“I’m good,” she promised, then sighed when his gaze didn’t falter. “Honestly, Joel, you don’t need to worry about me anymore. I’m happy here. Best decision I ever made was to come to Portland and open this clinic.” She spread her arm wide, gesturing around her. “It’s my pride and joy. My happy place. When I am here, all is well.”
Which wasn’t an exaggeration. What she’d accomplished in the last three years was her saving grace. Her clients gave her a reason to get up every morning and keep going. They needed her to help them heal, and in doing so, she found she healed a little more every day herself.
As if on cue, the door to her clinic opened and her next client limped in. Ivy waved at the tall redhead, who’d injured her quad pretty badly playing in a college basketball game a week earlier.
“Hey Sarah,” she said and gestured toward the far end of her clinic. “Get settled on the mats. I’ll be right over.”
Joel took the hint and moved toward the doors. “Have dinner with me tonight. We’ll catch up properly. It’s been ages.”
It had been ages, and the thought of getting out with someone that didn’t know about her and Sean, and therefore couldn’t nag her about it, sounded appealing. “Sure. I should be done here around six.”
“Great, I’ll pick you up at your apartment around seven, then. Give you a chance to get ready.” He leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. “I’ve missed you, Squirt.” And then he was gone.
* * *
Sean was in a bad mood. Had been since he’d left Ivy standing in the hall on Saturday morning after his brother had called him for the third time that week. Or rather, after he’d ignored his brother’s call for the third time that week. The morning had not ended how he’d thought it would, and he’d been ruminating about it all week. Now if only he could figure out a way to fix it, then maybe he’d be less grumpy.
But today, he was even grumpier, and he knew exactly what had triggered his foul mood. It was seeing Joel Morgan leaving Ivy’s clinic, hands in his pockets, casual as can be, looking mighty pleased with himself. Like he’d accomplished something Sean had not this week—quality time with Ivy.
Should it have bothered Sean that Joel and Ivy had spent time together? No, it should not have. And it never had before. But today, it did.
Sean had met Joel enough times over the last year to know he was as good as a guy could get. Smart, successful, charismatic, family oriented. He was a fucking catch, and it was a damned mystery why the guy was single. Today, for the first time, Sean wondered if it had something to do with Ivy. They obviously had a connection. Sean had always believed it was because they were as good as family, but now Sean wondered if maybe it was more. He’d never had the thought before, but his paranoid mind had it today.
So, he’d watched Joel leave his gym, after having had a private visit with the woman Sean was sleeping with (okay he slept with her once, but he planned on making it a habit as soon as he got over himself) and sulked the rest of the day.
He was still sulking when he finally dragged his sorry ass home from the gym at 9:30 that night after a long day of training and teaching classes. His plan had been to work himself into such exhaustion that he’d collapse into restful sleep for the first time in days. But his plan was starting to change the closer he got to home. The closer he got to Ivy.
He’d been a dick of epic proportions. He’d slept with her, had the best sex of his entire life with her, gone on an invigorating run with her in the morning, and then dropped her like a hot potato because his brother had called him. Seeing Jordan’s name flash on his phone screen had been enough to stop him in his tracks and remind him why he needed to proceed with caution when it came to Ivy.
Everyone had a past. He got that. Ivy obviously had one she was reluctant to share. But he had an inkling of her past, and when she chose to reveal it, it wouldn’t change one iota of how he felt about her. Whereas his past—
Well, his past was three unreturned phone calls closer to coming back to bite him in the ass, and he wasn’t sure ifhecould handle it, never mind asking the woman of his dreams to.
Jordan’s existence pretty much nullified the reputation Sean had built for being a chill, upstanding, easy-going, Mr. Nice Guy.
But regardless of how his brother’s return to his life gnawed at him, he had no excuse for treating Ivy as he had the last few days. The reason he hadn’t been sleeping well was because he wasn’t sleeping beside her, and tonight was the night for that to change.
But first, the truth.
With a renewed determination, Sean jogged up the staircase to the apartments, taking them two at a time. He was debating whether he should go home and clean up or head straight to Ivy’s when her apartment door opened.
Perfect, decision made. He’d go straight to her, which is where he’d wanted to be anyway.
Except, not perfect because it wasn’t Ivy coming out of her apartment. It was Joel. And the bastard had a self-satisfied smirk on his face that told Sean he’d spent some more quality time with his girl.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Sean calmly instructed every muscle in his face not to move as Joel looked at him, his features relaxing into a friendly smile when recognition hit. After all, he had no reason to believe Sean wanted to shove him against the nearest wall and demand what he’d been doing in Ivy’s apartment.
It was no secret Joel Morgan considered Ivy a close friend. It wasn’t new or strange for him to spend time with her when he was in town, and Sean hadn’t been jealous or concerned about it before. But things were different now, and suddenly, without having any sound reason for it, every male within ten feet posed a new threat.
Which irked him to no end, because he wasn’t the envious type. Hell, he’d never been invested in anyone enough to warrant the emotion. But this thing he had with Ivy, this pseudo-relationship that was supposed to be casual and felt anything but, left him in a free fall between the certainty in his heart that she completely owned him, and the insecurity of not knowing where he sat in hers. He wasn’t handling it well clearly, because he was reacting in ways that he normally would never react.
Like punching the lights out of a good man who’d never posed a threat to him or Ivy before.
Joel closed the door behind him and strode into the hall toward Sean.
“Sean,” he greeted, extending a hand. “Good to see you, man.”
