#Heart (Hashtag #6) Read Online Free PDF Page B

was, she needed me.
    I thought back to the shout I heard early this morning, but then it was followed by silence.
    I had a sinking feeling whatever she was about to tell me was going to threaten the “good” that our family was finally getting back to.

Chapter Four

    Braeden
    I reached for her.
    She wasn’t there.
    All traces of sleep and comfort burst like a balloon hit with a dart. I jerked up, blinking, trying to assimilate my surroundings. The room was dim, but daylight pushed at the edges of the blinds. Ivy’s pajamas (my shirt) were draped over the corner of the bed, and her scent lingered in the room.
    I glanced at the clock, noting I had a couple hours before classes. I learned a long time ago not to take classes too early in the morning.
    That shit was for people who didn’t value sleep.
    The blankets were tangled around me like I’d been tossing and turning, and it took a second to get out of bed without falling over and busting my ass. Once I was free, I grabbed some clothes from the dresser and walked across the hall stark naked.
    On my way, I heard Prada barking at Ivy downstairs, and her light laugh filtered up the stairwell. The corner of my mouth tipped up as I continued on into the shower.
    I stood under the hot spray for long minutes, just letting the water pelt me as I tried to erase the worst of the exhaustion from my brain.
    I hadn’t been sleeping well.
    Not lately.
    A guy would think a couple months after the shit hit the fan and finally calmed back down, he’d be sleeping better than ever. That wasn’t the case.
    If anything, a good night’s sleep seemed harder and harder to achieve.
    Before, it had been about Ivy. About making sure she was healing. All the injuries she sustained during that accident with him had taken weeks and weeks to heal. Her mental state was precarious as well. I was damn proud when she announced she was going to therapy and then lifted her chin as if she’d challenge whatever joke I made about a head shrink.
    Hell. I didn’t make any joke. If anything, I fell for her a little more because she was willing to admit she needed some help dealing.
    Turns out talking to a professional—and dare I say someone who didn’t want to punch a window every time she needed to work through what that fucker put her through—really helped her.
    So time went on. Rome and Rim got engaged. His first NFL season ended, and he came home for the off-season. A new semester began at Alpha U, and Drew moved into the guest room permanently.
    And the best part about it all was Zach wasn’t out there lurking and plotting to hurt someone I loved. He was gone. Dead. Burned to death.
    He couldn’t hurt my family anymore.
    But he was haunting me.
    That entire night haunted me.
    I couldn’t shake the fear of almost losing Ivy forever. I was a different guy since, like a switch inside me flipped and there was no way to flip it back.
    I grabbed the soap and scrubbed myself clean, then let the suds rinse away while I washed my hair.
    The nightmare last night had been the worst one. Even though some of it was hazy, I remembered the mind-numbing fear of Ivy being dead. I’d never been a fearful guy. I wasn’t afraid of life or anything it threw at me.
    But now… now I was afraid of something.
    Of death.
    Of loss.
    Of what I’d done.
    I stuck my head under the spray and rubbed at it vigorously. The hot water felt good, loosening up my tense muscles.
    I wanted Ivy. I wanted to see her face and feel the softness of her hair. It made me feel weak to need another person so much, but I couldn’t help it. I did need her. It seemed like I needed her now more than ever.
    Not that I would say it out loud.
    She already knows…
    The thought drew me up short. Last night replayed through my mind like a movie. A fucking hot, erotic movie.
    Of me waking up, feeling desperate and lost. She was on top of me, offering warmth and comfort. If anyone could bring me back from the edge, it was her.
    She offered herself