From This Moment (14 page)

Ivy checked her watch and stood. She and Jonathan had been sitting in the conference room for the last fifteen minutes. He needed to leave, and she needed to see what was happening with Lauren and Randall.

“Let’s go and see what happened,” she said to Jonathan.

As they walked down the stairs, they saw Gwen coming toward them.

“Ivy, I was looking for you.”

“I was in the conference room,” she said, continuing to walk toward her office.

“Lauren Kabins told me to tell you that she’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Did she and her fiancé leave?” Ivy wanted to know.

“Yes, they both left about five minutes ago.”

Ivy looked at Jonathan and then back at Gwen. “Thanks a lot, Gwen.”

As soon as Gwen was out of earshot, Jonathan said to Ivy, “I wonder what happened?”

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.” Ivy shook her head and continued to her office. “We’d better make sure the office isn’t a wreck.”

There was a possibility that Lauren had thrown something or pushed something over to release her frustration, anger and disappointment. Ivy canvassed the room, but everything was in its place.

“Things are fine here,” Jonathan said, inspecting the place himself.

“True. Looks that way, doesn’t it?” Ivy said, picking up the folder from the desk. “Well, looks can be deceiving. We’ve just got to wait and see.”

An uneasy feeling swept over Ivy as she remembered the look of disappointment on Lauren’s face when she’d left the office. The excited and vibrant young woman she’d met a couple of weeks ago had been replaced with a woman filled with uncertainty.

Jonathan bent to give Ivy a kiss. “I hate that things turned out this way.”

“If Randall hadn’t harped on the situation, Lauren would have never found out.”

“But, baby, like you said, we don’t know what Randall said to her.”

“You’re right, but I’ve got this weird feeling we’re going find out soon.”

* * *

After Jonathan left, Ivy placed an order for wedding invitations and favors for two brides who were getting married in May and June. She’d picked up the phone several times to call Lauren, but she only got as far as dialing the first three numbers before hanging up. She would wait until Lauren contacted her.

“Girl, this has been a day.”

Lili came strolling into the office, throwing her body into the chair in front of Ivy’s desk.

“Yes, it has been interesting,” Ivy said as she turned to type a note in the brides file.

“Vee, what did Randall want?”

“Not a thing.” Ivy didn’t lie, but she didn’t need to go into details about her conversation with Randall, especially not with Lili.

“Let me tell you, when you left the room, Lauren had this look on her face like ‘why does he have to talk to Ivy in private’.” She waved her hand. “I was thinking to myself, ‘Uh, oh, it’s about to jump off in here.’ ”

Ivy shook her head. “You’re exaggerating, Lili.”

Lili sat up straight in the chair, pushing herself to the edge. “No, I’m not. She kept looking back at the door. I had to keep trying to get her to focus on what we were doing. So finally when she’d made her choices, she said ‘I’m going to go and see what’s taking them so long.’”

Ivy stared at her sister, wondering if Lili knew how much she talked and how fast she did it.

Getting up from her desk, she went to the bookcase and removed a reference manual and brought it back.

“All I can say is once she entered this office, Jonathan and I were certain they needed to talk to each other alone.”

Lili grabbed the arms of the chair and brought it closer to her sister’s wide desk. “Oh, yeah, I was meaning to ask you about Jonathan. Why was he here?”

What was she going to do with her sister? As soon as she answered one question, thinking it would be the end, Lili came back with another.

“You should have been a news reporter instead of a baker.”

Lili tucked one leg underneath the other. “I’m just trying to get the facts.”

Ivy glanced at her watch. “Don’t you have other appointments today?”

Lili checked hers as well before standing to her feet. “I sure do. I have two this afternoon. Rosie and I are going out for lunch. Do you want to come with us?”

A wide smile suddenly appeared on Ivy’s face. She had gotten used to Lili’s tricks. If she wanted to play twenty questions, she’d agree to lunch, but she’d already played that game with her sister.

“Thanks, sweetie, but I’ve got to catch up.”

Lili strolled toward the office door before turning back to Ivy. “Maybe next time. And you still didn’t answer my question as to why Jonathan was here, but that’s okay. I’ll check you later.”

Ivy chuckled and went back to work, but was immediately interrupted again by the ringing of the telephone.

“Vee, have you got a minute?”

“Sure, Rosie.”

“I’m coming down there. I don’t want to say this over the phone.”

“I thought you were going to lunch with Lili.”

“I am, but I need to talk to you first.”

Ivy hung up and waited for Rose.

“Vee, did you know that Gwen was engaged?”

Ivy’s eyes narrowed. “No. When did this happen?”

“I overheard her talking to her mother on the phone. She was saying something about not having the money to spend on a big wedding.”

“Hmm,” Ivy said, trying to figure out what the words could mean.

Leaning forward, she clasped her hands together. “You know what, Rosie, we shouldn’t say anything to her because she may not want us to know.”

Rose shook her head. “I understand that, but maybe we can help her. She works here. We’re supposed be one of the best in the business. Why not help her?”

“We’ll help her. Let me just think of a way we can do it without looking nosey.”

Rose stood to her feet. “I’d better get going or Lili will be looking for me.”

Rose left her office, and Ivy hoped she wouldn’t have any more interruptions. She wanted to get a bite to eat herself because her afternoon would be just as busy.

* * *

Ivy called in her lunch order, went and picked it up and ate while she finished her column for the next week and reviewed the seating chart for Lauren’s wedding. She’d gotten a steady flow of responses, and put individuals together based on the list Lauren had given her.

