Kidnap My Heart - Chapter Twenty Eight

"Look, I'm sorry babe but you need to breathe. You aren't even married to the fella yet and you're bawling buckets. He probably only went out to Chris and Nate. Tonight's our bachelor party and they're probably getting ready." Avery said to Julia. Julia looked up at him with her bloodshot eyes and gulped visibly. "Nate and Chris said they wouldn't need him till tonight! I'm a mess Avery! These months of planning have got to me on the last day." she cried as she wept loudly. She hunched forward on her chair and Avery patted her back lightly. She cried louder and Avery felt his ears prickle from her shrill sobs. "He's been going through the same things so don't worry. You both went through the same fatigue so don't cry. He's willing to stick around, no matter what." Avery said as her sobs wore down.

She looked up at him helplessly and Avery frowned. He wiped away a stray tear on her cheek and a smile opened slowly onto her face. "I leave for less than an hour and I see my best friend making moves on my chica. Bad move man." Avery heard from behind him. He grinned and shook his head quickly. "You can have her. I was just making sure to fill in a void while it was available." He said with a grin. Mason walked over to them and Avery stood up, waving the now open seat to him. Mason sat down and eyed his weeping fiancee. "What's wrong baby?" he asked as he reached for her hand. She pulled away from him and crossed her arms. She turned and looked at Avery feebly. He gave her a knowing look and Julia looked back at Mason. "I'm just really tired I guess." She whispered. Mason raised his eyebrow in judgment. Julia was incredibly stubborn when she wanted to be. He could tell she was upset over him being gone for a long time without telling her.

He didn't want to spoil the surprise that Ivy was there so luckily he brought a tiny gift in compensation and as an alibi. "I'll try to believe that. Now turn around and close your eyes." He said with a grin. Julia's eyes widened and she turned around slowly. "Now stay here while I get something from downstairs. Don't open your eyes." He said as he fled from the room. Julia sighed and a small smile blossomed across her face. "You are such a woman." Avery said as he watched her smile. Julia giggled and shook her head. "If you want to woo a woman Avey, you gotta know how to do things like Mason. Or even better, just tell the truth and be yourself." Julia said with her smile still plastered on her face. Avery grinned and shook his head at the woman in love. Mason came back and kneeled in front of Julia. "Open your eyes now." He said as he pulled something from his pocket. Julia opened her eyes and looked at the ring in a velvet case. She gasped loudly and looked as if she was going to cry again. "I didn't really give you a proper ring when I proposed to you, so I hope it isn't too late to give you this." Mason said as he slid the ring onto her ring finger.

Julia jumped from her seat and hugged him tightly. He fell back and they rolled around on the floor happily. Avery laughed and walked down the hallway. "I'm leaving now!! Don't get too tired before tonight Mason!" he shouted from down the stairs. He walked out of the house and toward his car. He looked out at the blue skies and leaned against his car. For the first time in a while, Ivy had popped into his mind. He didn't know where they left off. It was a plain goodbye and he had no clue she was leaving. If only he knew then. He would have stopped her and told her how he really felt. He felt like an idiot for not chasing after her. He knew that was what she wanted and yet he couldn't give her that one thing. He entered his car and drove away planning his actions out.

Ivy had decided to take Ryan on a walk around the city. She placed sunglasses on him but knew people would notice him. She dragged him throughout the city and he insisted on holding her hand so he wouldn't get lost. Before there would be sparks everywhere when he held her hand. Now it was a friendly gesture just to keep her hands warm. She pulled him in from store to store and watched as the people around them eyed them curiously. Personally she didn't care. It was too much fun she didn't want to care that much. They looked at the shops merchandise and laughed when something looked too hideous. They tried on different hats and shades and when they walked along the sidewalks of the street they would laugh loudly and they never did care who stopped to stare. It was their day to do whatever they wanted. They sat down near the park where Ivy held most of her memories.

She looked as some teenagers swung on the swings happily and jump off to hug each other tightly. "Isn't that the park in the picture?" Ryan said as he took off his shades. Ivy nodded and slumped back against her seat. "Where did Crystal go? I haven't seen her since we got here." Ryan asked with a smile. Ivy grinned and replied, "Probably went to see Chris." Ryan nodded and viewed his surroundings carefully. "This place is really beautiful." He said as he looked around. Ivy stood up and smiled at him. "It gets better. C'mon." she said as she held out her hand to him. He took her hand stubbornly and listened to her babbling as she dragged him around. Ivy caught sight of a black Mustang parked on the sidewalk. The car was parked in front of a flower boutique. She knew he wouldn't have been in there. "Ryan, listen to me right now. That car belongs to Avery. He could be anywhere so when I tell you he's around, do something to help me out. You're a movie producer. I think you can think of something clever to get him." Ivy said with a devious grin.

Ryan rolled his eyes and smiled the same smile. "How do you know that it's him for sure?" he asked. "He's the only boy who worked for a Mustang in this town. He is in love with that car. Plus it has that heart sticker in the window that I put there in our junior year in high school." She said with a grin. Ryan shrugged and nodded. He held his hand out toward her and she grabbed it. He pulled her along the street and they headed straight toward the boutique. "I didn't agree to this." She panicked. She pulled her hand away from him and walked away. She didn't look up when she walked away and ran straight into a tall person. She almost fell back but they caught her by the waist. "Careful there ma'am." She heard a deep voice say. Shit, she thought silently. She knew that voice anywhere and anytime. It haunted her for the last month and she wanted to wait one more day before actually facing him.

She tilted her head downward and avoided his strong gaze. "I'm sorry. My girlfriend here is a klutz. C'mon sweetheart." She heard Ryan say behind her. She didn't look up at him and he loosened his grip on her waist. She turned away quickly and Ryan reached for her hand. They walked away, their backs facing him. "Gosh I hope he didn't realize that it was you." Ryan said as he tightened his grip on her hand. Ivy felt her heartbeat unconsciously and her face burned. She turned back briefly and watched as Avery had the same ruffled look as he had before she left. "Oh he knows it was me alright."