Page 39 of Mommy

I don’t know why, but in her eyes being fed is comparable with being a burden.

Without thinking I pull my shirt up over my head, and hand it to her.

I have a tank top underneath, so no one can be grumpy with me for not following gym etiquette. Besides, I would’ve taken off the pump cover during the workout anyway, so this is really just giving me a reason to do it sooner.

The charocoal colored shirt is already loose on me, so when Ivy puts it on, it falls down her small figure like a dress. I love how her shoulders immediately relax.

Pulling her hair out of the collar, she beams up at me.

“Ready?” I ask.

“Imma kick your ass.” She retorts with a feral little smirk.

There’s my girl.

Chapter twenty three

Ivory

I get up, ready to pick up a weight to throw on top of my shoulders that I am certain I cannot even move. But two large hands cover mine, stopping me.

“Stay.” Derek says, pushing me back down onto my ass. Grabbing the weights I was going to use, he picks them up easily, lifting them until they are in position next to my shoulders, and all I have to do is lift my own arms and hold them.

They’re already heavy as fuck, making me almost grunt when Derek lets go.

“Wait till I’m behind you.” He orders while walking around me, careful to not bump against my elbow.

“Okay, up.”

I push, I swear I do.

The weight is moving the tiniest bit and I press my teeth together, trying harder to push the weight up and over my head the way Derek showed me a minute ago.

Inch by inch the dumbbells go up and I’m honestly surprised when they reach each other above my head.

“Nice.” Derek says behind me. Pride fills my chest. And then: “Again.”

My eyebrows shoot up and I try to catch his eye in the mirror, but he’s ignoring me.

Slowly, I move the dumbbells back into the starting position and try to repeat the motion. Once more they creep up slowly and I let out a deep breath when they quietly clink together above my head.

“Another.”

I almost whimper but I do as he says.

“Another.”

I go again, painfully slowly now.

“Another.”

This time I do whine. A breathless sound of exhaustion and despair that is doing nothing to help me move the weight.

Halfway up my body finally decides to give out on me and the weight freezes in its position.

“Push.” Derek orders from behind me, making me want to growl at him. That is, until his hands come to my sides and help me ever so slightly to push the weight up—that despite my best efforts had remained frozen beside my head.

“One more.” He says, once I have clinked my weights together.