Page 106 of Meet Me in Ivy Falls

‘After you,’ Mr Wright barked in my direction.

Torran’s face stayed in an emotionless mask.

I’d forgotten how much it hurt to have her look at me like I didn’t matter in her life anymore. That armor of hers was firmly back in place, and I wasn’t sure I could ever strip it away again.

Chapter Forty-Eight

TORRAN

Fight For What You Want.

Not two steps outside the front door, my dad started in.

‘Please pardon my brazenness, but both of you are acting like complete assholes.’

I barked out a laugh. ‘Well, hell, tell us how you really feel, Dad.’

He dragged a hand across his tight mouth, but there was an ease to his body I hadn’t seen in years. It was going to take me a while to get used to this new side of him.

‘Torran’s mother and I had thirty incredible years together,’ he started. ‘Sure, we fought, but I never ran away.’ He shot a dark, accusatory look at Beck. ‘And while there may be problems’ – his steady stare moved to me – ‘a relationship as strong as yours is worth fighting for and…’

‘Sir, I appreciate what you’re doing, but this is between your daughter and me,’ Beck interrupted.

‘Fine, but I want you both to admit that your lives are better together. A moment like this only comes along once in a lifetime. Don’t be stubborn. Fight for what you want. I wish I’d done that with Torran’s mother. For both my girls.’ He flashed a sad smile. ‘Talk things out right now or believe me you will spend the rest of your life regretting it.’ He turned on his heel and strode back into the house.

Neither of us moved. Hammers and saws continued to pound and whir inside.

‘Why did you bring my father into this?’ I turned and pointed to the crowd working inside. ‘And why are Barb and Susan learning how to use a table saw? How did you even get Old Mrs Vanderpool here, especially since this place is still a mess?’

The moment I walked into the house my heart clenched. This was not how I wanted any of them to see the place, but the sight of them working side by side, scrubbing away the last of the paint, sweeping up debris, made my throat go as dry as sandpaper. I thought of the community open house I’d wanted. This was sure as hell not it, but I was grateful for their presence anyway.

‘I was getting to that, Tor. Just give me a chance.’

The plea in his voice made me bite back all my other questions. I’d promised Tessa that I’d listen. That I wouldn’t close my heart again.

‘Fine but make it quick,’ I said over the steady whir of that damn table saw.

‘With Manny’s and your father’s help, I reached out to everyone in Ivy Falls and asked them to come here today. Manny let it slip that you only have a week left to get the house back into good condition before Hearth and Home films again. I figured more hands would help.’

‘Why does it matter to you? You said you were done with Ivy Falls.’ I wanted to say ‘and me’ but couldn’t push the words out.

‘Piper is at Changing Attitudes. It’s a rehab facility a short trip away from Ivy Falls. They have a great program with a lot of intensive therapy. It’s a good place for her.’

‘I thought you said you were taking her to San Francisco?’

‘She wouldn’t let me and she was right,’ he said in a rush. ‘I’m sorry for being scared. Blind to what’s in front of me. I thought fixing this house would help erase some of the pain of my parents’ tragic deaths. Restore my sister’s sobriety. I know now that the house is nothing more than paint and wood. What pulled me back to Ivy Falls was the sense that a vital piece of my life was missing.’

He took a step closer, the scent of him washing over me.

‘That missing piece was you, Torran. While I love this house, you are my home.’

‘But you insisted Piper was the only one who mattered in your life. That the Beck I’d loved no longer existed.’

‘I was wrong. The truth is when it comes to my sister, hell, even my own life, I make bad decisions because I’m too damn afraid to get close to anyone only to lose them again. It’s become my default to use Piper’s problems as an excuse to push people away.’ He dragged shaky hands through his hair. ‘I’m tired of running from what might be. What my life could become if I finally accepted my parents are gone and what happened to them was a terrible accident.’

‘I want to believe you. Trust you again. And I’ll admit that I’ve built a wall around my heart, but how do I let that wall crumble if I’m afraid that you’ll just take off when things get hard between us?’

‘Everything you accused me of in the hospital was true.’ He scrubbed a hand over his face, his fingers trembling. ‘The night I told you about how my parents died I didn’t give you all the details. When we got back to the campsite after snowboarding, my mom asked me to help with dinner. I was all ready to go inside the RV when Piper started pleading for me to have a snowball fight.’