Finding Love in Ivy Falls

Chapter Eighteen

TESSA

Hold Me Like A Promise

The only sign someone was inside the P&P was the set of low lights coming through the front picture window where I displayed current bestsellers, romance titles and my favorite children’s books. I quickly parked, grabbed an armful of towels and rushed inside, hunching my body over to avoid the rain.

When I found Manny in the back corner of the store, he was pacing, his gaze fixed on a wet patch in the ceiling. I should have been shocked by the leak in the roof, but that wasn’t why my throat went bone dry. Why dopamine flooded my veins with a hum of pure pleasure. Manny stood only a few feet away, shirtless and dripping wet. The waves in his dark hair slicked back. Corded muscles on his biceps and forearms glistened. His dark jeans hung low on his hip bones, and a delicate tattoo was inked in lacy script along his ribcage. He resembled a Greek god who’d just stepped from the sea, and I was about to lose my damn mind.

I stood frozen, completely mesmerized (and admittedly turned on) by the chiseled outline of his gorgeous body. At this point I was pretty sure I was drooling.

‘Tess.’ His voice rumbled through my body, and my core warmed in a way I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Maybe never.

A tiny drop of water plunged off the edge of his strong chin and hit the center of… oh my lord, the most perfectly carved chest I’d ever seen.

‘Sorry about all this.’ His voice shook me from my heated daze. ‘You shouldn’t have to see the store this way.’

There was such a gutted ache to his voice that I finally looked into his slate gray eyes.

‘What happened?’

‘I wanted to start on the coffee bar. Thought I’d take a look at the plans again. When I got here, I heard a dripping noise. I followed the sound to this spot. Water was already pouring down and covering some of the shelves.’

I tried to stay focused on his eyes and not the perfectly cut line of his abs that led down to the sharp V of his hips and dropped into his low waistband. My pulse became frenzied, and I forced myself to remember that it would be all kinds of awkward to reach out and trace the delicious lines carving out his pecs. I gripped the edges of my skirt, trying to concentrate on the words coming out of his beautiful mouth, but it was like watching a Roman statue come to life right before my eyes. A statue I desperately wanted to touch.

Another stray drop eased down his dark hairline and slid across his beautiful cheek. I wanted to lean in and lick it away.

Cool it, Tess. Part of your store is currently wrecked.

‘There’s a tarp on the roof now which should stop most of the leak. I’ll get a crew out here tomorrow to do a patch.’

He worked his tight jaw, and my mind still raced with too many inappropriate thoughts.

‘You climbed on the roof during a storm? Why, Manny? That’s dangerous.’

He dragged a hand through his luscious hair again and my ovaries did a little dance.

Man, I had to get it together.

‘I was worried about the damage the water would do to your books.’ He looked at me with such devotion that I had to clasp my hands in front of me, because all I wanted to do was reach out and touch his wet cheeks. Place a kiss on his full lips.

‘Books are not worth putting yourself in danger. I’d rather have a thousand-dollar loss than see you get hurt. You know that, right?’

That tender look on his face remained. ‘I know, but you have to understand that I’d do anything for you.’

We stayed in a frozen haze, his gaze lingering on my mouth.

‘I brought the towels,’ I managed to mumble, trying to look anywhere but at his lips.

‘Good. Let’s start laying them down along the back wall to soak up the mess.’

I started to move to where puddles of water were forming when he caught me by the arm. He’d touched me hundreds of times before, but for some reason, tonight, it was more electric. As if, in the shadowed and quiet surroundings of my beloved store, I was finally seeing the true him. Or it could be that I hadn’t had sex in what felt like decades, and the sight of him half naked reminded me that I was still a hot-blooded woman with needs.

‘Insurance will cover this. Don’t worry,’ he whispered.

Reality finally shook me out of my sex-deprived stupor. The floors near the leak were soaked. Water covered the top shelves and spilled over two freestanding displays. I’d have to do a better assessment after we sopped up the mess, but at a glance, the loss would be sizeable.

‘Let’s clean up as much as we can and then figure out the damage.’

He gave me a defeated nod and pulled half the towels from my arms.

We got on our hands and knees, drying up as much of the water as possible. Some of it had reached the children’s section, and I used one of the larger beach towels to cover part of the rainbow rug.

‘Manny, why aren’t you home with Lou?’ I finally said.

He tried to hide it, but his hands shook as he pressed a towel down into a puddle.

‘She’s acting strange. At dinner tonight, I asked if something was bothering her.’ He shook his head. ‘I mentioned going back to see her therapist. She got angry and stormed from the table.’

He shoved the towel over and over against the hardwood floor, intent on soaking up as much water as possible.

‘I asked your sister to watch her because work usually clears my head. Thought it’d be smart to come here and get the demo started…’ He broke off, and I hated the sadness in his voice.

