She nods, refusing to look at me. “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?”
“No… I’m a little surprised. Tell me about him.”
She blushes. “He’s so sweet, charming, and determined.”
I raise a brow in question. “Determined?”
“Yeah. When he set his sights on me, he would not give up until he won me over. I swear, I fought it so hard because on the outside, he’s everything we always said we’d never fall for but underneath it all, there’s something about him that drew me in.”
“Sweetie, why do you sound like you’re trying to defend him?”
She sighs. “You know why. We always swore that we wouldn’t be like Mother and then here I go, falling for the damn mayor’s son. His family has more money than God and I’m a hypocrite.”
When I was little, I can remember how happy my parents were. My dad had this booming laugh and it echoed through the halls of our home regularly. We weren’t rich, but my dad worked hard to give us the best life he could and we were loved. Then, overnight, it all changed. My parents fought more and my dad’s laugh became less and less frequent. Mother walked around the house, ignoring Dad and his various attempts to make her happy and it didn’t matter to her one bit that he bent over backward to give her anything her heart desired. It was never enough.
A week before my sixth birthday, she came home and packed our things. Dad came home from work to find her shoving suitcases into the trunk of her car and he lost it. It’s the only time in my life I ever saw my dad cry and he begged her not to tear our family apart. She was vindictive though and couldn’t resist twisting the knife in further. The look on his face when she told him she’d met someone new and was marrying him will forever be burned into my memory. Even at five years old, the absolute devastation was obvious and my innocent little heart broke for my Daddy.
As we drove away from the house, I looked out of the back window and watched my dad fall to his knees in the front yard, tears streaming down his face as he lost his entire world. That was the last time I saw him. A week later, he shoved a pistol in his mouth and ended it all. And my mother began her sick little cycle of meeting a very wealthy man, charming the pants off of him, marrying him, and then leaving him with a good chunk of his net worth in her pocket because somehow, she always talks them out of a pre-nup. She’s on the prowl for husband number six while number five is still nursing a broken heart and a smaller bank account.
I brush away those thoughts. “Well, like I said, I’m a little surprised but I know it’s not the same thing, Vi. You’re not attracted to him because of his money, right?”
She shakes her head. “Of course not. That was the thing that almost made me run from him. He’s so damn charming though and we connect on so many levels. I really didn’t stand a chance.”
“You look happy,” I muse, almost to myself, and she smiles wide.
“I am. God, I don’t know what it is. He just gets me.”
“I’m really happy for you,” I tell her. How could I not be? I’m a fan of anything that makes my sister look this blissfully happy.
She lets out a surprised laugh, placing her hand over her chest as she wipes away a single tear. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. I thought, for sure, that you would hate him on principle. You have to believe me when I say that he’s different.”
“I believe you. He just better treat you right.”
She nods. “He treats me like a queen. I can’t imagine my life without him.”
“You sound like you’re in love.”
She nods. “We’re moving in together.”
A warning bell goes off in my head. “Whoa. How long have you been seeing this guy?”
She blushes again, avoiding my gaze, and I get the impression I will not like her answer. “Four months.”
“Four months,” I breathe out, unable to wrap my mind around the fact that my sister kept this from me. Being only thirteen months apart, we’ve always shared everything. She’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember and she’s my confidant so her keeping this from me hurts more than I expected it to. She was the first person I turned to when my world was ripped apart and I thought we were always honest with each other.
“Please don’t be mad at me, Sissy. I didn’t mean to hide it from you. When I first met him, I completely dismissed him because he was so much like all the guys that Mom liked to hang around, but he was so persistent and I saw other sides of him. Before I realized it, I was falling. I was scared of what you would think so I kept putting it off.”
“And now you’re moving in together?”
She nods. “Yeah.”
I take a sip of my tea as I try to process her words. A huge part of me is incredibly happy for her but there is this tiny part that keeps screaming that it’s too soon. “After a few months, Vi? Isn’t that a little fast?”
“Maybe,” she replies with a shrug. “But it just feels so right and I can’t fight it anymore. He makes me happy.”
I wait a beat, watching her before I smile softly. Ivy is a smart girl and I trust her judgment. “Well, then I can’t wait to meet him.”
“You mean it?” Her voice is timid and I hate she even has to ask. Nothing has ever come between us before and nothing ever will.
“Absolutely.”
She squeals and does a little dance in her seat and I laugh.
“Listen, Mother’s issues are her own and as long as you’re safe and happy, I don’t care how much money is in his bank account or who his father is.”
Nate stops at our table and places Ivy’s plate down in front of her before handing me my salad and turning without a word. Ivy watches him leave and scoffs.
“Okay, so he’s a little rude.”
I arch a brow and nod. “Ya think?”
“So,” she muses as I glance down at my plate and stab a tomato with my fork. “What about you? Isn’t it about time you find someone that makes you deliriously happy?”
“Ivy,” I warn because she knows better than to broach this subject with me but she’s going there anyway. She shakes her head.
“Hell, no, don’t you “Ivy” me. I’m serious. I get that what happened to you was beyond messed up and you’ve been hurting for a long time but, Car, it’s been twelve years. It’s time to let it go and move on with your life. I mean, you’re twenty-eight years old and you’ve never had a serious relationship.”
I shake my head, meeting her eyes so she can see how serious I am. “I have moved on, Vi. I just don’t think that sort of thing is for me.”
“What sort of thing would that be? Love? Happiness? A normal healthy relationship?”
“Hey, I’m happy.”
She frowns and shakes her head. “You can lie to everyone else around you, but you can’t fool me; you’ve always dreamed of your prince charming.”
“I was a kid. People grow up and the world teaches them how stupid they were to believe in shit like that.” Sighing, I set my fork down and grab my tea. Staring out at the busy sidewalk, I take a sip and try to forget the memories she’s forcing to the surface before turning back to her. “Ivy, sweetie, I’m thrilled you’re happy. I really am but please don’t try to get me to jump into a relationship now. It’s not going to happen.”