Kit and Ivy: A Red Team Wedding Novella (9 page)

A strange flood of emotion overtook Ivy. Joy, fear, guilt, sorrow. And hope. She looked up at Kit, who met her glance with his own troubled gaze. He took her hand and led her to the foyer. She didn’t know what to do. Greet them like any other unknown visitor? Hug them? Shake hands with them?

Her mom, it seemed, was having the same quandary. She stood before Ivy with a hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. “Mom…” Ivy choked out before opening her arms to hug her. Ivy felt as if she’d jumped back in time to her younger self. She was zinged with sharp flashes of all the memories that floated like razorblades in her heart. The fear, the hurt, the humiliation.
Put it away,
Kit had said. How? How was she to do that when it was still so raw?

Her mom pulled free and leaned back to look at her. “Oh, Ivy. You are such a beautiful sight for my eyes.”

“You too, Mom.”

Her mom turned to Kit, who just finished shaking hands with her father. She took hold of his hand in both of hers. “Thank you. Thank you for being brave enough to invite us. I know we have a great deal to discuss. It’s a short weekend, and a hectic one, too, but I hope we’ll have a chance to talk a bit.”

Kit smiled at her, then pulled her into his arms. “We’ll make time.”

Ivy looked around them at her father. “Dad.”

“Mom’s right. You sure are beautiful.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you came.”

“Kit made it easy for us.”

“Was the trip difficult?” she asked them, grateful for a neutral subject.

“Not at all, dear,” her mom answered. She leaned close to Ivy and whispered, “He flew us out on a private jet. And the SUV that drove us up here was comfy, although the men who drove it were not very talkative.” She looked back at Kit. “It was thoughtful of you. But you needn’t have gone to such trouble. We would have come on our own.”

“I know you would have.” He smiled at her. “You know why I know?” She shook her head. “Because it was time for this.”

“It’s past time. Where’s my granddaughter?”

“Casey,” Kit called. She got up from her seat on the floor by the coffee table.
 

“Grandma, Grandpa,” she greeted them tentatively.

“Look at her, Adam. She’s all grown up. And so pretty.” At twelve, Casey was nearly as tall as her grandmother. She gave her elders a cautious smile. Ivy wrapped an arm around her. Helen looked between Ivy and Kit, then back at Casey. “She’s a perfect mix of both of you. Her mom’s features and her dad’s coloring.”

“Are you hungry?” Ivy asked her parents.

“Starving. Your father wouldn’t eat the airport food. And you know he doesn’t like fast food, so we didn’t stop on the way up here. I packed us a lunch, but we ate that on the plane.”
 

Ivy led them into the living room. “Well, good. We have a big dinner planned in honor of your visit.”

“This is a nice house. It’s been expanded since we lived in town. Didn’t it used to belong to the Bladens?” Adam asked.
 

“It still belongs to Ty.”

“Huh. So you live here, off his dime?”

Kit stopped. Took a breath. Then faced his soon-to-be father-in-law. “You’re outta line, Adam,” he said quietly. Ivy had never heard him use that tone of voice. “I suggest you don’t start handing out insults five minutes into your visit.” He stepped into Adam’s space. “You’re here to spend an important weekend with Ivy and Casey, but I can take you out that door just as easily as I brought you in it.”

“You haven’t changed. You’re still the hoodlum you always were.” He looked at Ivy then back at Kit. “Did you give her any choice about her future? Or did you just demand it would go the way you wanted?”

“Like you ever gave her any choices—least any that didn’t mean killing my daughter?”

Ivy’s father squared off with him. “It’s because of you Ivy had to hide. You stole her from us.”

“Oh, God. Adam, please. Please. We agreed—” Ivy’s mom tried to calm their escalating tempers. Ivy didn’t spare her a glance; she couldn’t take her eyes off her father and Kit. They were face to face now. Kit had grown since she’d last seen the two of them together. Her dad, at six feet, towered over her and her mom, using his size to intimidate them. It had always worked before, but now Kit was half a head taller and a good bit wider. She feared Kit was going to eviscerate him.
 

“I’m why.
I’m why
,” Kit repeated, his voice a hoarse whisper. “You wouldn’t let me near her. You wouldn’t let my phone calls get through to her. You kept my letters from her. I had to go AWOL to see her, but you’d put a restraining order on me. You took them from me and left them to fend for themselves. My
woman
. My
daughter
. They could have died because of you.” He looked over at Ivy.
 

