Page 62 of Wild Hearts

“Are you serious?” I snap. “I can barely walk, the girl I’m in love with wants nothing to do with me, my Dad’s about to have his second child with the woman he destroyed our family for, my sister’s giving me the silent treatment, and your suggestion to me is that I need to get laid?”

Jordan’s eyes widen, but I’m not finished.

“Fuck man, maybe you just need to learn to keep your dick in your pants long enough to look for something with a bit of substance. Maybe if you’d stop sleeping around, you’d understand how it feels to have your heart ripped out of your chest and you’d be a bit more sympathetic.”

It’s a low blow. Jordan reels back as if I’ve slapped him. His knuckles whiten as his grip tightens on the steering wheel.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says through gritted teeth. “There’s more than one way to have your heart ripped out.”

Jordan reverses out of the car park without another word, instead turning the music up so there’s no further communication between the two of us. The tension is palpable for the twenty-minute drive back to my house and when he drops me off out the front without a word, I realise I’ve fucked up yet again.

My best mate is clearly worried about his mum and I just attacked him because I’m frustrated with my own life. It’s not his fault Wren’s keeping me at a distance, or that Ivy’s giving me the silent treatment.

Lachy’s car pulls up in the driveway while I’m still standing out the front and I realise this is my chance to at least settle one thing that’s going wrong in my life. I wait for him and Ivy to climb out of the car, but she stalks past me without a word. Lachy scratches his head as he walks over and pats me on the back.

“What’s all that about?” I ask, hoping her boyfriend has some kind of clue as to what’s happening.

“That’s between you two” Lachy replies with a sigh.

I follow him up the front steps, grateful that soon I won’t be on these damn crutches anymore. Lachy opens the door and stands back to let me pass. I can hear Ivy banging around in the kitchen, so I head in that direction.

She’s making herself a sandwich when I enter with Lachy on my heels. “Need a hand?” I ask.

“No, thank you,” she clips out.

Well, at least I got some words out of her. It’s progress.

I sit on a stool on the opposite side of the island bench. Lachy takes a seat next to me, swiping a slice of tomato off the chopping board and popping it in his mouth. Ivy scowls at him.

“Okay, clearly you’re pissed at me for some reason,” I start when she continues to ignore my presence. “But Ives, I have no idea what I’ve done. I agreed to go to Theo’s Baptism for you. I thought that would make you happy.”

My sister presses her lips together, concentrating on layering the ham, cheese and tomato carefully on top of the bread. I glance at Lachy, only getting a shrug in return.

“C’mon Ives, talk to me.”

This finally elicits a reaction, though not the one I was expecting.

“Talk to you?” she snaps, the knife clattering onto the marble bench top. “You’re the one who’s so good at keeping secrets, Brady. How about you talk to me, huh? Got anything you’d like to tell me?”

My face wrinkles in confusion.

“Ivy,” Lachy tries to intervene, but she cuts him off.

“No. Don’t defend him, Lachy. I’m sick of it. All his secrets, thinking he’sprotectingmy feelings or whatever his goddamn excuse is going to be this time. First Dad, now Wren. I’m sick of it. I wish he’d grow some balls and tell me the fucking truth for once. Stop hiding things from me. I’m sick of being the last to know.”

Lachy drops his head into his hands and my hands grow clammy. She knows about me and Wren. Buthow muchdoes she know? I promised Wren I wouldn’t say anything, but Ivy already seems to have some idea that something went down between the two of us. I glance at Lachy, but he avoids me. I’m slightly pissed at him for saying something, but I need to try and ascertain what she knows.

I clear my throat. “What are you talking about?”

Ivy snorts. “Seriously? My God Brady, you’re just as bad as Dad.”

“Ivy!” Lachy shakes his head. “That’s not really fair.”

She shrugs. “If the shoe fits.”

It would have hurt less if she’d actually hit me.

Lachy stands up and moves around the bench to wrap his arms around Ivy, whispering something in her ear. I watch as the tension in her body deflates.

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