Chapter 5

Willow.

I gave up on cleaning for the moment and just paced a short circle where I could keep an eye on Andy and the door at the same time. I was biting anxiously on my nails, and Andy kept shooting glances at me as I moved around, but he was behaving with me standing right there, kneeling by the table with his picture book.

When the doorbell rang, I practically flew to the door and threw it open. On the other side of it, was Ivy.

Ivy and I had been friends for as long as I could remember. We stayed close even when I left Chicago, and when I missed the city and decided to come back, Ivy was the one to help me land my job. She used to work at the firm before she quit, only she’d quit around the time they got a new partner, and she’d only seen him once. Technically, I landed the job on my own merit, but her word certainly helped.

She hadn't said much to me about the new partner, because the one time she saw him, it had been from behind. If I’d known I would get to work around someone so hot every day…actually, not even working around him, more like following him around when he needed me and I didn’t have any individual tasks to cover on my own.

Meanwhile, Ivy was building a family and relaxing at home. She was holding her baby in her arms, but I wasn’t as enthusiastic to see her as usual after dealing with Andy since yesterday.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I said, keeping my voice quiet, because I didn’t know if Andy would read the heavy relief in it or not. “Do you think you can look after him for a bit while I clean up? Sorry to dump this on you so quickly.”

Her eyes ran the inside of my apartment, and her eyebrows arched up, her lips trembling in amusement.

“I don’t mind,” she said with a small chuckle. “As long as you don’t mind that I didn’t come alone. I hope Andy’s friendly.”

“I honestly wouldn’t know if he was. He does plenty of shouting and screaming, but he hasn’t actually said a word to me yet.”

“Honey, why don’t you say hi?” Ivy said, looking behind her.

I glanced down, and saw Hazel, her older daughter, peeking up at me from around her legs. I smiled down at her, her wide, deep blue eyes getting me every time.

“Hey, there, honey,” I crooned. “Would you like a snack? Why don’t you come in, huh? I’ve got a friend for you to meet, too.”

Hazel was shy, but I had been seeing plenty of both Ivy’s family since I moved back to the city, so she knew me. She walked around Ivy’s legs, and when I reached my hand out for hers, she didn’t hesitate to take it. Ivy followed behind us, and we all went to meet Andy back in the living room.

He was still at the table, acting all behaved, looking up when we came closer. He looked at me, at Ivy behind me, then seemed to notice the little girl by my side.

Then, the oddest thing happened. Or, I should probably say the cutest.

Andy blinked at Hazel, his face going all slack, eyes widening like he’d just seen something amazing, and then he blushed. His little face went totally red. I looked at him in surprise, because I didn’t think I could ever see him as cute again after I saw the mess he’d left for me that morning, but this kid was just full of surprises.

If I didn’t know any better, and he wasn’t so young, I would say Andy looked like he was in love.

It really was cute. And, at the same time, hilarious.

“Do you see that?” I murmured to Ivy as we both watched Hazel trail over to sit at the couch, Andy following her with his gaze the whole way. “She’s that young and already she has boys falling for her. She’ll be a handful when she’s a teenager.”

Ivy chuckled. “We were all like that at one point. I’ll admit, I don’t know how I’m going to handle all that…but Chad swears he’ll have whatever brat that tries to date our daughter without permission from either of us thrown into jail.”

Chad, Ivy’s husband, was protective of both her and their kids, and in a lot of ways, I was envious of their relationship. But Ivy was my friend and I wanted her to do well, and it wasn’t like I was into Chad in that way, either.

I let Ivy sit down with her kids and Andy, and she supervised them as I went around, doing some light cleaning. I wouldn’t be doing it all just yet, the walls for example would take way too long to wipe clean, so I was leaving some of it for later.

About half an hour later, I went back to the living room, to the sight of Ivy rocking Hope in her arms as Andy and Hazel crowded around his picture book. Andy was still tossing glances at Hazel, even with her sitting right next to him. Ivy had plated some snacks for them, and every so often he would pick something, a cracker, some chips, and he would hold it to Hazel’s mouth, poking until she opened up and ate. She was so engrossed in the book she didn’t even fight it.

