by Lisa Lace
Ivy
The year since Lucas and I married has been a whirlwind. If planning a Hollywood wedding wasn’t exhausting enough, traveling across the US on my own live tour took everything I’ve got. I’ve just finished six months on the road, and I’m home at last in Beverley Hills.
Lucas and I step out of the limo.
“God, it’s good to be home,” he says. “I never want to see a hotel again.”
I laugh. “Dad’s already planning the next tour.”
“Tell him to give us a breather first.”
No matter where I go in the world, Lucas comes with me. Although he’s still my producer, he always prioritizes being my husband first—a wonderful one at that. We’ve seen so much together over the last six months. But it’s great to finally be home. I can’t wait to see Dad and to have a night in my own bed.
“I’m dead on my feet,” I say, as we walk up the steps toward the front door.
Lucas has his arm around my shoulders. He’s leaning on me, completely drained himself. “That’s what happens when you’ve got the number one selling album in America.”
I push open the door and grimace. There’s a pile of mail a foot high. I have to put my weight against the door to push it all the open. I step in and stoop down to start scooping it up.
“Look at all these letters!”
“Jesus. What happened to email?”
I flick through them. “Bills. Invoices. A hundred demos—aren’t these supposed to go straight to the studio?”
“You know what artists are like. They’re bloodhounds for producers. We’ll pass them along to your dad to listen to.”
“What’s this?” I come to a small square envelope that feels like it’s got a card inside. The address is handwritten in beautiful calligraphy, gold on a lavender envelope. “It looks like an invitation. Are you expecting anything?”
Lucas frowns. “I don’t think so, but this is Hollywood, after all. There’s always something going on. I’m not leaving this place for at least a week, though. I say we order in a pizza tonight and find a terrible movie to watch.”
“That sounds like a dream.” I tear open the envelope and scan the invitation. I gasp when I realize what it is. “This is from Jane.”
“What?” Lucas looks over my shoulder. “My God. She’s getting married.”
“Why would she invite us?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think she wants something?”
“Who knows?”
I look at the name of the man she’s marrying. Adam Tamlin. “I’ve never heard of this guy.” I put the invitation with all the other envelopes on the sideboard in the hall. “I’m not going.”
“Are you sure?”
“Why would I go? After everything she did, I never want to see her again.”
“There’s no sense holding a grudge, babe. You came out on top in the end.”
“You think I should go?”
Lucas shrugs, picking up the invitation and scanning it again. “Maybe it would be good for you.”
“How?”
“Jane’s betrayal broke your heart. Maybe this could bring some closure.”
“I don’t need closure. I know why she did what she did. She was trying to get ahead.”
“Obviously she needs closure. Why else would she invite you?”
“Maybe because she knows De Novo Records is doing so well. She’s probably looking for another record deal.”
Lucas frowns. “Maybe.”
I think about it a lot over the next week. Lucas and I talk about it for hours. In the end, I decide to go to the reception. I’m not planning on doing more than popping my head in, but Lucas’s right, it could be good for me. Maybe if I can look Jane in the eye now that all my dreams have come true, I’ll be able to let her betrayal go. Everything worked out in the end, even if it hurt like hell at the time.
Three months later, we attend the reception. I’m wearing a simple baby-blue dress. Lucas’s wearing the same suit he wore when he crashed the wedding where Jane and I were singing almost three years ago.
I don’t see Jane straightaway, but when I spot her at last, my heart stops. She looks beautiful. She’s wearing an ivory gown that makes her look like a princess. She’s grown her hair long and has had it professionally styled, worked into big curls. She has lavender flowers in her hair. More than anything, she looks happy. She stares up at her new husband with adoration.
I tug on Lucas’s sleeve. “There she is.”
“She’s looking good.”
“She is.”
“Excuse me?”
I turn to see a guest holding out a lavender napkin and a pen.
“Could I get your autograph?”
“Sure.”
I try to pay attention to my fan, but I keep darting glances Jane’s way. After the first person asks for an autograph, it starts a frenzy. People start to recognize me and gather. The small crowd draws Jane’s attention and she notices me.
Our eyes meet across the heads of the guests. At first, both our expressions are blank. Then I see Jane’s eyes fill with tears and she smiles. She rushes toward me and throws her arms around my neck.
