by S. J. Sylvis
“I’ll do some recon, okay? Maybe my mom does have something to do with this. I wouldn’t put it past her.”
I clenched my jaw and nodded while turning around and climbing into the driver’s seat. I pinched the bridge of my nose so hard my eyes started to water – at least that’s what I was going with. I wasn’t going to admit that I was about to cry, because I was a man and men don’t cry.
Unless they lose someone like Ivy.
I drove straight home, avoiding going to Ivy’s. I knew she wasn’t there. She would more than likely be staying at Becca’s. Max was sitting on my porch when I rounded my truck and started to walk up the sidewalk.
“You okay?”
I didn’t answer him because I wasn’t okay.
“Becca’s with her now,” he said after my non-response.
That got my attention. “What did she say?”
He stood up, turning to go into my house. I followed him, heart skipping a few beats. “She texted and said she was waiting until Ivy went to sleep and then she was going to call you. I told her I was here, so give her a few and she’ll fill us in.”
Finally. Some fucking hope.
We sat in silence in my kitchen. My leg bouncing up and down, my hands rubbing the back of my neck every few minutes, and then his phone rang.
He answered it quickly and put it on speaker.
Becca’s voice started off in a whisper, “Dawson…”
“What’s going on, Becca…”
Max stood up, holding the phone in his hand, and walked closer to me.
“She asked me to keep her secret, but I did that the first time and nothing good came out of it, so I swear to God, if she stops being my friend after this, you better spend the rest of your life making it up to me.”
“Tell me, Becca,” I pleaded, sounding less desperate than I felt.
My heart fell to the ground, the really hard ground, as she explained the situation. I wanted to kill. I’d never even wanted to hit a woman before, and here I was, pacing my kitchen, trying to hold back my anger before I lost it.
Once Max hung up with Becca, we got to work.
Like I would let Breanna’s mom fucking rule my life and Ivy’s. Was she fucking nuts?
The answer was a big fat yes with a capital Y.
It took a day to get the footage from Mr. Daniels, and it was the longest day of my life. I was lucky that Max had Mr. Daniels’ son in class and that Max was his favorite teacher because Mr. Daniels had been extremely leery on the phone when I’d explained the situation.
He told me he would review it and then let me know what he found. He told me that Ivy had called in sick, so it definitely matched up with the situation, and that he knew Mrs. Connors on a personal level, and then… he left it at that. I wasn’t sure if that meant he knew her enough to know she wouldn’t do something this insane or the opposite.
When he’d called me, after six o’clock the following evening, he’d told me to come pick up the tape because it was all there. Every last word.
I was so elated that I told myself I’d go to the security company after all this was over and thank them for such fucking amazing technology.
Fucking yes.
The dean was absolutely appalled and Mia’s face told me that she knew nothing of the situation, not even that Ivy was paying for the other half of her tuition.
I left the office, giving them time to speak, before rushing to my truck to tell Ivy that it was all over. That it would be okay, and that also, she needed to fucking learn to lean on me when things got hairy, because she wasn’t alone anymore.
She didn’t have to fight her battles by herself any longer.
She had me.
And I wasn’t going anywhere.
Once I got to her house, I realized her car wasn’t there. I sighed. I felt like I had been chasing her all over town the last few days. Not that I was literally chasing her, but more like chasing her demons away. One in particular: Mrs. Connors.
I threw my truck into park and got out, walking up her porch steps, and took a seat. Much like I had done a couple days ago when she’d never returned home.
I finally let out the long breath I’d been holding, feeling a little at ease; almost everything was settled. But there was still that little bit of ambivalence lingering in the back of my mind, because I still didn’t have Ivy back. Not yet, so the tension in my neck continued to strengthen.
Squealing tires rang in the distance, which almost had my head snapping off my shoulders. It sounded like a car crash had been mere seconds from occurring. I stood quickly, inching my head towards the street, and then I saw Ivy’s car quickly approaching.
As soon as she was in front of her house, the car came to a screeching stop, her small body jolting in the driver’s seat, brown hair flying past her face.
I would have chastised her for driving like a maniac, but I was too damn relieved to see her and her rushing body, falling out the driver’s side door.
“Dawson!” she yelled, taking off into a full sprint, except she only made it a few feet because her jacket was caught in the door she’d not so subtly slammed. Her body flew backwards as confusion fell over her face.
I chuckled, unable to keep a straight face. I would never get sick of her clumsiness. Never.
Finally, I started to walk towards her as she freed herself from the car door/jacket debacle.
“Dawson!” she shouted again, full on running and jumping into my arms.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, squeezing her just as hard as she was squeezing me. My head went into the crook of her neck, inhaling the smell of her shampoo.
“I’m so so so so so so so so sorry!” she mumbled, burying her face into my shirt.
I held on a little tighter, basking in her touch, and then slowly released her. Ivy pulled her body away from mine and peeped up at my face. Her forest green eyes were wide and full of fear. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t know what to do.”
A sad smile covered my face. “The only thing you have to be sorry about is the fact that you thought you had to handle this on your own.”
