Wrapped Up in You (Heartbreaker Bay, #8)(51)

“Okay. And what would you tell the cop?”

She held his gaze. “That I haven’t seen my brother in months.”

So she was willing to lie for the guy. Not an easy pill for him to swallow. He’d spent some of his time sitting out here looking up her brother. Brandon was a convicted felon in three states. A lot worse than she’d made him out to be. “What do you have against cops?”

“A lot.”

“On duty or off, I’m the same guy, Ivy.”

“Then you’re one of the rare ones,” she said softly, and sighed heavily. “Listen, about Brandon. I . . . need to explain him.”

“Not to me, you don’t. You don’t owe me anything.” He wrapped a strand of her silky hair around a finger. “I know exactly how family works. You’re not responsible for his actions, Ivy. Nor for the consequences of those actions.”

She stared at him for a long beat, then let out a breath, along with an acknowledging nod. “I appreciate that. I’m not exactly used to caring what anyone else thinks. But I seem to care what you think,” she admitted, not sounding too pleased about it. “My brother is the way he is because of how we grew up. No father figure, and a mom who slept the days away and was never home at night. There wasn’t anyone to notice if we had meals or clothes to wear, or if we went to school. Brandon learned early on how to pickpocket, and it was thanks to that thieving that we weren’t always hungry and didn’t have to go to school barefoot.”

Kel drew a deep breath, hating the picture she’d painted. “No one should grow up like that. But look at yourself, Ivy. You grew up in that same hell and you’re not out there still thieving for a living. Don’t make excuses for him.”

“I’m not making excuses. I’m telling you why he does stupid shit. I was just smart and liked school. I loved reading and loved the library, and both kept me out of trouble. He didn’t have that. He cut classes and hung out with bad kids, but honestly, when you move from school to school to school like we did, it’s only the bad kids who want to befriend you anyway. It’s not all his fault.”

Kel reached for her hand, entangling their fingers and tugging lightly until she looked at him. “People make choices. You made good choices. He didn’t.”

“It’s not that simple. And he’s family.”

She was defending Brandon because he was family, even though the guy had hurt her. In comparison, when his mom had hurt him all those years ago, he’d not only held on to the grudge, he’d nursed it, let it eat him alive, and used it as an excuse to not have a relationship with his family.

Ivy was watching him in the ambient lighting of the truck. “We all have our family ghosts,” she said quietly. “Your mom’s husband, is he a good guy?”

“Henry seems okay,” he said, though in truth he didn’t know much about him.

“But she’s happy?”

He didn’t know that either, and he didn’t feel good about that.

“It seems like she is,” Ivy said gently.

Kel closed his eyes. “You know who I’d rather talk about?”

“My stupid brother?”

“No. You.” He opened his eyes. “Something’s bothering me. You’ve got friends who care about you. Caleb, Sadie, and the others. Why make up stories about Brandon?”

She tossed up her hands. “I’ve always lied about Brandon. Call it . . . I don’t know, wishful thinking.”

“But why lie? Why just not talk about him at all?”

She looked away, out the passenger side window into the dark, wet night. “Did you know that until I landed here in Cow Hollow last year, I didn’t really do the whole friendship thing?”

She looked like she felt alone, very alone, and his chest ached for her. “That’s changed.”

She shook her head. “I can’t tell them now. It’s too late.”

He cupped her face. “They’d understand.”

“I’m going to ask you for one thing, Kel,” she said in soft steel. “That you don’t tell them.”

He’d have said that he’d never hold a lie for anyone, not ever again. He’d have sworn it. And yet here he was, looking into her big blue eyes filled with a vulnerability he knew she hated, and he nodded. “But no more lies, Ivy. Not between us. Promise me.”

Staring at him, she hesitated and then slowly nodded.

He let out a breath and kissed her. She kissed him back, but when it got heated, she pulled free. “Go home,” she whispered. “It’s late and you have work tomorrow. It’ll be okay. I’ve got this. Like I said, he’s an idiot, but he’s my idiot.”

Feeling reluctant to do that, he hesitated. But she had that look on her face, the one that was in the dictionary under stubborn. “You’ve got to promise you’ll call me if things go sideways,” he said. “Or if things even look like they’re going sideways. Or even the slightest chance of things going side—”

“I hear you.”

“Is that a promise too? If you need me, you’ll call?”

“Yes,” she said. “But they won’t. He’s leaving in the morning. Nothing’s going sideways.”

“Okay.” He still didn’t let go of her. Couldn’t. “You busy tomorrow night?”