CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Maggie and Ryder had given Ivy the weekend off. She hadn’t been up to visitors except for her mom. Ivy had known better than to let her phone go to voice mail for more than a day, but she’d kept conversations brief. That was as much as she could manage.
Having her heart broken sucked.
Truth was, her heart hurt so bad she wasn’t sure how she kept breathing, but she wasn’t giving up. She’d thought about what Grams had said, considered the options, and made a plan.
Her mother was busy with Harry today, so Ivy had given her mom a brief rundown of what she was going to do. Her mom had cried—a mix of happy and sad tears—before saying Ivy had her full support. Now it was time to tell the rest of the family.
Inside the pub, she stood in front of David, Bethany and Ryder, Avery and Carter, and Maggie and Charlie.
Maggie smiled softly. “You look better than I expected.”
“Thanks, I think.” Ivy half laughed. “I appreciate everyone meeting me here.”
David sat at the bar. He picked at the label on a water bottle. “Nash is gone, and he’s got a new girlfriend. Where does that leave you?”
And so it begins. Ivy took a breath.
“All of you were right about Nash. I’m sorry I didn’t listen.”
Saying that was as hard as she thought it would be, but getting it out lifted a weight from her shoulders.
The hugs and condolences were swift and plentiful. No one said, “I told you so.”
“Nash is still recording three of my songs. One will be a duet with Peyton Rush. I wish things had turned out differently, but…they didn’t.”
Carter frowned. “The guy broke your heart.”
“Nash did, but he also reawakened my dream of having a career in music. And I have a plan on how to do that.”
Ryder leaned forward. “A plan?”
Ivy nodded. “I’m ready to chase the dreams I put on hold ten years ago.”
Maggie’s smile lit up her face. “About time, Ives.”
Her brothers nodded and added their words of encouragement.
Their love and support boosted Ivy’s confidence.
“This time I’m older and don’t have stars in my eyes. Most likely I’ll only write songs, but maybe I can sing them, too. If I end up waiting tables for the next six months or a year, so be it, but I’ll know I gave it my best shot.”
Grams was correct. Ivy didn’t need Nash to make her dreams come true. She might have gotten caught up wanting the fairy-tale ending with him, but she owed him for rekindling her passion. “Which is why I’m moving to Nashville.”
Mouths gaped.
For once in her life, she’d left her sister, brothers, and in-laws speechless.
“I’ll move you there,” Carter offered. “Avery can handle the farm while I’m away.”
Avery nodded. “Not a problem. We have a trailer for your furniture.”
“I can take time off, too,” David added.
Her siblings talked about visits to Nashville, including a family vacation to the Opryland Resort.
“Wait,” Charlie said over everyone’s excited voices. “Isn’t Nash in Nashville?”
