I laughed as I took her hand. "Ivy, I'm not going to change my mind. I like having you in my space. And it has nothing to do with the baby."
Her eyes were a little shiny. "I'd like that."
The breath I'd been holding came out in a whoosh. I held my hand out to her, so that she stood next to the table.
I cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly. "How about a dance?"
She nodded, and I pulled her into my arms. We swayed to the sound of the waves lapping at the shore. After a minute, I asked, "Did you want to take a bath now?"
"I'd love that." We walked, holding hands, to the house where I started the bubble bath for her and helped her get in. "I'm going to run and clean off the table. Then I'll join you."
She smiled softly. "Thank you, Cooper. For everything."
I felt content, secure that for now, Ivy was happy living with me and planning our future together. At least in the short term. It was a big step for her, and I hoped things would continue to progress. I wasn't so secure that I thought she wouldn't have doubts. But I was confident we'd work through them together.
I extinguished the torches, and took everything inside, cleaning the kitchen before I headed to the bathroom, intending to get in with her and possibly give her an orgasm or two. But her head rested on the rim, and her eyes were closed. Her breath was even. She was asleep.
I knelt next to the tub. "Ivy, we have to get you to bed."
It took a few seconds to rouse her and get her out of the tub and toweled off. I'd hoped for a different ending to the evening. I wanted that connection with her, but taking care of her satisfied something deep inside of me, and I suspected it did the same for her. She wasn't used to this kind of treatment, and I wanted her to feel like it was expected when she was with me. I'd always put her first.
When she was dried off, she sat on the bed, and I carefully brushed her hair. "This is heavenly."
I made quick work of the tangles so that she could lie down.
"I'm sorry I can't stay awake."
"You're helping our baby grow. You need your sleep." I kissed her, and her eyes drifted closed. Then I cleaned up the bathroom.
It would only be a short few months, and then the baby would be here. At that point, we'd both be exhausted. I'd read enough blogs and books to know that babies slept during the day and kept their parents awake at night.
I just hoped we'd built a strong enough rapport that we could survive that adjustment.
I slipped into bed and wrapped my arm around her, careful to avoid her belly. I didn't want her to be uncomfortable. Especially when she was starting to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.
She'd grow more uncomfortable, but I wanted to make this as easy for her as possible. I wanted to take care of her. I wanted to prove to her that not all men were alike. That I was nothing like her father.
I eventually rolled to my back, my mind too busy for me to fall asleep. I'd been obsessing about her father lately. What was he like? Should I find him for her? Would it help for her to talk to him? To get some closure? Or would it make everything worse?
I could at least hire a private investigator to locate him, and then I could decide what to do. I wouldn't tell her about it until I had more information. I wanted to protect her from the bad things in life, but at the same time, I wondered if some closure would be good for her.
Thinking your father didn't want you and had abandoned you wasn't healthy. It would chip away at her if she let it. And I wanted her to heal. I wanted her to see that there was a better life for her, one without the expectation that everyone would eventually disappoint her. She could rely on her friends, my family, the adopted grandmothers at the senior center, and me.
I wanted to do this for her. There was some doubt in my mind that this was the right step. But I could always change course. If I found information that would hurt her, I didn't have to pass it along. I could keep it from her.
Satisfied I had the semblance of a plan, I finally drifted off.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ivy
Ever since Cooper asked me to move in with him, he seemed preoccupied with something. He was constantly on his computer and taking calls. He'd said it was something related to a big job, but I'd never seen him so involved with work when he was at home.
I wondered if this was the schism I'd been waiting for. He'd pull away slowly, and eventually there wouldn't be a relationship to salvage.
When he'd asked me to move in with him, it had seemed like a big decision, but it was an easy one to make because we were already spending so much time together. But now I was worried that the changed status in our relationship had pushed him away.
It didn't help that I'd been more tired than usual. I'd had to carve out time in the afternoon to take a nap on my couch in my office. It was a necessity if I was going to make it through the rest of the day. I was usually too tired to have sex at the end of the night. Had Cooper decided that the baby was too real for him?