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DAVID
Eight Weeks Later
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I’M SITTING IN THE piano room trying to work on new music, and like every day, I’m praying today is the day my Ivy comes to visit. The wedding is in two months, and she promised she’d be here. It’s been a year since I’ve been able to hold her in my arms, and I’ve been going crazy. How the hell am I going to do four years like this?
I think about that day on this piano bench when I made love to her and can’t help but smile. I start to get hard, but the sound of Anna’s voice kills my good mood. It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me.
“David, baby, we have the cake tasting today.”
I cringe, the anxiety of having to marry Anna is wearing on me, and my parents have even pointed it out a few times, though it’s the nicer of the conversations I’ve had with them recently.
“Anna, I’ve said it before. Don’t call me baby.” I hate it when she does that. Only Ivy can call me that. I watch Anna roll her eyes. “And this is your wedding; you pick the cake.”
“David, stop, this is our wedding. You need to be a part of this.”
I’ve tried to pretend and be nice with Anna like Ivy asked, but a year in and the pretending stopped at month four.
“Anna, let’s call a spade a spade. This is your wedding, one I’m being forced into. Pick the cake, pick the colors, and pick the damn decorations. Just tell me when to show up,” I say, not hiding my anger.
At month four, I snapped at Anna. She was clinging all over me and trying to kiss me constantly, and it made me sick to my stomach. We had it out about her lies and how her father was forcing me into this marriage, and I made it clear I didn’t want it. She cried and said she would make me fall in love with her. We just needed time together. I told her not to hold her breath.
She’s been trying ever since with things like the wedding planning and dates “for the press.” It drives me crazy, and I can’t wait to leave and head to California.
Anna’s parents moved to Nashville once the news of our engagement was announced. Once married, Anna will be moving into Ivy Hill, and the thought makes my skin crawl. I don’t want her here; this is Ivy’s home. I had three deadbolts installed on Ivy’s and my bedroom door. I don’t want her in there for any reason while I’m gone. The staff and what will be Anna’s security have been informed she is not to be in that room.
Anna is here doing wedding planning, and I can’t wait for her to leave tonight. She insists on being here every day now, and I don’t know how much more I can take. We fought just yesterday because she wants to go on a two-week honeymoon, and I refused, saying I only had time to take her away for a weekend. I had to remind her yet again how I didn’t even want to do that.
I can hear Anna in the kitchen, so I go back to looking for music and working on a few songs. An hour passes, and I feel it. The house comes to life.
My breath catches. Am I going crazy? Maybe I’ve finally lost my mind. I stand and turn around, and Ivy is standing in the living room, watching me. I take a second to take her in. She has more curves than the last time I saw her, and I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Her hair is longer, and she looks exhausted, but I’ve never seen her more beautiful.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Anna standing by the stairs, staring at Ivy. I don’t care. Let her see. She has this dream in her head that she can make me fall in love with her. Let her see my heart is already claimed.
“Ivy, my sweet, sweet Ivy. You came,” I get out barely above a whisper.
“I promised you I would,” she says. Neither of us has moved, and at this, I rush toward her and pick her up and swing her around in a circle. She is laughing, and when I set her down, I grab her face and kiss her hard and then rest my forehead on hers.
“I’m never going to make it through this.”
“Yes, you will in flying colors.”
It’s like she finally realizes there might be other people around, and she takes a step back, but I’m not having it and take a step toward her. She looks around and sees Anna, who looks beyond pissed, and Ivy’s face drops. Oh, I won’t be having that.
“Ivy, this is Anna; Anna, this is Ivy. You will treat her with the utmost respect.” I direct toward Anna.
“I won’t allow you to bring whores into my house and into our marriage, David. How will that look to your fans?” Anna says. I attempt to lunge at her for calling Ivy a whore, but Ivy steps in front of me. She is calm, and how she does it, I don’t know.
“Anna, I know who you are, and I know all about the lies you told and the threats your father made. See, in doing so, you are ruining more lives than David’s. This is my house. It was named after me all those years ago. You’d do best to remember the only reason you will be living here is because I told David you should be.” Ivy smiles at her as though they are best friends.
“I’d also be very careful before spreading any of these rumors about him and me to the press. Anything other than the perfect family will be grounds for not only divorce but also your letters and your father’s letters to go out to the public, and the fact that you have been supplying David with drugs before the wedding has even happened will all get out. Can you imagine how your life will be with all of David’s fans against you? You’d never be able to leave the house! Oh, and the terms of your prenup will kick in, making it so you get absolutely nothing in the divorce,” Ivy says with a smile on her face.
