Take Me Fast (Bridgewater County 3)

We heard Lily before we saw her as we stepped inside the house. A TV was on in a room nearby and whatever was happening on the screen made her laugh. I came to a stop as sweet little girl laughter hit us. I looked over at Cooper and saw that he looked just as shocked as I felt. Like a two-by-four struck me in the back of the head. Hearing her laugh made it all so real. She was real, not just a picture in a phone.

Now that we were inside, Ivy seemed determined to get this over with. She didn’t stop to give us time to adjust, she just walked straight into the living room and we followed behind her.

I’d seen the picture, but it didn’t do Lily justice.

Fuck me.

She was stunning. A little angel, with her mama’s blonde hair and blue eyes. And those eyes were fixed on Cooper and me, studying us with curiosity. I was vaguely aware of another person in the room but it wasn’t until she stepped into my line of sight that I really noticed her.

“You must be Rory and Cooper,” the gray-haired woman said with a smile.

Not only was I scared of a child, but I’d forgotten all my manners.

Ivy made the introductions. “Rory, Cooper, this is my great aunt, Sarah. I told her you were coming.” Judging by the knowing look the older woman gave us, Ivy had also told her what our relationship was to Lily. The fact that we were dropping her niece off at ten in the morning instead of last night, she probably had a pretty good idea what we’d been up to.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Cooper said. I looked over and saw that he was still staring at the little girl, apparently just as fascinated as I was at the sight of her.

“Lily, honey,” Ivy said. “Come on over here and meet my…my friends.”

I shot her a look. Friends? So that’s how she wanted to spin this. We were just some random friends dropping by to say hello?

My original anger was back, but I swallowed it down as Lily climbed off the couch and headed our way. Coming to a stop next to Ivy, she pressed herself up against her mother’s leg as she gave us a shy smile. She wore a bright pink nightgown the fell to her ankles, her blonde locks slightly tangled from sleep. “Hello.”

Without thinking, I dropped down to her level and reached out a hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Lily. I’m Rory.”

Her answering smile was magic, just like her mother’s. Then she turned her gaze up to Cooper. I saw him freeze as she reached out to touch his hand. It was his bad arm, the one that was covered in scars, although they were hidden by the long sleeve of his shirt. A flurry of emotions—dark and jagged—chased across his face as he stared at her and her tiny, outstretched hand. Mumbling something I couldn’t understand, he turned tail and bolted, his footfall heavy on the wood floor, the screen door slapping loudly behind him. Instinctively, I stood to go after him but Ivy stopped me with a shake of her head.

“No,” she said. “Let me go.”

I nodded. She was right. I’d been trying to help him for months, but what he really needed right now was Ivy. And Lily. He needed our family. He knew I was his best friend and I was always there for him, but he was tired of hearing the same-old from me, that it hadn’t been his fault. He hadn’t been responsible for all those lives, all of those men who’d died when his chopper had been hit by the fucking RPG. He’d been able to keep the bird in the air long enough so the crash happened where a rescue team could get to him, to bring all the men’s bodies home to be buried. He was a fucking hero, but he didn’t see it that way.

And now, out of the blue, he had a kid. A kid who would look to him to stay safe. Whole. Healthy. I couldn’t help him with this because I was freaking the fuck out too. A little girl with blond ringlets and blue eyes looked up at me—her head tilted way back because I was so much bigger—with something like awe and unconditional trust. Her little head cocked to the side and I recognized the same gesture in her mother.

My love for Ivy had grown over time. My love for Lily, instantaneous.

Just like that, my mind was made up. Ivy might have had her reasons for doing what she had, but things were different now. We were here and we weren’t going anywhere. Whether Ivy wanted us or not, nothing would change the fact that Lily was ours, too. Yeah, we might have a fledgling business started in Bridgewater, but we had a daughter. She came first. Seattle, Bridgewater, I didn’t give a fuck. I wasn’t missing another minute with her.

Hopefully, we’d all be a family soon enough, a unit, but even if we couldn’t win Ivy over, there was no way I would ever walk away from this girl, not now that she was in our lives.

I dropped to my knees again, leaned back on my heels so we were eye to eye.

“That man, he’s scared,” she said, her voice soft and gentle.

Perceptive little thing. She got her smarts from Ivy, that was for sure.

I darted a glance at Aunt Sarah, who gave a slight nod along with a small, reassuring smile.

“He is.” I cleared my throat.

“Of m

e?”

When Lily looked at me with those big eyes filled with worry, I told her what she needed to know.

CHAPTER EIGHT

IVY