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IVY
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THE NEXT MORNING, WE are trying to catch our breath after coming through the rocks. We left early, so the road was deserted. We walk hand in hand to my house, and I smile up at David in his hat and sunglasses. He smiles back and runs his finger over my ring. It seems to comfort him. He has been doing it more and more since yesterday.
We walk in the door of my house, and I yell, “Honey, I’m home!”
I hear a muffled, “Oh, shit,” and two thumps as Brian and Kevin fall off the couch.
“Oh, shit.” I pull David around, so his back is to the guys. “Kevin’s here,” I whisper to David. He still has the hat and sunglasses on, so I doubt Kevin has a clue.
We stand there and don’t move until Brian comes running up. “Kevin asked me to marry him, and I said YES!!” he screams.
David and I laugh, and I hold out my left hand and say, “David asked me to marry him, and I said YES!” I say just like he had, and his face drops.
“Ivy, you can’t!” He starts, and I put my hand up.
“It won’t be legal on paper, but it will be in every way that matters. He knows about Anna, but he’ll do it. We need this,” I say more hushed. “Now, what do we do about Kevin because I came here with plans to drag you with me to be at the wedding in a few days!”
“We tell him,” David says. “He’s important to Brian, which makes him important to you, which makes him important to me,” David says to me, and I melt.
Brian’s hand goes over his heart. “He’s really amazing, isn’t he?” Brian sighs, and I laugh.
Then I take a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”
The three of us walk into the living room where Kevin stands. David holds my hand in his again, rubbing his thumb over my ring.
I smile at Kevin and just dive on in. “So, other than what I’ve said, what has Brian told you about the guy I’m seeing?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Just that he’s super busy so you guys don’t get to see each other often, and he just got back from overseas. He says you are crazy in love with him, and he treats you like a princess, and that’s all I need to know.”
“What we are going to tell you cannot ever leave this house, okay?” I tell him. I give him my hard look.
“She’s not kidding. No one would believe you anyway,” Brian says.
Kevin nods and walks up to Brian. “I just asked you to spend the rest of your life with me, and you said yes. Your secrets are mine; your burdens are mine. Don’t keep me in the dark. I want all of you,” Kevin says to Brian.
I look up at David, and even though he still has his sunglasses on, I can feel his eyes on me. He leans down and whispers into my ear, “The same goes for you, beautiful. I want all of you, even the dark parts.” Those pesky butterflies are going crazy again, and I’m pretty sure I’ll need to find a new set of panties soon.
“Okay,” Brian starts off by taking a deep breath. “Well, you know my obsession with time travel, so that’s no secret. Almost three years ago now, I had a theory and wanted to test it. Ivy, being the kick-ass friend she is, agreed with my crazy plan. In the process, she met the love of her life.”
Kevin nods and looks at David. “And that would be you?” he asks, and David nods.
“The thing is they can’t ever truly be together because my theory worked,” Brian says, and Kevin starts to look confused.
“Kevin, do you believe in fate?” I ask.
“Of course, I do. It brought me Brian and you.”
“I didn’t until that day Brian is talking about. Do you know why my parents named me Ivy?”
He shakes his head, so I continue. “They named me after Ivy Hill,” I say.
He smiles. “I guess they are huge David Miller fans, huh? But I mean, who around here isn’t?” Kevin says.
“It’s okay, baby, take off the hat and sunglasses,” I look over at David and say. He nods, and ever so carefully, David removes his hat and then his sunglasses and looks up into Kevin’s eyes. We all watch Kevin. At first, he doesn’t react, then he laughs.
“Oh, this is a good joke, guys. He looks so much like David too. You guys did good on this joke.”
Not one of us moves or laughs, and Kevin notices that.
“It’s not easy to wrap your head around it. I get it. I couldn’t until Ivy brought me here the first time,” David says, and Kevin’s eyes go wide. David has a classic voice that is very recognizable.
“It’s hard when Ivy tells me things that will happen that I don’t like, but she always soothes it over with the good that comes after. I don’t know if I truly die on that August day or if I find a way to be here with my heart and soul, but I plan on fighting until my last breath to do so.”
“When I stepped through the rocks that day, I ended up in 1957. Fate took hold of me, and before I knew it, there was David. We spent ten days together, and when I had to come back home, my heart and soul stayed in 1957. Shortly after I left, he named the house Ivy Hill. Brian and I spent hours making sure there were no ripples in history, and seven months later, I got the chance to go back. We got to spend a whole month together between my time there and him coming here. I came home, and a day later, he got his Army orders.”
I pause and take a deep breath before continuing. “He got back just a few days ago, and he asked me to marry him. It won’t be legal. It will just be us and our vows and our rings, but I need you both there. You are the only family I have, and that means everything to me.”
Kevin finally turns and sits down, and Brian sits beside him on the couch, rubbing his arm. “But he gets married and has a kid?” Kevin asks.
