Page 37 of Clint & Ivy
Feeling on the spot, I blurted out, “I know some martial arts.”
“Woah, look at Miss Feisty here,” Sabrina said and frowned at Elle. “Why did you lecture me about being on my best behavior?”
“Her heart’s been banged around,” Elle said and shifted her stance so her left arm could wrap around my shoulders the way her right one hugged across the back of Sutter. “Ivy is my brother’s one chance at love. Why shouldn’t I be protective of her? Besides, we all know you’ve got a reputation for ruining things.”
“Hey!” Moe cried. “I mean, no, that’s not fair.”
“Thanks, babe, I’ve got this,” Sabrina said and smiled softly at Moe. When she turned back to Elle, her gaze went hard. “I’m going to smear your face in dog shit the next time we’re playing soccer.”
“Oh, you’ll try, but you’ve also got a reputation for failing to follow through with your pitiful threats.”
“Foxes, what is this?” Rowdy asked, stepping between the two women who I was pretty sure were only pretending to be arguing. “Clint won’t be happy to know you’re threatening to crap on each other.”
“No, she threatened to shit on me,” Sabrina clarified. “I only threatened to smear dog shit on her. I’m the reasonable one here.”
I noticed Sutter peeking around his mom to see me. He gave me a sweet smile. I instantly mimicked his gesture.
“They act like this all the time,” Sutter reassured me. “My grandparents wanted to talk to Clint alone, so they asked the rest of them to distract you.”
“It worked. I’m very distracted.”
“Thanks for the wings,” he said and ducked under his mom’s arm. “I’m going to eat.”
“The kid really is a genius,” Rowdy said, following after Sutter.
“Well, I don’t know if we’ve gotten the all-clear signal yet,” Sabrina insisted and stopped glaring at Elle. Sizing me up, she said, “Tell me about these martial arts you know, little one.”
“She’s a mature woman with adult feelings and desires,” Elle insisted before glancing at me and asking, “Right? I’m not just blowing smoke, am I?”
“No, you’re right. I am a mature woman.”
“How many dicks have you endured?” Sabrina asked.
“Clint will be her first,” Elle answered for me before squeezing me again and cooing, “You’re such a lucky duck.”
“No, that’s bull,” Sabrina insisted, making Moe snicker. “Ivy needs to fuck a bunch of guys before she settles on one dick.”
“Your mom didn’t.”
“Don’t rewrite history. Everyone knows Bebe was a huge slut back in the day. I’ve seen the receipts. No arguing about it.”
“Well, my mom was holier than thou, so suck it.”
“Never listen to Elle about romance,” Sabrina told me. “I’m in a committed relationship with two lovely foxes. Iloveto be in love. Meanwhile, this one,” she said and gestured at Elle, “has zero interest in relationships.”
“If I could have negative interest, I would,” Elle admitted. “But I don’t need to like romance to know my brother is a great catch.”
“He is,” Moe said from the back doors before walking toward us. “Can we get food now? If I’m going to be up this early, I really need carbs to keep me moving.”
“Of course, we can go eat,” Sabrina declared and looked at me. “See how selfless I am? That’s because of my great experiences with romance,” she said and tugged me away from Elle. “That’s why if you have any questions, feel free to hit me up for advice.”
Glancing back at Sabrina as we headed upstairs, Moe asked, “How are you going to give her advice when Clint’s plumbing’s all wrong?”
“It’s the heart that matters. She can figure out the dick stuff from porn like Vanessa did.”
As we arrived upstairs, I noticed Vanessa was still asleep against Sabrina’s other girlfriend, Xandy. Behind me, Elle slowly made her way upstairs while holding the two dogs whose little legs didn’t allow them to handle the steps.
My gaze scanned the family room. Even with Elle and Sabrina fighting over who was better qualified to protect me, I only wanted to see Clint. I worried his parents had talked sense into him. I would never support my son bringing home a stranger, so I couldn’t imagine they would, either.
