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  “My marrying Jonathan was nobody’s business.” Ivy got up from her seat and walked around the desk. “I had my reasons for not telling anyone about the marriage.”

  Stepping forward, Lili reached out to touch Ivy’s arm. “Why would you do that?”

  Ivy stared at Lili. “I know you don’t think I’m going to tell you.”

  They both laughed, before Lili said, “You got me. I deserved that one.”

  Ivy couldn’t stay mad at Lili, so she hugged her. “You better learn how to keep your mouth shut. You just can’t go around telling other people’s business.” She released her and said, “Somebody could get hurt.”

  “Somebody did get hurt, and that was the last thing I wanted,” Lili said, nodding in agreement.

  She headed for the door, then stopped and said, “I’ll check you later.”

  Holding up her hand to stop her, Ivy said, “Please take a couple bouquets of flowers with you.”

  “He really wants you back, huh.”

  “Lili,” Ivy said, in a warning tone of voice.

  Lili grabbed two bouquets of roses. “Okay, okay, I’m outta here.”

  After Lili left, Ivy looked around the room and still felt she was in a flower garden.

  Chapter 26

  Jonathan stood in front of his armoire gazing at the beautiful brooch his mother had left him. The intricate piece of jewelry would look stunning pinned on one of Ivy’s business suits. He’d cherish the gift for the rest of his life.

  With the drawer opened, he contemplated what to do about his situation with Ivy. He’d told himself that he was doing the right thing by giving her space and that she would call as soon as she was ready, just like she did the last time.

  His heart didn’t believe that, because this situation was altogether different. The first time they barely knew each other, so it was understandable that she needed time to sort things out. But now that he knew her heart, discussing the situation was the solution.

  Fear of rejection and abandonment were the culprits behind Ivy’s tirade. Sure, he should not have blurted out his business, but he wasn’t ashamed of being Ivy’s husband.

  Suddenly, he closed the drawer and the doors on the armoire. His mind made up, he picked up his jacket, stuck the box in his pocket and left the house.

  He couldn’t take it any longer. Even if she told him to go to hell or that she was going to get the annulment, at least he would hear the news in person.

  * * *

  With purpose and determination, Jonathan drove over to Ivy’s house. He wouldn’t let another day go by without resolving the situation. Not knowing where he stood in her life was brutal. He wanted to love her and to be loved by her. Once he left her house tonight, he’d have his answer.

  Jumping out of the truck, he moved swiftly to the front door. He slipped his hands inside his jacket pocket, waiting for her to answer.

  Just as Jonathan was about to ring the bell again, Ivy opened the door.

  “Yes?” she said, her face blank and cold.

  “Can I come in?”

  “What do you want?”

  “I want to talk to you.”

  “About?”

  “Us. Let me come in and talk to you.”

  Several moments went by before she pushed the door open.

  “Talk,” she said, closing the door behind her.

  Jonathan reached out to touch Ivy’s arm, but she turned and walked around him.

  Removing his jacket, he laid it on the arm of the sofa and sat down. Ivy treating him like a stranger stung, but he cleared his throat.

  “Baby, come over here and sit next to me.”

  He knew Ivy was determined to hold on to her anger when she didn’t move.

  “Jonathan, you betrayed my trust.”

  “I did not betray you.”

  She threw up her hand. “Whatever, Jonathan, whatever.”

  “Hold on, you need to settle down.” Jonathan stayed seated, but he really wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her head. “Let me ask you a question.”

  Ivy looked at him. “I’m listening.”

  “Have I ever lied to you?”

  “No,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned away so her eyes didn’t meet his gaze.

  Jonathan stood. “Haven’t I supported you?”

  “Yes.”

  Walking over to her, he reached out to her first to see if she would turn away. When she didn’t, he turned her around so they could face each other.

  Ivy dropped her head.

  Jonathan continued.

  “Did I ever mistreat you, disrespect you, or abuse you with words?”

