“Okay.” It was a squeaky whisper, as if something was blocking her voice.
“I have your back.”
“Thank you.” She sounded clearer and more confident.
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s time someone took care of you. And from now on that someone is me.”
Her laughter was the most wonderful thing he’d heard all day. He wished he was there to see happiness brighten her eyes and soften the curve of her lips.
“You know I love you, right?”
She tossed out the phrase with such an ease that he wasn’t sure if she meant it as a heartfelt pledge or if they were just words that conveyed her fondness. She still hadn’t committed to moving to Las Vegas to be with him. And instead of going to LA to confront her family, she’d run off to Chicago.
“I do now,” he teased back, but his heart was a brick in his chest. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
* * *
Nate’s presence was a solid comfort at her side as Mia pushed the doorbell of Ivy’s house the next afternoon. It felt weird to not just let herself in. She’d lived here with Ivy for nearly two years, coming and going at will. But it had never been her home, and since Ivy had tossed her out four days earlier, it didn’t feel right to just walk in.
Clara answered the door. The housekeeper gave Mia a tentative smile as she stepped back to let them in, but sadness overcame her features as Mia’s eyes fell on the stack of boxes in the foyer.
“I’m so sorry. She made me pack up all your things.”
Mia gave the woman a hug. “It’s okay.” The pile was small enough to fit into their rental SUV: just her clothes, her journals and a few mementos. It was a sad reflection on Mia’s personal life to this point.
“How is Ivy doing?”
With a furtive glance over her shoulder, Clara shook her head. “Sh
e’s...”
“Mia?” Javier Navarro stood at the far end of the foyer, radiating impatience and disapproval. “We’re waiting for you in the living room.”
Nate squeezed her shoulder and Mia gave Clara a reassuring smile. As the housekeeper stepped aside, Mia lifted her chin. Then, fortified by Nate’s support, she headed toward her father. Javier’s eyes flickered from her to Nate.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea that he’s here.”
“We have something to tell you.” Mia’s stomach was a knot of anxiety as she and Nate entered the living room. Only her mother occupied the space. “Where’s Ivy?”
“She doesn’t want to see you,” her mother said.
Mia frowned. “I imagine she doesn’t want to face up to what she’s done.”
“And what is that, exactly?” Javier asked, stepping to his wife’s side.
“Lied about being pregnant for one.” Mia wasn’t surprised at her parents’ relief. A baby wouldn’t be good for Ivy’s career. “It was my test she splashed all over social media.” Mia glanced up at Nate. “We’re going to have a baby.”
Mia’s mother gasped. “Why would she do that?”
Her spirits plummeted at her mother’s words. She’d just announced the most amazing thing that had ever happened to her, but all her parents could think about was Ivy. Her throat tightened.
“It’s a cry for help.”
“Then you should be here to help her,” Javier said.
Beside her, Mia felt Nate tense as the familiar scene played out. “She doesn’t want me around anymore,” Mia explained.
“I take it back.” A soft voice spoke up from the glass doors leading out to the pool. Ivy stood just outside. Wearing workout clothes and no makeup, she looked fragile, unsure and younger than her twenty-five years. “I don’t want you to leave me.”