Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux by Latrivia Nelson (books to read for beginners .TXT) 📕

bath.” The gusty winds blew up her sundress, showing her bare shapely legs causing a small stir in Grey’s pants. Smiling at him, she lit her cigarette and took a long drag. Blowing the smoke up in the air, she blew him a kiss.

“I’m sure I can help you relax. I’ve booked us a suite at the Madison Hotel. We’ll be all alone with no interruptions.” Kissing her on the cheek, he extended his arm to escort her across the street. He couldn’t wait to get her out of that dress.

“Thank you.” Taking his arm, she stepped off into the street. “Where’s your pregnant little pumpkin?”

“At home.” Just reference to Ivy made Grey tense up. “Do me one small favor. It will probably be one of the only ones that I ask of you while you’re here.”

She lifted her eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Don’t mention

her

again.” Deactivating his alarm, he popped the trunk and placed Kit’s things away. “What do you have in mind for lunch?”

“Room service.” Her voice was husky and seductive.

**

Madison closed the door behind him and placed the bags of groceries on the table while Sadie ran to the restroom. Grabbing a cold corked bottle of Champaign from the refrigerator, he poured a glass and took a seat. The last past month had been the most eventful for the Winters family in years, and it seemed to have taken a toll on him.

He looked around the clean, well- decorated kitchen and thought of his place. That was definitely one thing he could say about Sadie; she loved a cleaned house as much or more than he did. He surveyed the kitchen again for a moment. Why couldn’t his kitchen and her kitchen be the same? Why instead of taking out his garbage, he couldn’t simply take out theirs? Why… Sadie walked into the kitchen and began to sort through the bags.

“Well, we have both of them grown and nearly married.” She smiled at him sitting looking at her with his champagne glass to his mouth drooling like a teenage boy.

Madison figured if his son had the balls to marry twice in less than three months, he need not be afraid of a woman he was married to for most of his life. He sat up in his seat. “Yeah. All of this business between the kids really has had me thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” Sadie put the eggs in the refrigerator and closed the door. “Speak up.”

“Well, I was thinking that maybe we could try to get back together,” he said in a matter of fact tone.

“What? You can’t be serious?” She prayed to God that he was!

“Why can’t I be?” He put down the glass and stood up. “There has never really been anyone for me but you. And watching my babies just grow up and begin to start their own families so quickly is really causing me to want my own again. I mean, General is a great companion, but he’s horrible in bed.”

Sadie laughed. “Yeah, so are you.” She blushed as he walked up to her face-to-face only inches from her mouth.

“You never complained.” He took her hand. “What do you say? Can we start over?” He searched her eyes for the glimmer of hope he used to recognize and cling on to so happily.

“I don’t know.” She pinched his cheek. “How do I know that you’ll have time for me this go around.” Her words made him know she had thought about them being together again as well.

“Because this time around I’ll have retired. We’re not kids anymore. If you give me another chance, I’m finished with the Marine Corps. In three months, I can take my terminal leave, and we can sell the seven seas.” His voice was filled with anxiousness.

“I don’t know, Madison.” Doubt began to sit in where hope was holding on by mere threads pouncing on their only chance for true happiness again.

“I do.” He looked down at her wedding band. “Why else would you still wear the ring if you didn’t believe that we would somehow end up back together?” He kissed her soft aging hands.

“Because it keeps away unneeded trouble to say that you’re married to a jar head.”

“Why lie. Be able to tell the truth again.”

“And what exactly is the truth, Madison.”

“That you still love me and still want to be with me.”

“And what about you? Do you feel the same about me?” She searched his eyes this time hoping to see no hesitation.

“Can’t you see it all over me. Hell, I never got over you, Sadie. What man in his right man would?”

“I’m not jumping back into marriage again so quickly. We have to start all over. That means dating first.”

“But marriage isn’t totally out?” He wanted to hear something solid he could build on for the future.

She thought for a moment. “It’s not completely out, no.”

“Well then I don’t mind starting out all over again.” His heart skipped a beat as he reveled at her beauty. She was the mother of his children and the lover who held his heart unconditionally.

“No shacking up either. I could handle you being here when I didn’t want anything to do with you, but after the wedding off you go.”

“Yes, maim,” he said saluting her.

“General is not going to like this.”

“He’ll be strong,” Madison said putting down his glass and kissing her softly. “Let’s take this conversation to the back, Mrs. Winters. It is alright if I call you that, isn’t it?” He pinched her side. It had been years since he could enjoy the true fruits of a good marriage, and he had no problem starting again prematurely.

“Yes, sir,” she said as he picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

**

Emerald took his new bride’s bags out of the trunk and followed her inside of the Madison Hotel entrance to the concierge desk where two older women sat listening to the Creole band that played about forty feet away on the stage. Taking out her purse, Trina pulled out a