28. The People Around You

28

The People Around You

Ivy

I’m home. I managed to catch an earlier flight, and even if it took me three planes and a car ride to get here—and the journey set me back a hefty sum—I’m finally home. But the heartache and sorrow doesn’t vanish with the snow. It only intensifies as I lay eyes on the wedding gifts still piled in my living room. And every time Zane’s face appears in front of my eyes, I break down in tears. Looks like I’m right back to square one.

I need to get rid of all of this. I left home with a broken heart, and now I’m returning with a shattered one. It’s even worse now because Zane healed each and every one of my wounds, but the bandages didn’t stick, and now my heart is ruined beyond repair.

But I made the right decision. I had to leave. I won’t be someone’s second choice ever again. Plus, there’s the whole we-don’t-even-live-in-the-same-state thing. Sometimes, you have to see things for what they are. When the obstacles are too tall to surmount, maybe they’re not meant to be overcome.

After cleaning the mess in my living room and stacking all the gifts near the entrance, I collapse on the couch and call Hazel to tell her everything that happened.

“Well, damn,” she mumbles into the receiver, clearly stunned. “I kept hoping you’d follow your big sister’s footsteps and find yourself a perfect man on your vacation, but . . .”

I furrow my eyebrows. “Really? But you told me to have a fling.”

“Yeah, knowing full well that isn’t your style,” she says, as if it should have been obvious. “I thought you’d be so smitten that you’d end up moving thousands of miles away to be with him. ”

My heart twists painfully. “So did I.” The thought of moving to Winter Heights crossed my mind more than once this past week, especially that night after we kissed. I could see myself living there. I could have been happy there, I know it. Nurses are always in high demand everywhere, and there’s something about the town that went straight to my heart. But his number one choice came back.

“Wait, really?” I can practically hear Hazel’s frown through the phone. “I was just joking.”

I blow out a breath. “I thought it was fate, you know? That I’d been sent to Winter Heights for a reason. That all of this happened for a reason. Dan leaving me before the wedding, me going on my honeymoon alone, Zane having to step up for his brother. It felt like it was meant to be. Serendipity. But now, I’m sure there’s no such thing as fate. And the truth is, I’m just not good enough to be someone’s first choice.”

“Ivy,” she says in a scolding tone. “Don’t say that, please. Of course you are.” Her voice softens. “You’re amazing. Just because it didn’t work out this time doesn’t mean it never will.”

I swallow the lump in my throat, forcing her words to sink in, but I don’t think that will ever feel true for me. Not when it happens twice within the span of two weeks. Some people are just not meant to have a happy ending. And maybe I’m one of them.

Zane

Over the next few days, I mostly stay inside, which quickly leads to a flow of visitors at my bedroom door. Exactly what I need.

First up is Daisy, who still thinks she’s right and keeps telling me to call Ivy. I shut the door in her face, telling her to leave me alone. She eventually does and flies back to Chicago. I do hug my little sister before she leaves, and she manages to speak to me for a whole five minutes without mentioning my misery.

Then, my brother stops by, first with Aaron and then by himself, telling me to man up and stop sulking. That if I want something, I just have to go after it. Easy for him to say when he already has everything he could ever want.

Finally, there’s Belinda, who brings me food twice a day. But at least she has the presence of mind not to twist the knife in my wounds. She really just wants to make sure I’m eating and basically, that I’m still alive .

Someone knocks on my door again, and I’m betting on Darwin this time. Belinda already stopped in a few hours ago with lunch.

Grunting, I haul myself off the couch in my bedroom and open the door. As soon as I do, Boomer woofs and scampers into the room with more energy than he’s displayed in weeks.

“Hey, boy,” I say, scratching his jaws. He licks my face before trying to jump in place, but his old age keeps him grounded.

“He missed you,” Belinda says with a faint smile. “I thought some animal company might do you good. Seth says you’ve only gone down to the barn twice these past few days.

Can she blame me? Everything reminds me of Ivy. The barn, the dogs, the whole main floor of the house.