  Slowly, Ivy lifted her head; they stood silently staring at each other.

  With sadness in her eyes, she swallowed hard before she answered. “No, you didn’t.”

  Jonathan opened his arms to her, waiting for her to fill them.

  Gradually, Ivy lifted her hand until it touched his. Jonathan grasped it securely. Leading her over to the sofa, they sat down together.

  “Baby, I am sorry for putting our business out there like that. I know you’re a private person, but Marc had made me so angry, I blurted it out.”

  “You had no right to do that.”

  “Oh, I did, because I’m in this with you as well.”

  Jonathan lifted her chin, gazing into her brown eyes. He said, “You have to know that I love and care for you. I told you that I’d always be there for you and, from the moment we got married, I’ve kept my promise to you.”

  “How can I trust you after what happened the other night?”

  “You know what I think? All this frustration, anger and distrust are geared toward the wrong person.”

  Ivy quickly stood up. “Oh, I know who I’m angry at, Jonathan.”

  He stood up as well. “Ivy, I don’t want you to get what I’m saying twisted. What I mean is that Randall is the person you’re angry with, not me. I didn’t betray your trust or make you feel unworthy or humiliate you. He did.”

  Ivy opened her mouth to retort, but Jonathan stopped her. “Wait, let me finish. Even though you said you both went your separate ways after the accident, I don’t think you ever really dealt with your feelings about the situation.”

  Tears were rolling down Ivy’s face; she was clearly upset by what he’d said. “How can you say that I didn’t deal with Randall? It took me a long time to heal from that experience.”

  He caressed her cheek. “Baby, I want you to be honest with yourself. I think you started trying to deal with it when you told me about it. And that was only because he had shown up in the flesh.”

  Ivy turned away, but Jonathan followed. “I’m not trying to hurt you, baby. I’d never do anything that would bring harm to you. I’m your covering, and what kind of man would I be if I didn’t treat my wife right?”

  Walking back over to the sofa, Ivy sat down, resting with her head thrown back and her eyes closed. After releasing an exasperated breath, she sat up straight.

  Jonathan still stood in front of her, and she patted the empty space next to her. He came over and sat down.

  “When I came home from the hospital that day, I was so hurt and angry. I really thought he loved me, but in retrospect, it was always about him, what he wanted and how he wanted it to be.”

  She scooted closer to Jonathan. “You are right, I didn’t deal with my feelings about how my relationship ended with Randall. It hurt so bad that I tried to ignore all those feelings.”

  Laying her head on Jonathan’s shoulder, she said in a whisper, “You’ve been nothing but kind to me. I need you to be patient while I work some things out.”

  Jonathan placed a kiss on her head. “I’ll be here for you. It’s going to be all right.”

  At that moment, he decided it was time he found out where their marriage was headed. “Have you made a decision about us? Are we or aren’t we going to stay together?”

  Ivy sat up straight and turned toward him. “You are truly my fri
end, and what woman wouldn’t want to be married to a man that loves, protects, cherishes, encourages and supports her every endeavor?” She pressed her fingers in his chest. “That’s what you are to me, Jonathan.”

  Laying her head against his chest, they sat that way for a while before Jonathan spoke. “Does that mean you’re not going back to Vegas?”

  Ivy got up from the couch and left the room.

  Jonathan tried to grab her hand, but she gently pulled it away and kept walking. “I want to get something,” she said as she disappeared from his sight.

  She returned with a familiar white envelope. She turned it upside down, and the gold ring that he’d purchased at the Las Vegas gift shop fell out. Ivy slid it on her finger.

  Jonathan’s heart sang a song of thanks. He lifted her hand. Kissing her knuckles, he said, “Baby, we’re going to have to go and get you a real ring. I don’t want your fingers turning green.”

  They both chuckled as Jonathan pulled her back into his arms. “Do you want to have a real wedding? Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

  Ivy shook her head. “No, I think we should just have a reception. I don’t want to ever forget how we got married.”

