Page 142 of Thorns of Malice

She waits for me to speak.

"My father didn't take his heart medication for years. He'd take it for a week or so and then stop. He told the doctor he wouldn't waste money on it. And I don't understand, Lilly. He had the money to pay for it. He had insurance. It was only thirty dollars a month."

She stays quiet.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound angry toward you."

Gently, she says, "It's okay, Ivy. I didn't think you were mad at me. And you have a right to be upset, but at least you know the truth now. I think in your heart, you know Dax didn't kill him, right?"

I take another deep breath and slowly release it, finalizing my decision. "Yeah, he didn't kill him. My father was the reason his heart wasn't better."

"I really am sorry. Can I do anything for you?"

"No, just keep being my friend, okay? I don't really have any. Well, it's you and Jaxon, that's it. So, can you just keep being my friend?" I blurt out.

She laughs. "Don't be silly, Ivy. You're my friend as much as I'm yours, and I need you as much as you need me. So don't worry, we're going to stay friends, and we're not going to lose touch like last time. Okay?"

Her statement makes me happy. "Okay."

"Hey, Mr. Sexy just got back. I have to go, but enjoy Dax's gifts and your night, okay?"

"All right. I will."

"Tell me all about it tomorrow. Bye," she sings, then hangs up the phone.

I put my cell down and take a few minutes. Lilly's right, I need to enjoy my night.

My phone buzzes.

Lilly: Go open your gifts!!

I laugh, wondering how she knows I'm still sitting here.

Me: On it.

Curiosity gets me. The excitement I used to feel when Dax would give me gifts ignites inside me.

I leave the bedroom and step out into the other room.

"Ivy, are you going to open these boxes? I'm dying to see what's in them," Kristen says.

I laugh. "Sure."

I glance at the counter. She's taken all the boxes out of the bags. All of them are white with whore-red bows, and the same butterflies that took off when Dax gave me my first gift, flutter hard.

Kristen hands me a large box. "Here, open this."

I slowly pull the bow, trying to contain my excitement, and lift the lid. I gape.

"Holy crap," Laura exclaims.

I pull out a pair of whore-red leather boots. The heels have gold ivy leaves encrusted with diamonds on them. I touch the shaft, gaping. They're super soft. I finally declare, "Wow, these are beautiful."

"Yeah, they are," Kristen says and hands me another box.

I open it. There's a black satin minidress with a V-cut in the front, a low back that dips to right above where my ass would be, and long sleeves.

I hold it up and examine it. There's a built-in bra and a note in the box. I pull it out.

---