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I don’t need to defend Ivy to my mother. As much as I love my parents, their opinion on who I’ll marry doesn’t count, especially when they are so unjust.
“You’re making a mistake, Alec.”
“Maybe, but it will be my mistake. You can’t choose a wife for me, Mother.”
“Very well.”
“Oh, and I’ll be using the cabin for the weekend,” I tell her.
“Yes, Abigail informed me.”
Abigail is my mother’s personal assistant, and she keeps track of who is using the cabin. Dylan is the most active of all of us when it comes to the cabin.
Our goodbyes are muted. It saddens me that our relationship has come to this, but that too is my mother’s choice.
***
“I’m so excited I can’t sit still,” Ivy says when we’re on our way to the airport.
“You and me both.” I take her hand, and her warmth floods me. “I’ve never taken anyone to the family cabin before.”
She smiles but says nothing. It’s a mini-vacation, just two nights, but I’m looking forward to doing this for Ivy. She needs a break before the baby comes. We make it to the airport in good time. The driver drops us off, and the check-in process is seamless.
Two hours later, we are settled in our seats and headed to Denver airport. Ivy dozes off, allowing me to admire her beautiful face without her being aware of it.
Ivy wakes up when the pilot announces the descent, rubbing her eyes cutely. “Did I fall asleep?” she asks with a cheeky grin.
I lean toward her to kiss her. “Yes, and you look very beautiful when you’re sleeping.”
She gives me a disbelieving look. “Not true. I drool and snore.”
“Not true, but even if you did, you’d still look cute.”
The descent is bumpy, but Ivy doesn’t seem too bothered by it. We grab our luggage and head out of the terminal. Abigail has organized for a car to take us to the cabin.
“The air is different here. Crisper and lighter,” Ivy says.
“I know; I can already feel myself relaxing.” I probably needed this break as well. The last few weeks have been stressful, with the threat to the clinic hanging over us.
Ivy gasps when a cloud moves, and she gets a perfect view of the Rockies.
“Would you look at that? I can see the Rockies.”
I laugh, delighted with her reaction. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? We live in a beautiful country.”
“Yes, we do,” Ivy says in an awestruck voice.”
We are quiet on the winding drive to the cabin. The place does this to me. It gives me a sense of peace that I don’t experience anywhere else. Having Ivy with me makes it doubly special.
“This is not a cabin,” Ivy says when we finally get to our destination. “It’s a hotel.”
I laugh, just as Joe and Maryann step out of the front door. They are the couple who’ve taken care of it for more than a decade. They have their own cabin on the premises, and they’ve raised their children here.
We exchange greetings, and I introduce Ivy. Maryann’s eyes sparkle, and I know that seeing Ivy pregnant pleases her. Like my mother, she complains about us and her own children not marrying and procreating.
Joe is the quiet type, and he lets his wife chat away while he carries our luggage in.
“Dinner is ready if you’d like an early supper,” she says.