Ivy couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Even her tears were like crystals at the edges of her eyes.

Kit stepped away, then faced Adam again. “You never tried to find her. You just left them out there in the world, as I did, because of you. But you know what? They didn’t need either of us. Did you know that Ivy has a degree in business administration? Did you know she runs a very successful small business in town? Did you know Casey is a fucking math whiz? Did you know she’s a brown belt in karate?” He bowed his head and sucked in air. “No. You didn’t know. Because you didn’t care to know.”

“Boy, you always could pile on the bullshit,” her father countered. “How the hell was I supposed to know where she went? How was I supposed to find her when she didn’t want to be found?” He pointed in Ivy’s direction. “She knew where we were. She knew our address. Our phone number. She never once tried to reach out to us.”

“You really expected her to do that? When every convo you’d had with her since learning of her pregnancy was about how to get rid of Casey?” Kit shook his head. He paced a few steps to his side, standing between her and her dad. “You were an adult. The burden was on your shoulders. You should have tried and tried and tried. Then tried again. They’re your flesh and blood. They’re my world. I would give my life for them.” He looked Adam in the eyes. “Would you?”

Adam shut his eyes. When he opened them, Ivy saw a terrible sorrow. He had the look of a man who’d wished for death, but kept living, day after day. Worn and beaten. “I did. I’ve paid for my sins every minute, every hour, every day and week and month and year that’s passed since this started.” His shoulders slumped. “I just want it to end.”

Ivy choked on a sob. She slipped past Kit and wrapped her arms around her father. Together, they cried. Ivy’s tears came from a bottomless well, one she’d dragged around with her for years, into which her every hope and dream had fallen into and drowned.
 

After a few minutes, her dad straightened. He gripped Ivy’s shoulders, gave her a squeeze. He nodded at her, then at Kit. “We’ll get our things and leave.”

“I’m not leaving, Adam,” Ivy’s mom said, rejecting his edict.

“No one’s going,” Ivy whispered through her tears.
 

“She’s right,” Kit said. “We start again. We start now. What happened happened. We can pick a different future. We can make that future together.”

Ivy sniffled. Her father reached into his pocket and handed her his clean hankie. She laughed when she saw it. How many times had he done that when she was a kid?

She turned to her mom, and the tears started again. “Mom, we have so much to catch up on.”

“We do. Yes, we do. But first, I have to say that your father can’t stand alone in the blame. I didn’t speak up. I didn’t fight for you the way I should have. We worried about such superficial things—we cared more about them than about you.” She shook her head. “And all those people we feared would judge us or obstruct your father’s career, they’re just gone anyway. Our counselor has helped us see how we let fear drive our lives. Your invitation couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m grateful you thought of us. After everything.” She hugged Ivy, then reached for Kit’s hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Banks.”

“Kit”—she straightened and faced him—“you’re marrying our daughter in two days. I think it’s time you called me Mom and Adam Dad, if you’re willing. Otherwise, Helen and Adam.”

Kit held out his hand to Adam. Ivy loved that half-grin he had on his face. “You ever imagine I’d be calling you ‘Dad’?”

“No. I’ve spent the last thirteen years imagining killing you.” Adam shook his hand. “But now I’m thinking it might be nice to have a son. I’ve never had one before. I’ll probably be bad at it.”

“I guess we’re even, then. I never had a dad.”

Adam laughed and clapped him on the back. “So, daughter, are you going to feed us tonight?”

Ivy swiped her hands across her face. She looked around, realizing how silent the room had become once her dad and Kit started in on each other. They were alone. She was glad Casey had been spared the worst of that scene.
 

“Yes. Let me just clean up a bit. Mom—there are two bathrooms in the hall on either side of the living room if you want to freshen up.”

“I’ll go see where everyone is,” Kit said. “We’ll meet back here in a few minutes. Dad”—Kit paused and grinned—“there’s a stocked bar. Help yourself.” He took Ivy’s hand and led her out of the living room. Inside their room, he pulled her into his arms. She drew a deep breath and rested her head against his chest.
 

“You worked a miracle today, Kit. I don’t know how you did it, but you put the pieces back together.”