I can’t help but smile. Of course, Ivy knows about the prenup. I have a rough copy but wanted to talk to her about it before finalizing it. I want to make sure everything is covered.
“I’m not signing a prenup!” Anna screams.
“Oh, yes, you are, or there is no wedding. My lawyer will have it to you by the end of the week. You will have one week to sign it, or the wedding is off,” I say. I watch my parents, who have seen all this unfold, and they turn white and are staring wide-eyed.
My mom goes to open her mouth, but I give my head a slight shake, and she closes it while giving me the mom look. I know this is going to be a conversation sooner rather than later.
Anna stomps off, gathers her things, and turns to leave.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Ivy says. “I suggest you stop trying to redecorate my house and moving my photos.” She points at the wall where my Army photo was. “I will be putting that photo and all the others back.”
Anna, not realizing the best thing to do would be to shut up and leave, says, “Our wedding photo is going there.”
“No, it’s not,” I say. “It won’t be going up anywhere in this house.”
With that, she stomps off and slams the door behind her.
“Well, that could have gone better.” Ivy laughs. She then turns to my parents. “I won’t stand in the way of their wedding, and I won’t be back after they are married, so don’t worry.”
“Why don’t you stop this?” my dad asks.
Ivy gives a sad smile and says the truth. “You can’t change history, no matter how much you want to.”
My parents look at each other. They’ve picked up on things Ivy would say or do, and they’d make comments here and there, but it’s like that statement was the confirmation they needed.
“And how long does this sham of a marriage go on?” my mom asks. “Don’t lie to me, Ivy.”
With a deep breath, Ivy tells the truth. “Four years. She will give you a grandson, and all the rumors of his drug problems and all the women he’s with will be a lie. That is all I can give you.”
My mom stares at Ivy for a minute, then nods her head. “Well, come sit down and have lunch. I think it’s time we learn about the real Ivy, don’t you?”
Ivy looks scared, and my heart is racing when my mom looks at me.
“David Adam Miller, I am your mother. If you can’t trust me with something like this, then who the hell can you trust?”
“It’s not a matter of trust, Mom. It’s a matter of whether you will believe it.”
My mother looks me dead in my eyes. “Try me.”
Ivy is here, and I want nothing more than to take her upstairs and not let her leave our bed, but I know my mom won’t let it go. So, we sit down for lunch, and we are quiet for a moment before Ivy looks up at me.
Ivy reaches into her purse and pulls out her ID from her wallet. I nod my head, letting her know it’s okay. Ivy squares her shoulders and says, “My name is Ivy Cecille Collins, and I was born October 11, 1988.” She hands her ID over to my mom, who takes it while keeping her eyes on Ivy.
My mom and dad look over the ID front and back and then hand it back to Ivy. Ivy puts it in her wallet and pulls out her cell phone.
“This is what phones look like in my time. With no wires, they go anywhere and are like minicomputers. They take photos and video and let you call people and even video chat with them. It’s like a phone call but with video. It won’t work here because cell phone towers haven’t been built.”
She puts the phone away and looks at my parents.
“Keep going,” my dad says, his voice flat.
She starts with how Brian found the rocks to her first visit here down to my visiting there and ends with her visit today. She tells them how it’s important that history isn’t changed, which is why I have to marry Anna.
When she stops, she takes a drink of water, and my mom pours herself a third glass of wine.
“So that is why you couldn’t get married legally and why David couldn’t find you when he looked,” my mom says, and Ivy nods.
“Also explains all your little quirks we have been picking up on,” Mom says more to herself than to us. “What happens if David doesn’t marry sleazy Anna?”
Ivy laughs, and it puts me at ease. It’s great to hear her laughter again.
“Well, to be honest, I’m not 100% sure, but I do know it will have a huge impact on history. Their son won’t be born, which means his children, David’s grandchildren, won’t be born, and that will trickle down. All his charity work won’t happen, which will affect thousands of lives. Who knows how it will affect Ivy Hill, his museum, and how he’s remembered.”
Ivy pauses, and I can tell from her biting her lip that she is thinking about what to say before she continues. “But I can tell you Anna gets what’s coming to her. After David’s death, she releases a book trying to say it’s a tell-all of their life, and she is berated for lies and trying to tarnish his memory. His fans don’t like her one bit. It comes out later from the doctor Anna has been using that she was .... well, she had a huge role in his death.” Ivy trails off.
“Tell me,” my mom says in her mom voice.
Ivy sighs. “Reports say he dies of a drug overdose, and it comes out later that Anna was the one supplying him the drugs.”