She looked down, taking those vivid green eyes away. “I just…don’t really know how to not handle things on my own. I felt…stuck. Like I was drowning.”
“Ivy,” I said, bringing my hand upward and placing it under her chin. I tipped her face towards mine so I could look down into her eyes. “You’re gonna have to learn to let me help you, because I’m not going anywhere.”
Tears quickly appeared before she crushed her body back on mine. “Good, because I don’t want you to.”
We held onto one another for a little while longer, the chilly fall air causing her hair to whip around us like we were in some type of tornado, together, holding on for dear life.
“So, what happened? What’s going to happen with Breanna’s mom? What did the dean say? Mia told me you were there in a meeting with him. How did you do it? How did you even know? How did you get him to believe you?”
I laughed, rubbing my hands up and down her arms to warm her up. “Let’s just talk about it later. I just want to hold you right now.”
Her shoulders relaxed into mine, once again smooshing her face onto my chest. I was about to pull us up onto the porch and inside the comfort of her home when a sleek, black car pulled up behind hers.
My eyes watched the man inside. He stared at us with a grim expression on his face, wiping his hand roughly over his chin.
“Ivy?” I asked, still staring at the man. “Who is that?”
Ivy backed her body away from mine and turned around to look in the direction that I was pointing.
She groaned. “That’s Eric.”
Blood boiled so quickly in my veins that I thought I was going to explode.
“What the fuck is he doing here?”
Ivy turned around at the harshness of my voice and then she chuckled. My brow furrowed as I clenched my jaw together.
“Okay, simmer down there, Hulk. Jealousy isn’t a turn on f
or me…” She looked away before adding, “Okay maybe it is, but only a little bit.”
I didn’t laugh. I was still fixated on the douche in the car who thought Ivy was worth giving up. Fucking idiot! But then again, his loss was my gain, so maybe I should be tipping my imaginary hat to him.
“What is he doing here?” I growled.
Ivy’s eyes glimmered with humor. “Dawson… your ex-girlfriend’s mom just tried to blackmail me into breaking up with you so her daughter could have you.” She blinked, more humor spreading along her delicate features. “Now, I know that it wasn’t really about you and me and it was more about this idiotic grudge she was holding over my… dead parents, but still. You cannot act this jealous because my ex-boyfriend shows up after I ignored him for, like, two months.”
She was right, but I still didn’t like it.
Ivy perked up on her tiptoes, kissing me softly on the mouth. She wrapped her hands around my neck, calming me down with just a single kiss. My eyes closed involuntarily as I let myself fall into her little trick.
Once she pulled away, my eyes opened quickly. She was smiling up at me with that beautiful, soul-sucking smile, and I caved.
“Fine. But can you tell him to leave before that kiss wears off and I throw him through the windshield of his car?”
She bellowed with laughter. “Of course. I’ll be right back.” And then she winked.
I stood back, crossing my arms over my chest, staring intently as Ivy leaned down and talked to her ex through his car window. I watched as Ivy’s eyes slid to mine with a small smile on her lips and then back to him. She pulled herself upward and gave him one last wave as he pulled out, never once looking in my direction.
The second she walked back over to me, I pulled her into my arms, lifting her up so her legs were wrapped around my torso.
“Okay,” I said, pulling her flush against my middle. “Your ex is gone, mine is probably committing her mother to a psych ward,” I laughed. “Now…” Ivy brought her head down to me, forehead resting on mine, her eyes searching every inch of my face. “Now there’s nothing in our way…right?”
Her tongue swiped her bottom lip, causing a burning feeling to ignite in my lower stomach. Then she smiled that coy smile and answered, “Right.”
“Good, now let’s go make up,” I hummed, sneaking in a few kisses below her ear.
We didn’t even make it to the bedroom.
Epilogue
Ivy
The morning headline of the paper read as: Forty year old woman, wife of number one dealership owner of the last three years, escapes Oak Hill’s looney bin, only to be captured and taken back into custody within an hour after escape.
Okay, I’m kidding. But Breanna’s mom did get put on administrative paid leave after the whole blackmailing ordeal, and was given the option to step down from St. Joseph’s main campus to work at the branch in a neighboring city, after completing a series of counseling sessions regarding her emotional issues.
She obviously took them up on their offer, as her family urged her to do so. I have yet to see Mrs. Connors or her husband, both of whom probably still hated my family, but Breanna and I had been around each other on more than one occasion, usually at Ships, and I’d never felt the need to guard myself with a table, so that’s good, I suppose.
Breanna had texted Dawson shortly after the incident and asked him to give me her dearest apologies. I rolled my eyes but accepted the apology anyway, which seemed to make things a little less awkward.
I found out that Becca had been the one to fill Dawson in on everything, allowing him and Max to pull on their detective hats and come up with the same plan I had, although they had been a little quicker on their feet, and beat me to the punch.
Mia got a part-time job, despite me telling her not to and to just focus on school, but she was absolutely livid that I had been paying the rest of her tuition behind her back. Uncle Timothy was on my side and said that she should just be thankful and continue to excel at her studies, but Dawson sided with her.
