From This Moment (10 page)

Ivy got through the weekend reading the bios and other information about Marsha and Blake, so she was fully prepared when they arrived for the television shoot.

Before she left home, she called her sisters to remind them that they were wearing their royal blue Hearts and Flowers uniforms for the shoot today instead of their regular clothes.

She liked the ensemble, which consisted of black slacks and a royal blue button-down cotton shirt with the company crest embroidered in white and gold on the left breast pocket.

Ivy stopped by Lili’s office to tell her that Randall would be stopping in with his fiancée just in case Lili recognized him.

When she walked in all three of her sisters were sitting in the work room laughing.

Ivy walked into the room. “What’s going on, ladies?”

Rose got up and walked over to her. “Good morning, Ms. Superstar.”

Ivy waved her hands. “Girl, please,” she responded, before walking over to Lili.

“I’m glad all of you are here. There’s something I need to tell you.”

Lili, Violet and Rose gave her their full attention. “Remember that guy I dated when I was living in Michigan?”

“Uh-huh,” Rose mumbled.

“Ronny, Raymond, or something like that,” Lili guessed.

Violet sat up straight. “Nope, his name was Randall.” She looked at Ivy for confirmation. “Right, Vee? Wasn’t that his name?”

“Yes, Randall. Anyway, he’s marrying Lauren Kabins.”

Lili pushed Ivy’s shoulder. “Girl, if you don’t get out of here with that mess.”

“You are kidding right, Vee?” Rose asked.

“No, I’m not. I just wanted you guys to know in case he comes for the cake tasting with her.”

“Isn’t he like forty or something, and she’s a toddler,” Lili joked.

“He’s marrying her, that’s all I can tell you,” Ivy said, not wanting to get into any personal speculation about his relationship with Lauren.

“How do you feel about it?” Violet asked.

“I feel fine. We haven’t been in touch with each other in more than ten years.” Ivy moved toward the door.

“I needed to tell you that, so there would be no confusion.” She looked at Lili. “And don’t you start anything with them, either.”

Lili laid her hand over her chest. “Me? I wouldn’t do that.”

They all burst into laughter.

Ivy pointed at her. “I mean it. We don’t need another incident like the one we had with Dianne Hawkins and her fake-Gucci-wearing daughter Phoebe.”

Rose stood to her feet. “Oh, Vee, they deserved everything they got.”

Ivy concluded that she had to make sure that she was present for the cake tasting because the last time she let her sisters handle a hostile customer they had to call security. Even though she knew the customer made the incident personal, she couldn’t afford anything like that getting out on her now.

“I’m going up front so that I can see if Marsha and Blake have shown up yet. The film crew should be setting up any minute now.”

Lili glanced at Rose and Violet. “How’s she gonna come in here, drop a bomb like that and then leave? Oh, no, sistah girl, this conversation ain’t over.”

* * *

The television taping went well. Ivy really enjoyed working with Marsha and Blake. Marsha had the most intriguing greenish gray eyes. The tall, ebony colored young woman sporting a short, spiked haircut towered over her fiancé, Blake, who had to be about five feet, seven inches tall. The two were professionals; she worked as a mortgage broker for a neighborhood bank and Blake was a high school music teacher.

They were high school sweethearts, and then went their separate ways when Blake went off to college. They reunited a year ago when he came into the bank after accepting a job at Wyndam High School.

A fun-loving couple with great tastes, agreed to the plans Ivy had made for them. They’d chosen to have their ceremony and reception at one venue, the top floor of the Chicago Hilton and Towers on Ninety-fifth Street in Chicago.

With the help of a very understanding film crew, the taping of the show was a breeze. They would tape two more times this week, and that footage would be edited and combined for the first episode. Ivy looked forward to next week.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Rose walked into Ivy’s office and sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

“We’re going ice skating on Saturday, wanna come?”

“I think I’ll pass. I don’t skate, remember?”

“It will be a lot of fun. You should come. Jonathan is coming with us.”

“And . . .” Ivy knew Rose was trying to play matchmaker. “Did you talk to Jonathan about this before you tried to set him up on a date?”

Rose blushed. She held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, Vee, you got me. Marc is going to talk to Jonathan about coming along. I just think you’ll like him, if you get to know him.”

“Rosie, I just went on a date with him last Friday.”

Rose scooted closer to the desk. “Yeah, and you didn’t even tell us how it went.”

