Page 20 of Summer Nights

In the shop, we perused the menu and the display case, carefully choosing our ice cream flavors before going outside to eat.

This moment felt bigger than getting ice cream or learning to play basketball. Cooper wanted to know me, and it was scarier than anything I'd ever faced before.

Chapter Six

Cooper

After getting ice cream with Ivy, I hadn't heard from her about any new inspections for a few weeks. When I met Duncan for basketball, she'd stayed with Rae, and he hadn't invited me for ice cream.

I figured she needed some space. I'd gotten to Ivy on a level that probably sent her into a bit of a panic. It would be good for her to see that life was different from what she feared.

Not everyone would disappoint her, and I'd never want to hurt her or her siblings. I wanted to be there for them.

I thought this thing with Ivy would be purely physical, but I couldn't help but feel connected to her more each time we were together, whether it was getting ice cream, playing basketball with her brother, or fucking her in an empty house.

Ivy had so many layers and walls I'd yet to discover. The more I thought about why she acted the way she did—so distrustful and fearful—the more I felt for her. Her mother, and I'm assuming her rotating boyfriends, had done a number on her.

She might appear to be strong on the outside, but it was because she had to be. Underneath, she was vulnerable. I wanted to protect her, but at the same time, I wanted to show her life could be different.

It was a combination I'd never experienced before. I'd never felt this tenderness for anyone I'd dated. I wondered if Hudson or Brady felt like this when they decided Elena and Hazel were the women for them.

Now I was getting ahead of myself. There was no way Ivy would ever let me into boyfriend territory. I'd never known her to be close to anyone.

I wondered if I was the only one who saw the Ivy underneath.

I couldn't imagine living that way or having to adapt my life to those false beliefs. How many people had let her down?

That's when it hit me; her father had never been in the picture. Had she hoped he would come back and be part of her life, and he never did? That would be devastating for a little girl.

I wasn't put-off by her distrust. It only made me want to reach her more.

I didn't want to hurt her or let her down. I was a little worried I was going to do it anyway. It was just human nature. Ivy would take it that much harder. She was literally waiting for me to mess up. But I wanted to prove her wrong.

She avoided me at Hazel and Brady's engagement party, and I'd been preoccupied with Dalton's baby-momma drama. He'd gotten his girlfriend pregnant, and she was jerking him around a bit. I didn't like it, but Brady had somehow convinced him to get his own place.

It sounded like the best solution for everyone. This morning, we were going with Ivy to see some possible places for him to rent or buy.

I waited on the porch of the place Dalton had texted me about earlier. When Brady arrived with Dalton, I said, "I did some research on this place. The owners were only here for six years. Doesn't look like they did many upgrades."

"I'm not afraid of a little work," Dalton said "It will help me fill the time when I can't see the baby."

I exchanged a look with Brady. I wasn't sure what I would do in Dalton's situation. I hadn't even thought about having kids yet. But I was impressed that he was trying to find the best way to handle it.

Ivy pulled up in her SUV, and we waited for her to get out. I was becoming addicted to her prim outfits. I distinctly remembered how it felt to feel the bite of her heels in my ass when I was fucking her against the door.

Ivy met my gaze as she headed in our direction, and I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was. We couldn't keep our hands off each other when we were alone in a house.

I took the paperwork she offered me, not bothering to look at it. I'd already seen everything there was on record about this place.

"Are you ready to see this place?" Ivy asked Dalton, and when he nodded, she unlocked the lockbox. "I think you're going to like this one. It has everything you asked for."

"Looks like it needs some work," I said, ripping my gaze from her ass in that skirt. She probably thought the outfit was professional, but I found it sexy.

Ivy flashed me a smile as she pushed open the door. "I would think you boys wouldn't be afraid of a little hard work."

"Of course not," I said, feeling my heart rate kick up now that I was finally in her proximity.

"It has a study." Ivy gestured to our right.

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