Page 28 of Raising Love
I hadn’t spent much time with the baby, to be honest. Between games in the city and away, and my own need to escape this new reality, I wasn’t home much. And when I was, I found it hard to be around him.
Every time I looked at him, my heart hurt.
It wasn’t just the weight of being responsible for a life when I could barely keep myself together. It was the way he reminded me so much of what I’d lost.
My best friend, Tyrell.
Ivy always said Baby Love looked like Kendra—and he did. But to me, his mannerisms were all Tyrell. Even as a baby, he was alert like his dad. He smiled like his dad too. His essence, his presence—it was all Tyrell.
And every time I looked into that baby’s eyes, it felt like hearing the news for the first time all over again.
When would that get better?
Because shit—it had been an entire month.
I approached the nursery’s door, which was slightly ajar. The plan was to poke my head in just long enough to let Ivy know I was home. It was quiet. No crying or even cooing from Baby Love, and I didn’t want to risk waking him.
That was another thing I struggled with—being quiet enough not to disturb him. Somehow, everything I did seemed to make him stir. Walking around the house. Greeting Ivy in the mornings. Hell, even breathing.
Ivy, on the other hand, had become a ninja. She could leave a room without making a sound after putting him back to sleep, and even make her coffee quietly in the mornings. She’d adapted. I hadn’t.
And that was just another reason I found myself out of the house as much as possible.
When I leaned in and peered through the door, I glimpsed the peaceful woodland mural on the accent wall. Raising my hand, I prepared to get Ivy’s attention—but instead, I froze.
Ivy stood in the middle of the nursery, cradling Baby Love in her arms. Her long hair, which she usually wore in a neat, slick bun, was down and flowing.
In all the years I’d known her, I’d only seen her hair down twice—once at Kendra and Tyrell’s wedding, when Kendra had bullied her into wearing it loose, and now.
I always knew her hair was long from the volume of her buns, but I didn’t know it was this long now. The ends were just inches above her waist, making her figure stand out more—her curves, her ass, her legs.
She wore a patterned designer robe I hadn’t seen before, one that showed off her full legs and her bare feet. When she turned her head slightly, glancing over her shoulder, my jaw nearly dropped.
Now, hear me out.
Back when Kendra and Tyrell first started dating in college, Kendra had introduced me to Ivy. She’d sworn up and down I would fall for her best friend. And I’d thought Ivy was beautiful, no question.
She had that 90s Jet Beauty of the Week kind of appeal. Ivy resembled the late singer Aaliyah. Light brown complexion, communicative eyes, and picture-perfect smile and all. So, yeah—I knew she wasn’t some ogre. But we’d friend-zoned each other so fast it was like a reflex.
We were too different.
She was uptight, particular, and rigid. Everything I did during our one and only date was an issue. My jokes? She turned her nose up at them. My charm? Didn’t work. The small sliver of cleavage peeking out from her blouse? She’d covered it the second I noticed it. It was like going on a date with one of my mother’s friends.
Beautiful, yes—but not my type.
Now, though? Seeing her standing there in that robe, her face completely bare—no lashes, no makeup, no lip gloss, just her naturally pink lips and glowing skin—I was rethinking all of it.
“Gahdamn,” I muttered before clearing my throat. “I mean, what’s up?”
She lifted a finger to her lips, signaling for me to keep quiet.
She repositioned Baby Love, laying him against her shoulder and gently patting his bottom to soothe him.
I pushed the door open slightly, taking in the scene as she rocked him for a moment longer. Then she leaned over the bassinet, carefully placing him inside.
My eyes followed the curve of her waist to her round ass, then down to her legs—where they stayed. Legs were my thing. Always had been. And Ivy? She had some sexy legs.
How had I not noticed before?