Mom shoots me a death glare. “I haven’t taken a single one, I swear. Please let Ivy finish, and you will understand.”
“There is a huge conspiracy around his death. Random sightings afterward and lots of information Brian and I are sorting through. But our plan is to let the public think he is doing drugs, that he is cheating on Anna, and when the time comes, to let it look like he overdoses and bring him home with me for good. Brian has been working with a friend, and he can set up a new identity for him. No one will ever know a thing.”
“And his family?” my dad asks.
“Well, we can set it up so you can come to visit anytime, though you need at least a forty-eight-hour window, or you can get sick. I learned that one the hard way. Once David passes, you, John, will be in charge of his estate and running it until his son becomes an adult. The house gets turned into a museum for fans to visit, and several buildings are built across the street to showcase his awards, outfits, cars, and more. It will supply hundreds of jobs and not only make the estate millions a year but bring in millions in tourism to the area.”
Both Mom and Dad just stare at Ivy, and her grip on my hand tightens. She is waiting for their reaction just like I am.
“You know how crazy this all sounds, right?” my dad says.
Ivy looks down at the table and takes a deep breath. I squeeze her hand this time, trying to offer comfort.
“I know, Dad. In time, I’ll prove it to you, but I need you to trust me. I know that’s asking a lot, but I promise when we can explain, it will all make sense.”
John nods. We continue eating lunch with my mom asking odd questions like what happens to certain stars and what certain things are. She asks Ivy questions about things said and done since she has been at Ivy Hill. She even asks her some of the same questions, and I know it’s to see if Ivy is consistent in her answers. She did this to me as a kid a lot too.
Once we finish lunch and the table is cleared, Ivy says, “Well, since we are all here, we need to discuss the prenup with you and Anna.”
I nod, and my mom gets up to get a pen and paper for me. “I will go talk to my lawyer first thing tomorrow,” I say.
“Okay, here is how this is going to work. She can stay here at Ivy Hill until the baby is born. This way, your parents can help watch her and make sure she is staying healthy and off drugs while pregnant. From everything I’ve read, she does, but we can’t be too careful.” I agree and so do my parents.
“Once the baby is born, and she gets the all-clear from the doctor in six weeks, you will buy her a house over in Memphis. Not a mansion but just a slightly larger than normal three-bedroom home with a good yard. You buy it, but it’s to be in her name. She moves in there and gets that in the divorce. She will get child support and alimony. Child support will stop on the day of your son’s eighteenth birthday, and you will set up a trust fund for him for when he is twenty-one and graduates from college,” she says.
I don’t even flinch at the number she gives me because there is no question that I will take care of my son. I continue taking notes.
“She will get a lump sum plus child support and alimony. Any adultery will cause her to waive her right to any and all income and property at the time of divorce.”
Ivy pauses and stares off into the distance. “There needs to be a clause that she gives up any and all rights to Ivy Hill and all income Ivy Hill generates in the future, and that clause needs to include when it’s passed down to your son. We won’t talk about your will now, but all that will go to your son in a trust John will manage. This might sound petty, but I don’t want her redecorating here. It’s just...” Ivy looks at me.
“Our space.” I finish for her, and she nods.
After we talk a bit more about the prenup and wedding, my parents head back to the cottage, and I take Ivy upstairs.
She looks at me a bit funny when she sees all the locks on our door but walks over to the photo on the nightstand and just stares at them.
I come behind her, and she says, “Kind of sucks these are going to get packed up.”
“Like hell, woman, did you see the locks on that door? She is not stepping foot in this room.” I grab her hand and pull her down the hall to the other end of the house and show her a room half the size of mine that also has an attached bath. Anna has already started to decorate it. I think she thinks I will be staying here too. She is so wrong.
“This will be her room while she is here, and I will not even touch her in this house. This is our place and ours alone. All the stuff will remain where it is in our room, your stuff mixed with mine, though I plan to take some of your stuff to California with me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Oh, I bet she’ll love that.”
“I don’t care. This marriage is only happening because history says so and because you say so. Because of the lies Anna told and the threats her father made. I’ve told Anna as much, but she thinks the more time she spends with me, the more I’ll fall in love with her.” It was my turn to roll my eyes.
“Don’t you go falling for her now, David Miller. It would break my heart.”
“Don’t even talk like that,” I growl. I grab her waist and toss her down on the bed, and in a flash, I have my cock out, and her skirt flipped up. I rip her panties out of my way and line my cock up with her soaked opening. I slam home and lean my weight on her, pinning her to the bed.
