Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Wyatt
“Wyatt…Wyatt, wake up.”
Someone’s shaking my shoulder, and I blink my eyes open to find Ronnie sitting on the edge of the bed. My head is still pounding, and I feel like I’m burning from the inside out, even though I’m shivering.
“What are you still doing here, Ronnie?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
She passes me a bottle of water from the nightstand, and I sit up, swallowing a welcome mouthful.
“I think Ivy was here.”
“What?” I blink at her, trying to make sense of the words. “Where is she?”
“She left. She saw me dressed like this and just…ran.”
My eyes drop to her bare legs, my dress shirt oversized on her. “Fuck!” I drag my hand through my hair. “Why aren’t you dressed yet?” I snap.
“I got caught up watching a movie. I’m sorry,” she says, looking genuinely upset.
I sigh and reach for her hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I just… I really like this woman, Ronnie. And I can only imagine what she’s thinking after seeing you like that.”
She closes her eyes. “She may have also seen me coming from the direction of your bedroom. I’d just used the bathroom in the guest room.”
I groan, dragging both hands down my face. “Could this get any worse?”
I grab my phone and see a message from Ivy, sent hours ago.
Ivy: Hey, just checking in. Seb said you’re not feeling great. You okay?
My heart sinks. I’d meant to text her to say I wasn’t coming home, but I felt so awful that I completely crashed. And now she’s driven two hours just to check on me after hearing I was sick… only to walk in on this.
No wonder she left. But whatever she thinks happened here, she’s wrong. I have to tell her how I feel. Screw waiting.
I hit the call button and press the phone to my ear. It rings and rings, then goes to voicemail. I groan and try again, but this time I get a message saying she’s on another call.
She’s probably talking to Ash. Maybe I can get Ash to convince her to come back.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed and push myself to stand, but the room tilts and my head throbs even harder.
“Whoa,” Ronnie says, quickly jumping up and grabbing my arm to steady me. “What are you doing?”
“I have to go after her,” I say, my voice strained. “She drove two hours just to check on me. That has to mean something, right? Unless I’ve already ruined whatever chance we had before it even started.”
“Wyatt, you can barely stand. How are you going to chase after her like this?”
I wave her off. “I’ll be fine. I just need to find her.”
I grab my phone and call Ivy again. It rings until it goes to voicemail, but at least that means she’s off the other call. I hang up and immediately dial Ash. Relief floods over me when she answers.
“Hello?”
“Ash, have you heard from Ivy?” I ask without hesitation.
She sighs. “Yeah, I just spoke to her.”
“Is she okay?”
“No, Wyatt. She’s not.”
“Shit.” I drag a hand through my hair, guilt and panic knotting in my chest. “Where is she? I need to talk to her.”
“What’s going on between you two?” she asks, dodging the question. “I’ve seen the photos. Do you actually like her, or was this all some act?”
I sit heavily on the edge of the bed, the weight of everything pressing down on me. “I do like her, Ash. More than I’ve liked anyone in a long time. I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Then why the hell is there a half-naked woman in your apartment?” she snaps. “I warned you not to hurt her, Wyatt. She was worried about you. Taylor told her you were sick, and she was genuinely concerned.”
Even in the middle of all this, something flickers in my chest. Hope. She was worried about me. That has to mean she felt something too.
“I am sick. I’ve been in bed all day. That’s why I missed her message.”
“And the woman in your shirt?”
“It’s Ronnie,” I say quickly. “And it’s completely innocent, I swear.”
“Ronnie?” Ash mutters, then curses. “Damn. Okay. You need to talk to Ivy. Now.”
“Ash… do you think she likes me too?” I ask, knowing I probably sound pathetic, but I just need the truth right now.
She’s silent for a beat. “Please. Just talk to her.”
“I’ve tried. She’s not answering my calls.” I let out a frustrated breath. “I’m heading back to Hope Creek. I need to explain everything face-to-face. I should get going.”
“Wait!” she says, groaning like she’s wrestling with herself.
“She’s not heading back tonight. She’s staying in a hotel.
She said someone’s scheduled to view the apartment Monday, so she figured there was no point driving all the way home.
” She pauses, then adds, “She was planning to stay with you... but obviously, that changed.”
I close my eyes for a second. “Which hotel?” She hesitates again. “I’ll make sure she knows I dragged it out of you.”
“Ugh. The Wyndham. She’s going to kill me.”
“Thanks, Ash. I owe you.”
“Just tell her how you feel.”
“I will. I promise. Love you.”
She exhales. “Love you too.”
The call ends, and I toss the phone onto the bed. I turn to Ronnie.
