“Sorry,” I mutter.
“I have a feelin’ you’re enjoyin’ this a little too much,” she playfully mutters as she tugs on the bottom of my T-shirt.
“Not too much, just the perfect amount.” I smile as Hadleigh brings us bottles of water.
I dunno what happens, but the next time Ivy serves, it’s like her competitiveness decided to show up. She sends the ball over the net, and Payton misses it. Another serve missed. We go through this a few times, and before I know it, we’re all sweaty, and the game is over.
“What the hell?” Kaitlyn comes over, giving us each a handshake. “I’d say good game, but damn Ivy, you smeared our noses in it.”
She chuckles, then shrugs. “I dunno what came over me.”
“Y’all make a good team,” Payton states.
I playfully swing my arm around Ivy’s shoulders as she grins at me.
“Best two out of three?” Kaitlyn eyes us, and I know exactly what she’s doing. I grew up with her being a poor sport and learned to quit when I was ahead.
“No way, loser,” I state, and she rolls her eyes with a huff as we walk away.
“Oh my goodness, that was so mean.” Ivy furrows her brow. “We could’ve played again.”
“No. That’s the thing, she’d want to keep going until she beat us, and I wanted to relax. She’s always been like this, so I like to rub her nose in it. And trust me, it ain’t often, so I gotta take the opportunity when I can.”
Ivy and I mosey over to the food area and grab drinks, then we plop down on a spare blanket in the grass that’s not taken. My uncles are across the pasture in the distance setting up the display.
“You gonna watch the fireworks with me?”
She leans in a little closer. “Only if you want me to.”
I swallow hard, unable to stop staring at her pouty lips. “I’d like that a lot.”
“Twenty-minute countdown.” I hear my mama yell. Her voice is the only thing that snaps me back to reality. For a moment, I was entirely under Ivy’s spell. Then again, I’m not complaining either. She makes me feel things I haven’t felt in a long-ass time.
When I turn around, I see so many of my cousins scattered around on the lawn, and it makes me happy. I make eye contact with my brother, and he lifts a brow before glancing at Ivy. Before he uses his twin superpowers and reads my mind, I look away. I can’t have anyone thinking something is going on, but then again, maybe I don’t give a shit.
Deep down, I wish there was.
Ivy opens her purse, takes the Fireball out, and empties the rest into her cup. As she chugs, I shake my head.
When Ivy finishes her drink, I meet her eyes. They’re glassy, and she’s wearing a goofy grin.
“Why are ya lookin’ at me like that?” The flirty nature in her tone isn’t lost on me.
“Just thinkin’ how pretty you look tonight,” I explain.
Her eyes look off into the distance, and I swear I see her blush. “Thank you,” she whispers and scoots closer to me. It’s electrifying when her arm brushes against mine, and it drives me fucking crazy.
The first boom happens in the distance, and seconds later, the shells explode up above, leaving trails of silver and blue glitter in the sky. Everyone lets out oohs and aahs. This happens time and time again until the grand finale. During the end of the show, Ivy leans her head on my shoulder. As she stares up, I glance over at her and see the reflection of fireworks in her eyes.
There’s so much fire in her gaze that not even a kiss could extinguish it. When the fireworks are over, disappointment strikes.
I stand, holding out my hand for Ivy. She takes it, and she stumbles into me when I pull her up.
“You good?”
“Of course.”
Liar.
One of the younger ranch hands walks by. I think his name is Joey, and I catch him checking out Ivy’s ass. She notices and looks back over her shoulder at him. It seemed like he was going to come chat with her, but then he noticed my locked jaw. I slightly shake my head, and he must be smart enough to keep going.
When Ivy looks up at me, I realize how drunk she is. Not wanting anyone in my family to notice, I place my hand on her back and steady her. “You’re going home with me tonight,” I demand.
“Ooh, I actually love the sound of that.”
I smirk. “No, not like that. I can’t let you drive. You’ve had too much Fireball, and now it snuck up on your ass. You need lots of water so you don’t get dehydrated.”
“You’re worse than my mother. I’m fiiiiine,” she sing-songs.
“You’re not fiiiiine.” We sneak away before anyone notices, and I lead her to my truck. After I unlock it, I open the door and let her in.