David sits down and pulls me on to his lap. “I promised Ivy I won’t do anything to change history, so I will marry her on paper only. My son will be born, and the second she is pregnant, the marriage is done. I won’t touch her again. I’ll do what history says and head to California and make movies to keep busy until she files for divorce. The only thing that I still need to work out is Ivy. She is refusing to see me for those four years, but I don’t know if I can take it,” he says and gets choked up.
Kevin nods. “I get it. She doesn’t want to be the other woman, and it will be too hard to see her in any way. Think about how you would feel if the situation was flipped? Would you be able to see her and act like she isn’t the love of your life?” Kevin says.
“No, I wouldn’t,” David answers, taking in a shaky breath, and he starts rubbing my ring again.
“Please, will you guys come to the wedding? It’s just a few days, and it might help with the final plans. It’s going to be small, just you guys and his parents in his backyard, but you can see Ivy Hill in the before state of what it is now.”
“I’m pretty sure this is still some massive joke, but I’ll go along with this. I’m okay to be proven wrong.” Kevin nods, but I can only imagine the conversation he and Brian will have tonight.
I jump up and hug him. “Okay, now so Brian, the cake photo? It was celebrating his birthday a little late just yesterday. Oh, and I was the one who took that photo.”
Brian laughs. “That explains the look on his face!”
“Yes, I want it printed out for my collection. Now I’m going to feed you all while Kevin and David get to know each other, and then tomorrow, I am stealing Brian to help with some super-secret wedding-related things.”
“Sounds good. When are we planning to go?” Kevin asks.
“Day after tomorrow. We will leave once it’s dark,” I say. “Also, Brian, did you find out who owns that lot with the stones?”
Brian and I had a last-minute thought before I left this time. We wanted to buy the lot with the stone and the time door so we could be sure it was left untouched. Brian promised to do some digging while I was gone.
Brian’s face goes pale. “You won’t believe me.”
“Just tell me.”
“I do,” says David. “I bought it after I got home from visiting you here. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t ever anything to stop you from visiting me.”
“Okay, then what happened to it after he died?” I ask, cringing.
“Well, it was placed in the trust with all his other assets. I did a little digging, and apparently, there are strict orders that it is never to be sold or even touched. They have no idea why, but I guess they plan to honor David’s wishes.”
“Well, that’s good.” I turn to David. “I had planned to buy it, but I guess you beat me to it.” I laugh.
We spend the rest of the evening talking and laughing. I look around, really taking it in. Everyone important to me is in one room, and I never want this day to end.
***
THE NEXT MORNING, BRIAN and I get ready to head out. “Are you sure you will be okay?” I ask David for the third time.
“I promise, beautiful. I won’t leave the house. Kevin and I are going to talk and watch some TV.” I see the twinkle in his eyes.
“Men and their TVs,” I grumble playfully.
I take a deep breath and hand David a cell phone. It’s a prepaid phone Brian and I keep in the house for emergencies ever since he dropped his and ran over it with his car.
“What’s this?” he asks.
“It’s a phone. It has my number, Brian’s, and Kevin’s in it. I want you to keep this on you at all times, okay? And when I text you, please answer back. Kevin can give you a rundown of how it works.”
Pulling out my phone, I send him a quick I love you text. His phone dings, and he looks at it, and his eyes soften. “I love you too. I know you and Brian are going to be out doing wedding stuff, but having this link to you still means everything.” He leans in and kisses me. “Thank you.”
Then Brian pulls me away, and we get in the car. “Where to?” he asks.
“I need the sexiest white lingerie for my wedding night we can find. And then I need to have something custom made from a friend of mine.”
“On it,” he says, and we head to the store.
Then I text David.
Me: God, baby, I miss you so much already!
I wait to see those three little dots come up and let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding when they do.
David: Me too, beautiful. Kevin and I are watching some show called American Pickers.
Me: Oh yeah, we are all kind of obsessed with that show. The stuff they find would be new to you.
David: Yeah, it’s amusing to watch.
Me: I love you. We are pulling into the store now. I’ll text you again in a bit.
David: I love you too, please stay safe.
Me: I will. I promise.
As we walk in, Brian asks, “Looking for anything specific?”
“Well, I want it to be white, and I want it to be super sexy. Not like anything he would see back home. I did a quick online search, and the lingerie in the 1960s looks like what we’d wear as nightgowns now. Not what we consider sexy.”
It only takes us thirty minutes to find the perfect outfit. It’s a white lace bra and thong that leaves nothing to the imagination. It has a matching see-through lace, what they call a nightgown that goes to the floor. You can see through the whole thing, and it’s open in the front with a belt kind of like a robe that hides nothing.
We grab some lunch. Then we head over to my friend Ginger’s place. I’ve worked with her a few times over the years doing photos for her websites. Ginger makes custom wood signs and always has a section of finished wood on hand and a steady hand, so I know she can pull this off today.
I tell her what I want and that it’s a gift for someone but more of a private joke. She shrugs and gets to work. It only takes her an hour to get it done, and then she uses a hair dryer to set and dry the paint.
