Page 35 of Unravel Me

Me: Need you all to keep this to yourself. I’ve got your word?

Liam: You know you do. What’s going on?

Kins: Type faster, you’re making me so nervous

Me: Ivy’s back.

Dallas: What?

Me: I’m not going to get into details right now.

My phone immediately rings, it’s Dallas, I pick it up and whisper.

“Hold on, I gotta step outside.”

I grab my coffee mug and sneak out to the back porch, closing the door quietly behind me.

“Hey.”

“That’s some bomb you just dropped, Sawyer. Considering you just snuck your ass outside, I’m assuming she’s at your place?”

“You’d assume right. But it isn’t what it sounds like.”

“Then what is it? Cause I’ve got my keys in my hand and ready to head to your place. Give me something.”

“I’m fine. Stay where you’re at. I need you to handle things at work for the rest of the week. She just showed up out of the blue.”

“At your place?”

“No. Her parents’, hiding out like a little criminal. Reid ran into her, that’s a story for another day. But then he told me she was in town, and I stormed over there and hauled her ass over to my house like a caveman.”

“How’d that go over?”

“She didn’t put up a fight, actually. She’s been through some shit. She’s pretty defeated. There’s no light behind her eyes anymore.”

“Fuck, man. And how are you doing?”

“Shocked. Processing. The adrenaline of everything coming together last night has worn off and I feel pretty numb right now. I don’t know her plan, but I’m going to do whatever I can to figure it out.”

“You want her to stay?”

“You know the answer to that, Dallas.”

“Look, I’m not happy with her. It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than just her showing back up in town and waking up in your bed for me to forgive her. Whatever happens between youtwo, you’re going to have to give the rest of us time. You know that right?”

“I get it. And I didn’t say I forgave her. But I’m going to figure this shit out and move forward. Whatever happens, at least I’ll get closure this time.”

“No matter what, you got us. I’ll hold down the fort.”

“Don’t burn everything to the ground in my absence, please. And for fuck’s sake don’t fire Blaire. I don’t know if anyone else would put up with you.”

“No promises.”

We hang up and I read the ten missed texts from the group chat.

Kins: Holy. Shit.

Carter: Are you fucking with us?

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