  “Yeah. I’ll tell our children ‘I wanted your momma so bad, I married her while she was drunk.’ ”

  “You better not, Jonathan.” Ivy couldn’t help but laugh as well. She kissed his lips. “I love you, Mr. Damon.”

  “I love you, too, Mrs. Damon.”

  “Wait,” Jonathan said, leaning over to the arm of the sofa, he picked up his jacket. He removed the blue velvet box.

  Ivy’s hand flew to her mouth. “You already bought me a ring?”

  “No, baby, this isn’t a ring. It’s something very precious to me.” He heard Ivy’s gasp when he flipped open the lid.

  He glanced up at her and could see tears forming in her eyes.

  “It’s beautiful,” Ivy said, reaching out to touch the delicate piece of jewelry.

  “This brooch belonged to my mother.”

  “Your mother?”

  “Yes. She gave it to Aunt Rachel to give to me, along with this letter.” Jonathan pulled the letter out of his other pocket and handed it to her.

  Ivy skimmed the words on the sheet of paper. From time to time, she’d glance up at Jonathan. “This is so special. How long have you had this?”

  “Aunt Rachel gave it to me the other day, along with this gift to give to my wife.” Jonathan gave the box to Ivy, who had to clear her throat before she could speak.

  “I don’t know what to say.” She couldn’t form the words to express the way she felt about the gift. She’d never experienced something so beautiful and rare.

  “You don’t have to say anything; I just want you to give it to our daughter if we have a girl, or to our son to present to his wife one day.”

  “I will, I promise,” Ivy said before she drew him close.

  Epilogue

  One year later . . .

  Life for Ivy Hart Damon had changed so much, most importantly in her ability to love her husband without fear or inhibition. They were good together, and now with her reality show in its second season, life had definitely become more hectic.

  Today, her sisters were throwing her a special viewing party for the premiere of Here Comes The Bride—Chicago with Ivy Hart.

  Rose had given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Joi Marie. Ivy and Jonathan were asked to be her godparents. Joi was a good baby, and if Ivy could keep herself from picking her up every time she got a chance, she would stay that way.

  Since both Joi’s mommy and daddy were working, Ivy and Jonathan had to care for her. As she stood over the bed watching her goddaughter sleeping, Jonathan walked up behind her. “You know, Joi is just as beautiful as her god-mother,” he said, kissing her softly on the nape of her neck. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, but I hate to wake her. She’s sleeping so soundly.”

  “Baby, I can’t believe that you’re not worried about the time.”

  Glancing at the clock on the wall, Ivy said, “We’ve still got a little time yet.” She left the room to get the jacket to her outfit. When she returned, Jonathan was holding Joi Marie.

  “Jonathan, you are just as bad as Momma. You’re going to spoil her.”

  “That’s okay,” he whispered. “An uncle has to spoil his goddaughter.”

  “Do you think I look okay?” Ivy asked, turning around in the burgundy, two-piece crinkled iridescent taffeta outfit.

  “You look stunning, as always. Don’t be nervous, baby.”

  “Okay, Papa, let’s go,” she said, grabbing the baby bag and her purse. She smiled as she watched how carefully Jonathan handled Joi, acting as if she was a piece of fine glassware.

  Ivy couldn’t wait until they had children of their own. Jonathan was going to be a great father.

  * * *

  Ivy stepped into the ballroom of Magic Moments and could not believe her eyes. Large displays were on the easels all around the room, all covered with satin drape. Rose had decorated the place, transforming it into a chic party place. As always, Ivy was impressed with her sister’s creativity.

  They even had a beautiful bassinet placed next to the dais for Joi.

  At some point, Ivy realized that the guests included former clients who had brought their relatives and friends. And they were all making congratulatory remarks to her.

  Rose and Marc came into the ballroom and headed straight for Ivy.

