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"You haven’t eaten dinner, have you?" he asked, his voice carrying a slight tremor that disappeared as quickly as it came. "Sit down. I’ll make something for you."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode across the hall, now shirtless, and stepped into the kitchen to prepare her a meal.
Not long after, Sawyer entered the house in a rush, his footsteps echoing through the hall. He glanced around, his gaze landing on Ivy sitting on the couch, wrapped in Christian’s oversized shirt, her dress crumpled on the floor. His brows furrowed before he turned toward the kitchen, heading straight for Christian.
Christian gave him a nod in greeting. “Thanks,” he muttered as Sawyer placed the medicine on the counter.
Sawyer glanced back at Ivy before turning to Christian, lowering his voice. “Man, what the fuck is going on?” He leaned in, his eyes narrowing with concern. “You didn’t… do anything bad to her, did you?”
Christian shot him an annoyed glare, dismissing his suspicion without a word.
He leaned against the counter, rubbing his eyes in frustration. “She was drinking at a bar,” he finally admitted, “and I saw another man getting close to her.” His jaw clenched. “I got jealous.”
He took a deep, frustrated breath and straightened, his palms pressing flat against the countertop. His gaze flicked toward Ivy before turning back to Sawyer.
“Go,” he muttered, nodding toward Ivy. “Talk to her. Calm her down.”
Sawyer stiffened. A look of horror crossed his face. “Are you out of your goddamn mind? What if she slaps me too?”
Christian frowned. “She’s a good girl. She doesn’t get angry unless I do something bad. Stop ruining her reputation.”
Sawyer gritted his teeth. "Jesus fucking Christ." Shaking his head, he muttered, "I get it. You’re blind to everything she does wrong. But, brother, don’t force me into this. I am not built to talk to women. She’s probably still pissed at you.”
"That’s exactly why I want you to talk to her," Christian said calmly. "So she won’t still be furious when I bring her food. I don’t want her eating while she’s angry. It’s bad for her health."
Sawyer stared at him blankly.
Christian exhaled. "I’ll give you that land for your next concert for the Linalena Band. It’s on me."
That caught Sawyer’s attention. His smirk was immediate. “Deal.”
With that, he turned and walked toward Ivy.
She sat with one leg crossed over the other, arms folded over her chest, staring blankly at the glass table. Christian’s shirt hung loosely around her frame.
Taking a seat on the one-seater couch beside her, he leaned forward. "Ivy," he started carefully.
Her head turned toward him, her eyes cold.
Chapter 7 Out of Control
Clearing his throat, he sat up straighter. "Please don’t overthink what happened today. Christian was just worried about you. With an unknown man approaching you and getting that close, it must have been hard for him to watch."
Ivy continued to stare at him in silence.
Sawyer pressed on. "Christian just came back from therapy today after the attack last night. He might have been overwhelmed. So, coming home and immediately finding out that you went to a bar, and then seeing you getting close to some other man—it could have just been too much. All the emotions, the sadness, everything probably made him lose his mind. You know he doesn’t handle jealousy well. When it comes to you, he goes mad at everything in the world."
"Then he should simply stop appearing wherever I am," she said blankly.
Sawyer let out a small laugh. "You know that’s not possible."
He took a deep breath and leaned in, his voice turning softer with understanding. "You know how he is when it comes to you. As long as you’re in front of his eyes, he stays calm and in control. But if he sees you ignoring him and meeting other men,he’ll get jealous and angry. For now, just go with it instead of challenging him. It’ll calm him down faster, and this will be over for you quicker too."
At that moment, Christian approached them, carrying a plate of food in one hand. He was now dressed casually in a white t-shirt. Without a word, he placed the plate on the table in front of Ivy, along with her medication. Then, bending down onto his knees in front of her, he picked up a spoon and brought a bite of food to her lips.
"Eat."
Ivy sighed in frustration, turning her head away. "I don’t want to eat anything."