“Are you done now?” she said, standing up and coming over to me.

I sighed and wiped a hand over my brow. “Not even close, but I’m not doing it all right now. I haven’t done much besides supervise the kid today and I’m so exhausted already, on top of yesterday…”

Ivy shifted her hold on the baby and patted me sympathetically on the shoulder.

“Sorry it’s been so tough on you, but you need to chill before you drive yourself crazy. Sebastian isn’t due back until…?”

“Wednesday,” I muttered miserably.

“Well, I’ll help if I can, as long as you realize I can't have him sleep at my house. You know how long it took me to get here in the first place?”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked, you came all this way to surprise me and I’m expecting you to take care of my problem. Not fair,” I said, holding my arms out. “At least let me carry one cute, and not nearly as stressful little baby.”

She chuckled as she handed Hope over, then we moved to sit on the couch. The kids were busy with their own thing, anyway.

“You only think she’d an angel because you’re not the one there looking after her twenty four seven. She has her moments.”

“I don’t believe you,” I muttered, cooing at Hope. “You’re an angel. Aren’t you, honey?”

She smiled and flashed some teeth, grasping onto my finger and pulling on it when I offered it. When she tried to put it in her mouth, though, I resisted. Her teeth might look tiny and cute, but they were actually really sharp.

“She’s teething so watch her mouth,” Ivy said in warning.

I got my finger free from Hope and tickled her until she giggled.

“So, how have you and Chad been doing?” I asked, after long moments of just playing with Hope and getting myself to relax.

Ivy sighed as she leaned back against the seat, looking exhausted.

“Chad is fine, but I’m honestly considering changing that.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Uh, oh. Trouble in paradise? What happened?”

“Well, it’s not like it’s anything bad, but…I’m pregnant.”

I gaped. “What? No way.”

She nodded. “Yes way. I wasn’t feeling all that well recently, so I went to a doctor, and it was confirmed. Chad knows.” She let out a heavier sigh. “Honestly, I’m a little worried. I already have my hands full with these two. Hazel is approaching five, and Hope is only two years old, and in less than a year later, I’ll be having another baby…”

“You’re about to be really busy some months from now, in other words. Your hands are gonna be so full I kinda feel sorry for you.”

“Don’t be. It’s a little frustrating thinking how tired I’m going to be, but I’m happy with what I’ve got so far. One more wouldn’t hurt. Chad is hoping it’s a boy this time.”

Even though she still looked exhausted, when she started talking about the pregnancy, her whole face lit up. I hadn't been around when the other two were born, and I wondered if she’d had the same expression on her face while she was pregnant with Hazel and Hope.

I could feel envy pooling in the pit of my stomach, but it got washed away pretty quickly, because I wouldn’t be a good friend if I couldn’t be happy seeing my friend so happy.

Later, when the kids were all put to sleep in my bedroom, Ivy and I sat on the couch, drinking. Technically, she got juice and I got the wine, but neither of us cared and we still had fun. To be fair, though, and so I didn’t get drunk, I diluted the wine with juice.

“Hey,” Ivy started at the end of another story of what happened with her family recently. She was grinning, so I knew it was something good. “Did I tell you the story about Dan being an accidental dad?”

Her eyebrows wiggled, and I just stared at her in surprise, before we both burst out laughing and a part of me was glad that the conversation had nothing to do with Sebastian. I wasn’t willing to confess that the reason I’d left town, was because I’d slept with one boss and I was repeating history all over again.

“Dan? No way! Tell me it right now, I just know it’s going to be a riot. He’s so straight-laced, even the divorce was a bit of a shock.”

I still had work to do. I still had my boss’s son to look after until he returned from his business trip. But right then, I was letting loose and laughing over silly things with my closest friend. The best way possible to unwind after such a busy weekend.