Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94997 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94997 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Why did I feel the need to impress her? Well, because she’s a lot like me. And she knows what she wants and what she likes. It’s one of the many reasons I’m enchanted by her, which isn’t surprising once you get to know her. But I’m not sharing any of that with my parents.
“Because I wanted to have fun. Now, Mother, if you would kindly leave so I can go back to sleep, that would be amazing.” She looks past me and to where River stands at the door.
“We didn’t just come for that. We wanted to check up on you. We were advised you weren’t partying as much, and you got messy on the last guy you killed in the hospital.”
I stare at them. “Are you… worried about me?”
“Of course we are. We’re your parents,” my mother says as if it’s obvious. “Besides, you’re the one I worry about the most since you do things and then think after the fact. You’ve just been slightly different since the incident with your brother, so we wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
I think I’ve been staring for too long. My mother does not have heart-to-heart conversations. I mean, I’m certain she has a heart, but only for my father. And I know she cares about me and Ford, but she has peculiar ways of showing it. Playing therapist isn’t one of them.
“I’m okay,” I finally say, still looking between them skeptically. “Really, I just did a stupid thing.”
My mother perks up with that, taking it as answer enough to remove herself from what is most likely the most uncomfortable motherly role she’s taken.
“Also, we’ll be hosting an opening for one of your father’s new restaurants. Make sure you’re there. Oh, and I’ve invited Ivy Walker.”
My jaw drops as I realize that’s most likely the reason she’s here. “Mom, that is so not cool, inviting her without me asking her directly!”
“Why? We’ve known the Walker family for years. Is there a particular reason I shouldn’t have asked her?” she asks with a knowing smirk. I open my mouth and then close it. I swear this woman put a tracking device in our skin somewhere when we were teens. How she finds out everything is baffling. “Make sure you don’t scare that one off. I’m rather fond of her,” she says before stepping out of my room.
My father hovers at the door with a smirk, always impressed by how our mother puts us in our place.
“Call us if you need us, even if it’s that issue…” he says, waving a hand toward my crotch. I nod, but I know deep down inside I would never have fucking called them for that. Who calls their mother to say their fucking cock is hard as a rock, and they can’t get it down because they stupidly took Viagra? Not fucking me, that’s for sure.
A text message appears on my screen, and I jump out of bed as Ford relays a time and place.
Looks like Ivy has herself a date.
CHAPTER 37
Ivy
I’m walking to the restaurant where I’m meeting Jared for, in his words, “our date.” The guy seems to move on quickly for someone in mourning over his ex-girlfriend.
My phone buzzes, and my heels stop clicking against the pavement as I freeze in place at the name on my screen. I answer Anya Ivanov’s call.
The only reason I have her number is because she called me once trying to find Hawke, who had later been found in a field after killing three men and lost his phone and car keys in the process. It’s only because my father could track his car in the first place that they found him, and I heard about it all week as my father complained that he had to help the little shit at all.
I never understood why she called me then, and I sure as shit don’t understand why she’s calling me now. But I certainly know better than not to answer when Anya Ivanov calls.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Hello, Ivy. I’m sending you details for a party River, and I will be hosting. We look forward to seeing you there.” And then she hangs up.
“Hello?” I say, looking down at the phone. Okay, that was fucking weird.
As promised, details come through for a party being thrown a few days from now. My mind goes blank. Okay, I’m not even focusing on whatever the fuck that was about until after this. I’m sure Billie has all the details and will be going as well, so it’ll be fine.
Except maybe it won’t. If everyone in our circle knows that Hawke and I are sleeping together, I’m sure it hasn’t taken long for his parents to hear about it. Which I know will eventually get back to my parents, and I’m not really sure how they will handle that kind of news. My mother loves Hawke. My father, however… will probably hunt him down to the ends of the earth, promising him immediate death.