Chapter 130: Another fib.

ROMAN

Vivi’s cab pulled up to the curb at 8:47 p.m.

I had been standing outside the building for twenty-three minutes, my arms folded, watching the door.

The neighbors had been giving me weird, wary looks. One old woman with a poodle had asked if I was the young man from the telly.

I just smiled and said yes, even though I had no idea what she was talking about, shaking my boots against the clean pavement.

Since it was dark, the construction team I had working on Ivy’s building had all gone home, but it was almost completely fixed.

So why did the few people I asked for her apartment number say they didn’t know anyone by her name?

But the moment Ivy stepped out, everything else faded. She was a mess. A beautiful, exhausted mess. Her hair was clasped back very roughly with a pin, her top was wrinkled, and there was a faint bruise on her forehead.

It had my blood boiling. The sight of red-rimmed eyes made my blood erupt even hotter.

My boots hit the pavement rapidly as I raced forward to pull her into a hug. "Vivi."

She sagged against me immediately, her face pressing into my chest, her hands fisting in the back of my shirt. I held her tight, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other wrapped around her waist.

"Hey," she croaked, and I pulled back to cup her face. My thumb traced the bruise on her forehead. "What’s this? Are you okay? What happened?"

"I’m fine,"

"Darling, you’re a terrible liar."

She laughed, pressing her cheek into my palm. "I didn’t want to bother you."

"Bother me?" My head reared back in disbelief.

"Vivi, I’ve been standing outside your building for half an hour. I’ve called you like a million times since you ran off on Saturday and you’re worried about bothering me?"

She winced. "I... I moved out of this building. A while ago. I just didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want to disturb you and your brothers."

I sighed, long and slow, and pulled her back into my chest. "You should have disturbed me. You should always disturb me. I don’t know how the people in your life were before you came to work for us, but you can always run to me, Ivy. I’ll catch you, okay?"

Her fingers curled in my shirt and she blinked up at me, her amber eyes glassy with tears. "I... I’ll try,"

"That is all I ask," I leaned down, pressing a soft, gentle kiss to her lips. She melted into it, her hands sliding up to my shoulders, and I deepened it just a little, teasing her lips apart, craving more...

"GET A ROOM!"

We broke apart, startled. A drunk guy was stumbling past us, arm around his equally drunk friend, both of them cackling.

I turned to Ivy, a slow smile spreading across my face. "Well, you heard the man."

She groaned, swatting my chest before sagging against me. "I’m really tired, Ro. Today has been the longest day of my life,"

My chest felt like it was cleaved in two with an axe, while her words rang in my head. I hadn’t ever thought I could have kids and frankly did not share the sentiment, but I was sure Vivi had wanted one so badly to cry like that. What could I possibly say or do to cheer her up...

I perked up as an idea dropped into my mind.

"I know what you need," I beamed, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her towards the car.

She looked up at me warily. "What?"

"You’ll see,"

* * * * *

"A vacation?" Ivy gasped in awe, staring up at the private jet gleaming against the night sky.

Kai had been on board the second I texted him. Gideon had been harder to convince.

He had meetings, he had the Meyers fallout to manage, he had a hundred reasons to stay, but I had managed to wear him down. He would meet us there tomorrow.

Vivi was wearing a short, soft cream dress that I had picked out for her. God, she looked like she belonged in a painting. The dress swished around her soft thighs as she gaped at the jet in disbelief.

"You guys prepared a private jet on such short notice?"

Kai snorted, draping an arm over her shoulder. "What do you mean, prepare? If we want a private jet yesterday, we get one."

She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. "You’re ridiculous."

"And you’re gorgeous." Kai walked around her, wiggling his brows at her. "But you already knew that, didn’t you? Dressed like that, all soft and sweet. Trying to distract us, little Ivy?"

"I’m not trying to do anything,"

I swatted at him. "Stop it, Kai. You’re making her blush."

"That’s the point, Ro."

"Both of you, stop," she groaned. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against my side. "Don’t listen to him. He’s just jealous he didn’t think of the dress first."

"I picked the dress!" Kai protested.

"You picked the color. I picked the dress."

"Same thing!"

"It’s not the same thing..."

"Boys," she interrupted, laughing. "Can we just get on the plane?"

Kai and I paused, looked at each other, then back at her.

"After you," Kai said, sweeping into an exaggerated bow.

I rolled my eyes and guided her up the stairs, my hand resting on her back. The interior of the jet smelled like vanilla. Ivy sank into a seat near the window, and immediately Kai and I flanked her, him on the left, me on the right.

She sighed, leaning back. "I wish Gideon came too."

My lips found her earlobe, teasing her satin-smooth skin. "Don’t worry about G. He’ll meet us there. He’s just tidying up some things."

"Tidying up," Kai hummed. "That’s one way to put it."

She turned to look at him. "What does that mean?"

"It means G is doing what G does best," His fingers found her exposed thigh, tracing lazy patterns on her skin. "You should stop worrying about him, little Ivy. He’ll be fine."

My mouth moved to her neck, sucking softly. "You should be more worried about the things we’ll do to you."

She shivered, her head falling back against the seat. "What things?"

Kai grinned, his hand sliding higher. "Oh, you’ll see."