Page 94 of Summer Nights

Tonight, Ivy was out with her girlfriends, so I went over to Hudson's for dinner.

When I got there, he asked, "Everything cool with you and Ivy?"

I couldn't blame him for thinking I was there because something was wrong. That was the usual reason for one of my visits. "The baby's healthy, and we're getting the nursery done. She has everything on her to-do list checked off."

Hudson raised a brow. "Why do I get the impression that all the items on your list aren't taken care of?"

I sighed. "I did something, and I'm not sure Ivy's going to be happy with me when she finds out what it is."

Hudson carefully turned over the chicken slathered in barbecue sauce. "Shouldn't you talk to her about it then?"

"It's complicated." I blew out a breath. "It's her father."

Hudson paused and looked at me. "Is he back?"

I shook my head. "I hired a private investigator to find him."

He raised a brow. "You did that without talking to Ivy?"

My stomach rolled at the concern flashing in his eyes. "Yeah."

"What if she doesn't want to find him?" Hudson asked.

I swallowed hard. "The investigator hasn't found anything yet. But if he does, should I tell her? Or do I confront him by myself?"

Hudson was quiet for a few seconds, probably sorting out the best way to address it with me. "You have to tell her. You can't keep it from her, at least not for long. When she finds out you've been hiding things from her, it won't go well."

I was pleased that my brother knew her so well and didn't judge her. He accepted her as she was and wanted me to be careful with her. "I want to protect her."

Hudson leveled me with a pointed look. "Ivy's used to doing everything on her own, and she's very private. She'll view this as going behind her back. It will feel like a betrayal to her."

I ran a hand through my hair, conflicted. "She should have closure regarding her father. Why should she go through life thinking that him leaving was her fault? Why shouldn't she know if there was another reason?"

Hudson shook his head. "He left before she was born. That says more about him than her."

"I'm not sure she sees it that way."

"Be there for her when she needs you to listen. But I'm telling you, she's going to be upset with you, no matter how altruistic your feelings are." Hudson removed the chicken from the grill, along with the peppers.

We sat down to eat, the night heavy with humidity.

"How are things otherwise?"

I wrapped my chicken and peppers into a soft tortilla with hot sauce. "I've read about possible worst-case scenarios that can occur late in pregnancy. I don't share those with her though."

Hudson nodded. "You don't want her to worry."

"I want to protect her from everything." It was this all-consuming feeling that grew larger each day we were together.

"You're with an independent woman who won't appreciate you hiding things from her. You should be upfront with her."

"I need to find him first."

"Did you ask Ivy's mom about him?" Hudson asked.

"I'm not sure she’d tell me the truth anyway." I took a large bite of the fajita.

"I know you want to protect Ivy. I just hope that she sees it that way," Hudson said with a meaningful look.