Chapter 9
REID
I drop Ivy off at her house and jog across our lawns and into my own. I make it into the entryway before stripping out of all my wet clothes and heading straight to the shower. I’m so torn between what to do that I feel sick. Ivy is so goddamn beautiful, and fuck if she isn’t breaking my goddamn heart. I’ve never seen someone in so much emotional pain. Whatever brought her back here coupled with the fact that she’s back at all, has really done a number on her. I know that I need to tell Sawyer that she’s here. But at what cost? I don’t know if I can handle causing someone else more pain.
Fuck.
The way she looked at me when she asked me to keep her secret. The way her body relaxed into mine when I held her through her breakdown. The way she felt in my arms, even if she was crying, just felt too good. I’m obviously very attracted to her, and there’s a clear connection there, but if anyone in the world is off-limits to me, it’s Ivy. It figures that the first girl that stirs something inside me is my best friend’s long-lost love. Sawyer has seen me through some rough times with my family and he’s been a brother to me. I’d never cross a line that would jeopardize our friendship. But if I can’t explore what I felt from the moment I saw that girl, I at least want to be her friend. Especially since it’s clear she needs one right now.
I wash my body quickly and throw on some clothes, knowing that I’m heading to Sawyers’ to face him. I know the damage I’ve already caused by not telling him as soon as I knew she was here, I’ll be damned if I make it worse by keeping it from him any longer.
I just hope Ivy forgives me.