  Rose was coming to get Joi, who had fallen asleep.

  She bent over and lifted her baby girl up and placed her on her shoulder. She then leaned forward and kissed Ivy on the cheek.

  “Hey, Vee. You know I had to come and get my baby before Momma got here.”

  Ivy smiled. Her niece would never want for love. She moved closer to her sisters. “Why are so many of our former clients here? I thought this was going to be a family affair.”

  Rose winked at her sister and turned to walk away. Looking back, she said, “We should be starting in a minute; you better take your seat.”

  Violet came to the podium.

  “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We would like to thank you for coming out to celebrate the premiere of the second season of Here Comes the Bride—Chicago. In just a few moments we will preview this season’s premiere episode, but first my brother-in-law Jonathan would like to have a few words.”

  “Good afternoon, everyone.”

  He then looked over at Ivy. “Baby, come over here.”

  Ivy got up from her seat smiling, filled with excitement. They had been married over a year and she couldn’t have been happier with him. He still possessed all the same qualities, and had never wavered from his love for her.

  A giddy feeling swept over Ivy as she watched him struggle to reach inside his jacket and hold the microphone at the same time. Finally, he handed her the mike, then reached in his jacket and removed a black velvet box.

  Ivy’s mouth dropped. Jonathan had just purchased a diamond wedding band to replace the plain gold one that they used for the ceremony when they got married. She tucked that one in a keepsake box along with their vanity marriage certificate.

  Jonathan took the microphone from her and reached to grab her hand. “Baby, I’m so proud of you and what you’ve accomplished. You are so passionate about your work and about making wedding dreams a reality. I wanted to give you a small token of my love and affection.” He steadied the mike and opened the box.

  The site of the gorgeous platinum three-stone ring almost took her breath away. The beautifully crafted round center stone sparkled with the two shield-shape diamonds on the side.

  Speechless, Ivy held out her hand. Jonathan slid the ring on her ring finger, where it nestled next to the diamond ring she was already wearing. Then, the ring in place, he kissed her.

  Once he ended the kiss, Ivy started back to her seat, but he stopped her. “Hold on, baby, I’m not done with you yet.” He signaled to the server in the back and the
doors opened.

  Lili rolled in a Las Vegas-themed three-tiered wedding cake. The middle tier had Ivy and Jonathan’s names written around it in script.

  Jonathan pulled Ivy into his arms. “I know our anniversary has passed, but I knew your sisters were throwing you this party, so I decided everyone here would celebrate our one year anniversary with us.”

  Lili stood next to the cake, beaming with pride in her creation. Ivy blew her a kiss and mouthed the words “thank you.”

  Turning her attention back to her husband, she took his face between her hands. “Happy anniversary, Mr. Damon,” she said, leaning forward to lightly kiss his lips.

  Jonathan stepped back and presented his wife to the audience. “I’ve loved her from the moment our eyes connected.”

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for reading Ivy and Jonathan’s story. I pray that you enjoyed Ivy’s roller coaster ride to forgiveness and true love.

  People go through so many things in this life that leave them scarred, feeling guilty and sometimes causing them to build a wall when it comes to matters of the heart. It’s a blessing when you find someone who will accept you as you are and love you anyway. That’s what I admired so much about Jonathan Damon. To me it’s unconditional love; something that is hard to find in this microwave society. Everyone is quick to judge even without thinking of their own faults, failures, and flaws.

  I’m always happy to hear from readers. You can drop me a line at [email protected] or go to my website http://www.seandyoung.com.

  All good things in love and life,

  Sean D. Young

  Wedding Tip: In today’s economy, everyone wants to cut costs. You can be realistic when planning your wedding without sacrificing your wedding dreams. Instead of getting married on a Saturday afternoon with a seven course dinner reception, plan a Friday evening or Sunday afternoon wedding serving brunch or lunch reception instead. Reception costs can account for up to 45% of your wedding budget.