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“What do I do?” I ask. “I've got preseason games and all this shit I have to deal with here. I can't go and fix any of it.”

“I think you know what you need to do,” he says quietly.

I glance at him, and I wait for it.

When he doesn’t say anything, I sort of stare at him blankly. “What?”

“Fuck, man, I don't know. I'm not an expert in this shit. I just figured you would know, and I came and did my part and somehow magically fixed everything.”

“Yeah, not quite,” I say. “But thanks for nothing.”

He laughs. “Come on, man, it's not nothing. I came here. I told you all this shit about how she's in Chicago and she's leaving Vegas.”

“All right,” I say. “Fine. You get your credit for telling me those two things so you can go back home to your wife and report back that you are a good little boy.”

He rolls his eyes. “Man, fuck you.”

“You know, if I figure out a way to get her back, then we're brothers-in-law. And you're stuck with me, and you can't keep treating me like shit if you're stuck with me.”

He holds up his hands defensively. “I don't treat you like shit!”

“You just literally said ‘fuck you’ to me.”

“Well, that's because you're being a dick,” he says.

“I grew up an only child, and I'm starting to think it might actually be pretty fun to have siblings.”

“Honestly, man, the more I get to know you, the more I like you. The whole charity event thing was gold, and I can’t stop laughing about how you had to pay all that money just for me to host your fantasy football party. You, a hockey player.” He cracks up at the mere thought, and once he calms down, he says, “Anyway, I think we could have a fuck of a lot of fun together, but first you need to make things right with Ivy.”

“I know I do.”

“So get to it, man.”

I nod. I still just need to figure out how, exactly.

CHAPTER 44: Ivy Maddox

A Contemporary

I drove home from my visit with my father with shaking hands, and I parked on the street in front of Everleigh’s house and didn’t move as a million thoughts swirled through my mind.

I got out of the car and went for a walk on the 606, the elevated trail that goes through Bucktown, where my sister lives.

I got a text from Everleigh asking me if everything was okay and why I was gone so long.

It’s well past dinnertime now, and I haven’t responded to her yet.

I can’t seem to make myself believe this is real. I haven’t worked up the nerve to call Dad’s lawyer yet. I haven’t figured out how to tell my siblings I’m getting my trust fund early.

I haven’t figured out where I want to go or what I want to do.

I think I might be in shock.

I’ve fought with myself a hundred times over whether or not to call Cash, but I stop myself every time. I want to call him. I want to hear his voice.

I miss him.

But I’m so, so angry with him. I’m so hurt by what he did.