I hum in agreement. “Sure did, princess. How are you feeling?”
“Mmm,” she huffs and rolls onto her back beside me. My hand slides over her midriff. “Okay, I guess. Worried to see Finn, but I’m glad it’s all out in the open now.”
I shuffle forward and press my lips to her forehead. “I think it’s time you focus on what you want and how you feel, rather than everyone else.”
She pulls back slowly and flicks her gaze over my face. “Yeah.” Her lips twitch. “I think you’re right. I do. And it’s taken me a lot of courage to admit.”
I press my hand to her cheek and swipe my thumb across her silk-like skin. “Can I ask you something?”
Ivy nods. “Of course.”
“When was the last time you went to therapy?”
She blinks at my question and then stares at the wall. “I dunno, like a few months before I came back home.”
“Do you think you still need to go?”
“Why are you asking this?”
“Because I can see that you still carry so much guilt, shame, and insecurity. Your panic attack last night was scary, Ivy. I want to make sure you’re also getting the care and recovery you need,” I whisper, focusing on her eyes, but she’s not looking at me.
Ivy clears her throat and shoves her face further into the pillow. My heart pounds, thinking I’ve stepped over the line of her boundaries, but I have to admit when I’m worried about her. I want to know that she’s getting the help that she needs.
“Princess.” I move closer and let my fingers slide into the back of her hair. “I’m sorry. I just?—”
“No.” She swallows. “You’re right. This summer has been a blur of different emotions. I’ve been up and down constantly. But yeah, I think I still need guidance with how to help myself, slow my triggers. My anxieties are still there, and it would be wise to get help when I know I need it.”
Relief washes over my chest, and I can’t stop myself when I wrap my arms around Ivy’s body and tug her into my embrace. “I’ll support you every step of the way. You know that, right?”
She nods into my shoulder. “I know, JJ. I wouldn’t even need to ask for you to be there, I already know you will. It’s inevitable.”
“Completely inevitable.”
Ivy pulls her head away and peeks her eyes up at me. “I want you to shower with me.”
My eyes widen in surprise. “You do?”
“Please?”
I leap off the bed with her in my arms faster than I can blink.
After our shower,we head downstairs to make some pancakes for breakfast.
“What are you doing?” Ivy demands.
I stare at her, bewildered. “This is how you make pancakes.”
She snorts, but I find it stupidly adorable. “That is not how you make pancakes, are you serious?”
“Yeah, it is,” I dismiss her playfully as she walks towards my side. “If you don’t like how I do it, get out of the kitchen.”
Ivy pokes her head around my shoulder to get a better look. “Oh my god.” She presses a hand to her head. “This is going to be a disaster. You’ve added way too many eggs, it’s not an omelette.”
“Just trust me.” I scowl at her with a smile playing on my lips. “I know best.”
She rolls her eyes and bumps my hip. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Excuse me?”
