Page 20 of Lonely Heart

Cooper nodded, a smile playing on his mouth. “I’m going to be a dad.”

“Wow. Wow, that’s… that’s incredible. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. Skye wants to be with me to tell the rest of the family, but she agreed I could tell you about it this morning,” he revealed. “I wound up telling Ivy first, though. After what happened, I wanted to give her some good news. So, you’re the second person I’ve told. We’ll be telling everyone else later today or tomorrow.”

Ivy had to be over the moon. It was probably exactly what she needed to help get her mind off of what she’d been through. “I’m honored to be the second one to know. And I’m really happy for you, Coop. You and Skye.”

He offered a slight nod in return.

I jerked my head toward the exit. “I’m going to get back to work. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Sounds good. Later, Marco.”

I walked off, leaving my best friend behind, and wondered how I could feel so many conflicting emotions.

I was happy for Cooper, thrilled to hear about this exciting news he’d just received. I couldn’t wait to see him in a new role, to meet his baby.

At the same time, I wondered if I’d ever get the chance to experience something similar. I wasn’t getting any younger, had suddenly found myself feeling an attraction to a wonderful woman, and I hadn’t gotten a single blessing from my best friend. There were no reassurances from him that there wouldn’t be a problem if I took steps to build something with Ivy like he’d built with Skye.

And as I made my way to the hotel, so I could head out to the villas, an overwhelming sense of dread about needing to ignore my feelings consumed me. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel so relaxed and carefree.

My own best friend wouldn’t be happy for me. He didn’t think I was good enough. It was difficult to feel anything but disappointment.

6

MARCO

It wasas though someone else had taken over control of my mind, like I was having an out-of-body experience.

For as long as I could remember, I was always known as the laidback guy. I was the one who didn’t get worked up or stressed out over anything. Even in a crisis, I remained calm.

Now, I felt as though I couldn’t think straight.

With my mind constantly consumed by thoughts of Ivy, I was grateful to have a huge project at work to occupy my time.

Because I was waging a battle with myself, and without having work that needed to get done, I wasn’t sure I would have been able to keep myself away from her.

Maybe that shouldn’t have been a problem. Maybe I should have been able to call her, walk into the hotel and find her, or even visit her at her place. After what she’d been through, didn’t she deserve at least that much? Even if there was nothing but what there had always been between us, shouldn’t I have been a good friend to her?

I was both proud of and disgusted with myself.

Disgustedbecause after all that had happened two nights ago, how had I just gone on with my life like she wasn’t on my mind every waking second? How did I pretend I wasn’t worriedabout how she was coping with what she’d endured at the hands of a monster?

The only reason I felt proud of myself for keeping my distance was because at least I’d be able to prove to my best friend that everything I’d said to him yesterday had been the truth.

I rolled my eyes as that thought flitted through my mind. Was I really pleased with myself for ignoring my gut instinct to seek out Ivy and check on how she was doing?

Of course, I wasn’t.

And although Cooper sought me out yesterday afternoon to offer an apology for how he’d reacted when he found me with his sister, I couldn’t seem to let go of the things he hadn’t said.

Sure, he ultimately thanked me for being there for her, but he hadn’t said anything about how his initial reaction to believing there was something going on between Ivy and me hadn’t been how he really felt.

I couldn’t stop thinking about that, about the fact my best friend didn’t think I was good enough for his sister. That he wouldn’t think I was the best option for her, that he wouldn’t be the guy hoping she and I would wind up together one day.

None of this had anything to do with Ivy or how she may or may not have felt about me. It wasn’t about me making assumptions that she even felt an attraction to me. It was merely the knowledge that Cooper would never support it if she and I had decided together to pursue something.

My best friend knew me. He knew my values, my character. He knew my family. And he still didn’t think I was good enough.

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