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“Yeah, I heard about what’s-his-name.” It sounded so much more bitter than I’d expected, but I felt slightly bitter about his entire existence.
“Dean,” he corrected firmly. “His name is Dean, and he’s a great guy.”
Of course he was.
He saved puppies, for fuck’s sake.
“Yeah, I bet everyone loves him.”
Cameron’s mouth softened in a hint of a smile. “Ivy doesn’t.”
“Well, Ivy is incredibly smart, so…”
His smile grew. “He beat her in chess. She’s been a little salty about him ever since.”
Oh goodie. He was a chess prodigy too. This kept getting better and better.
Cameron sighed. “So what are you doing to be there for her?”
I scratched the side of my jaw. “She wants me at her next appointment. We’re going to try being … friends,” I said slowly, tasting the word as it came out. It was strange. I fucking hated it. I hadn’t earned the right to hate it, but I’d never claimed to be the most rational guy in the world.
“That was your idea?” he asked, brows climbing high on his forehead.
My mouth flattened into a line. “No, it was your sister’s. I, uh, sort of asked her to marry me.”
Cameron’s jaw went slack.
The slider door flew open. “You what?” Ivy yelled. “You didwhat?”
Cameron’s eyes fell shut. “I should’ve known you’d be listening.”
“Of course I was listening. You’re terrible at telling me stories after the fact. You never give details or facial expressions or proper inflection.” Ivy crossed her arms, pinning me with another fierce glare. “You proposed to her? Are youtryingto break her heart?”
“No,” I yelled, then instantly deflated. “I thought … fuck, I don’t know what I thought, okay?”
She scoffed.
Cameron rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot, Jax.”
“Yeah, well, I get that now, okay?” I folded my arms over my chest. “Believe me, your sister had no qualms about telling me how opposed to that idea she was.”
Ivy smirked. “Good.” Cameron gave his girlfriend a quick, loaded look, and Ivy held up her hands. “Okay, okay. I’m going back inside now.”
“Door shut all the way this time, Ivy,” he warned.
She let out a disgruntled sigh. “Fine. But you better have all the details.”
When the slider closed firmly, Cameron shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. “She drives me insane sometimes.”
It was so strange to watch him with her, watch the perfect balance of their opposite personalities. For years, Cameron had been just as single as me. The difference between us was that Cameron didn’t have the time or energy to sleep around in his single state. Until one day, he met Ivy, and he just … knew. After that, he had no compunction turning his world upside down. Isn’t that what Poppy wanted? Someone who would set their world on fire for her love.
I rubbed at my chest, wondering if I was even capable of the kind of thing she dreamed of. Everything inside me felt cold. Empty. Only slight flickers of heat with the right person.
More than flickers of heat with her. The times I noticed her and didn’t want to. That night. In the weeks and monthsafter, too. I kept waiting for them to dissipate, for those flames to fizzle out. But they didn’t. Not once. Not even a little.
I had to ignore those too. More importantly, I had to not fuck this up.
“I’m sorry, Cameron,” I told him. I hung my head, bracing it in my hands. “I should’ve kept my distance, and I didn’t. And if you can’t trust me after this, I don’t blame you.” I lifted my head and met his gaze. “But I won’t let her down. If I’ve ever promised you anything, I’ll promise you that.”