He wasn’t a fan of me always putting people before myself, which is what most of our bickering was over, but I usually won by slipping my shirt over my head, causing him to forget what we were fighting over in the first place.
Dawson and I were still in the beginning stages of our relationship, but it didn’t feel that way. It felt like we’d been together forever; we knew each other’s darkest secrets, our worst fears, where all of our soft spots were, and most of all – what we wanted for our future.
It was an easy answer, for the both of us.
All we wanted was each other... (and for Mia’s unexpected visits to stop interrupting us when we were… indisposed).
“Are you ready to go in yet?” Dawson asked, looking over at me applying my lipstick in the passenger seat of his truck.
“Almost,” I answered.
Tonight we were spending our evening at Ships to hang out with Emmett and some of his friends for his birthday. Max was meeting us there, as was Becca and a few of their co-workers.
I had still been working with Emmett on his books as a little side job until I pick up a few more clients (in which case I planned to leave the bank). Dawson’s father had been hinting around for me to take over the books for Lanning Construction, since their normal accountant was thinking about retiring, as she had been their accountant since the very beginning.
It felt like everything was finally falling into place for me, which was a little unnerving. I wasn’t used to things being so… easy.
“Babe, you look perfect. Let’s go.”
I playfully rolled my eyes at Dawson before throwing my lipstick back in my purse and zipping it up.
“Fine, let’s go. I can’t wait until your brother opens his gift.”
Dawson turned to look at me again. “His gift? What did you get him?”
I giggled, causing Dawson to flash his pearly whites toward me. “I signed him up for Tinder.”
Laughter filled the truck as Dawson threw his head back before saying, “He’s going to kill you.”
I giggled again. “I love messing with him. He’s like the older brother I never had. But in all seriousness, he needs a lady friend. He’s been so lonely since Carrie. Every time I go into the shop he talks my ear off. He needs a girlfriend.”
Dawson shook his head, a sigh escaping his mouth. “Come on, troublemaker. Let’s hurry before he gets here. I’ll buy you a drink that’ll go nicely with your evilness.”
I shot my eyebrows up. “Like a Rum and Coke? That’s what all the bad girls drink.”
Dawson laughed again, hopping out of the truck while shaking his head.
As soon as we made it inside, he went over to the bartender and ordered our drinks. I saw Kip and another tattoo artist sitting in the back booth, each with sleezy girls by their side. I brought my hand up and waved briefly before sauntering back up to Dawson to snag my drink.
“Here ya go. A Rum and Coke for my little rogue.”
I grinned. “I love you.”
Dawson’s brow furrowed for a second before a smile appeared. “I love you too, but where did that come from?”
A warm sensation wrapped around my heart. “I was just remembering when you came here shortly after we made it official and sang that Mamma Mia song and told me you loved me in front of the entire bar.”
Dawson’s mouth tipped up at the side. “I’ll do it again if we can finish the night off the same way…”
A pull at my stomach had my entire body tingling thinking back to what had happened afterwards. “How long do we have to stay tonight, because I’m ready when you are.”
Hooded eyes met my expression and I bit my lip. Dawson reached up with his empty hand and slipped it out from beneath my teeth.
“Careful now, or you won’t be able to give Emmett his gift.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the bar door opened up and in walked Emmett. My eyebrows shot up all the way to my forehead when I spotted a cute, petite gi
rl wearing a skirt and a dressy blouse trailing after him. At first, I thought it was just a random girl walking into the bar but then, she turned her shy face up to him and smiled weakly, like she was nervous. I could tell she felt out of place almost instantly, and she looked out of place.
Dawson peeked down at me, his expression matching mine. “I guess he won’t be needing that Tinder account after all…”
Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards our friends, shooting me a heated look that meant we would definitely be leaving early.
The End
Want a little more of Ivy and Dawson? Emmett’s book, Falling for Fallon releases Spring of 2019! Add it to your TBR now by clicking here!
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my husband, Joe, for always supporting me and for urging me to continue with writing. You are so supportive and I wouldn’t want to do this life with anyone else.
Thank you to my friends and family for all of your love and support. It’s comforting knowing that you all are there to pick me up when I feel defeated. Another thank you to my author friends for answering questions, allowing me to bounce ideas off of you, and for simply reminding me that I’m not alone in this journey.
A huge thank you to all my readers, especially my S Club Sylvis readers! You make writing so much fun!
To Stephanie, my editor, thank you for polishing my work. I am so incredibly grateful for your grammar knowledge and for all of your support!
Lastly, thank you to all the bloggers and bookstagrammers who help spread the word about my books. Your unwavering support is simply astonishing! You are my biggest cheerleaders! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Xo,
S.J. Sylvis
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
I can’t even express how much it means to me that you chose to read my book out of the many other books floating around. I’ve learned that being an indie author is so hard and there is so much that goes into writing and self-publishing but just knowing that someone out there has read my book and has enjoyed it, makes all the hard work worth it.