So Good

I heard Ivy screaming out. A moment later, amidst the hitting and grunting, the sound of roars that came from me, I sensed Ivy coming closer.

The sound of crunching filled my head and I felt her touch my shoulder. She tried to pull me back, but right now there was nothing short of a SWAT team pulling me off of Matthew.

She tugged harder, screamed out my name to get my attention, but the force of our fighting had her letting go. She cried out in pain and I instantly stopped.

“Fucking hell, Stephan,” Matthew roared out and pushed me away as he went over to Ivy.

I stood there and watched as he tended to her, making sure she was okay. Blood covered his face, and I could see he was in pain, but he focused solely on Ivy.

Matthew straightened when it was clear Ivy was fine, pulled her behind him, and narrowed his eyes at me.

“Stephan, I’m not fucking giving her up.”

I was shaking my head. No way I was hearing this bullshit. Blood marred Matthew’s face, his lips busted open, a cut above one of his eyes.

“Out of all of the women in the world you could have been with, Matthew, you go after my daughter, your fucking niece?”

“Step-niece,” Ivy said instantly. “We aren’t related. It’s not wrong.”

I shook my head as I looked at her. “He’s been part of your life, Ivy. He’s family.”

She looked at Matthew again. “I love him, Dad,” she whispered.

I couldn’t speak, didn’t know what to say.

“I tried to stay away,” Matthew said, the sorrow in his voice clear.

“We didn’t want you finding out this way.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty fucking clear,” I said, hearing how pissed off I sounded. I started pacing the floor, running my hand over the back of my head and breathing in and out.

“We were going to tell you,” Matthew said and took a step forward.

“Oh, you were?” I said sarcastically. “When? After you defiled her against my wall? After you betrayed me over and over again?”

Matthew growled out, “Be pissed at me. Hate me, fucking kick my ass, Stephan, but don’t ever fucking talk about Ivy that way.” There was this warning tone in his voice. “I won’t fight you over this because I admit being with her behind your back was wrong, but I will fucking kick your ass if you disrespect her.”

My chest was rising and falling fast, and I clenched and unclenched my hands at my sides. As I stared at both of them, a part of me wanted to be happy for my daughter, that she was loved and was in love. But another part, a bigger one, couldn’t get past the fact this was my brother in a relationship with my daughter. Blood related or not, we were all family.

“Dad,” she said softly and moved closer to me. “This wasn’t something we planned. It just happened.”

I hated that she was upset and that I had made it worse.

“You can’t help who you love,” she said and I knew she was talking about my relationship with Cora.

I couldn’t look at her, not after all of this, not with how I looked: upset, disappointed, shocked … sad.

What the hell had happened? What a fucking shit storm this had turned out to be.

22

Matthew

I knew being with Ivy would ruin things, knew Stephan would be upset, but fuck, actually living through it, seeing the rage on his face, feeling the punches he threw … really drilled it all home.

Stephan had headed out back, the door slamming shut, the silence deafening.

“I should go talk with him,” Ivy said and I turned to face her.

“No, baby. Let me handle it.” I walked up to her and cupped her cheeks, smoothed my thumbs along her cheeks. “Let me see if this is salvageable.”

I gave her one more kiss before turning and heading out back. I closed the door behind me and stared at Stephan. He leaned against the banister of the deck, his hands clasped in front of him.

There was the faint smell of exhaust in the air from the few cars that had driven by, and the sound of kids playing in the distance. A truck blasting rap music drove by the house, drowning out my thoughts and how I hoped this would all go.

Stephan looked over his shoulder at me, and I saw the cigarette hanging from his lips.

“I thought you quit years ago,” I asked and stepped onto the deck.

He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and I saw it wasn’t even lit.

“I did, but I keep one in case the world ends or some shit.”

I snorted and leaned against the railing a few feet away. “The end of the world? Seriously, man?”

He didn’t crack a smile as he stared straight ahead, the unlit cigarette hanging between his fingers. “It feels like the fucking end of the world.”