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We don’t even really get the chance to say goodbye. He’s just being taken to federal prison to serve the time for his crimes.

Something about it doesn’t sit right with me. I mean, I know he did it. I know he did bad things. But suddenly it feels like there’s something off about all of this.

I leap out of my seat and rush over to my father. “Wait!”

The officer who’s escorting him out of the courtroom stops.

“Wait,” I say, a little breathless. I throw my arms around my father to give him a hug. He can’t hug back since his hands are cuffed behind him.

Tears race down my cheeks, and I lean in and press my lips to my dad’s cheek.

“Dad, I—”

“It’s okay, Ivy,” he says softly. He tilts his head, and it’s the same dad I grew up with. The one who threw me a party with actual pink and purple unicorns—okay, so looking back, I think maybe they were spray-painted horses wearing headbands—and the one who helped me with my math homework. I know there’s some good in there. I’ve seen it.

“I’ll be okay,” he says.

I draw in a shaky breath, and I feel Madden’s arm as it loops around my shoulder.

“Take care in there, old man,” he says quietly. “I’ll come visit.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t bother. Get back to your life. Thanks for being here, son,” he says, and he offers a formal nod. He looks around Madden at the rest of the Bradley family gathered here for him today, and he nods at everyone. “Thank you all.”

And then he nods at the officer, who escorts him out of the room.

I wipe my tears away and turn toward my siblings.

Paul, Dad’s lawyer, saunters up beside us. “We did the best we could. Now we hope for a light sentence.”

“You didn’t do the best you could,” I hiss, venom in my tone. “If you did, he would’ve taken the plea deal, and we wouldn’t have had to go through all of this.”

“Ivy, it’s okay,” Madden says, once again trying to protect me or be the big brother or whatever, but instead, it just comes off like he’s censoring me and my feelings about all of this. Just like he’s always done. Just like all of them have always done.

I don’t know what I have to do to prove that I’m an adult, but I’m pretty sure it starts with getting out of Everleigh’s house and finding a place to work that isn’t owned by a member of my immediate family.

We do the big family lunch after the verdict, and I let myself get lost in the crowd. We hop on a plane and head home.

I check my work calendar for tomorrow, and Everleigh has a new client meeting tomorrow at nine that I’ll shadow her for. After that meeting, I’m going to have a heart-to-heart with my big sister about what comes next for me.

CHAPTER 7: Ivy Bradley

Tequila

Everleigh rented an office space for Ever-Brand, and when I pull into the parking lot at two minutes until nine, it’s already full. I loop around again, and I can’t find a spot.

This is what I get for stopping at Starbucks.

Everleigh is going to scream at me if I’m late, and that’s not the way I want to go into the conversation I want to have with her after our morning meeting.

I’ve been rehearsing it all morning, and I say it aloud one more time as I loop around the parking lot one more time in hopes that a spot has opened up.

“I love working with you, and I know it hasn’t been long. But I’m tired of being cast in the role of little sister, and I’m ready to take on life. So I either need more responsibility and a raise, or I’m going to look for somewhere else to work and live.”

There. Short, succinct, and from the heart.

Except…I don’t know where else I can work, honestly, and so far, I really actually like what I do for Ever-Brand. I’d love to work my way up and become a junior strategist and eventually just a strategist, no junior.

But all that takes time, and I appreciate my sister giving me this chance. Maybe I need to rethink that whole entire speech.