Page 19 of Ajax

“Are you okay?”

Her eyes meet mine. They’re swollen and red, and tears still linger. Whatever or whoever did this, they’re dead. I want to throttle them with my bare hands.

“Ivy,” I croak.

“I don’t know why I’m here,” she whispers. “I just knew I had to be.”

I cross the room and pull her into my arms. She weeps into my chest, and I guide her down onto the couch, settling her on my lap.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Everything.” She sniffs, leaning her head on my shoulder.

I’m not sure what brought her here, but I close my eyes and breathe in the scent of vanilla. She smells like home.

We barely know one another, but having her here with me feels right.

“What happened?”

“I fought with Dad.”

I grip her shoulder and hold her tight. “I’m sorry to hear that. For what it’s worth, you’re always welcome here.”

“Thank you.” She sniffs again. “It’s just … I hate this place. Not your place, obviously, but I hate living in the middle of nowhere and feeling trapped.”

My gut falls. The past few days have been a revelation. But if things hadn’t worked out the way they have, I would have continued to admire Ivy from afar, and I very much doubt I’d be on the couch with her on my lap.

“Is that how you feel? Do you want to be somewhere else?”

She places a palm on my chest and pushes herself up a little. “Yes? No? What I do know is that I don’t want to live with my father anymore, but I don’t have a choice right now.”

“Why not?”

“I’m only part-time at the pub, and by the time I pay rent, there’s not much left. That’s what Dad and I fought about. I pay rent while Tyler doesn’t, and I’m expected to do everything around the house. It’s so unfair.”

I frown. “That’s ridiculous. Tyler’s a grown man. So’s your father.”

She sighs. “It all turned to shit when Mum died. Dad lost the plot a bit. I was ready to go to uni, but he begged me to stay. Tyler just seems like he’s along for the ride.”

“And they’ve been taking the piss ever since.”

She tilts her head against my shoulder again. “I guess. It’s all come to a head because I’ve just had enough.”

I nod. “I bet you have.” My heart thuds so hard as if it’s about to leap out of my chest. “You know, if you need somewhere to stay, I have a spare room. Rent free. You can work on the farm.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You don’t need to.” I lower my voice. “I’d do anything for you, Ivy Buchanan.”

Her head shoots up. “You would?”

For a moment, we just gaze into each other’s eyes. If she’ll give me a chance, I’ll give her everything she could ever want.

Her lips twitch into a coy smile.

“It’s a first, but I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Ajax.”

“Clayton. My name’s Clayton.”

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