“It was to help her, I swear.” I adjusted my position and flinched. “Motherfucker, this hurts.”
“Yeah, you fucked up your ankle cause your mouth wouldn’t stop running.” Oliver grinned. “Not gonna lie, that game was fun.”
“Yeah, a real hoot for me.”
“Any idea when you can leave here?” Dean asked, just as my mom came in.
“He’ll be out later today.” My mom smiled at me. “Glad you survived. Wasn’t sure for a minute or two.”
“My god, she’s just as bad as him,” Xavier whispered. “And he has three sisters?”
“I sure do.” I sighed as my mom sat on the end of my bed. “How bad is it?”
“After we monitor the wound, you’ll be in a cast. And crutches. No driving. No nothing the first two weeks. We’ll talk to your professors and get your work for you.”
“We can drive you around wherever you want,” Xavier said. “I mean, I don’t have a car, but I can take Luca’s or yours.”
“Sure, yeah take my shit.” Luca rolled his eyes. “We’ll take care of whatever you need. Will I hate it? Yes. But will I do it? Also yes.”
“Stop, you’re being too much for me.” I swallowed the ball of emotion in my throat. These guys were my family, forever, but a part of me was missing that wouldn’t let me move on. “But can I ask for a huge favor? A massive one.”
“What?”
“Ivy. I need my Ivy back.” I hated how weak I sounded, but I didn’t care anymore. “I’m gonna marry that girl, and I need her to forgive me.”
“Now hear me out… I might have an idea.” Oliver clapped his hands, and we all stared at him. “But you’re gonna have to listen to me.”
“Spit it out, Oli.”
“You’re already kinda pathetic, but you need to be even more so.”
“Do you not get it? I will do anything. But tell me the plan.”
27
IVY
Ilearned a lot about myself when dealing with a life-altering injury as a child. I had grit and was stronger than I knew. But when dealing with emotional roller coasters of the heart? I was a weak-ass bitch.
“No sniffing!” Esme swatted my arm. “No tears!”
“It doesn’t work like that.” I grabbed a tissue and dabbed my eyes for the millionth time. Every glance at my phone to find nothing from him sent me into another worry-cycle. Were we done?
Probably.
But I needed to hear it.
Then I’d replay the way he saidget outand how he’d looked at me with nothing. It brought back the emotions from three years ago, where I had no idea what I did wrong and had obsessed.
Lo, Mack, Ale, and Vee all sat around our couch, holding various treats. The girl gang was such a surprise, and I felt bad to have them here concerned about me instead of with Callum. “You should head to the hospital room. He’d love to see you all. Don’t… don’t worry about me.”
“First off, I’m not sure I want to see him right now. I don’t love how he treated you, and I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt because an injury like that is bad, but shit. He’s in love with you. Obsessed with you. He wouldn’t push you away unless there was a reason.” Lo glared at her phone. “He’s out of surgery. Doing well. Already mouthy, according to Luca.”
Thank god.
Going into surgery was terrifying. I knew that. Callum never had one, and he had to be so worried. I would’ve loved to have been there, comforting him, but he made it clear I couldn’t. I hated it so much. I felt helpless and useless to the one person I’d die for. “I’m glad he’s feeling like himself.”
“Oh, he didn’t say that.” Lo grinned. “Nice, okay, Dean, Mack, Luca and I are on a group chat. I guess Callum is freaking out about you. Good, this is solid news.”
