I keep my smile the same. “Yes, she’s lovely. So warm.”
He watches me intently.
I lean a little closer. “I thought it was a little strange when she hugged me. She just met me.”
His grip on his cup relaxes. “Yeah. She can be a bit… much.”
There’s a guarded look on his face when he says it. The way he falters for words is... interesting.
“Oh? Is she always like that?” I ask nonchalantly.
Drew spins his cup. “Actually… no. I’ve never seen her hug another woman.”
Hmm.
His brow furrows again. “She doesn’t hug anyone except Sebastian and her dad. She hugged me before, but that was only because… she’d been hurt.”
“Hurt?” I raise my brows questioningly.
He waves a hand. “She’s fine now. It was just… she was grateful for my help. She hugged me, then seemed embarrassed.”
“She’s not generally an affectionate person?”
Drew chokes on his coffee.
I gingerly rub his back, my palm tingling as if I’d touched an electric fence.
“Oh, she’s very affectionate with my brother.” He makes a face. “Clingy as hell. But he loves it. Eats it up.”
I cock my head. “I’m confused. Why does her hugging you—or anyone else—surprise you?”
He glances at me, then away, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
“She’s very loyal to Sebastian,” he says slowly.
Ah, I get it.
She’s obsessed with Sebastian.
Although they’re definitely in love. I clocked that as soon as I saw them together.
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yes,” he says slowly.
I can practically see the gears in his head grinding as he searches for a way to explain Ivy’s obsession with his brother without it coming across as stalking.
I’d never judge her for stalking. In fact, we have more in common than I thought.
I make a mental note to keep digging for information about Ivy and Sebastian.
“I mean, she touches me some, but it’s never in a way that would anger my brother. Like she’s one hundred percent devoted,” he rushes out.
Got it. She’s definitely an obsessed stalker.
I want her to be my new best friend.
“She sounds sweet. A very loyal wife.”
