Writing On The Wall (The King Brothers Duology #2)

Chapter 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

ETHAN

“Write this down real quick?”

“Write what down?” Ivy frowns her green eyes down at me.

“I’m ‘bout to tell you, Marsh. Ready?”

“What about me looks ready to write something?”

“Ivy, if I keep crouching like this, I’m gonna end up with a back like Quasimodo. Grab the pencil.” I motion with my eyebrows and nod to the spot where my construction pencil has been lying since I first marked the wall.

“I don’t have paper,” she grumbles, pouting those kissable lips.

“Write it on the wall.”

“But—”

“Quasimodo,” I grunt.

“Okay, okay!” She rushes to retrieve the pencil, turning the flat line of her mouth toward me while I rattle off a series of numbers and species of wood.

“Why did you need the different kinds of wood written down?”

“I didn’t,” I respond with a real grunt this time as I stand .

She huffs loudly, whipping that hair around as she turns to scowl. “Then wh?—”

“To show you that you can do it. And that I don’t care how you write.”

“ I care,” she says, dropping the pencil and walking into the kitchen.

I stroll up behind her, slowly curling my arms around her waist and resting my chin on her shoulder. “Baby, I think you’re the only one that does. You are not your struggle.”

She releases a deep breath, leaning back against my chest. “You’re right.”

“I’m proud of you, you know, for telling C.J., for putting yourself out there and learning to let the rest of us make life easier for you.”

She turns in my arms, snuggling closer and making me wish I weren’t covered in sweat and dust. “I feel like a kid, learning all these strategies and skills I probably should have been taught a long time ago.”

“Hmm. You feel like a woman to me.” I lean into her neck while my hands prove my point.

“Smooth,” she says, laughing softly. “What’s next once we get the floors done?”

“Spackling.”

“Is that what the kids call it these days?” She grins, lifting her chin and wiggling her eyebrows.

“You work with kids, you tell me.”

“I work with eight-year-olds, they call it ‘mom and dad wrestling with their shirts off.’ ”

“Sounds fun,” I say, my smile growing as I peer down at her and move a piece of hair away from her face. “I got you something.”

“Ooh! Is it cake?” she asks, her face lighting up. She’s ridiculously easy to please, which makes spoiling her so much more fun.

“No,” I snort, letting her go to pull a crudely wrapped box from my toolbox on the floor. I suppose having a girlfriend makes you realize you suddenly need things like nice wrapping paper and stationery.

Her eyes meet mine as she gently brushes a bit of dust from the brown paper wrapping. A slow smile spreads across her face as she turns it over, carefully peeling away the tape. She inspects the Kindle e-reader, a questioning slant on her brows.

I clear my throat before speaking. “It has a dyslexia-friendly font on it. I’ve already set it all up…” I swallow, hoping she doesn’t hate it.

“C.J. told me about this…” Her lip trembles before her face splits in a wide grin. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” She throws her arms around me, and I pull her close, holding her tight. “You’re such a book nerd,” she teases, her voice filled with affection.

“Guilty.”

She steps out of my arms to open the Kindle, her eyes absorbing the titles I downloaded.

“ The Hobbit ?” She says with a lift of her brow.

“That one, we’ll read together. You can’t fully appreciate the movies without reading the books.”

“Deal.” She rises on her toes to plant a kiss on my cheek, but I can’t resist slipping an arm around her and pulling her closer. “You need a shower,” she murmurs, a teasing smile on her lips. “Toby will be here soon.”

“Way to kill the mood,” I groan, planting a kiss below her ear.

“Rule number three, King. Toby’s important to me.”

My hands move to my sides as I take a step back. “I’ll be nice, I promise. But I’d feel a lot better if he had a girlfriend, or if he at least stopped touching you. I just don’t get how the guy isn’t into you. I mean… look at you. And you’re like walking sunshine—once you stop murdering people with your eyes, that is.”

“ You weren’t into me in the beginning.”

“Oh, I was. I was just an ass about it,” I say and she responds with an eye roll. “If he had a girlfriend and she had a male best friend, maybe he’d understand. I actually kinda hope that happens to him. Turn the tables a bit, so he knows how I feel.”

Her smile fades, her face clouding over with thought. “Turn the tables…” she whispers, repeating the phrase as her gaze drifts across the kitchen surfaces. I trail behind her as she mutters to herself, lost in concentration. Suddenly, she stops beside the coffee table in the living room, her eyes widening as she looks up at me. “That’s it! I can’t believe we missed it before…”

She drops to her knees beside the small table and flips it over. “Pop loved making these weird hiding places for things. Look!” She traces a seam along the wood, then turns the table back over and begins feeling around blindly.

A soft click sounds, and a small drawer slides open, tilting down just an inch. A spontaneous laugh escapes her lips. “I can’t believe it…This has to be it!” Her eyes widen as she pulls out a small envelope.

“Your Pop was quite the secretive man.” I chuckle, wishing I could have met him.

“He was so much fun,” she says softly, scooting beside me. We read over the letter in silence, and Ivy’s hand flies to her mouth.

“You going to show this to your Gran?” I nod toward the letter in her hands.

“I think I want to surprise her with it when the house is done.” She turns a soft smile to her hands. “So this is how Ross found out. Thank goodness it didn’t lead him to the closet.”

“Next time you feel the need to go on nighttime adventures, though, at least bring me coffee.”

She lets out a husky laugh that wraps around my whole body. Every time I hear it, I find myself questioning what I’m doing with my life. Nothing else matters besides this woman. It’s like I’m finally at peace in her presence, as if all my questions and uncertainties have settled, either fading into insignificance or finding their answers. Because she is the answer. She’s the thrill my heart has been searching for. But I can’t tell her all that just yet.

“I’m excited to meet your Gran,” I say instead.

“Eth…I’m sorry about this whole hiding-our-relationship thing. I promise I’ll fix it soon.”

I pull her closer, cupping her jaw with my hands. “As long as I get to do this…” I tell her, leaning down to press my mouth against hers for a lingering kiss. “Then there’s no rush on my side. Remember, I just want be the guy who gets to support you.”

“Thank you.” She sighs, resting her head on my chest. “You go shower. I’ll start the food.”

“So, no wrestling with our shirts off?”

“Nice try,” I hear as she heads to the kitchen. “As my students will tell you, that’s for moms and dad’s who are married.”

Working on it.