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“Don’t.” I twist so I’m facing him, mimicking his straddling pose, his hands resting inches from my knees. “Nothing good will come of this discussion, Liam. There’s someone out there who isperfect for you. You’requite the catch, but this conversation will only complicate things.”
His face is uncharacteristically crestfallen, making my bones ache, and his voice is strained. “You can’t even humor me? Tell me if I would’ve had a chance.”
I steady my breathing and squeeze his hand before letting it drop back to the bench. Bending my knees up to my chest, I clasp my hands over my shins—my body language screaming that I’m closed off while my words attempt to secure a life raft for the two of us. “I’m not sure how much you know about the day I met Wells, but I saw Ty first. Wells might have known me, been watching me, had feelings for me, but my experience is that I literally ran into two beautiful men, and when I lifted my head, it was Ty who my gaze landed on. I immediately thought he was gorgeous and had kind eyes, but it didn’t matter because Wells had this magnetic pull on me from the first second. Once I turned my head, I couldn’t look away. Ty and I share something special. I adore Ty, trust him. He’s become a part of me. But it could have never been more because he’s not Wells.”
I heave a deep breath, doing my best to keep my gaze trained on Liam while his hazels search me. “If I had met you first, Liam, I would’ve known how incredible you were. We might have hit it off because there was some chemistry between us. And like Ty, you’re gorgeous and we absolutely share something special. Surprisingly, your cockiness is endearing. Even when you were a bit of a dick in the beginning, I liked you.”
I laugh, and so does he. And when he tucks a flyaway hair behind my ear, I resist the urge to clobber him because I’m delivering a blow. “But no matter what I had thought when I met you, when Wells showed up, I’d have gravitated toward him. I’m his. Ibelongwith him.”
“I’m not denying that. But like you said, you’re also Ty’s and Gage’s. And you are most definitelyminetoo, Ivy.” His eyes are soheavy, so regretful; it’s breaking me. “Surely, you see how you’ve changed all of us.”
My hand crawls up to my throat, the doughnuts mushing into a giant dough ball clambering its way back up. “Liam, I love you all. You know that. But I’mmarriedto Wells. I’m—”
He grunts, rubbing a hand down the side of his face. “I deserved a goddamn shot. I told him I wanted one, but I stepped aside.” He lights a cigarette, dragging on it aggressively and puffing a frustrated plume of smoke away from me. “Do you have any idea what it’s been like watching you fall for him?”
My patience and comfort with this are dwindling fast, my fingers diving into my hair. “It’s too late. This isn’t how or when you shoot your shot.Fuck.It’s ruining everything. Don’t you see that? Wells is going to freak, maybe kill you, and if he doesn’t, he’ll ostracize you.” I drop my face into my hands, unshed tears pricking my eyes. “And I can’t bear the thought of that because I know we’re all you have.And I need you, Liam.You might not have me the way you want, but youdohave me.Jesus, this is going to destroy us all. Why would you do this?”
The more I think about it, the more panic sets in. I’m up, pacing, nearly hyperventilating, and he’s watching me, remorseful.
“Fuck, Ivy. Goddammit,” he hisses, smashing his half-smoked bud into the grass. “You and the guys mean everything to me. I get it—”
“It’s a little late for that! God, you fucked everything up. Don’t talk to me right now. We have to get back.” I pluck the keys from the table and chuck them at him. “Just drive and let me figure out how to handle this.Shit.I kinda hate you for this.”
On the thirty-minute drive back, we don’t speak. Liam mutters a few apologies, but I don’t respond, too focused on how I can salvage this for all of us. These men mean everything to me; they’re my family. I won’t allow this to break us, and I won’t let them lose each other over me.
As we wait for the wrought iron driveway gate to open, he glances my way. “Can we please smooth this over before they get back?”
I clear my throat, composing myself to word this the best I can as he prepares to roll through the nearly open gate. “You’ll never lose me. Family means everything to me, andyouare my family in every sense of the word. I don’t give up on someone because they have a moment of temporary insanity, so you’re stuck with me. Forever.”
He stops the car with a jerk even though we’re at the end of the drive. His jaw falls slack. “You’re really something, High Society.”
Wells is going to flare into an unbearable rage, but that shock on Liam’s face tells me enduring it will be worth it. I can pacify Wells because he’ll know I chose him, but now, Liam sees he’s chosen too.
My hand tugs at the door handle, swinging it open, but before I step out, I peer over my shoulder at him. “Don’t breathe easy yet, Liam. I won’t keep this from Wells, so prepare for a rough road ahead. I may need to put some space between us while we work out the kinks, but we’ll be okay. Promise. We just need time.” With that, I hop onto the driveway, prepared to sprint to the house and hide while he parks in the garage.
Liam throws the car in Park, springing off his seat, rounding the hood, and hooking a finger into my belt loop to keep me stationed. “I fucked up, Ivy. I don’t want you burdened with this. You’re too good for all of us, and,fuck, I’m so sorry. I’ll handle it with—”
A startling bang splices the chilly air, separating the sky and ground and Liam’s humble voice. He smashes into me, throwing me to the crushed-stone driveway. It knocks the wind out of my lungs with a stabbing jolt, my ears ringing, the world tilting. I’m weighted and frozen, but Liam is army-crawling, dragging me to the front passenger wheel while my puffy coat snags on the rocky ground. He coils his body around my head and chest, his gun drawn.
Blood. Everywhere.
Fuck.
There’s a trail of blood from where he hauled me. It’s all over me. And him.
All over Liam.
Something smells burned, but the world is soundless and still.Paralyzed. Until it isn’t. When every noise bombards me at once. Yelling and shrieking in the distance, trees rustling, the idling car, dogs barking, and Liam.
His bloody hand grips my jaw so tight that it throbs. “Ivy! Fuck! Listen to me!”
My eyes find his, bloodshot and determined but laced with fear. “What?” I squeak. “There’s blood. Am I shot?”
“I am,” he says flatly, still gripping my jaw. “Fucking run. I’ll cover you. Go to the safe room in the basement. If you can’t get in the house, there’s a storm shelter beneath the shooting range. Go! Wells will find you.”
A commotion in the woods around the house pulls my attention. A fight.What the hell is going on?
Liam fires several deafening rounds at a figure in front of the trees while screaming, “Ivy! Goddammit! Run!”
