Page 88 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

Restless without Adrian, she picked up her phone and scrolled through social media to see what everyone else was up to. A post from her mom popped up, showing one of her brother’s senior photos and another of an acceptance letter. She straightened.

Brey got into a school? That was great! Which one?

Adrian’s cell rang on the kitchen table. She glanced up as he answered and walked out onto the porch. Then, she returned her attention to the post and finished scanning what her mom had written.

Her smile faded, finger frozen on the screen.

Why did reading this get her insides all twisted up? Her mom seemed happy, and Brey must be too, even though he’d only be attending the community college closest to their home. He’d get to work towards his degree and have access to all his gaming equipment at the same time. Maybe even find a way to intersect the two.

She read through the text again. Her mom sounded so proud.

That was it.

She’d never gotten encouragement her senior year. There had been no congratulatory post. No praise for her graduation or acceptance into college. In fact, she’d heard more about how her ex went to Harvard than her own plans.

Not that it should matter. But as she thought about it, accepting her feelings instead of invalidating them, the grip they had began to lift. If someone was going to be proud of her, she wanted it to be for who she was, not for where she attended school or what she did for a living. Even if it hurt that the person she loved didn’t see those things in her, it didn’t mean they weren’t there.

I need you to see you’re more capable than you think, Iv. I want you to set yourself free from doubt.

Adrian’s words from earlier resurfaced in her mind and the tightness in her chest all but disappeared.. There was no reason to doubt herself or to question her worth. She knew the internet hardly reflected reality—at home, Brey wouldn’t be off the hook. He’d put in a lot of effort for this, so she posted a happy comment with lots of emojis.

Looking for her black knight, she found him behind the closed glass door on the porch, shuffling around in the dark. One hand held the phone to his ear while the other clenched into a fist. A frown etched deeper and deeper into his face, and muffled bits of the conversations began to rise in volume.

Her brows furrowed to mirror his. Something must’ve happened, and she was willing to bet it was a lot more serious than a disheartening social media post. He ran a hand over his stubble, muscles tense, veins standing out along his forearm. That wasn’t a good sign.

She stood and debated whether to join him or check on the bath, but before reaching a conclusion, he ended the call and slid open the door.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Tension snapped through his shoulders and chest as he flexed his fingers. “Raptor called.” His eyes softened as he looked at her, but old shadows resurfaced from their depths. “I have to go to The Club. Some asshole punched Riri while she was bartending.”

“What?” she whispered. “Is she okay? Who did it—Jace?”

“She’s all right.” Adrian forced a crooked grin that broke into a scowl. “It’s not her first scuffle, by a long shot. Raptor said he had it covered, but—” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “It was Jun, Jace’s older brother. I don’t know if Jace was involved, but either way, it’s a warning.”

Her heart plummeted into her stomach. They hadn’t done so much as plan their next move, but the situation had already gotten worse. At this rate, they couldn’t afford to wait for things to die down. The more cautious they tried to be, the more people got hurt in the process.

“I’m going, too,” she declared. Like it or not, she wouldn’t let Adrian deal with this alone. The last time he got this angry, Jace had threatened her at the Halloween party. She’d let it happen that night. Watched in slow motion as the world spun in different directions. Not tonight.

As she spun to go change in the bedroom, he blew out a long exhale and followed. “I’d much rather you stay. Take a bath and relax. I’ll try not to be long.”

She shook her head while pulling off her shirt. “I won’t be able to do any of that while not knowing what’s going on. I want to be there. By your side.” The warm touch of his hands stilled her, gliding from her shoulders down her arms. She turned to face him and pulled his hands into hers. “That’s where I belong, right?”

Her heart hammered in her chest.

“Yes, but—” He hesitated, lips pursed and pulse ticking on his forehead.

“That’s part of this, our agreement,” she continued. “Being there when things get hard. You taught me so much today…let me be your balance, too.”

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and pressed their foreheads together. After another minute, he spoke. “Okay. You can come.” Then he added in a whisper, “I just can’t let anyone else I love get hurt.”

Her breath caught.

He loved her.

Before either of them could say more, she kissed him. Their hands tightened. He froze as if he was afraid to move. Afraid to let his control slip even for a moment.

She didn’t care if it did.

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