Ivy pushed her paperwork aside and clasped her hands together, trying to figure out what she should say to Rose without revealing her true connection to Jonathan.

“Okay, if he agrees to go, then I’ll go.”

Rose got up and smiled. “Good. I’ll see you tonight, then.”

After her sister left, Ivy couldn’t deny the fact that even though she’d spoken to Jonathan on the phone several times since their date, she was eager to see him again.

In fact, she had relived every sensuous moment of their date; every sweet kiss, every touch and every gentle caress. This was the kind of man that had only shown up in her dreams.

Gwen buzzed in, bringing Ivy back from her daydream. Ivy pushed the button. “Yes, Gwen.”

“Jonathan is here to see you.”

“Thank you,” Ivy said before hitting the button.

She quickly went to the wall mirror to examine her hair and makeup. She smoothed out her clothes and waited for him to come in.

“Hey, baby,” he said as he walked into the office.

A shiver went down Ivy’s spine at the sight of his towering figure and the sound of his raspy voice.

“Hey.” Ivy liked the term of endearment. “Rosie just left my office. She wants me to go ice skating Saturday.”

“Yeah, I know. Marc and I just talked about it.”

There was a pregnant pause before Ivy spoke. “Is that why you came over here?”

“Yes, and I needed something else, too.”

Ivy didn’t remember how or when he pulled her into his arms, but suddenly she found her breasts pressed against his chest, sending waves of passion coursing through her body.

The next thing she knew, Jonathan’s lips were on hers, and Ivy became instantly lost in his kiss. When she moaned, his hands went from her shoulders to her waist, deepening the kiss as he brought her even closer.

When they came up for air, Jonathan whispered, “I needed that.”

Ivy blushed, but met his gaze. “What do you think about going skating this Saturday?” After that kiss, she could barely string a sentence together.

“I think it will be fun.”

Ivy hadn’t been skating since she was in high school. “Jonathan, I don’t know how to skate.”

“That’s not what Rosie told me.”

“She talks too much,” Ivy said and smiled.

“Don’t be afraid. Rosie and Marc, Destiny and Nicholas, Vanessa and Richard and my friend Kenny and his wife Monica are going, too.”

Jonathan once again kissed her lips. “I’ll be there to catch you if you fall,” he said, trying to reassure her.

“This is going to be interesting,” she said, smiling at him. “Where are we supposed to meet Rosie?”

“Marc wants to drive us, so I’ll be at your place by seven. We’ll drop my truck off at their house.”

Jonathan beckoned for her with his index finger. Ivy closed the gap between them.

“Just one more kiss and I’m out of here.”

“One more.”

He leaned forward and surrounded with his arms, resting his head against her. “I’ll see you later.”

Ivy kissed him back. “Okay, see you later.”

Jonathan walked out of the office and Ivy sat at her desk, reveling in the unexpected direction her life was going.

Saturday evening, Jonathan arrived at Ivy’s house at six o’clock. He decided to come early so that they would have time to spend together before they had to go to Marc and Rose’s house.

Ivy opened the door and said, “Be careful where you step, my contact lens just fell on the floor.”

Jonathan raised his foot to check the bottom of his shoes and tip-toed around her, as he looked down at the carpeted floor. “Where were you when it fell?”

With her left hand, Ivy made a circular motion in the area to the right of where Jonathan was standing.

They both got down on their knees and gently ran their hands over the carpet in that area, trying to find the missing lens.

Jonathan spotted the clear round disc. “Baby, I think I’ve found it.” Carefully he lifted it from the floor with his forefinger. Holding it up, he gave it to her. “Don’t these things tear or dissolve?”

Ivy carefully took it from him. “Yes, I have to be so careful. Thanks so much. I thought I was going to have to buy some new ones.”

“Don’t I get some kind of reward or something for finding your precious lens?” Jonathan gave her a big smile.

Ivy couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Give me just one minute.” She ran to the bathroom and poured saline solution on the lens and gently rubbed it to clean and moisten it.

She placed it in her eye and when she looked up, Jonathan had stuck his head inside the bathroom door.

“I’m still waiting on my reward.”

Ivy turned to him and kissed his cheek.

“Is that all I get? Girl, you kissed me like I was your Uncle Bubba.”

Ivy playfully hit his arm. “Let’s get ready to go.”

Jonathan blocked the doorway to the bathroom. “Nope, not until I get a proper kiss.”

