Page 3 of Ivy

“I’m sorry about your mum, too, Ivy,” Jay says. He stands and comes to sit next to me.

“How can you be sure that you’re our sister? Your mum could have lied.”

I stand, anger racing through me. How fucking dare he call my mother a liar.

“How fucking dare you! My mother would never lie to me.” My blood boils at his words about my mother. He doesn’t know her. “Do you know what? Fuck it. I’m sure Carter and me can do this without you.” I pick up my bag and walk over to the door. I hear a hissing noise from behind me, but ignore it.

“Ivy, wait.” I turn to face Dex but keep one hand on the door handle. “I’m sorry. That was a shitty thing to say.”

“It was. For Christ sake, Dex, I look like you both. Even my son is a spitting image of you.”

“I know. But this is all overwhelming. I need time to get used to the idea that I have a little sister.” He offers me a small smile.

“I hear you. Believe me, I do.” I chuckleat his words, happy that in some way he is accepting me as his sister. I wipe away the tears I hadn’t noticed were falling.

“So, who is older: me or you, baby girl?” Jay chimes in as he steps up to Dex’s side.

“I believe you are three months old than me.” I shrug.

“YES! Baby sister it is then. Oh, girl, you do know that you’re not allowed to date until you’re fifty, right?”

“Huh?” I ask. Is he crazy?

“Hey, I have so many years of being a big brother to catch up on. No lad is touching you. Am I right, Dex?” He looks at Dex, who nods.

“Yeah, no fucker.” He winks at me and my heart lightens.

“You do know that I have had sex before, right? I have a son,” I say.

“Ewww, gross. Do not talk about you being poked by a man.” Jay shudders and we all laugh. I think the Castle siblings may be okay. In time anyway.

Chapter 2

Ivy

I drop Carter off at school and make my way to work. I am so happy he’s settled intolife here. Penny helped me get him into the Junior school that Connie and Knox go to. I’m glad he has to wear a school uniform, so I don’t have to panic with picking clothes out for him every day, as he has way too many clothes for his age. Money isn’t a big problem for me since my mother left me everything. When I say everything, I mean her house, which I’m going to rent out. Plus, I have a little money to tide us over for a few months, so we’re good.

I did an amazing job keeping it from Tim, but now, thinking about it, it wasn’t so hard as he was so self-absorbed. I know I could have used the money to run, but again, with the emotional stuff he put on me, it was hard to walk away. The fear was always there that he would take Carter from me. Now we’ve gone three months without seeing or hearing from Tim and I almost feel like the old me again. The Ivy before Tim ripped me apart from the inside.

I’m drawing again and now working at Castle Ink. The artistic side runs through the Castle blood and, in turn, I am a Castle. We all love to draw, anything and everything, and I feel this connects us as siblings. According to my brothers, oh my brothers. I will never get used to saying that. I asked them a few days after I turned up if they wanted a DNA test done, but they both said no. We all have the familial dark brown hair, and we have similar eyes. Even Carter looks like the boys.

Anyway, back to me working at Castle Ink. I draw but I don’t tattoo. I have no desire to; I have zero confidence to permanently mark someone's body.

So I make designs up for customers and just sketch for the fun of it. Having the freedom to draw again has taken me back to my teenage years, when I used to love the scratch of my pencil over the paper. My mum saw my passion and pushed me to study Art at college, so I did. But that is where the happiness dies for me. My mum fell ill for the first time before I started college, and then I met Tim. He was there for me through all the bad times. He would spoil me, buy me gifts, take me places.

We were together from the time I was sixteen, and I fell pregnant just after I turned nineteen. It was amazing for the first few years, but over the years, Tim changed towards me. He would call me names and try to provoke fights with me if I smiled at a man or had anything to do with other men. Carter was a few months old when the hitting started, and his words became even more nasty and heartbreaking.

He would tell me I was worthless,that no one would ever love me, and that he was only with me because of Carter—not that he bothered with his son. He would use him when he wanted something from his parents, but even they hated us?I guess image means more to some people. I hated them too.

“Peaches.” I smile when I hear the nickname he has given me. My heart skips a beat. He knows what he does to me; he uses every opportunity to get me to blush, and so far, he has succeeded, but I’m wising up to his advances now. I don’t blush as much around him, and I am fucking proud of myself for that. The last three months have been hell. He flirts like crazy with me, but then goes out and sleeps with other women. It hurts to watch, but I have to keep him at arm's length, for my own sanity.

“What, Beast?” I reply, keeping my attention on the paper in front of me. I’m sketching a tribal and flower design for a man’s sleeve.

“Just wondering if you’ve finished the design for Taylor. He’s coming in tomorrow for a final look over.” I breathe out and grip the pencil tightly in my hand. He knows I’ve finished it. I lift my gaze to his.

Big. Freaking. Mistake.

Holy shit, Luke looks good enough to eat. He’s wearing his usual white t-shirt that I swear he wakes up extra early to paint on. Yes, it is that tight. His hands are resting on top of the reception desk, making his biceps bulge. Arm porn anyone? Damn him! He knows I have a huge weakness for big arms. Fucking Cassie Dawson; she had to open her mouth one night when we went to a pub. It was the first night I had left Carter with a sitter and it was nerve-wracking, but he totally enjoyed himself over at Liam and Penny’s.

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