Page 101 of Summer Nights

She repacked the grocery bags while I ran to the bathroom, and then we headed down the stairs to my SUV. There was no way I could live in this condo pregnant or with a baby in tow.

At my car, she put the bags in the passenger seat. "Oh, and Ivy? You might want to talk to him about your feelings. If you like him or even love him, he deserves to know."

The tears came then, over the struggle I'd felt internally the last few weeks. "I'm afraid to love him."

Elena met me on my side of the car where I was holding the door open. "So you do love him?"

I nodded miserably, angrily swiping away the tears. "I tried not to. I didn't want to be dependent on him."

"Love isn't dependence. It's something so much bigger and more amazing."

Was that true? Had I made it into something it wasn't? "I'm afraid of getting hurt."

"And this thing with your father was your chance to push him away. You were looking for something, and it fit the bill."

"I don't like that he talked to my father without me," I said softly, feeling defeated. I'd messed up in not waiting to hear the whole story.

"But it's so much more than that. This was your chance to tuck and run. To protect yourself. But if you do that, you'll be just like your mother. Never putting yourself out there and truly living."

"You're making so much sense right now."

"That's because I've been through this already. Talk to Cooper. Tell him how you feel."

"I will." If he wanted to hear it. We hadn't discussed the possibility that he was done with me. That whatever he heard from my father, combined with my childish response, was too much.

What if he decided he didn't want me?

Chapter Twenty-Six

Cooper

I paced the foyer, waiting for the telltale sound of Ivy's SUV pulling into the driveway. Elena had texted me, telling me to go home and hear what Ivy had to say.

I had a few things to say to Ivy too after talking to Hudson. I never told her how I felt. It was long overdue.

When the headlights shined in the foyer, I realized I'd left the lights off. I turned on the porch lights and opened the door.

When I saw that she had plastic bags of groceries, I rushed to grab them from her. Everything inside me was strung tight like a rubber band. I was scared I'd snap at any second.

I didn't want Ivy to leave. I couldn't imagine her living somewhere else.

Ivy's face was red and puffy.

"You've been crying."

Her shoulders slumped. "I messed up."

"It's nothing we can't fix. Come on." I ushered her inside, dropping the food on the counter to deal with later. I helped her sit on the couch.

She looked up at me. "I'm so sorry."

I sat next to her. "I'm sorry too. I should have spoken to you first. I thought I could protect you by hearing what he had to say. Then I could tell you what happened."

"And I didn't hear you out." She took a deep breath and asked, "What did he say?"

"You're not going to believe this, but he didn't know about you."

She sucked in a sharp breath. "How is that possible? My mom always said he left her."

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