Ivy playfully placed her hands on her hips. She knew he was kidding around with her, and she actually liked it.

Walking over to him, Ivy pulled him to her and kissed his forehead, his nose and then his lips.

Breaking the kiss, she stepped back. “Better?”

“Better,” he said, grabbing her hand, pulling her out of the bathroom and down the hall.

Glancing at his wrist, he checked the time. “We’d better get going. I don’t want to start anything we can’t finish.”

* * *

It had been a year and it still surprised Jonathan how in love Marc and Rose were. He never thought a woman would be able to capture his playboy brother’s heart until he met Rose. The sweet and nurturing dark-skinned beauty was just what his brother needed.

He pulled up to the Victorian-style house and turned to Ivy. “You ready?”

She nodded.

He got out and walked around to open the door for her.

Walking up the sidewalk together, Ivy rang the doorbell.

Marc answered the door. “Baby, they’re here, hurry up,” he yelled toward the stairs.

“I’m coming,” Rose yelled back.

As the brothers embraced, Marc asked, “Did Aunt Rachel call you?”

“No, why? Is something wrong?” Jonathan asked.

“No, she wants us to help her with the canning this year.”

“With all the females in our family?” Jonathan asked, recognizing one of his aunt’s ploys.

“Who knows? But I’m going to be there, and I think you should, too,” Marc replied, checking the time and looking toward the stairs.“Baby, come on,” he called out.

“I’ll go and get her,” Ivy said, heading toward the staircase.

* * *

Ivy looked for Rose in her dressing room, but she wasn’t there. She then walked down the hall toward the bathroom. She could hear sounds, but wasn’t sure where they were coming from. The closer she got to the bathroom door, the louder the sounds became.

Once she was directly in front of the door, she realized her sister was crying. It broke Ivy’s heart. Rapping on the door, she called out, “Rosie, it’s me. Open the door.”

“I’ll be out in a minute,” Rose responded.

“No, I want to come in.”

Ivy stood in front of the closed door for what seemed like an eternity. When the door flew open, she walked in and gathered Rose into her arms. “What’s the matter, Rosie?” she asked, stroking her sister’s hair.

“Vee, I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Rose said, dabbing her face with a tissue.

Ivy led her over to the tub and they sat facing each other. “What do you mean? Are you sick?”

“No, I’m not, but there’s got to be something wrong with me,” Rose replied, her voice small and sad.

“Rosie, I’m not following you. Can you start from the beginning? Why do you think something is wrong?”

“We’ve been married for two years and I haven’t gotten pregnant yet.”

Ivy searched for words to ease her sister’s pain. “You will; stop worrying. I bet you’ll get pregnant if you don’t think so much about it.”

“I’ve tried to push it to the back of my mind, but I just can’t. I want to be a mother so badly.”

Ivy felt her stomach tightening. She hadn’t even thought about whether or not she could be a mother herself after what happened to her. She couldn’t allow her feelings to show too much, though. Rose had enough going on, and she didn’t need to add to her concerns.

“Why are you going skating, then? Aren’t you afraid that you might fall down?” She didn’t want to be the voice of gloom, but her sister had to be realistic about things.

“I’m not going to skate; I’m just going to be with you guys.” Rose gave her a half smile.

Ivy hugged her sister to her, saying, “Let’s get your face cleaned up.” They both stood and went to the mirror over the basin.

Studying her sister’s reflection in the mirror, Ivy said, “Stop feeling sad. I think you’ll be a wonderful mother. We’ve got to get downstairs before your husband comes looking for you.”

As they headed for the door, Rose stopped and said to Ivy, “I really hope you like Jonathan, Vee, he is such a nice guy.”

Ivy thought to herself, but didn’t say it aloud.
I know and I think I’m in love with him.

When they walked into the kitchen, Jonathan was on one cordless phone and Marc was on another.

“They must be talking to Rachel,” Rose guessed.

The men quickly ended their call.

“Is Rachel all right, baby?” Rose asked Marc as she moved into his arms.

Marc kissed her forehead and said, “She’s fine, ready to do her canning. She wants us to help her with some other stuff around the house. She doesn’t want Uncle Isaiah on the ladder, and he’s too cheap to pay somebody else to do the work.”

“So M & J to the rescue,” Jonathan joked. “Hey, we’d better get out of here; Vanessa is probably driving Richard crazy by now,” he added as they headed out the door.