Page 121 of Save Me

Leaning in, he kissed her softly before pulling back and smiling. “Okay, you order lunch and I’ll call Jamie and let’s see where the rest of the day takes us.”

An hour later, they were sitting around her kitchen table with Jamie, Patrick, and Ryleigh Donovan—who not only brought Connor’s luggage over but lunch too. Ivy wanted to be disappointed that their friends were horning in on what was supposed to be a time for her and Connor to get reacquainted, but they were all laughing and having such a good time that it was hard to be mad.

“What about Liam?” Connor asked. “He’s still got another couple of years to go, right? I know he enlisted the year before me, but…”

“He’s been pretty tight-lipped about it. We thought he was going to re-up, but he hasn’t mentioned it lately,” Ryleigh said. “I think he’s coming home for a short stay in the fall, but…who knows if it will really happen.”

“What’s the occasion? Or is it just a scheduled leave before he deploys?”

“Arianna’s college graduation,” Patrick replied. “Well…graduation party. She’ll graduate in May, but she’s got an internship in San Francisco for the summer.”

“Mom and Dad really wanted to have a party for her right after the ceremony, but Ari was pretty adamant about wanting Liam home to celebrate with us,” Ryleigh explained.

“Personally, I think we’ll end up having a small party in May and the big one when Liam’s home, so…more excuses to celebrate,” Jamie said with a big grin. “So, what are you two up to for the rest of the day?” Then he winked and nudged Connor. “Bet you’re wishing we’d all leave, huh?”

Connor chuckled as he shook his head. “It’s good to see you still haven’t grown up.”

“Dude, growing up is highly overrated.”

“Don’t waste your time, Con,” Patrick chimed in. “We’ve all been waiting for him to grow up. It’s just not happening.”

They all laughed, and Ivy looked over at Ryleigh and read the question in her eyes. With a slight nod toward the bedrooms, she stood. “You guys keep talking about all the ways Jamie needs to grow up. Ryleigh and I are going to have a little chat of our own in the other room.”

Connor grinned at her. “I’m not even going to pretend I don’t know you’re talking about me.”

Ryleigh patted him on the shoulder. “Awesome. Thanks.”

Once they were alone in Ivy’s guest room—which doubled as her home office—Ryleigh shut the door and gave her a knowing grin. “So…you took him home and now he’s staying with you.” Her smile grew. “You two move fast!”

“Okay, okay…I know it looks like that, but…”

“Ivy, come on! He asked Jamie to bring all his luggage here! It’s pretty much everything he owns, and it’s all sitting in the corner of your living room!”

Sighing, she sat down on the bed. “Is it wrong that I’m okay with this? I mean…shouldn’t I be pushing him away a little or at least making him work for it a little bit?”

Sitting beside her, Ryleigh sighed. “If the two of you had met up at the Fling last night in a normal way, I think you would have. But it was wild and dramatic and…haven’t the two of you been apart long enough?”

While Ivy knew she had a point, it still felt weird how…it didn’t feel weird.

“Is this the right thing, though?” she quietly asked. “He left me and I was devastated and…”

“Did the two of you talk about it?”

Nodding, she said, “We did, and I know it was a hard decision for him to make back then, but…does that mean it’s okay to just pick up where we left off?”

For a moment, Ryleigh didn’t say anything. But when she did, she didn’t hold back. “Ivy, you and I have been friends since the third grade, so I think I know you pretty well. You, my friend, have been miserable ever since Connor left. You date, but no one has ever made you forget about him.” She squeezed Ivy’s hand. “I know you’ve slept with other guys, but…it’s like you felt guilty about it. Obviously you never got over him, and you’ve been given a second chance. Don’t question it and don’t make it more complicated than it has to be. Just…let yourself be happy.”

“It just sounds too easy…”

“That’s because it is.” Standing, Ryleigh walked to the door. “Now I’m going to go and drag my brothers out of here, and I don’t want to hear from you for a week. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

Unable to help herself, she laughed.

“Now go get your man!”

Six

As much as Connor enjoyed spending time reconnecting with his friends, it was Ivy he wanted to be with.

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