Page 47 of Trust Fall
Ivy
Ivy knew that she should be embarrassed following the first impression she had made upon arrival to Cleo’s parents’ house. She knew that it wasn’t exactly normal to break down in your girlfriend’s mom’s arms the first time you meet her. She also knew that she’d never in her life felt as supported, safe, and cared for as she did in the moment Fiona wrapped her armsaround her and didn’t immediately let go. Followed by Rob and Jade in their own subtle way.
But as soon as Cleo’s arms wrapped around her, felt her lips against her forehead, and she heard her whisper, “I’m here baby, you can let it all go now, I’ve got you,” she knew then, that there was no further point in fighting the fact that she loved Cleo Foster.
Once she felt the last of the tears dry, Cleo showed Ivy to the bathroom to let her freshen up before dinner. Ivy splashed her face with cool water and dried it off, then washed her hands and took a minute just to breathe after the emotional outpouring that had caught her by surprise.
When Ivy came out of the bathroom, she noticed Cleo leaning against the hallway facing the sitting room. Cleo turned at the closing of the bathroom door and held out her hand for Ivy with a warm smile. The small gesture of support made Ivy’s belly swoop. If the hellish past she’d endured was what had earned her the complete joy that being with Cleo had brought her, then she’d consider it definitely worth it.
“Hey you,” Cleo said softly.
“Hey back,” Ivy replied as she leaned into Cleo, placing her head on Cleo’s shoulder as she wrapped an arm around Cleo’s back and placing her other hand on Cleo’s stomach. “Thank you, for helping me through that, I know it was a lot.”
Cleo draped her arm over Ivy’s shoulder and used her other hand to gently stroke Ivy’s blonde hair away from her face. “Any time, beautiful.” She felt Cleo kiss her temple. “Are you ok to go back in, or do you want to wait here a while longer? It’s entirely up to you.”
Ivy felt so safe where she was but knew that she’d feel the same way in the sitting room with the rest of Foster family. As foreign as it felt to experience a family like this, she didn’t feel anything but support from them earlier. “Maybe just one more minute, Ilike when you hold me like this,” Ivy said, a smile dancing in her voice.
“Is that so?” Cleo smirked, Ivy could tell.
“Mhmm,” Ivy agreed, snuggling closer to Cleo’s body.
“Well in that case, who am I to argue?” Cleo leaned down and kissed Ivy briefly before letting Ivy relax in her arms for a few more minutes.
“OK,” Ivy said, standing back and taking Cleo’s hand, “let’s try this again.”
“They’ve already met you now,” Cleo said. “Everything is fine, they’ll ignore it if you want them to. Well, except Jade,” Cleo added with a laugh. “She can be a child about these things.”
They walked into the sitting room with smiles still on their faces, and immediately upon seeing their return, Fiona looked up and asked, “Are fajitas ok for dinner?” Cleo looked at Ivy with a knowing glint in her eye as Fiona had changed the subject completely, just as Cleo had mentioned.
“Definitely!” Ivy replied, “I love being in the kitchen, can I help with anything?”
“Of course, I welcome the help,” Fiona said.
“What?!” Jade scoffed. “Any time I offer to help you chase me out the kitchen with whatever utensil you can grab first!”
“That’s because you’re a danger to yourself and others in the kitchen, love,” Fiona winked as she motioned for Ivy to follow her.
As she followed Fiona while keeping a firm grip on Cleo’s hand, Ivy could hear Rob laughing in the sitting room at Jade’s unimpressedhumphat being told to stay out of the kitchen.
Just as dinner was ready to get dished up, Evan and Sophie arrived.
“Ivy!” Sophie shouted excitedly as she made her way barreling down the hall and wrapped her arms around Ivy’s waist.
“I think you’ve got some competition there, love,” Rob said as he sat down at the table.
Ivy blushed a little at the comment but knew it was just how some families showed each other that they cared. It continued like that throughout dinner, bantering over the table with one another. Ivy sat beside Cleo, and Sophie had made sure to get the seat at the other side of her.
The topics covered were varied, ranging from Rob and Evan discussing the hockey match from the night before, to Jade trying to convince her mom that she wasn’t bringing her latest girlfriend home to meet her parents as it “wasn’t that kind of relationship.” Ivy watched in wonder at the very different family dynamics she saw at the table in front of her, in comparison to her own experience with her family growing up.
“Did you learn any new facts at school this week, kid?” Cleo leaned forward to ask Sophie as she placed her arm around the back of Ivy’s chair. Ivy smiled at how comfortable Cleo was in showing her affection toward her, even in front of her family. Ivy placed her hand on Cleo’s thigh as she turned to hear Sophie’s answer.
“Yeah,” Sophie answered, as she sat her fork down and reached for her glass of water. “Did you know an Octopus has nine brains?” The look on her face a mixture of suspicion and hope as she looked passed Ivy to her aunt.
“I did, main brain, then one in each tentacle, isn’t that wild?!” Cleo said, somewhat smugly.
Ivy leaned into Cleo and quietly asked, “What am I missing?”
Cleo chuckled, her smoky tone sending a shiver through Ivy’s body. “Oh, Sophie and I have spent years trying to ask each other a science question that the other won’t know the answer to. So far, I’m winning.” She chuckled again as she leaned forward and kissed Ivy’s cheek.
