"You want me to go in there with you?" Baron asked.
Ivy sighed.
"No, I gotta do this alone," she answered.
He took her hand and brought it to his lips.
"I'm just a call away, sweety. Day or night, call me," he said.
"Thanks Baron," she said.
She took a deep breath and exited his car. He waited in the car, watching her walk towards the house. He didn't drive away until he had watched her close the front door behind her, leaving nothing but a cold brick wall to look at from the car.
Dean had been sitting in the kitchen for hours, just waiting for her to come home while downing cup after cup of coffee. He had lost track of how many cups he had gotten in his system. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping that night but that didn't matter. All that mattered right now was making things right with his sister.
As he heard the front door open and close, he quickly stood up. He walked through the house out in the hallway where she was standing. For a few seconds they just looked at each other until he finally took the few steps over to her, put his arms around her and hugged her tight. She cried into his shirt and he let her. No words were spoken between them. He just hugged her until her crying stopped.
"I'm such a screw up," she finally said.
"It runs in the family," he said, making her laugh.
He kissed the top of her head and finally released her from his arms.
"Come on," he said as he took her hand and led her out in the kitchen.
They sat down with a cup of coffee each. He reached over the table and took her hand.
"Talk to me, sis," he said.
She squeezed his hand and sighed.
"It's just... I'm scared, Dean. I see where this is going with you and Renee. What will happen to me down the road? Do you wanna live here and kick me out? Will we have to sell the house because you wanna live somewhere else? I can't afford living here on my own and I don't want to either. It's not my house, it's our house," she said.
"I'm never gonna leave you. I don't know where this thing with me and Renee is going but there will always be room for you in my life," he said.
"It doesn't change the fact that I'm scared. I've never been alone before. It's always been you and me together," she said.
"You and me against the world, sis, now and forever. We just gotta let some of the world into our lives as well," he said.
"I know but it's just so hard. You've always been enough for me but I don't blame you for not feeling the same way," she said.
"No, I haven't. You say that because you're scared but we both know I've never been enough. You want the same as I do in life, what everyone wants in life. You wanna be loved," he said.
She bowed her head. He was right but putting herself out there scared her.
"Who would ever wanna love me?" She asked.
"Baron does," he answered.
She laughed.
"Yeah, everything would be so much easier if I just loved him back, right?" She asked.
He squeezed her hand and let go. He could tell her there was another friend that seemed to be trying to figure out his feelings towards her but he didn't wanna be the messenger of those news. If Roman ever got his head out of his ass and figured out what he wanted, he should tell her himself.
"Look sis, if it ever happens that Renee and I wanna move in together, we're probably gonna start over in another house or apartment but I'll never leave you alone. I'm earning good money now and it will only be better once we move forward. I'll buy you whatever house or apartment you want when that time comes. Hell, I'll even buy you a freaking houseboat if that's what you want," he said.
Again she laughed.
"You know I get seasick way too easy," she said.
"A cabin in the woods then? A house on Mars? Wherever you wanna live," he said.
"Thanks Dean. And it's not an if. It's a when," she said.
"When what?" He asked.
"When you wanna move in together. I'm personally gonna kick your ass if you ever let that woman go. She's perfect for you," she said.
He chuckled as he stood up.
"So can we close the lid on this ride to hell we've had this week?" He asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry. I acted out in ways I shouldn't have," she answered.
"Don't think about it anymore. Just move forward now. Leave the shit in the past where it belongs," he said.
"I will," she said.
"Come tomorrow morning you'll be going back to the gym with me," he said.
"But Dean..." She started.
"No but. You took a nasty fall this week and I need to be able to keep my eye on you for a while to know for sure I can trust you again," he said honestly.
She hung her head. It hurt to know she had broken his trust but she understood.
"So you'll be going with me. I don't care if you wanna sit in the back and pout everyday or if you wanna be joyful and skip around the entire place, as long as you're there," he said.
She nodded in agreement.
"Hey, look," Seth said in a low voice and nodded his head towards the door.
Roman turned his head and saw both Dean and Ivy there. She didn't look up at the men in the ring. She kept her head down and sat on a chair in the back, her eyes firmly planted on her feet. She had headphones in, music blasting in her ears to block out every sound around her.
"Is she alright?" Seth asked as Dean entered the ring.
"She's fine. Ashamed but fine," Dean answered.
"Did everything go alright yesterday?" Roman asked.
"Yeah, we talked and got everything out there. I told her to come along everyday here until I know for sure I can trust her again but other than that, everything is good between us," Dean answered.
Roman couldn't help but smile at the information of her coming along everyday. She might not be up for talking with any of them yet or even looking at them but that wouldn't stop him from looking at her. She would be there and he would have his eyes on her. She wouldn't slip away again.
Ivy looked up as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Renee was smiling at her. She smiled back and took out the headphones.
"Hey Ivy, are you okay?" Renee asked.
"Getting there," Ivy answered.
"You wanna go out for a coffee. There's a coffee shop next door and the weather is great today. We can sit outside and talk if you like," Renee said.
"That actually sounds nice," Ivy answered.
The two women silently disappeared out of the gym. Both Dean and Roman watched them leave before looking at each other. They slightly nodded at each other, no need for words to be shared, just knowing that everything was alright.
Dean couldn't help but smile as he exited the gym an hour later and saw Ivy and Renee sitting on a bench outside. They were talking and laughing. The two most important women in his life was getting along better than he could have ever dreamed of. It was in that moment he knew for sure, Renee was the right one for him. He would never let her go.
"Are you just gonna stand there and look at them or are you gonna go over there?" Roman asked.
"I could ask you the same thing, big dog," Dean chuckled.
Roman looked at Ivy and bit his lip.
"I don't think she wants to talk to me right now," he said.
"A lot of shit went down the past week and a lot of things were said that no one meant," Dean said.
"Come on, you heard her. She thinks I see her like... like... you know, and she said she was done with me," Roman said.
"You and I both know you don't see her that way but she doesn't. So tell her," Dean said and gave his friend a hard look.
"I will eventually but now is not the time," Roman said.
"When is the time then?" Dean asked.
Roman just shrugged his shoulders.
"For crying out loud, Roman, get your head out of your ass and just talk to her. I refuse being a middle man here and push her towards you. She deserves to be swift off her feet and I think you got it in you to do that," Dean said.
"Dean..." Roman started but was cut off.
"No, I'm not gonna listen to any excuses you have to say. Go home and think about what you want or don't want. Either way, figure it out soon because one day someone else is gonna come along and then it will be too late," Dean said.
He winked at Roman and hurried towards the women.
"He's right, you know," Seth said.
"Jesus, Seth, not you too," Roman said.
"Just saying," Seth said before walking towards his car.
Roman looked over at Dean, Ivy and Renee again. Ivy had a smile on her face and she looked so beautiful. If only he knew how to act normal around her instead of always getting so angry and frustrated when things didn't go according to his plans. She might be somewhat crazy but he was far from perfect himself. Was he even good enough for her?