AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ivy’s car is parked outside her house, and I’m glad she’s home. I inhale a sharp breath before leaving the car. I need her to believe me. A ball of pain has lodged in my chest since my mother confirmed that she did say those nasty things to Ivy. I can’t bear to imagine the pain and hurt she must have felt. Protective feelings rise in me again. I want to soothe her pain and make things right between us.
I knock on her door, and before I finish, it swings open. Ivy stands there with red-rimmed eyes. She’s been crying, and pain funnels into my chest.
“May I please come in?” I ask, expecting her to refuse. Even if she does, I’m determined to say my piece even if she makes me say it on the porch.
To my pleasant surprise, Ivy stands to one side and gestures at me to enter. She shuts the door behind me and follows me to the living room. She sits on a couch facing me.
“I’m sorry, Ivy,” I begin. “I can’t believe that my parents would do such a thing. They never told me what they were planning, and you must believe me when I tell you that I would never condone such disgusting behavior.”
Ivy’s expression softens.
“I don’t know what kind of madness prompted them to do that, but I can assure you it will never happen again. More importantly, no one will ever take our baby from you, Ivy. Our child is very lucky to have you as her mother.” I mean every word that comes out of my mouth.
Tears fall from Ivy’s eyes and stream down her cheeks. “I thought you were part of it.”
“I would never be a part of threats and bribes. That’s not who I am, Ivy. I believe in justice and fairness.”
A sob escapes her mouth, and without thinking about it, I go and sit next to her on the couch. I pull her toward me, and she throws her arms around my neck and cries as if her heart is breaking.
“It’s okay. I promise everything will be okay.”
When she calms down, I leave her for a moment to make us some coffee. When I return, Ivy is standing by the window. She comes back to the couch and takes the cup I offer.
“Did they just hate me on sight?” Ivy says as she sips her coffee.
I know she’s talking about my parents. The answer is they probably asked for a copy of her file from the clinic. I’ve thought this before, but now it makes me feel sad at how quickly we judge people on paper. And Ivy does not look good on paper. Coming to her place cemented their initial thoughts about her. I know this because I was guilty of the same thing. Shame heats my face. I can’t tell Ivy any of this because it’s akin to admitting that my family and I are complete snobs.
“They don’t know you,” I tell her. “How can they hate you? Once they get to know you, they’ll love you and realize how lucky their grandchild is.”
Ivy offers me a skeptical look, but she doesn’t comment.
“And I know the first step toward that. Will you be my date for our annual fundraising dinner?” I ask her. “Please. I’d love it if you were my date.”
13
Ivy
I feel like a princess as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I splurged on a silver, ultra-sexy, low cleavage dress for my date with Alec. I’m excited about the evening ahead, as I’ve never been to one of those high-profile fund-raising dinners.
The only thing marring my excitement is the thought of meeting his parents again. When Alec first invited me as his date, my answer had been a resounding no. He is a persuasive man, even though he used underhand tactics like kissing me and turning my brain to mush. That must be the reason why I’d ended up saying yes. I square my shoulders now. I’m not going to let his parents spoil my evening. Besides, I did nothing wrong. They are the ones who owe me an apology for disrespecting me and my child like that.
Still, I’m determined to behave with dignity. I’ll be cool and friendly when we meet. I’m not one for holding grudges, and as Alec pointed out, they will be my child’s grandparents, and I can do nothing to change that.
I can’t help thinking that this is my first date with Alec. He had called it a date, hadn’t he? That meant we were not just friends. Plus, he did kiss me the last time we were together. A real kiss. A toe-tingling kiss, but neither of us had wanted it to go further than that. We had made a mistake once, and I didn’t want to make another by sleeping with him again, even though my body had been screaming at me to stop being so cautious and enjoy the moment.
Now, I’m glad I did not give in to temptation. I grab my purse from the bed and leave the bedroom.
Peter is in the living room, watching TV as usual.
“You look very pretty,” he says.
“Thank you. I hope I’m not overdressed or underdressed.” My breath hitches a little. I hope I don’t make a fool of myself. I feel like a fish out of water attending such a posh gathering.
“You look perfect,” Peter says, raising his eyes to meet my gaze. “I hope you’re not beginning to have feelings for that rich dude. You know what those men are like. They are used to women falling all over them for their money. When they are done with them, they discard them.”
“I don’t have feelings for Alec,” I say with a touch of defensiveness in my voice. “Alec is the father of my baby, and we have to have some form of relationship.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say that Alec is not that type of person, but what do I know about him and how he treats women? I remember what he said about him never cooking for a woman he’s dating. As for feelings, I don’t think I lied. I’m insanely physically attracted to Alec. One look from him is enough to get my panties damp. But physical attraction is not the same as feelings. If I had feelings for Alec, I would dream of a future with him. I don’t. Silly fantasies don’t count here.
