Page 68 of The Sexy Ex's Brother
***
Now it’s morning. The espresso machine groans as Sienna slaps it to life. I stand barefoot in the kitchen, mug in hand, the ceramic warm against my palms, watching the city pulse outside, indifferent, endless. The world outside doesn’t wait. It just turns. But I feel still, suspended. I haven’t checked my phone since lastnight. I can’t decide which would hurt more, seeing Jack’s name or seeing nothing at all.
Sienna leans against the wall, hair twisted on top of her head, a blazer thrown over gym shorts like she’s daring someone to question her choices. She sips from a mismatched mug that says WORLD’S OKAYEST MUSE.
“You going to talk to him today?” she asks, voice casual but curious.
I shake my head. “Not yet.”
She lifts a brow. “Then why are you wearing lip gloss?”
I glance down, laugh once, sharp. “I think I want to go.”
She straightens. “Now?”
I nod. “Will you come?”
“Obviously.”
***
Ten minutes later, we’re in a cab. I rest my forehead against the cool glass while the city rushes past in streaks of yellow, chrome, and motion-blur. Horns blare like declarations. Crosswalk signs blink. A delivery bike zips between cars. I barely speak. I don’t need to. Sienna holds the silence for both of us.
The doorman at Jack’s building gives me a knowing nod and waves us through. The elevator hums. My heart trips as the numbers light up, one by one. The walls close in with anticipation. When we reach his floor, I walk the familiar hallway with Sienna beside me, my pulse loud in my ears. I stop at the door. I knock. The door opens almost immediately.
Jack stands there. He’s not a wreck. He’s not surprised. He’s just Jack, hair damp from a shower, a navy sweater clinging to his frame, sleeves rolled. His eyes hit mine, and in the same breath, he steps forward and pulls me into his arms like he never meant to let go. There’s no hesitation.
His hand slides around the back of my neck, the other to my waist. Then he kisses me. Like it’s instinct. Like he hasn’tthought of anything else since I left. The world blurs at the edges.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he murmurs against my mouth. “I knocked next door. I called. I didn’t know where you went.”
Before I can respond, someone appears behind him. A woman. Tailored navy trousers, a crisp ivory blouse, leather portfolio tucked under one arm. She pauses mid-step when she sees us at the door.
“It’s not what it looks like,” she says gently, caught off guard.
Sienna’s eyes narrow beside me. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Jack turns halfway. “Ivy… listen to me. She’s not…”
“You said you had a call,” I say. “Then you disappeared. Then she shows up.”
The woman lifts her hand with calm professionalism. “I should probably give you two a minute.”
My phone buzzes. Julian. I swipe to answer. “Julian?”
“Ivy, I found her,” he says. “The woman Jack was meeting. Her name is Margot Klein. She’s a wedding planner.”
I go still. “A what?”
“She’s a planner. Jack hired her to help with something. She’s married. This wasn’t anything shady, I promise.”
I look up at Jack.
“I was trying to surprise you,” he says softly. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”
The woman, Margot, nods once. “Sorry for the confusion,” she says to me. “And for the bad timing.” She walks past us and down the hallway, her heels clicking like punctuation.
Jack doesn’t move. He just looks at me. Then, slowly, he sinks to one knee. Right there, in the middle of the hallway where everything started to come undone. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black box. Flips it open. The ringinside catches the light, simple, stunning, and so unmistakably us. My breath hitches.
