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Me: Is everything okay over there?
Ivy: Yes.
Me: Are you sure? If you’re not feeling well, just let me know if you need anything.
Ivy: I’m fine. Just had a mishap, and I’m not in any state to come over.
My eyebrows bent in a frown. A mishap?
That could mean anything.
Immediately, my brain conjured images of her injured or something. Knowing her, she’d be too damn stubborn to ask for help, even if she’d fallen.
“I’m going to go see if she’s all right,” I said.
Ian gave me a knowing look. “Of course you are.”
I flipped him off.
Dad pushed himself up a bit in his chair when the Portland QB lined up behind the center, and Parker lined up to the right. Beckett, Greer’s husband and the other tight end for the Voyagers, lined up on the left.
The center snapped the ball, every one of us leaning forward while we watched, the quarterback dropped back, dancing lightly on the balls of his feet. Parker took off down the sidelines, pushing off the defender and creating some distance.
“Get open,” I murmured as the quarterback snapped his arm back and heaved the ball straight down the middle of the field.
Then Parker cut inside, sprinting into a wide open stretch of green grass, stretched his long arm out and snagged the ball one-handed and tucked it into his chest. He pivoted on a dime, avoiding the first sack, then the second with a stiff-arm that knocked over the third defender.
“Come on,” Ian yelled.
Another defender wrapped his arms around Parker’s middle, and the absolute beast that he was, he still didn’t go down, dragging the guy with him as he stretched his long body past the end zone for a touchdown.
Mom exhaled loudly, and Dad closed his eyes in relief. “Oh good, he can come back home now.”
I laughed, tucking my phone in my pocket with a shake of my head.
Like Dad would ever keep any of us from coming home, no matter what we’d done.
“I’ll be back,” I told them.
Mom gave me a knowing smile. “You tell her it’s just fine if she’s not up for it tonight, don’t you coerce that girl into anything.”
“Like I could if I wanted to,” I told her. “Pretty sure she’d chop my balls off before she let that happen.”
“A man can dream,” Ian said.
I rolled my eyes, pulling the door shut behind me.
I hopped into the UTV that I’d driven over from my place and cranked it on, driving down the driveway where it curved off to the guesthouse. There were lights on inside the house, and I wondered just how many times I’d do this—seek her out because I couldn’t help myself.
“Probably a few more times, at least,” I murmured. “Like a fucking chump.”
I stopped short just before knocking on the door, because I heard her walking toward the door, and it swung open while my fist was raised in the air.
My jaw dropped open.
“What happened?” I asked.
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”