“You should head out. I’m going to take a quick shower and then go find Ivy. It’s probably best you’re not here in case she decides to come back with me.”
Ronnie gives me a soft nod. “Okay. I hope you two work things out.”
“Me too.”
She steps up on her toes and presses a kiss to my cheek. “I’ll call you next week.”
I nod and head into the bathroom. I still feel like hell, but none of that matters right now.
I just need to get to Ivy.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m striding through the lobby of The Wyndham Hotel, heading straight for the reception desk.
My head’s pounding, and I’m sure I look like shit, but I don’t care.
I just need to see Ivy. I don’t usually throw around my name to get what I want, but today, I’ll take any advantage I can get.
Winning over the woman behind the counter is my only shot at finding her.
“Hi, welcome to the–” she pauses mid-greeting, her eyes going wide as she looks up from her screen. “Oh my God. You’re Wyatt Brookes.”
I flash a quick grin, feeling like I’m going to pass out. “Guilty. You a Cardinals fan?”
She shakes her head, smiling. “Not me, my boyfriend. He’s obsessed.”
“Well, then it’s your lucky day. I need a favor. And in exchange, I’ve got my agent’s business card. Email her, and she’ll hook you both up with tickets to the first home game this season.”
Her eyes widen. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
She leans in a little. “All right, what’s the favor?”
“I need the room number of a guest.”
Her smile falters. “That’s against company policy.”
I lean in too, lowering my voice. “I won’t tell if you don’t. And let’s be honest, those tickets have to be worth a little rule breaking, right?”
She bites her lip, clearly torn, then finally gives a sly smile. “Okay. What’s the name?”
“Ivy James.”
Recognition flashes in her eyes. “Your girlfriend, right? I saw the photos. I actually checked her in myself. She looked heartbroken. I hope you’re here to fix that.”
A pang of guilt punches through my chest. “Yeah. That’s exactly why I’m here.”
As she glances at the screen, I press my hand to my temple, wincing against the headache.
“Room five,” she says. “Through those doors. She asked for a first-floor room.”
I nod. “She hates elevators. Thanks. Here, email this contact. She’ll take care of you.”
I pass her the business card, then jog toward Ivy’s room.
“Good luck!” she calls after me.
I lift a hand in acknowledgment but don’t slow down. I’m not leaving this hotel until I make things right with Ivy.
When I reach her door, I pause and take a deep breath before raising my hand to knock. My nerves are a tangled mess, and I feel like I might be sick.
The door opens abruptly, and my breath catches the moment I see her. Her eyes are red, and her face is streaked with dried tears.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, avoiding my gaze. Her voice is quiet. “How did you even…” She stops herself and lets out a resigned breath. “Never mind. It was Ash, wasn’t it?”
“Can I come in?” I ask, leaning heavily against the doorframe, using it to hold me up, all while fighting the urge to pull her into my arms and tell her everything.
She doesn’t answer, just steps aside and leaves the door open before walking back into the room. She sits stiffly on the edge of the bed. I follow her in and close the door behind me.
“What do you want, Wyatt?” she asks, her tone flat and defeated. The sound of it guts me.
I sit beside her, but she moves away slightly. That small movement hurts more than I thought possible.
“It’s not what you think,” I say, my throat sore and scratchy.
She lets out a sharp breath. “It doesn’t matter, Wyatt. We were only ever pretending. You can do whatever you want with whoever you want.”
“The woman you saw in my apartment… she’s my agent.”
She turns her head toward me, her eyes narrowing. “Your agent’s a guy.”
I frown. “Who told you that?”
“You did. When you gave Luca’s mom the contact info, you said Ronnie would be in touch. Ronnie’s a guy’s name.”
I give a small smile. “Usually, yeah. But in this case, Ronnie is short for Veronica. She hates her full name, so she goes by Ronnie.”
“Oh.” She looks away again. “It doesn’t change anything. You can sleep with whoever you want.”
I close my eyes, my vision blurring. “I’m not sleeping with her, Ivy.”
“Then why was she walking around in your shirt?”
“She spilled coffee on herself. I gave her something to wear while her clothes went in the dryer. I thought she’d left hours ago. I didn’t even know she was still there until she woke me up.”
I can see doubt flickering in her eyes.
“She came from your bedroom,” she says quietly.
“The guest room,” I correct. “She was just using the bathroom. That’s it.”
I consider reaching out and taking her hand, but I don’t, not yet. “I know it doesn’t look great,” I say. “But I swear to you, it’s the truth.”
She looks down at her hands. “Why do you even care what I think?”