Page 90 of Yours To Hold
“What?”
“Holy shit.”
“This is better than my show.” Everyone’s talking over each other, but Blake’s words ease the growing tension in the room.
“Blake.” Gemma slaps him on the chest and turns back to me. “You really love her?”
“As much as I don’t want to, yeah. And she’s gone. Willow and I are miserable without her.”
“Oh, Mason.” Gemma pops out of her chair and walks over to me. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
I scrub a hand down my face. “It’s not. Like you said, she was always going to leave. She was just looking for a reason.”
“So? Bring her back.”
“It’s not that easy, Gem. I wish it were. She never wanted Dixon.”
Never wanted me.
And that’s something that I’m going to have to come to terms with. Because I can’t be this sad sack for the rest of my life. I have to get my shit together for my daughter. Show her that we’ll both be okay without Ivy.
No matter how much I want to be the reason she stayed, she’s gone.
And not coming back.
ChapterTwenty-Five
IVY
Ablaring horn startles me awake. It’s something I’m still not used to. The constant noise. No matter what time of day, there’s always something.
Sirens. People yelling. Horns.
Sighing, I get out of bed and pad out to the kitchen. The studio apartment I found is nothing special. It was the only place I could get on such short notice since my original apartment wasn’t ready.
It doesn’t bother me.
Because everywhere I look, I’m reminded of what this place isn’t.
Too much noise.
Too many people.
Not enough open fields. Or the mountains I love.
It’s not Dixon.
Popping a coffee pod in the machine, I watch the dark brew drip into my mug.
I should be happy. This art gallery position is everything I’ve ever wanted and worked for. Even though the Layne Gallery is a small one, it has the potential to open up a lot of doors for me.
Gemma’s face pops into my mind.
The hurt at me lying to her about sleeping with her brother. About telling her I wasn’t staying in Dixon.
I was a coward. Instead of facing her—facing Mason—like an adult, I ran. It was too hard. I didn’t want the yelling that I’d grown up with.
A clean break.
