wink at Ivy over my shoulder, which she returns.

“So, Luke, when are we going to grab a dinner date? I could do with a real man to treat me like a real lady, if you know what I mean.” I chuckle and reply.

“Sorry, but I’m taken.” I jog back to Ivy, who is watching us like a hawk. I give her a Baker smile and she melts before I even get to her.

“Love you, baby. Only ever you, Peaches.” I kiss her breathless, before returning to my client. She doesn’t look amused. Looks like my work here is done.

The beast finally got his peaches, and he doesn’t plan on sharing anytime soon. Well, maybe only a little with our two kids, but that’s it. No sharing with anyone else.

The beast and the peach. The rough and the smooth. The perfect combination. The perfect us.

Epilogue part 2

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I scream at the two people in my bed. My boyfriend and my so-called fucking best friend are in my bed naked together.

“Babe, it isn’t what it looks like,” Tony says. Fucking really, he’s going with that?

“Clearly. Get the fuck out, the two of you. I am done with you both.”

“But I live here,” he states while climbing from the bed and picking up his jeans. Jean is scrambling to pull her clothes on.

“Like I fucking care. I suggest you leave before I phone my dad and uncles.”

“Oh, maybe you might phone Knox. I bet he would love to come over here and kick my arse, right? Then he can sweep in and get the girl, like he has always wanted.” He sneers at me.

My heart rate jumps at the mention of his name. Knox Bradley. The man I have been crushing on since I was a little girl, but with the age gap, Knox kept his distance. We kissed a few times, but he backed off. The one and only time we went further than a kiss, Knox left for good.

He joined the army. That was six years ago. He comes back from time to time, but he never stays long. There’s a ten-year age gap between us. It never bothered me, but clearly it bothered him. I haven’t seen him in over a year??since he came back for good. We just always seemed to miss each other, or it could be that I flat-out avoided him.

The clicking of heels bring me out of my thoughts of Knox.

“Fuck off, Tony, and fuck you, too, Jean. GET. OUT,” I scream at them.

“Fine, we’re going. She’s a better shag than you, anyway.” Tony slams the front door behind him, making me jump. I stand there frozen, letting the scene I walked into run through my head. Tony always set off the red flags, but I ignored them. Bastard. I am done with men.

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