Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ivy

This is my nightmare.

My literal fucking nightmare.

Not only do I have bruises on my arms, my throat from Hiller’s drunken proposition?—

No.

I’m lying to myself.

It was more than a proposition, and I hate the knot in my stomach, the one that reminds me how much worse it could have been if Knox hadn’t come across us when he did.

Just as much as I hate the soreness in my throat from Hiller’s unhappiness at my answer.

Thank God Evie wasn’t there.

Thank God she won’t be home until tomorrow, so I have time to get my shit together.

I close my eyes, squeezing the lids so tightly together that not a sliver of light sneaks in.

And I stay that way for the entire drive home.

Until there’s a hand on my arm and I turn to look at Ella. “We’re home,” she whispers.

Nodding jerkily, I reach for the handle and pop open the door. “Thanks for the ride,” I say, glancing around for my purse, not even realizing that Nova’s in the back seat until she opens her door and I see she’s holding it.

“We’ll just get you settled inside,” she says quietly.

Quietly but firmly.

And I’m too tired to argue.

“Okay,” I murmur and close the door, start up the walkway, my heels clicking on the concrete. She passes me my purse when I get there and I dig out my keys, my hands shaking as I lift them to the lock.

“I’ve got it,” Ella murmurs, carefully reaching forward, slipping the keys from my hold and unlocking the door.

And then we’re walking into the house.

I drop my purse on the table, hear Ella set my keys beside it, and then Nova is moving by me and into the kitchen. There’s the sound of the fridge opening and closing, a rattle in my cupboards, the click click click of the range turning on.

“Come on,” Ella says, gently slipping her arm around my waist and drawing me down the hall. “Let’s get you into something more comfortable.”

“I’m fine.”

“I know you are,” she says, pausing to peek into Evie’s room, the bathroom, and then finally flicking on the lights in my room.

I blink against the sudden brightness and then again when Ella slips by me, goes to my dresser and starts pulling out clothes—my softest sweats, a pair of fuzzy socks, a loose tee, and a thick sweatshirt.

I don’t even realize I’m cold until I see them.

“Change,” she orders softly. “I’ll wait in the hall.”

And then she’s walking from my room, quietly closing the door behind her.

I stand there, just shivering, for a long moment, but eventually I snap out of it, fingers finding the tab of the underarm zipper, dragging it down. I kick off my heels, shove off my jumpsuit and underwear, unclip my bra and throw them all into a crumpled pile in the corner of the room. I drag the tee and sweatshirt over my head, don the socks and sweats and then…

I drop my chin to my chest and try to breathe, hating that this happened, hating myself because I thought I was delusional enough to avoid it, hating that I probably won’t have a job with the team for much longer, that Evie will lose something else because I couldn’t keep it together.

Hating that Knox was there, that Leo and Lake and Riggs were too. That Ella and Nova were so quiet in the car on the way here, that they seem to know precisely how fragile I feel right now?—

Hiller being hauled to his feet and dragged away.

The police showing up and talking to everyone, including me.

Being shown to an empty room and having pictures taken.

Damon Connors staring at me with cold eyes.

A quiet knock startles me out of my head.

“Need some help?” Ella calls through the door.

“I’m fine,” I say, pulling it open. “Thanks,” I add when her gaze skates over me from head to toe. “I feel a lot better now. You guys can?—”

She weaves her arm through mine, guides me into the kitchen.

Nova has three mugs on the counter and she picks one up, walks over to us. “Something to warm you up.”

“You didn’t have?—”

She cuts me off with a small shake of her head. “I know. But I— we— wanted to. And sometimes…” Her eyes are sad and I know she and Ella both have experienced dark stuff too.

And I hate it.

“Sometimes,” she says again, “it’s nice to be warm and safe and to self-medicate with a delicious mug of hot chocolate.”

My lips twitch.

And somehow, somehow , I’m smiling.

“Not sure my nutrition training talked about the medicinal properties of chocolate.”

Ella bumps her shoulder against mine and I glance over, see that Snowball’s claimed her and is currently rubbing her adorable face against Ella’s throat. “Then your education is clearly lacking.” She kisses Snowball’s head. “There are two truths in life—Nova’s hot chocolate always makes things better?—”

“ And my honey rosemary Moscow mules,” Nova says with a wink.

“And her mules,” Ella amends, setting Snowball down when she starts squirming.

“What’s the other truth?” I ask, accepting the mug that Nova passes over.

Blue eyes, so much like Knox’s, fix on mine, and her voice is quiet when she murmurs, “That there’s nothing scarier than falling in love.”

“Word,” Nova mutters, turning back to the counter and retrieving the other mugs.

I lift the cup to my lips, take a big sip. It’s to avoid responding to that statement, to prevent myself from thinking about it…and how they may be true, but the moment the drink hits my tongue, my taste buds explode in happiness.

Ella grins as Nova hands her a mug. “Been convinced about the medicinal properties yet?”

I take another sip. “I’m considering it.”

Nova giggles. “Me too,” she says. “And it might take me a whole ’nother mug to get there.”

I laugh?—

And that’s the moment I see movement out of the corner of my eye.