I left my spot on the rainbow rug and crossed the room. My skirt pooled around my legs when I sank down beside him. ‘It was one bad night. As she grows older, becomes a teenager, there will be more. Lou adores you. She’ll talk when she’s ready.’

‘It kills me to see her unhappy. I’m trying so hard to do all the right things for her. But I’ll never be Gina,’ he gasped. ‘How can my little girl have a happy childhood if she can’t have her mother?’

He jammed two more towels against the wall like he needed to stay in motion or he’d fall apart.

I laid my hand over the top of his. He turned to me, his eyes wracked with pain, and I held out my arms. The weight of him collapsed against me. I thought for sure I wouldn’t be strong enough to hold him, but he fit perfectly against me. The dampness of his hair soaked into my blouse. I reached up and slid my fingers through the dark strands. His body rocked against mine as I hugged him tighter.

‘You’re being too hard on yourself. Lou knows better than anyone how much you love her.’

‘What if it’s not enough? It terrifies me to think that I could lose her if I don’t do all the right things.’

‘It’s easy to fall into that trap,’ I said, holding him closer. ‘Every night before I go to bed, I second-guess all the choices I’ve made that day. Last night, I let the girls have ice cream before bed, and then I tossed and turned all night worrying about whether or not they’d brushed their teeth properly. Praying they wouldn’t get any cavities.’

His soft chuckle rumbled against my chest. I tried to pretend that having his rock-solid body leaning into mine did not set off all kinds of fantasies in my head, but then I reminded myself that this was Manny, my friend, who at the current moment was in a terrible parenting spiral.

Like he felt me tighten up, he pulled away and sat back.

He tugged his hands through the places in his hair where I’d run my fingers. The wall of muscle rippled across his chest again. I looked away as the lower half of my body lit up like a freaking bonfire.

‘I’ve had a few struggles in my life,’ he said quietly. ‘But nothing’s been as tough as being a single parent.’

‘You’re not alone in this. We have each other,’ I said, finally looking into his eyes. ‘I’m so grateful I have someone to talk to. Who understands my worries and crazy fears, like cavities.’

He let loose a slow smile, and I couldn’t stop the heat that swept through me again.

‘Maybe you should put a shirt on. Aren’t you cold?’ I said, jumping to my feet.

His low chuckle filled the room. ‘Am I making you uncomfortable, Tess?’

‘No,’ I said much too quickly.

‘Sorry again about the mess.’ He moved to his feet, all the muscles in his arms rippling.

I bit into my lip, the hunger in his eyes pinning me in place. ‘I’m not worried about it,’ I said like I could ignore the way his skin glistened in the shadowy light. ‘If anything, I know I can count on you to make things right. This past year you’ve made life bearable for me. Forced me to play and laugh with my girls when I thought those things would never be possible again.’

He waited a beat, his gaze measuring the small distance between us. ‘You and Iris and Rose are my family. I will do everything in my power to make sure you’re safe and happy.’

There was so much weight to his words that I felt every inch of them deep down in my bones. He’d been there for me when I wanted to rip my hair out, collapse in a pile of tears, scream at the heavens about being so dumb for trusting Billy. Through it all, he’d been rock solid. Never judging my choices or questioning my dreams.

Isn’t that what you needed in a partner? Someone who accepted your authentic self. Who saw the good and bad parts of you and still cared all the same. Manny was that person, and I knew if I wanted this, wanted him, I’d have to be brave enough to step forward and claim him as my own.

I moved in and trailed my fingertips across his warm chest. He sucked in a shaky breath as I traced the curve of his left forearm up to his bicep, over his shoulder, and along the sharp ridge of his collarbone. When I started to move my fingers down the line of his chest, he reached out and gripped my hand.

His questioning eyes searched mine like he wasn’t sure what I was doing. What I wanted.

My answer was to tug him past the racks of non-fiction books and biographies to the small reading corner with an oversized antique green velvet chaise and a thick maroon rug. I nudged him against one of the bookshelves. My hands returned to the firm lines of his chest, his heart thudding out a wild symphony beneath my palms.

‘Are you sure you want to do this? The other night we almost kissed, but then the rock…’

‘Since the day we met, I’ve wanted to touch you.’

My words slid out smooth and easy because they were the honest truth. I’d fought my attraction to him for so long, but tonight, that resolve was gone.

He reached around my waist and tugged me closer. The hardness of him pushed against my center. It was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. That small but vocal part of me that always doubted my choices, worried what came next, forced me to drop my gaze to the floor.

‘Look at me, Tess.’ The tenderness in his voice drew my eyes up. ‘I need you to tell me this is okay. It’d kill me to ruin what we have if you’re not all in.’

I ran the pad of my thumb over the dark stubble lining his strong jaw. He closed his eyes. Pulled in a shaky breath. With him holding me like a promise, his solid body a warm cage around me, my doubt and worry vanished.

‘Manny.’ I made my voice firm. ‘I need you to kiss me right now.’