My forehead aches from frowning so deeply. “What are you talking about? You are more than enough. You will always be enough.”
Her eyes glitter at me before she pulls away, but I continue to hold onto her.
“Come back to the house with me. Away from the party. Let’s just talk. No one to distract us.”
“Finn will know we’re gone.” She glances over her shoulder, but I couldn’t give a shit who is looking at us right now.
All I see is her.
“Then we make something up.”
Ivy’s lip trembles for a second, but she doesn’t remove her wrist from my grip. She lets me hold her. “I can’t do this to him. Not again.” She sounds so defeated. I wish she’d do things for herself, not for anyone else.
“Not again?” I repeat. “Ivy, I don’t understand.”
Her eyes falter for a second, and I notice her jaw tenses at my question.
“Is this about Ben?”
Ivy rips her hand from my grip, eyes glittering with sadness, within a matter of seconds. My fingers turn ice cold without the comfort of her skin, and I regret it.
Shit. Why did I say that?
“Did Finn tell you?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
“Joel and Cal. They didn’t say much, but they mentioned him.”
Ivy lowers her head, and she’s back to hiding away in her shell. I had her for thirty seconds and I fucking ruined it. She bunches her hands into her cardigan and attempts to shield herself from me.
“Stop. Stop shutting me out.” I plead with her.
“I can’t help it.” Her voice tears through my soul. “I can’t talk about the past when it still hurts.”
I step closer, but I don’t attempt to touch her. “I would never judge you.”
“It’s not about being judged, it’s about—” She pauses. “It’s about having my chest ripped open again, having to go through those memories, when the last thing I wanted was to come home to relive them. I want to move on.”
“I’m sorry for pushing you,” I rasp when I see the twisted agony in her eyes.
“What’s going on over here?” Finn’s voice echoes into our space. I groan internally as he pauses between us. “Why do you both look weirdly cosy? I told you not to flirt with my sister, Woodford. And I meant it.”
Ivy is still looking at me, and I draw my eyes away from her to look at Finn. “I’m not flirting with her.” I clear my throat, mentally murdering him for interrupting us. “We’re talking about Daisy.”
The lie is quick and easy.
Her shoulders relax when I don’t tell him the truth, not when she’s so caught up in what happened in the past.
“Oh.” Finn frowns. “Ahhh, well, let’s ignore her for tonight. Let’s have fun.”
He wraps his arm around Ivy’s shoulders, and she slumps under the weight of him. “Yeah.” She nods before pursing her lips. “Sure.”
When he pulls her away from the table, I grind my molars. The conversation might not have been as in-depth as I wanted, but at least now she knows where I stand.
CHAPTER 26