After she e-mailed her column to the editor, Ivy received a call from Sally Carter wanting to know if Ivy would come into the studio in the morning to shoot a promo for the reality show. They set the appointment for nine o’clock.

Ivy sat and reflected on her life. So much had happened since the start of the new year. She couldn’t have imagined giving wedding planning advice to couples on a television program, writing a newspaper column and getting married.

She thought the last one would destroy her, but it turned out to be one of her greatest blessings. She couldn’t have imagined a better friend than Jonathan. When she flew home from Las Vegas, Jonathan was a problem that she had to get rid of before anyone else found out, but now she wanted to shout it from the rooftops that she was Mrs. Jonathan Damon.

Because of her experience with Randall, fear of rejection and disappointment had plagued her each and every time any other man tried to get close to her. She’d then have to find a way to get out of the relationship. She liked her life the way it was, and letting a man get to know her intimately meant taking a chance with her heart. Ivy hadn’t risked it in a very, very long time.

The way Jonathan came into her life wasn’t ideal, but she felt good about her decision to let Jonathan in. Their special relationship had been like non-other she’d had in her life.

Ivy picked up her phone and dialed Jonathan’s number.“Hey, babe.”

“I’m inviting you over tonight.”

“You are?”

“I just want to celebrate us. Nothing fancy, but something that will make us appreciate each other.”

“Hmmm,” he said. “This sounds like a seduction to me. I like the way you said ‘appreciate each other’. Ivy, what are you going to do to me?”

“Just come over at about seven,” Ivy said, ignoring his last question.

“I’ll be there.”

“What kind of pizza do you like?” she asked.

“Beef sausage and pepperoni,” Jonathan said, adding, “Why don’t I bring the pizza?”

“Sure, but I like thin crust,” Ivy said.

“I’ll see you tonight at about seven o’clock,” he said to Ivy.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

As soon as she ended the call, Ivy replayed the sexy way Jonathan’s voice sounded. Desire washed through her, and she couldn’t wait to see him.

* * *

Music and candlelight filled the house when Jonathan arrived. Suspicion rose within him when Ivy came to the door and disappeared.

He put the pizza on the kitchen countertop and went looking for her.

“Where are you?” he asked, walking into the great room and down the hall.

“I’m back here,” he heard her yell.

Jonathan strolled down the long hall to her bedroom.

“You disappeared . . .” His words fell off as soon as he walked into the room and saw her rubbing her naked body with a scented lotion.

He eyed her perky round breasts and her naked thighs resting against the bed linen, and was tempted to forget the pizza. He went over and sat beside her.

Ivy couldn’t help laughing; she knew what he was thinking the moment she looked into his eyes.

“Let me finish this so we can eat.”

Ignoring her, Jonathan pulled the bobby pins from her hair, which she’d pinned up to avoid getting it wet in the shower.

“Jonathan,” she said softly.

“I think we should finish this first,” he said, “and then we can eat.”

He picked up the tube of vanilla scented lotion and squeezed a dollop into his hand. He rubbed his hands together and then massaged the creamy mixture into her shoulders.

Ivy couldn’t help herself; she leaned back on her elbows and allowed herself to revel in his sensuous strokes. She almost forgot she was completely naked.

Jonathan got up and kneeled in front of her, taking the lotion with him. Starting with her feet, he began to massage her. He then went to her legs and massaged them before parting her thighs and rubbing them with the lotion.

After hearing her moans, Jonathan’s need to take off his blue jeans became urgent, but he decided to wait; this was her moment.

With her legs spread, Jonathan gently caressed the curls concealing her essence. Looking up at her, he knew exactly what she needed.

“Lie back,” he whispered, his voice ragged.

Closing her eyes, Ivy did exactly what he asked. She knew what happened next was going to be good.

Jonathan lifted Ivy’s round bottom and grasped her thighs, drawing her body toward him. He planted kisses on the inside of her thighs, slowly moving downward and getting closer and closer to her most sensitive spot.

Caught by surprise, her eyes flew open and she began to squirm. She had not anticipated what he was about to do.

Feeling her discomfort, Jonathan paused, saying, “Relax, baby, and let me love you.”

And Ivy did just that; she let Jonathan love her. They made love to each other, and neither thought about the time or the pizza, now probably stone cold.

Resting in Jonathan’s embrace, her hand on his chest, Ivy watched him, thinking he was asleep.

“What is it?” he asked, opening his eyes slightly.

“I thought you were asleep,” she replied, kissing him on the side of the mouth.

“Look, woman, don’t start. I’ll flip you over and be inside you before you take your next breath.”

Ivy smiled. She knew he meant every word. “I wanted to call Lauren a couple of times today, but I just couldn’t.”

Jonathan turned to face her. “I thought about her today myself. I couldn’t help but wonder what he said to her. She seemed like a sweet girl.”

“Yes, a woman in love. I keep telling myself that I shouldn’t be concerned, but I just can’t help it.”

Jonathan kissed her nose. “In our line of work, it’s inevitable because we actually share in some of the most memorable moments in people’s lives.”

Ivy hugged him. “That is true, but before I just made sure that the magic was there. I didn’t get all emotional about it.”

“Or so you thought,” Jonathan said, interrupting her.

“Maybe I feel so differently because it was somebody from my own past.”

Jonathan lifted a stray curl off her face. “That’s probably part of it, but you are passionate about every wedding you put together. Look at how sad it made you feel when the first couple of your show broke off their engagement.”

He pulled her close and caressed her naked bottom. “As I said, you are a passionate woman. I always knew that, but now I’ve experienced it.”

Ivy kissed him and laid her head against his shoulder. After a while, she tried to roll to the other side of the bed.