“We’ll see. I think it’s a good start.”

“Far better than I could have dreamed. I hate to say it, but you were right about this. I didn’t realize what a weight it was for me, for us.”

He smiled down at her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve told you you’re my life, haven’t I?”

“I’m so lucky to have you.” Ivy had to blink more tears away. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I can’t seem to stop crying.”

“You look beautiful to me. You can cry the whole weekend away if you want, as long as you still marry me.”

Ivy gave him a wet laugh as she kissed his lips. “Go find everyone. Tell them it’s safe. Check on Casey, too, ’kay? I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Roger that.”

Kit had noticed the guys crowded in the kitchen as he’d walked Ivy to their room. When he stepped into the room, conversations stopped and all eyes turned to him. He held his hands out. “Really? Are you hiding in here?”

“Fuck yeah,” Blade told him. “Eden said some shit was goin’ down. I don’t see blood. Everything cool?”

“Yeah. Where’s Case?”

“I’m here, Dad.” She leaned around Angel on the bench at the table.

“Come here,” Kit called her over.

Angel lifted her over him and set her on her feet. She rushed to hug Kit. He patted her back. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean for it all to go down like that, but I’m glad it did, glad we got it over with.” He looked at his daughter. “We’ve decided to move forward as a family. I’d like you to try to get to know your grandparents while they’re here. Let’s make good use of this weekend.”

She set her jaw and glared up at him through sparkling eyes. “They made Mom cry again.”
 

He put his hand on her head. “They didn’t. The situation did. It’s a lot of emotion to work through. I’d rather Mom cry than suck it up and tough it out. With this at least.” He sent a glance around the room. “Thanks for giving us space.”
 

“You know, Kit, I don’t think you would have found common ground as quickly or as easily had Dan and his crew not cleared the house today,” Blade told him.

Kit smiled, remembering how noisy the space clearing had been that morning with the drums and the chanting. It had chased Owen out of his room. He’d stumbled into the kitchen, barefoot and wearing only jeans, to fill a mug with Kathy’s dark coffee like an addict jonessing for a fix. He’d taken a long draw of the hot liquid, then grumbled,
“Jesus Mother of God, tell me you hear that, too.”
He’d glared at Kit over his mug.
“I can’t be that hungover.”

 
Kit looked at Blade. “Does the house feel different to you?”

He nodded. “It’s not hard to breathe in the basement anymore. In fact, I’m thinking about putting in some offices down there.”

Shocked, Kit looked over at Kelan, who was standing with the shaman and his two assistants. He went over to hold his hand out. “I don’t know what you did, or how you did it, Dan, but I appreciate the help here.”

The shaman looked at Kit with a penetrating gaze as he took his hand. Kit felt uncomfortably exposed.
“There is more healing to be done, but the shadows were happy to go. Tonight, after we eat, we’ll smoke a pipe. I’ll say a prayer over the warriors, then the men. Tomorrow, I’ll say a prayer for the women. I’ll cleanse the five of you, then on Saturday, I’ll prepare the room for the ceremony. It will be a good way to begin your new lives.”

“I didn’t realize it would take so much of your time,” Kit said.
 

When the shaman didn’t answer, Kelan did. “Adjusting the energy of a place takes the time it takes. It’s important that it be handled thoroughly.”

Kit put a hand on Kelan’s shoulder. “Thanks, K.” He looked around, but didn’t see Owen among those hiding in the kitchen. “Where’s Owen?”

“He’s keeping Adam company.”

“Oh, hell.”

* * *

Owen poured shallow amber streams of Balcones into two glasses. As requested, he put ice in Adam’s. He pushed the iced glass toward their visitor, then tipped his glass to Adam before taking a sip.
 

“So, you’re a friend of Kit’s and Ty’s?” Adam asked.

“Nope. I’m their boss.”

“And what is it that your company does?”

“We run an international security services consultancy. We’ve made Ty Holt’s house our western headquarters.”

Adam tilted his head back and gave him a mistrustful look. “Ty’s last name is Bladen.”

“It was.” He didn’t elaborate.

“So, tell me about Kit. What’s your opinion of him?”

Owen fixed his gaze on Adam’s eyes. “There are many ways to take the measure of a man. Kit meets every one of them. And he’s a helluva team lead.”