Page 29 of Ivy

“Fine,” she says, sounding bored. “Nana Lilly, Beast didn’t pay me. I promise. I am his girlfriend. Anyway, it would be me paying him to be with me.”

“Oh posh, you are bloody beautiful. Our Luke is lucky to have snatched you up.” Ivy smiles at my nan, her arm snaking around my waist.

“Jesus, Nan, I thought you were going to scare her off then. I am kinda attached to her, you know—to them both,” I explain.

“Both?” my nan all but screeches, looking at Ivy’s stomach.

“Oh God, no, she is pregnant. Hell no. Fuck, Nan. Ivy has a son, Carter.”

“What do you mean, ‘hell no’? What, Ivy isn’t good enough to carry your child? Is that what you are saying, boy?”

Fuck me sideways with a cricket bat.

“No.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. “God alive, Nan, are you deliberately throwing me under a bus?” I look at Ivy, and I can see the hurt in her eyes. Bollocks.

“Baby, that is not what I meant.” My chest is starting to tighten. I need to get air into my lungs. I pull away from Peaches, because the hurt look on her face is doing me in. I walk out through the double doors that lead to the large garden area.

Fucking hell, tonight is turning into a massive fuck up, thanks to my family.

Chapter 14

Ivy

I push the pain down in my chest and take a quick look at the people standing around me. Luke’s family look back at me with sympathy in their eyes. It’s a feeling I don’t want. I couldn’t hide the hurt, hearing that Luke thinks me being pregnant with his baby is something he doesn’t want. So, are we just a casual thing? Am I here until he gets bored of me?

“Go to him,” Nana Lilly tells me. I walk away from the group and out the doors that Luke just walked through. I see him leaning against the railing, looking out at the lush garden. There are flowers and shrubs everywhere. It looks like a pretty penny was paid to have it look like this. I take a deep breath and walk up to my beast, but I don’t touch him. I stand next to him and look at the garden, like he’s doing. Thank God for the patio heaters that are out here, and the small fire pit that is roaring.

“Beast.” I say his name, but he doesn’t respond. Nothing is said between us. The sound of James Arthur’s ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ drifts through the cold night air, and I sigh and close my eyes. This is clearly not what he signed up for. Thank God I found out now before my heart got any more invested in this man. I just hope Carter will understand how this happened. He looks up to Luke.

“I’m just going to grab Carter and go home.” I step away when it’s clear he isn’t going to speak to me. I thought he was one of the good guys. Over the last few months, he has never showed me any sign that he wasn’t in this for the long haul. He was always telling me that he wanted forever, but now… now he seems to have changed his mind. Well, fuck him.

My steps are halted when his large hand grasps my wrist.

“Stay. Let me explain.”

“Then talk, because I am not feeling very welcome right now, Luke.” He winces when I use his birth name.

“When I said what I did to Nan, it didn’t come out right. I meant, hell no to right now. Fuck, baby, I would be the happiest man in the world if you were to carry my baby, but I know we aren't there yet. Soon though. When I saw how my words hurt you, I couldn’t take it. That’s why I came out here. Baby, I would never hurt you intentionally.” I nod because I know he is telling the truth.

“Well, well, look at what we have here. Long time no see, cousin,” comes a voice from behind us. I turn my head to see a couple about our age walking towards us. He is in a suit and she is in a long red sparkly dress. They look out of place here at this laidback party.

“Bobby, Sarah,” Luke says, but I can hear the strain in his voice. Why though?

“How are you, Luke?” Sarah asks.

“Fine. You?” Luke replies, but I can tell he is holding back his anger. His body has started to vibrate. I close the tiny gap between us and wrap my hand around his bicep, holding him close. I watch as the girl’s eyes track the movement, twitching a little.

“I haven’t seen you around much. Maybe we could meet for coffee or something. I could stop by Castle Ink and see you.”

“I would rather you didn’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we need to check on our boy.” He steps forward, when his cousin speaks up.

“Still bitter I see, cousin.” He smirks at Luke and slides his arm around the Sarah girl. Then it hits me, she is an ex-girlfriend of Luke’s. Beast scoffs and pulls his arm free from my hold before wrapping me in his embrace.

“Have you seen my girl? No bitterness needed,cousin.I have my own perfect peach right here. To be honest, Bobby, you did me a favour. Now, we need to go and check on our boy.”

“Boy?” Sarah says, a little too high-pitched. I’m sure dogs a few miles away heard it.

“Yeah, boy,ourboy. He’s inside, playing with my sisters’ kids.”

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