Page 17 of Lonely Heart

IVY

“I’m sorry.”

The devastation in those two words hung heavily in the confined space. Cooper and I had just returned to his truck following my visit to the Landing Police Department. I’d been in the process of putting on my seat belt, but the moment I heard my brother’s voice, I stopped what I was doing and looked at him.

“What?”

He shook his head, disappointment etched into every feature. “I’m so sorry about what happened to you last night, that you not only had to go through that, but that you had to relive it this morning.”

It hadn’t been easy. I told the officers what had happened, but I wound up feeling incredibly embarrassed. Not only had I wound up in the situation I had, but in the moment of the attack, I was only focused on getting away. I hadn’t paid enough attention, and I couldn’t provide the officers with much of a physical description beyond the man’s height, build, and that awful stench of cigarettes and sweat on him. Despite my disappointment with myself, I didn’t want Cooper taking this on his shoulders.

I offered a reassuring smile. “I appreciate you saying that, but what happened wasn’t your fault, Coop. You make it sound like you’re responsible.”

Cooper reached across the center console to take my hand in his. “No. I know that’s not the case, but I can’t help thinking how horrible it must have been for you, how I wish it never happened. It was difficult for me to sit there beside you this morning and listen to you recount all of that. It took a lot for me to not lose my cool, and I wish I could go back and change this for you.”

As horrible as what had happened last night was, I wondered if this part of it was going to be worse. Only Marco and Cooper knew about the assault, and hearing the story had impacted both of them tremendously.

What was going to happen when I told the remainder of my family? How would the rest of my brothers react? My dad would lose his mind.

“We can’t change what happened, but I’m hopeful the police will be able to find this guy. They seemed to be motivated, and I don’t think they plan to sit back, doing nothing.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I’m not going to lie. I still feel unsettled, but I know I’m going to be alright,” I assured him.

“What is your plan for today?”

I considered my options for a moment, the concern in Cooper’s expression undeniable. “I’d like to go home and change my clothes. But if you don’t mind, I’d love a ride back to the hotel. I need to work today.”

“It’d be okay if you took a few days off, you know?”

I shook my head, adamant that wouldn’t be the case. “Why would I do that? All that’s going to do is make me sit around and remember this over and over. I’d rather stay busy and keepmy mind occupied. It’s better. Plus, everyone is going to be at Westwood’s today, so I probably should make the rounds to let them all know what happened. I’ll start with Mom and Dad.”

Even if he thought it wasn’t the best idea for me to be in the thick of the action again, Cooper didn’t argue with me about it or try to change my mind. “Would you like me to be there with you when you tell them?”

“No. No, I think I’ll be okay. Plus, you have some things you need to take care of anyway.”

“Like what?”

Shooting him an incredulous look, I countered, “You mean, in addition to the never-ending list of work you normally have to do, right?”

“Of course.”

I pressed my lips together, my heart aching. “You need to talk to Marco. I understand why you thought there was something going on between us. Things obviously looked that way. But that’s not what happened, and you said a lot of stuff that wasn’t okay today.”

Cooper took that in, regret clear in his expression. “Yeah. Yeah, I was already planning on finding him so we could talk when I got back.”

“Good. I’ll make the rounds to everyone else while you do that. Then I’ll keep myself busy at the hotel, doing it away from guests until my face is fully healed,” I told him.

“Sounds like a plan.”

With that, Cooper drove away from the police station and took me back to my place. Since my car was still at the hotel, he waited for me to get myself changed and cleaned up. And just as I finished getting ready, a thought popped into my head.

“Hey, before we go, I was wondering about Skye. You came into the hotel room this morning saying something had happened with her. What’s going on?”

A look I couldn’t quite read washed over Cooper’s expression as he inhaled deeply. I grew concerned, fearing something terrible had happened.

“I was going to wait to tell the family all together with Skye, but I think you could use this now. Skye’s pregnant. She took a test yesterday after work. That’s why she called me last night, just as I was getting ready to leave. She wanted to make sure I was coming right home.”

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