“Ivy. I can’t believe you came.”
“I was surprised to be invited. I almost didn’t come.”
Jane draws back and bites down on her lip. “I wouldn’t have blamed you.” She puts a hand to her head and winces. “Every time I think back to how I behaved back then, I feel ashamed of myself. I was a total bitch, and I almost ruined everything for you.”
Her eyes are full of regret. She reaches out to take my hand and holds it softly as she continues. “You have no idea how happy it makes me that you’ve done so amazingly well on your own. You deserve it.”
I can feel old wounds opening. I still don’t understand why I’m here.
“Why did you invite us, Jane?”
“To apologize.” Her eyes brim with tears. “I’m sorry for what I did.”
My own eyes sting. I swallow to stop myself from crying. “It’s in the past.”
“Doesn’t stop it hurting though, does it?” Jane shakes her head. “I keep seeing that expression on your face when Harvey brought in that third singer and I did nothing. I’ve played that day over and over in my head. You gave me the chance to come with you, and I turned my back on you.”
She bows her head. “In a way, I’m glad things happened the way they did. What I mean is that you’ve done better without me than we ever would have done together. We both know I was holding you back.”
“Jane—"
She holds up a hand. “You don’t need to protect my feelings, Ivy. I know you’re far more talented than I’ll ever be. I knew it then, and it stung like hell. When you started getting all the attention, I panicked. I knew it wouldn’t be long before people who knew what they were talking about would tell you to wise up and drop me. I lashed out before I had the chance to be dropped. It was selfish and immature.”
“It’s water under the bridge.” I’m still hurt. Nothing will take away the pain of Jane’s betrayal, but Lucas’s right—everything worked out for me. Holding a grudge won’t serve any purpose. If I want real closure, I have to let it go.
She hugs me again. “I’m sorry, Ivy. And I’m proud of you. You deserve to be happy. Your voice is beautiful. Your latest song—‘Ruins’—honestly, it gave me goosebumps.”
I smile. “You look happy, too. That’s your husband?”
Jane follows my gaze, and her face floods with affection. “Yes. His name is Adam.”
“Is he a musician? A producer?”
“A sanitation worker.” She laughs. “I’ve left that life behind me. I’ve accepted that I went as far as I’d go in that business. That one song I released was an embarrassment. I had my fifteen minutes, and I regret it. I shouldn’t have sold out. The song sucked.” She looks back at her husband. “On the plus side, my fall from grace led me to Adam. He’s the love of my life.”
She looks ba
ck at me and lifts her hands. “It’s not the life I imagined, but I’m happy. Really happy. The only thing that’s stopped me from being really content is the thought that I threw away the best friend I ever had for nothing at all, the thought that I really hurt you. Ivy, can you forgive me?”
I take in a deep breath. When I look at Jane, it brings back everything that happened between us. I can still feel the knife of her betrayal like a fresh wound in my chest. I swallow back the pain and nod. “I forgive you.”
We hug again, then Jane tells us she needs to get back to her guests. She invites us to enjoy the party and thanks us again for coming. Now that I’ve forgiven her, she’s positively radiant. She looks like the happiest person I’ve ever seen. It’s good to see her that way.
“I’m glad I came,” I tell Lucas. “It’s given me faith that people can change. Look at Jane—there’s no jealousy left in her. She’s learned her lesson, and she’s learned to love herself. I thought I wanted to see her down and out, but, actually, seeing her happy makes me happy, too. You’re right. This is closure.”
Lucas pulls me close to him. We’ve been standing at the edge of the dance floor. He steps onto the floor and spins me slowly. I hold on to him, looking up into his eyes with a smile.
“That’s what I love about you, Ivy,” he says. “You don’t have a mean bone in your body. You make me proud every day.”
I rest my head against his chest and close my eyes. As we dance, my own song comes over the speakers. I smile.
There’s no more struggling, jealousy, bitterness, or fighting. Here I am with my soul mate, dancing to my own hit song, having closed the door once and for all on a painful past.
It’s been a long, hard battle to get here, but here I am. Loving life with the love of my life. I’m finally where I’m supposed to be.
