Even though Jamison treated her so well now, there was no guarantee they’d still be in love five or ten years down the road—or even longer.
“Yeah, you can’t count on a man for too much. Make the most of it while you can, and when it’s over, just walk away. No point worrying about the distant future,” Ivy suddenly said, her tone uncharacteristically sharp.
Katrina frowned, puzzled, and turned to look at her. “What’s with the edge? Did Dr. Ludwig piss you off?”
“No, nothing like that. Just speaking from experience.” The truth was, when she’d agreed to marry Jamison on such short notice, that was exactly the mindset she’d had.
But life is full of surprises; sometimes, you plant seeds without thinking, and they grow into something beautiful. She had never dared to hope for true love, yet somehow, she’d found it. And then there are those who chase love with reckless abandon, only to end up shattered and empty-handed.
That night, Ivy insisted they hadn’t had a proper girls‘ night in ages and dragged Katrina into her bed. Naylor protested loudly, but his objections were ignored because Katrina, without hesitation, chose her best friend over her boyfriend. Two women sharing a bed meant only one thing: forbidden topics were on the table. Both were new to relationships, clueless about many things that “everyone knows,” and could only piece together their men’s abilities by sharing stories and gossiping. By the end, Katrina was giggling under her breath. “Honestly, after tonight, I don’t think I can even look Dr. Ludwig in the eye. The Dr. Ludwig you describe is nothing like the man we see around the house.”
Ivy, suddenly worried her husband might find out what they’d been discussing, quickly warned, “Don’t you dare let anything slip, or he’ll be furious with me.”
Katrina cackled. “Hey, if he gets mad, that’s your problem, not mine. You scared us half to death this morning–you totally had it coming!”
“Oh, come on, it was just a little fun! I was just trying to spice things up for you.”
“Keep that kind of ‘fun‘ to yourself…”
The two whispered and giggled into the early hours, finally drifting off just before dawn. The next morning, Ivy’s alarm blared. She got up for work as usual. Katrina had no such urgency and burrowed back under the covers for a bit more sleep. Ivy showered, got dressed, and headed downstairs, glancing at her phone as she went. She was about to send her husband a “good morning” text—Jamison was away on business—and ask what time his flight would land so she could pick him up. But before she could finish typing, as she rounded the staircase, her eyes flicked toward the living room—and there, she thought she saw someone sleeping on the couch. She almost looked away, but her brain did a double take. She snapped her eyes back–and her eyes flew wide in astonishment as a surge of joy crashed over her. She could hardly believe it. Rubbing her eyes, she hurried down the stairs. “Jamison–is that you?”
Dr. Ludwig, who’d only slept a couple of hours on the couch, sat up, his eyes still bleary, but a grin already spreading across his face. “Really, sweetheart? It’s only been a few days and you don’t even recognize your own husband?”
“But–you-” Ivy was so shocked she nearly tripped over herself rushing to him. “Why are you home so early?”
Jamison smiled, opening his arms to catch her as she tumbled into his lap. “I missed you, so I caught an earlier flight. Is this a good surprise?”
A surprise? Ivy remembered teasing not long ago that Naylor was always finding new ways to surprise Katrina. It seemed Jamison had learned a thing or two. Showering her with fancy gifts was a surprise. Coming home early from a business trip was another. He really was a star student–quick to pick things up!
“It’s perfect! Of course it is!” Ivy gushed, words tumbling over each other. “But I thought your flight was this afternoon? How’d you get back so soon? And why didn’t you come upstairs to sleep? The couch can’t be comfortable.”
Jamison beamed, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, his touch gentle. “It was nearly five in the morning when I got home. I didn’t want to wake you–and I figured you were probably sharing your bed with Katrina last night anyway.”
Ivy cringed, realizing her plan to “break up the lovebirds” had backfired on herself.
“You could’ve crashed in Mr. Wilson’s room, though! What if you caught a cold sleeping out here?” After all, two grown men squeezing into one bed for a night wasn’t the end of the world.
“I ran into Naylor when I came in–he thought I was a burglar at first, but calmed down when he saw it was me. He offered to let me crash with him, but I hadn’t showered, so I just grabbed a blanket and made do on the couch,” Jamison explained. He squeezed her cheek affectionately, adding, “I was worried that if I slept in our room, you wouldn’t know I was home and would leave without seeing me.”
And that would’ve meant missing each other completely. After several days apart, Ivy couldn’t stop admiring him–he looked even more handsome and irresistible than she remembered.
Jamison gazed back, unable to resist leaning in to steal a few kisses from her lips. Ivy hesitated, remembering their “six-month agreement,” but absence really does make the heart grow fonder, and some temptations are hard to resist. Just as she was about to give in, the door to the downstairs guest room creaked open. Naylor, still half-asleep, grumbled, “Would you two mind taking your love fest somewhere else? Some of us are trying to get a little shut-eye.”
Ivy froze, instinctively trying to wriggle free from Jamison’s embrace–but he simply tightened his arms around her waist.
“I’m back, Mr. Wilson. You can go home and get some proper sleep now,” Jamison said, eyes still warm and fixed on his wife, though the words to his friend were firm and merciless.