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“Look, I’m sorry if my coming back isn’t what you wanted.” It feels weird as fuck to apologize for coming back home, but I can’t deny she seems skittish, maybe uneasy around me.
Ivy lets out a bitter laugh that stings like a burr in the back of my throat. “You left, Stone. You left without a word of goodbye, then you stroll back in like the prodigal cowboy returning home, expecting a warm welcome. But fuck, of course, I feel some kind of way. We spent nearly every day together, and then you were just gone. For five years.”
My hands ball into fists so tight my knuckles ache, and I purposely stretch them out and force myself to relax. “That’s why I’m apologizing. I know this isn’t easy for you, and I’m sorry, Ivy. I’m really fucking sorry, okay?”
She nods, but Ivy doesn’t say anything for a long time. “I always knew,” she begins but stops, shaking her head. “I always assumed you’d be back someday. Didn’t think it would take so long, but I knew you’d be back. It’s just…” she sighs again and turns toward me. “It’s just weird having you back all of a sudden. But don’t think that I’m not happy to see you, Stone. I am so fucking glad to see with my own eyes that you’re safe. Happy. Here. You look…good. And I’m happy.”
I’m not sure if she’s trying to convince herself or me, but I accept her words at face value. “You look good too, Ivy. You’re a real knockout.”
She grins, rolling her eyes, but the blush crawling up her body tells me the compliment hit its mark. “Yeah, yeah. Save your charm, big guy.”
Her headlights cut through the dark roads. This far from the city, there aren’t any streetlights, so other than the headlights, the night is pitch black. “So.”
“So,” she repeats, a smile in her tone.
“Sage doing all right? I remember she used to get on your nerves, always following you around and borrowing your clothes.”
They’d fight like cats and dogs sometimes, and then suddenly, it would all be forgotten.
“Oh, she still gets on my nerves,” Ivy assures me with an affectionate laugh. “But only the way a sister can. After we lost our parents, we grew closer. Hell, she’s my best friend these days. My super annoying best friend who still steals my clothes and drinks the last beer in the fridge without replacing it, and who I can come to when I’m having a shitty day, and she’ll grab a bottle of cheap tequila, tacos, and ice cream to make me feel better.”
“That’s good, Ivy. Real good.”
“Yeah. How is it being back under your parents’ roof?”
I groan.
“That good, huh?”
“I love my folks. You know that. But I’ve been taking care of myself for a while now, so it’s weird. But Ma has a way of spoiling me, making it not too bad.”
“And Gunnar?”
My loud bark of laughter echoes inside the car. “I’m just trying each day not to fuck up. If I don’t disappoint him, then I consider it a win.”
Dad is a hard ass, but he has to be. The weight of the ranch and the MC is all on his shoulders. It’s a great weight to carry and he does it the best way he knows. Grumpy and loud
“He’s just testing you. Did you guys talk much while you were away?”
“Nope. Too busy trying to stay alive. Free.”
I don’t know how long we drive around, talking and laughing, reclaiming what I missed most during my time in Angel Harbor. But eventually, we’re back on the road leading to the ranch.
She turns to me and says, “In some ways, you haven’t changed at all.”
Neither has she, not really. She’s grown and more mature, but the girl I know is still in there.
“So, we’re good?” I hold my breath and wait, knowing that if she says we’re not that I’m going to do every fucking thing I can to change her mind.
“Yeah, Stone. We’re good.” Her car comes to a gentle stop right in front of my bike. “Good luck with whatever it is you don’t want to talk about.” She sighs and points to my face, then my arm.
“Yeah, thanks.” I give her one last look before I tug a lock of her hair. Then I step out of the car and head to my bike. The kutte from earlier still hangs on it, and I know I’ve put it off long enough.
Time to face the music. To tell Dad what happened tonight.
If Ford or Nova haven’t already filled him in.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
