The water was cold by the time Ivy's crying subsided, and she was so weak she could barely keep herself from sliding down into the tub when he got out to strip and get her a towel. It was a clumsy fumble, but Uriah got her dried off and carried her to bed.
She passed out before he even got the blankets pulled up over her, and for a good long while he sat beside her, wondering if it would be wrong of him to read her mother's journal first.
If Ilsa Greene had left a detailed record of the days leading up to her murder, maybe he could soften the blow, protect Ivy from whatever painful truths she might learn. But even as he considered it, Uriah knew it was the wrong choice.
Too many truths had been softened or concealed to protect Ivy, and all it had caused was self-doubt, loathing, and loneliness.
No, he would wait and be there for his mate, come what may.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ivy woke up to the mouthwatering taste of something rich and savory in the air. Her nose was stuffed up from crying, her head throbbed dully, and she felt absolutely miserable. Her eyes felt gritty and sore, pulsing and swollen from her crying jag.
Disoriented, it took her a moment to realize she was in Uriah's bed, their bed, naked and snuggled beneath the heavy blankets.
She sat up slowly, noticing a glass of water on the bedside table that made her aware of the ravenous thirst she felt. No doubt dehydrated, Ivy used both hands to pick up the glass and drained it in a few swallows, hearing nothing but the hum of the fan overhead. A glance at the skylights told her the sun was setting, the clock on the table read seven forty-eight. She'd slept the day away again.
Ivy threw the covers back, found her favorite pair of fluffy slippers waiting on the floor, a pale green robe draped over the chair Uriah had sat in the last time she'd woken up, and her mother's journal resting on the seat.
It felt like a monumental effort to get up, and she had to stand there by the bed waiting to see if her legs could support movement. When she didn't immediately fall back down, Ivy shoved her feet in the silly slippers and wrapped herself up in the robe that was so soft it must have been made of bamboo. She wondered if Uriah had gotten it for her, or if the Brownies had brought it per a request from Rowena. Either way, it felt wonderful on her skin.
Hugging herself, she stared down at the journal with a beautiful Tree of Life pressed into the cover. She couldn't recall ever seeing her mother writing in a journal, but she supposed there was a lot of things she didn't know about her.
Needing to splash some water on her face and brush her teeth, Ivy shuffled her way into the bathroom.
Ivy felt marginally better with a clean face and an empty bladder, but once she left the bathroom her gaze was unerringly drawn to her mother's diary. Making her way back to the chair, Ivy picked up the thick book, tracing the outer circle of the tree before hugging it to her chest.
Uriah must have heard her moving around because he met her on the stairs and immediately opened his arms to her. Ivy snuggled right in, wishing her nose wasn't so stuffed up so she could breathe in his scent. He dropped a kiss on her hair, his big hands kneading up and down her back, pulling at the tight muscles of her shoulders with the perfect amount of pressure.
“What can I get you, honey?” Uriah murmured tenderly. “Do you need anything?”
Ivy sighed against his chest, exhausted despite having slept the day away. “This. This is what I need.”
He made a deeply content sound that vibrated under her ear, holding on until every sliver of tension left her. “I made dinner, are you hungry?”
Her answer was drowned out by the immediate roaring of her stomach, and from somewhere Ivy found the power to smile. “I could eat. What's on?”
“Pot roast and biscuits.”
Her mouth watered at the promise of another delicious meal. “One of these days, I'm gonna cook for you.”
“If you want to, I won't say no, but I do like making food for you.”
“The bear thing, right?” she teased weakly.
He pressed another kiss on her forehead, his voice dropping to a husky murmur as he drew back far enough to cup her cheeks in his big hands, staring deeply into her eyes.
“It's a mate thing. I want to take care of you. When you're hungry, I want to feed you. When you're tired, I want to tuck you in the bed I made for us. When you're sad, I want to hold you until it doesn't hurt anymore. When you're scared, I want you to know I'll always fight for you. For us. “
Ivy found she had a few more tears to cry. Hot and salty, they dripped down her face while Uriah's thumbs gently swept them away. She took a shaky breath as she wound her arms around his shoulders and let the words flow.
“I've been infatuated with you from the first day you came into the garden shop, but I fell head over heels in love with you as soon as you started telling me about the two hundred and nine year old tree you took so much care to preserve.”
Uriah's amber eyes brightened with a supernatural shine, Ivy felt the shudder that trembled through him and heard the muscles of his throat worked as he swallowed hard. When he spoke, his voice was a little more than a growl.
“Say it again.”
“I love you, and I promise life with me won't always be so insane and dramatic.” Ivy spoke the words against his lips, her stomach flipping and flopping when Uriah pressed closer to savor the words with the gentlest of kisses.
“Just as you are, Ivy. I love you just as you are. Whatever happens next, whatever you learn about your mom, whatever you read in that journal, whatever apples shake out of your family tree, I'm right here.”
She went up on her toes with the intention of climbing her way up his powerful body, but her stomach gave another loud rumble and Uriah stiffened. “Uriah—”
He scooped her up and carried her down to the kitchen. “Food.”
“Uriah!” Ivy drew his name out with a little whine, wiggling as much as she could in hopes of enticing him to change trajectory, but he was unmoved.
He ducked his head to touch a string of kisses up along her throat, to breathe a hot, sexy growl in her ear.
“You're going to spend several hours this evening telling me you love me, gotta keep your strength up.”
The heated promise in his voice caused a shiver to twist down her spine and arousal to instantly pool low in her belly. Her thighs were slick when he set her on her feet, and from the way his nostrils flared, the scent was strong enough to catch his attention.
The tie of her robe had loosened to make the two halves sag open enough to barely cling to the hard points of her nipples, and Uriah's gaze dropped to the exposed V of flesh. The hunger in his eyes was plain to see, and for one breathless moment, Ivy really thought he would forget about dinner, but her stupid stomach wouldn't be ignored.
She couldn't be too upset, because so far Uriah hadn't let her down when it came to dedicating himself to her pleasure.
He made a decidedly animalistic sound, reaching down without shame to adjust the huge bulge in his jeans before heading for the stove. “Your phone was going off while you were sleeping; I didn't recognize the number, so I brought it down here to charge. I think there's a voicemail for you.”
Ivy followed the direction of the tongs he pointed with to see her cell plugged in and waiting face down for her. She didn't recognize the number either, but there was a kind message from Henry's sister inviting her to come at her convenience to choose whatever Ivy wanted from the shop.