Jen's pov
'Mom?'
I took my hands off my face and saw Ivy standing in the doorway of my bedroom. 'What's wrong, darling?' I asked as neutrally as possible.
'Are we going to do something fun today?'
I swallowed. It was a long time ago that we had done something nice as a family for the last time. Our last family moment had been to Ireland and that didn't end well. 'What do you want to do?'
She sat down on the bed next to me. 'Are we going together? Just the two of us?' she asked as she fiddled with her fingers.
'Would you like that?'
She nodded. 'A girls only day'
Smiling, I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against me. 'And what do you want to do then?'
She put her index finger against her chin and pretended to be thinking. 'Shopping?' she asked cheerfully.
I kissed her head. 'I'll call grandma and ask her if we can bring Mason and we'll do whatever you want, okay?'
She nodded and wanted to jump off the bed. 'Ivy...' I said barely audible.
'Yes, mom?'
I hesitated for a moment but soon realized that I really couldn't go on like this anymore. 'The police called me'
Her face brightened. 'Is Daddy coming back?'
When it took me too long to answer, her face turned gloomy. 'He's not coming back, is he?'
I shook my head. 'The police don't think so, honey.'
She swallowed and I saw her lip starting to tremble, but she tried to hold back the tears. I couldn't handle seeing her like that and felt a tear rolling down my own cheek. 'I'm so sorry, Ivy.'
She was still trying to keep herself together, but it was too much for her and at that moment she broke. She hugged me tightly and began to sob hysterically. I pulled her onto my lap, wrapped my arms tightly around her and rocked gently back and forth until she slowly calmed down. Everything in this world has a limit, but my love for her is endlessly. As I grew older I found out that true happiness is not in how much money you make or how many degrees you or how big your house or how fancy your car is. It's finding peace, joy and calmness in your life that will soon become the most important thing. My family is what matters to me, love is what matters to me. Things that are of quantity and not quality.
I arranged with my parents that they would babysit Mason and that he could stay the night so that Ivy and I could take our time. After what I told her, she had barely said a word to me. I looked at her through the rearview mirror and noticed that she was staring out the window. I parked the car and looked back again.
'Ready for an 'Ivy and Mom' day?' I asked her as enthusiastic as possible.
She forced a smile. 'Are we going to eat McDonalds too?'
I shook my head laughing.
'Please...' she begged.
I smiled. 'Okay, just because it's your day then'
I got out of the car and then helped Ivy out of her car seat. I grabbed her little hand in mine and we entered the mall together. We shopped all afternoon and Ivy seemed to be completely cheered up after a few hours. Despite the fact that Mason resembled Colin in appearance, I began to notice more and more that she resembled him most when it comes to characteristics. She was an introvert and didn't easily tell what was going on in her head. She was able to brighten up a bit during moments like this when we were together and I noticed that I should have done this much earlier with her.
After I convinced her that we would really eat at McDonalds for dinner, I was able to convince her to take a break and have a drink at a restaurant. It was very busy. Finally, I spotted a free table and walked quickly towards it, but at the same time a man wanted to take a seat there.
'Excuse me...' I started as I looked up. I stared straight into a very familiar face. 'Jack?' I asked surprised.
He seemed as surprised as I was. 'Jen?'
I smiled. 'You can take the table.'
He shook his head. 'We know each other anyway. Come and sit by.'
I looked at Ivy. 'Are you okay with that, honey?'
She nodded and looked with a smile at Jack and then at the girl who was holding his hand.
'And who are you?' I asked as kindly as possible.
'This is my niece, Anna. I had to babysit her today and she wanted to do something fun. Shopping isn't really my definition of fun, but as long as she's enjoying herself I'm fine with anything.'
We all sat down at the table and ordered our drinks. Ivy and Anna turned out to be of the same age and started chatting about their favorite Barbie movies and girlbands. I looked down at Jack and saw a huge smile on his face as he watched the two little girls.
For almost an hour Jack and I talked about our audition and the plans we all had and time passed incredibly fast. After a while, we asked for the bill and when Jack insisted that he would pay, I reluctantly admitted.
'You can pay next time'
I smiled. 'Next time? I don't remember asking.'
He took my hand and gently squeezed it. 'Do you want to go out with me?' he asked barely audible.
I stared into his eyes and all the doubts I had at first disappeared. 'I would love to'
'Thursday at 8?'
I nodded in agreement.
'Good. Then I'll pick you up at 8.'
He stood up and ran his fingers through Ivy's hair, who began to giggle. 'Bye Ivy'
She smiled at him. 'Jack?'
He lowered himself on his knees beside her. 'Yes?'
'Can I play with Anna soon?'
He smiled kindly. 'Of course. I'll discuss that with your mom soon, okay?'
She nodded as Jack slowly stood up again. I also stood up and embraced him. I felt his strong arms around my waist and had forgotten how nice it felt when a man held you. He gently kissed my cheek and smiled.
'I'll see you soon, Jen'