When we are heading out, Ginger wraps the sign up in some burlap for me, and I pay her double. She starts to refuse, but I insist. It’s my way of saying thank you.
We head home and spend the evening with our men. David makes love to me that night, and something just feels different. It feels right and perfect.
***
THE NEXT DAY, WE ARE all packing our bags. Kevin and Brian spend the day getting a few outfits together that wouldn’t be out of place in 1960. I pack up my items, and once night falls, we head out.
We get to the rocks, and Kevin looks a bit leery. I look over, and say, “We will go first, okay?” and he nods.
I look over at David, and he gives me one long kiss and takes my hand. “On three?” he says, just as he has every time we have gone through before.
I nod. “On three.”
Then he counts. “One... two... three.” And we touch the rock and are pulled and then pushed into 1960 again. We move off to the side, and I fall to my knees, dizzier and weaker than I have been before.
“Ivy, what’s wrong?” David asks, a bit panicked. He’s on his knees beside me and holding me in an instant. I focus on taking deep breaths.
“Please talk to me. Are you okay, Ivy? God, please talk to me,” he says as he rubs my back.
“I’m okay. Just give me a minute,” I whisper. He doesn’t relax or let me go.
I hear Brian and Kevin land, and David says, “Brian, over here.”
Brian is on the ground at my other side in an instant. “I think she just jumped too close together. This is her third time in less than a week. I think she needs to stay here a bit longer this time and let her body adjust,” he says. I start to feel better and sit up a bit and lean on David.
“That’s exactly what it is,” I say.
“Well, you won’t ever hear me complain about getting more time with you. In fact, I plan to take you on our honeymoon after we are married. I was going to try to convince you to give me more time anyway,” David says.
“Fate steps in again.” I smile. All three guys chuckle. Then a weird thought pops into my head.
I look up and notice Kevin looking around and bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“What’s on your mind, Kevin?” I ask him to take a few more minutes to rest.
“Well, not going to lie. I didn’t believe this whole time travel thing. I don’t know what just happened, but if we are in 1960, I feel like I should have asked a few more questions.”
“Like what?” I ask him.
“Well, being gay is a crime in 1960...” Keven trails off as Brian grabs his hand.
“David, how will your parents react to Brian and Kevin being a couple?” I ask.
“They will accept him and love them both because they are your family, and you are about to become my family. My uncle, my mom’s brother, is gay. We don’t visit him much now. We don’t like to draw attention to him, but they accepted him and his partner, and I know they will accept Brian and Kevin too.”
“Ivy, what do David’s parents know about you? Why do they think you can’t legally get married?” David asks.
“Oh, ugh well, we told them we were having problems with my birth certificate and all. I think his mom was excited to throw a party, but she has been giving me this look, so just be careful what you say, okay?”
They agree, and I take a deep breath.
“Okay.” I sigh. “Time’s a wasting, and I want to lie down.”
David chuckles as he helps me up, and he keeps his arm around me the whole walk to Ivy Hill.
We walk in, and his parents are in the kitchen drinking what looks like coffee. His mom rushes over to hug us.
“Oh, you’re back. I can’t wait to fill you in on everything. Honey, you look pale. Are you okay?” she asks me.
I smile. “Yeah, just a long day traveling. I’m a bit motion sick, so I will be turning in early.”
“Oh, you poor dear, of course!” Helen says.
I introduce his mom and dad to Brian. “This is Brian. He’s my best friend, and he has been like a brother to me. And that is Kevin, his fiancé. They are my only real family,” I say, then watch his parents closely.
Brian kicks in. “We know we can’t legally be married, but we are doing like Ivy and David. We will be married in every way that matters.”
Helen and James smile and hug them. They congratulate them and welcome them into the family just as David said they would.
“Let me get you guys upstairs to your room so I can get Ivy to bed. She needs her rest because tomorrow, she is going to go pick out her dress, and then we get married in just forty-eight hours.”
I swear I’ve never seen him so happy.
He grabs my bag, and we head upstairs. He shows them to a suite at the other end of the hall and then picks me up and carries me to bed. He takes care of me as if I’m the most precious thing in the world, and I’m going to break. He removes my pants, shirt, and bra and then slips one of his shirts over me. He then strips down to his underwear and climbs into bed with me.
He pulls me up to his side, and I snuggle up with my head on his shoulder. “Baby, please don’t go in my bag. I have something for you for our wedding, but I want it to be a surprise, so no snooping,” I say as I close my eyes.
“I promise. While you, my mom, Brian, and Kevin are out wedding dress shopping, my dad and I are going out. I have a few surprises for you too.”
“Mmm, make love to me, baby,” I say and reach down to wrap my hand around his cock.
He sucks in a ragged breath. “Beautiful, I will never deny you, but you needing rest is more important tonight. I was also thinking, maybe we don’t have sex again until our wedding night. It’s only two days, and I want to make the day perfect for you.”
“Mmm, okay, but you will have to be the strong one here. My willpower isn’t that great around you.”
He laughs. “Go to sleep; I got you.” That’s the last thing I hear before drifting off.