“You have my heart,” thrust “my soul,” thrust, “you own me, sweet Ivy,” thrust “don’t ever doubt that.” I hear her moan and try to arch her hips to meet my thrusts, but she can't move since I have her pinned to the bed.
“God, beautiful, I missed you. If you think you are wearing clothes for the next two weeks, you have lost your mind.”
“David,” she moans. She is close, and I feel it. We both have all our clothes on, but we need this quick fuck to calm this need. To reconnect our souls so we can talk. I felt a wall between us, and I can't have that.
Her pussy squeezes my cock like a vise, and her warm, slick heat is almost more than I can take. I’m so close that when she comes undone screaming my name and digging her nails into my back, her release triggers mine, and I come inside her. I come so hard I fill her up, and it leaks down between us on to the bed. I bury my head in Ivy's neck and smile at the thought of our combined juices soaking what will be Anna’s bed. I don’t think I’ll have this room washed. We will leave it just as it is.
When I regain my strength, I sit up and tuck myself back in and flip her skirt down. I pick up her ripped panties and grab her hand. This time, she’s the one who rubs her thumb over my ring.
“In case you’re wondering, I won't be removing that either,” I say as we walk down the hall. “I’ll tell anyone who asks it’s a promise I made, and I will keep, and it doesn’t come off.”
When we get to our room, I point at the locks. “I installed these to keep her out of our space. I’ve instructed the house staff and her security that she isn’t to go near this room. I will also tell her if she tries to get in, she will be kicked out of Ivy Hill on the spot.”
Ivy nods as we head into our room. Once inside, I close and lock the door and walk over to her. I run my hand over her new curves.
So much has changed in a year. What’s it going to be like for the next four years? How much am I going to miss?
“Your body has changed,” I say. She stiffens, but I continue before she tries to talk. “I love these new curves, beautiful. I can’t wait to get my hands on them.”
My hands slide up under her shirt, and she pulls away. We can't have that.
“When I got home, I got a bit depressed. Pair that with the research I helped Brian with and eating a ton of ice cream, and I put on some weight. I lost most of it, and I promise, the next time you see me, I’ll have my body back.”
I growl and grab her hips and yank her toward me. “You will do no such thing. I love these new curves, and I love you. As we grow, our bodies and our hair color will change, but what I love about you will not because I love your heart, your mind, and your soul. To me, you will always be beautiful.”
Grabbing the hem of her shirt, I look her in the eyes as I pull it over her head slowly. I take off her skirt and stand back to look at her. Her breasts are bigger by at least a cup size, and she has some stretch marks near her belly and hips, and my cock is leaking from just staring at her.
Staying where I am, I strip off all my clothes and grab my cock slick with my own cum. It's red and angry because it only wants to be between her legs.
“You see this? You did this; your body is so fucking sexy. Remember our wedding night when I came in my pants just from looking at you? I almost did the same thing just now while staring at your sexy curves. Do you understand me? You are fucking beautiful.”
She has tears in her eyes and nods her head. I lay her on the bed and kiss her hard. Then I kiss down her neck and down the valley of her breasts.
I take the nipple of one into my mouth and lick and suck it hard, then give it a little nip before I lean over to give the other one the same treatment.
I kiss her down to her belly, and I take my time and kiss every stretch mark. I kiss my way down to her hips. Shouldering her legs apart, I kiss my way over her mound down to her clit where I latch on and suck hard. That is all it takes for her to shatter around me. Her thighs lock around my head, holding me in place as I lick up her warm honey. When she relaxes, I don’t stop, and I force another orgasm from her before kissing my way back up her body.
“Do you believe me now, beautiful, or do I need to do that all over again?”
“I believe you, David, but if you don’t get inside me now, I might die.”
“Well, we can't have that,” I murmur against her neck, and in the next moment, I thrust into her.
I know I won't last long after hearing her climax with my head between her legs and getting no relief for my cock. I grit my teeth and angle my hips to hit her G-spot on each thrust. I’m deep in my woman, and all I can think about is staying here for the rest of my life and never leaving. I want to fill her up over and over again.
She is letting out the sexiest moans, and I lean down to suck her nipple into my mouth. After a few more thrusts, I move to the other nipple, and then her walls start clamping down on me. God, it feels like heaven, and I watch her fall over the edge. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. And that sound of her coming is one I hear every night in my dreams. It sets off my climax before I collapse on her. When I finally stop coming, I roll over to my side.
“I have a favor to ask you. Something I want to do while I’m here.”
Well, now she has my attention because she knows I’ll give her anything.
