Page 15 of Claiming Ivy (Claiming 1)

Kathy falls quiet again, stretching my nerves to their limit. Ivy is very like her mom. She's going to keep me on my toes, and I can't fucking wait.

"I don't need the details, but you said you weren't intimate until last night?" she finally asks.

I nod, holding her gaze so she can see the truth of my words. "I would never take advantage of Ivy. She wanted me as much as I wanted her."

Kathy purses her lips thoughtfully. "She's my daughter, and I love her very much, but it seems to me that she's always craved a life different from most. She's got a maturity that most women her age don't possess, which is why I'm confident that she knows what she wants. I know I've sheltered her to some extent, particularly since Jack died, but I would never stop her from walking her own path in life. And if that path includes you, then I won't stand in the way."

She pauses, the eyes so like her daughter's boring into me. "But am I happy about it? Not really. The age gap worries me, but only time will tell if you mean what you say. We have a friendship that I value greatly, and I know it will hurt Ivy if one of us isn't a part of her life. So I'll trust you with my daughter's heart, but just know that if you ever break it, our friendship will be over."

I admire her ferocity for her daughter because I feel the same ferocity for Ivy that she does.

I smile. "That's not going to happen. So I guess you're stuck with me."