“Thanks,” I say, kneeling down to keep petting Boomer, who’s now lying on my carpet.

Belinda sits down on the armchair by the window but doesn’t say anything. I keep my attention focused on Boomer.

“I’m worried about you,” she finally says. I knew it was too good to be true. “I’ve never seen you like this, Zane. ”

Zane? When was the last time she called me Zane? She never calls me by my first name. Except to scold me when I was young, or in especially serious situations.

I want to form a coherent sentence, but my throat constricts. This is serious. Ivy completely broke me. How could she hold so much power over me when I just met her days ago?

“I told you to be careful when she first came into town, but I really wanted to be wrong. Especially when I saw you two at the party. She seemed different, and the two of you together seemed right . I wish I could have been off the mark, my boy. I’m sorry I wasn’t. But you have to get over this. Though heartbreaks are hard, they do heal eventually. You have so much to be thankful for. You just have to get past this.”

I grunt, but it almost sounds like a moan. “It’s all Sofia’s fault.”

Frowning, she tilts her head to the side. “Your ex, Sofia? What does she have to do with this?”

It’s my turn to grimace. “Didn’t Daisy or Darwin tell you? I was with Ivy in the yard when Sofia showed up, asking me to give her a second chance.”

Her eyes widen like two saucepans. “What? Why doesn’t anyone tell me what’s going on around here? I may be old, but I’d still like to be kept in the loop. What did you tell her?”

I shrug. “I thought you knew about that. I made it clear I wasn’t interested, but Ivy said I should give her a chance, that what I had with Sofia was worth salvaging while our own relationship was doomed from the start.”

“Oh, I see.”

I take a deep breath. “If only Sofia hadn’t come back, maybe Ivy and I would have had a chance to talk about our future, or at least, she wouldn’t have found a reason to reconsider us. And Sofia’s arrival probably brought back bad memories from her failed engag—”

And just like that, everything is a lot clearer. What if that’s why Ivy left? Because she didn’t want to relive that situation? As if I would ever hurt her. She probably thought I was still into Sofia all this time, and my ex showing up only reminded her of how her engagement ended. My heart beats faster with each passing second as it all falls into place. That has to be it. I jump to my feet, startling Boomer who’d just fallen asleep.

“You’re scaring me, my boy.”

I pat Boomer’s head, and he lays it back down on the carpet. “I think I’ve figured something out. Maybe she loves me too. Maybe she was just scared. I need to talk to her. ”

“Okay. Just calm down for a second. Take a breath.”

“I don’t need to calm down.” I know why Belinda is saying that. Because if Ivy rejects me again, it’ll be worse. But it can’t get any worse. I’m barely alive as it is. Finally, I announce, “I’m going to Florida.”

She stumbles off her seat. “You are?”

“I have to give this a chance. I’ll never breathe again if I don’t at least have the final word. Tell Seth he’s in charge until I get back.”

She tries to talk to me, but I don’t listen. Barreling down the stairs, I grab my keys from the coffee table and hop into my truck.

I know this plan is crazy, and Ivy might not want anything to do with me. We’ve only known each other for ten days, which is seemingly nothing. But in reality, it’s everything because I’ve never felt this way before. Being with Ivy is so easy, especially compared to Sofia. I don’t have to oversell nature or my dogs to her—she loves it already. She fit in my world so perfectly the second she entered it. That has to count for something, right?

Maybe I’m not enough for her to pack up her life and move here, but she’s enough for me to move out and try this big, hot, humid city thing.

Sofia was right about one thing: It doesn’t matter where you live. It’s the people around you that make you happy. I love this place, I truly do. Who wouldn’t? Fresh mountain air, real seasons, family surrounding me, being able to work in a career I’m passionate about. But is that enough anymore? I’ve been miserable since Ivy left. I’m not even living anymore. I’ve reverted back to being the grump she loved to hate when we first met, and I’ve stayed shut up inside my room. Even if there’s a risk of getting hurt again, I need to know. I have to talk to her face to face and show her that she’s the only one I want. I need to tell her that I love her, that we can have it all.