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I take the elevator to the fourth floor, and when I step out, a door swings open, and a gray-haired, smiling man appears.
“Hello, Mr. Martin.” I cross the hallway and offer him my hand.
He has a wide smile as he shakes my hand vigorously. His eyes are blue-gray, just like Ivy’s. “Please call me Donald. Welcome to our home. Come on in.”
I follow him into a large, airy, open-plan home. A woman who looks like an older version of Ivy gets up from the couch.
“Hello, Dr. Anderson,” she says with a vastly different tone from her husband’s.
Fear prickles my scalp as the effect Ivy’s pregnancy has on her mother dawns on me.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Martin.” She must hate me, judging by the cautious look on her face.
“Please have a seat,” she says. “Can I get you a drink? A lemonade, iced tea?”
It doesn’t escape my notice that, unlike her husband, she doesn’t invite me to call her by her first name.
“No, thanks.” I can’t remember the last time I was this nervous. I’m a doctor, for fuck’s sake, and used to talking about intimate topics with complete strangers. I shift in my chair for a better position. Where the fuck is Ivy? I resist the urge to dart my eyes around the room.
“Ivy never mentioned that you were coming,” she says.
“She doesn’t know. I wanted to surprise her.” I feel like a fraud as I smile. I’ve come off like Ivy’s boyfriend.
Ivy’s mom cocks her head to one side and contemplates me as if she can see right through me. I squirm. This is probably how Ivy felt when my parents ambushed her that first time. Thinking of that makes me feel sad that I wasn’t there to protect her.
“Ivy told us about the confusion at your family clinic,” she says, staring at me dead in the eye.
I hold her gaze. “It’s something that has never happened before, and we’ve put in measures to ensure that such a mistake never happens again.”
“That’s not much help to Ivy,” she says.
“Abigail,” Ivy’s father says. “Give the young man a break.”
“No, she’s right. It doesn’t help Ivy, and we’re responsible for placing her in this situation.” It hits me afresh just how much Ivy has sacrificed in carrying this pregnancy to term and having a baby. She’ll become a mother when she hadn’t planned on it. And she’s going through the whole process without complaining and reminding me that it’s all my fault. Admiration for her comes over me. Ivy is a special woman. One of a kind.
Mrs. Martin nods curtly.
“I don’t have all the answers at this point,” I continue. “This is a situation neither of us has been in before, but one thing is for sure … I’ll be there for Ivy each step of the way. I plan on being a very present dad. Ivy and our baby will never lack for anything.” I’m emotional after that speech, but I mean every word.
Mrs. Martin’s features relax. Her resemblance to her daughter becomes clear. They are clearly mother and daughter.
“That’s all anyone can ask for under the circumstances,” she says softly. “Ivy is taking a walk on the beach. There’s a path behind the building that will take you there.”
24
Ivy
Breathing in the salt-tinged air makes me feel refreshed and one with nature. My parents are so lucky to live so close to the ocean. I’ve walked for miles, and at first, my thoughts were on Alec and how much I miss him. But now, on the way back, he’s finally left my thoughts, and my mind is blissfully empty.
I’m just taking in my surroundings as I stroll along the sandy beach. I love the warmth of the sand under my bare feet and the sound of the waves as they lap the shore. The tide has started coming in. I pass several people taking walks, and when I catch their eyes, we smile and nod. I love it here. People are super friendly, and there’s a relaxed atmosphere, not like the rush back home. As I’m nearing my parents’ condominium, I see a figure that makes my heart skip a beat. It couldn’t be. I shade my eyes from the evening sun.
My breath hitches when Alec starts walking toward me. It really is him. My heart hammers inside my chest. I increase my pace. It really is him. What is he doing here, and how did he know how to find me? Only Molly could have given him my parents’ address.
I’ll kill her.
We stop a few steps from each other. God, he’s handsome. The wind blows his hair away from his face. He stares at me intently as if he doesn’t want to miss anything. I tremble inside as a wave of emotion takes hold of me. Seeing Alec feels like having a great big gulp of water in the desert.
“I’ve missed you,” he says in a cracking voice that makes my heart pause. “I’m sorry, Ivy.”
