Page 72 of Lonely Heart
With that, the three of us left my office, walked out of the hotel, and hopped into my sister’s car as she drove us out to lunch. On the way, I told them all about what had happened between Marco and me over the last few weeks. Then I explained why we’d decided to keep things quiet for the time being. By the time we were sitting down to eat lunch, I’d given them the full scoop and was ready to hear their thoughts.
Jules was beaming at me. “I am so excited for you, Ivy. Marco, too. I’ve always like him, and I think you two are going to be great together.”
I loved my sister. She was always so sweet and supportive. It didn’t surprise me that she responded the way she did. And I was glad to have shared everything with her. My only regret was not saying something sooner. “Thanks, Jules. He and I are both a little shocked that it took us this long to see that there was something worth exploring between us.”
“Yeah, I guess I can understand how frustrating that would be. But the important thing is that you finally realize it and are doing something about it now.”
Before I could respond to her, Ava chimed in. “I’m so relieved.”
“Relieved?”
She released a deep sigh. “I was so worried about you right after the assault. When I came to your place and saw the way you were acting, I… I panicked. I even told Tate how scared I was that you’d been traumatized by what happened to you.”
I recalled that day vividly. “I lied to you.”
“What?”
“I wasn’t okay, Ava. In fact, I’m still working on all of that. And I’m sorry for how I acted that day. The truth is, I didn’t feel comfortable going out of the house unless I was going straight to work. But not long after you were over, Marco and I started spending some time together. And I’ve gone out with him quite a few times now. He was so good to me the first time we went downtown, too. It’s really helped. And while I don’t feel as confident in that as I should yet, I did go out on my own to get him a gift for his birthday over the weekend, so I’m taking small steps toward fixing it.”
She sent a sympathetic look my way. “I’m not upset with you. I’m just glad to see you doing so much better, which I guess brings me to my next question. Do you really believe that Cooper wouldn’t be happy for the two of you? That doesn’t seem right.”
“I’m with Ava on this one,” Jules declared. “Cooper can be a grouch at times, but there isn’t a single thing that makes me believe he wouldn’t want the absolute best for you.”
I nodded my agreement. “I know. I know, I feel the same way. But there is merit to Marco’s concern. I wasn’t there for the conversation the two of them had privately about what happened with me, but I was there in that hotel room. Cooper wasnothappy at the thought of Marco and me being a thing.”
“I don’t get it,” Jules murmured. “Marco’s his best friend.”
“Yeah. I mean, did you try talking to Cooper on your own, just to feel him out about it?” Ava questioned me.
“No. And I know that sounds so unlike me, but I don’t want the drama of it. Not only do I feel like I shouldn’t have to ask him for permission, but I also don’t want to approach him with guns blazing, either. Skye’s pregnant, and she needs his full attention right now.”
Jules shot me a look that told me she didn’t disagree as Ava suggested, “Skye might be his voice of reason, though. Whenever you decide to tell him the truth, there’s no question he’s going to talk to her about it. I think she’d get him to see that this is a good thing. Because it is a good thing. That’s what makes no sense to me.”
“Marco should be his first choice,” Jules noted.
I shrugged. “I know. But Marco is convinced there’s going to be some tension.”
“So, what do you plan to do about it? When do you think you’ll break the news?”
Shaking my head, I confessed, “I don’t know yet. We just decided we wanted to take some time to enjoy this place we’re at. It’s new and exciting, but it’s also a bit strange. We’ve known each other for so long, and there’s never been a hint of anything like this before, so we’re taking it a day at a time and having a lot of fun with it.”
They beamed at me, and Jules said, “So, he already got you cheesecakes and flowers twice now. How are you planning to spend the rest of your Valentine’s Day with him to show him how much it means to you?”
I grinned at my sister and my best friend. “Oh, trust me, he already knows just how much it meant to me.”
Ava squealed with delight. “Tell us more.”
Laughter spilled out of me, and after I pulled myself together, I gave them both just enough details to make them happy for me while keeping them curious.
By the endof the week, I was still trying to work out ways to find time with Marco. He’d come over to my place on Valentine’s Day and again two days later. But on the workdays following the nights I hadn’t seen him, I found myself struggling.
Maybe it was because I’d felt so lonely for so long. I didn’t know. I simply craved being around him.
Now, it was late Friday evening, and I was just getting ready to leave work. I hadn’t had any time throughout the day to even have a five-minute conversation with Marco, because I’d been working on last-minute details for a corporate event being hosted in one of our smaller ballrooms this evening.
The event had just ended, and I’d stayed for the entire thing.
So, now that I’d gathered up my things, I was ready to head home. If nothing else, I hoped I’d be able to get there, give Marco a call, and have a few minutes to talk. I just wanted to hear his voice.