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“Yes, because you should trust me. I had no idea she’d randomly show up like that. We haven’t talked since we agreed on a break so she could fuck other people. A break to me meant it was over because I wasn’t takin’ her back.”
“If it was over for you, why didn’t you say that in front of your family so it wasn’t a secret?”
I watch him carefully as he takes a second to contemplate my question. “Besides not wanting to make a scene, I was in a state of shock. To have her act like nothing had happened was jarring. I explained as much to her as well, so it’s crystal clear where we stand.”
“And she’s okay with y’all not getting back together?”
“She was disappointed, but she had to accept it. I told her there was someone else in my life. I only want you, Ivy. No one else.”
My heart flutters with anticipation even though I’m still annoyed about the whole situation. “You mean that?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll do whatever I need to do to prove it to you.”
“I appreciate that. I was just really blindsided. You might not think it’s a big deal, but it is to me. I’ve never felt this way before about anyone and never been thrown into a situation like that. I’ve read too many books where the heroine just automatically takes the hero back after a misstep. But I think I need to work through some of these feelings and make sure I’m not rushing into a serious relationship because of a lifelong crush. It was a lot for me to deal with, and it put me in a really dark place. It was a wake-up call in a way. We’ve moved fast, and maybe it’ll be good for me to take a step back and process my emotions.”
I meet his eyes, and his expression softens.
“I’ll give you as much time as you need, but I’m not giving up on you. And I’m not too big of a man to apologize, Ivy. I’m sorry that I’ve upset you. I never wanted any of this to happen.”
“Thank you,” I whisper as a whirlwind of emotions swirls through me. Kane gives me a small smile, then leaves.
The next day at work goes as planned, and when Harper asks me if I want her to bring me back some food, I decline again. Instead, I eat a sandwich and prep through my break. Right now, I need to talk to someone, but no one knows what’s going on other than Kane and me.
After my shift, I visit Hadleigh and my nephew. Thankfully, Knox is working late, and we can talk in private.
As soon as I sit on the couch, my sister hands me Hendrix. “There’s my favorite nephew,” I tell him, placing kisses on his chubby cheeks. “You’re gettin’ heavy.”
Hadleigh laughs. “He is. I feel like he’s growing up so fast.”
“Pretty soon, he’ll be driving,” I joke, and she scowls.
“So what did you want to chat about the other day?” she finally asks.
“Well, there’s a guy I’ve been crushing on, and I thought things were going a certain way, but then something derailed it.”
Hadleigh nods as she studies my face. I honestly find it hard to meet her eyes, so I bring all of my focus to Hendrix.
“He ended up hurting my feelings by not telling me the full truth about something, not intentionally, but it still didn’t feel good. And I dunno what to do because I still really like him and was looking forward to seeing where things would go. But I’m new to this whole dating thing, and I guess I’m scared of getting my heart broken. And I know that’s part of the risk when dating someone—”
“Ivy. I know you’re talking about Kane.”
Blood rushes from my face, and my heart thumps so hard in my chest that it might actually explode. I’m waiting for my sister to rip me a new asshole, but instead, she smiles.
“Trust me, I’m really freakin’ pissed that y’all decided to sneak around behind our backs instead of just being open about it, but I can understand why you might’ve felt the need to. Regardless, Kane’s a good guy. He’s sweet, caring, and very compassionate. Plus, I know for a goddamn fact, he’d never do anything to hurt you. It’s obvious just by the way he looks at you.”
My mouth falls open. “Wait, how’d you…?”
“Raelyn texted me that they were taking a break. Then I saw the signs that something was up between you two. The timing of your period right after he asked for supplies, you wearing the same clothes two days in a row, y’all being stupidly happy all of a sudden while trying to act indifferent around each other, your car being at the B&B after Fourth of July. Mom telling me you stayed on his couch.”
