“I’m listening. I’m a little surprised he’s bent out of shape over being your fuck puppy. Most guys—”
“He’s not most guys.”
“Which is why he gets under your skin.”
“He does not get under my skin.”
“Right, Lil. Whatever you say.” Ivy yawned again.
The thought of throttling Ivy crossed Lily’s mind. “Well, to add insult to injury, he stuck up for his mom. He scoffed when I told him what she said! Dismissed it, like I was lying!”
“Well, she’s his mom, so I get him sticking up for her. He was probably having a hard time processing.” Ivy’s tone was way too casual, and it grated on Lily’s exposed nerves.
“What about me processing what his mother said? That hurt, Ivy,” Lily gritted out. “Plus, he never told her about us.”
“Probably because she’d give him a ration of shit. Forget her, Sis. She’s a raving bitch with her own mysterious agenda. ’Nuff said.”
Lily let out an indignant huff.
Ivy sighed. “Okay. So he stuck up for his mom. Bad on him. But honestly, the other stuff? I don’t disagree.”
Lily’s free hand yanked her hair in frustration. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m on your side. Yours and Daisy’s.”
Lily’s mama-bear antenna shot up. “Why are you bringing Daisy into this?”
Ivy let out a sisterly you-don’t-know-anything sigh. “Because Daisy is in this. Do you think her seeing you lonely, unhappy, and bitter is setting a good example? The only time I’ve really seen you come alive since Jack died is when you’re with Gage.”
“I’m not bitter.”
“Not yet. Look, you’re not gonna like this, but I’ll say it anyway. You remind me of one of those wives—I forget which culture it is—but when the husband died, they’d burn his body and she’d throw herself on the pyre with him. You’re that wife. Only you’re still walking around, going through the motions. Your heart’s beating, but it’s empty.”
Lily’s face was catching fire. “You’re … That’s … Ugh! You’re wrong.”
Ivy’s voice rose a decibel level. “If I’m so wrong, then why the hell are you having a meltdown? Huh? Listen to yourself. First you don’t want to betray Jack. That’s noble, Lil. Good for you. But Jack’s dead! And somehow you’ve become the torch-bearer for a man who’s so perfect, he resembles the real Jack less every day. If the situation were reversed, would you have gone to your grave expecting Jack to fill his lonely nights reliving your time together? God, I hope not because that’s just fucking selfish, which is basically what you’re saying about him. Add to that you pretending not to be in love with Gage, who is a living, breathing man who’s actually pretty damn close to perfect. Your head must hurt with all the circles you’re running around yourself.”
Lily wanted to tell Ivy to shut up, so badly, but she wasn’t confident she could muster a strong counterargument. Gage’s maddening words blared in her brain. “Are you just going to fuck random guys for the next fifteen years?”
“Let’s look at your other reasons, shall we?” Ivy went on, damn her. “You don’t want to get hurt—no one does. You don’t want Daisy to get hurt—yay! You’re a good mom. But you’re already hurting, Lil. And Daisy will too. By the way, you’re doing a bang-up job teaching your daughter about commitment when you run from a good guy who loves you both. What about showing her a loving relationship between two people who adore and respect each other? Actions, Lil. What do they speak louder than?”
“Gah! Stop patronizing me!”
“Then grow the hell up!”
The rebuke stung worse than a swarm of fire ants, and Lily couldn’t hold back the flow of tears. She wrapped her arms around herself. A fissure began opening in her heart, radiating tiny cracks. In that moment, she imagined her arms to be Gage’s, and an undeniable ache bloomed and settled heavily in her soul.
“So let me see if I have this straight.” Sarah perched her fists on her hips and eyed Gage with a frown as he dropped her bag in the spare guest room. At five foot five—with their father’s brown hair and hazel eyes—she wasn’t big, but she packed a wallop. Add the whole “Big Sister” mystique, and she could be intimidating as hell, but Gage would never tell her that.
Especially with the chewing-out he knew was coming. He could see it looming on his horizon like dark funnel clouds.
Sarah’s eyes drilled into him. “Mom tells your girlfriend, to her face, that she looks like a hooker, and you tell your girlfriend she’s blowing it out of proportion? In other words, you sided with Mom over your girlfriend. And then you told your girlfriend this?”
He’d only filled Sarah in briefly during the few minutes they’d had alone since they’d all piled out of the car. Mom and Jessica had insisted on coming with him to the airport to pick her up.
He let out an exasperated sigh. “First of all, her name is Lily. Secondly, she’s not my girlfriend. At least that’s what she says.”
“Ha! Then she’s not. And who can blame her? Jesus, Gage, how can you be so smart and so clueless?”
“Who says I’m smart? I’m seriously wondering why the hell I flew you out here.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “Because you needed backup. I’m happy to fly home and let you fend for yourself, Baby Bro.”
“Nah. I don’t feel like driving back to the airport.” Despite her scolding, he was relieved to have her here.
“Any communication with Lily since your blowup?”
“Nope. I haven’t tried to contact her, and she’s dead silent.” Truth be told, he was still licking his wounds and wasn’t sure when he’d be ready to stop. He rubbed the back of his neck. “So you’re suggesting I might have screwed up?”
During his argument with Lily, it hadn’t occurred to him how defending his mom might have come across. He’d just said what was on his mind. That wasn’t so bad, was it? Of course, now that he’d
