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They were halfway through their meal when they heard. “I can’t believe it. How did you keep this a secret so long? My kids were in on this, weren’t they?”
There was his Aunt Jolene marching to the table just as Kendra predicted, but she wasn’t alone. She was carrying Madison on her hip. Hmmm, he wasn’t sure what that was about.
All he could say was he was glad that they’d been seated in the back off to the side. It was more a prime seat by the kitchen, but he figured that Aiden worried this might happen and would keep most of the eyes off of them.
“You’ll have to ask your kids that,” he said. “Hey, Madison. What are you doing with your grandma?”
“We had a playdate,” Madison said.
Which Ella would have known and that might be why she picked after they were home. His cousin was just as sneaky as her mother.
“That’s right. Madison and I were having a tea party. Travis is out of town and I said I’d take my granddaughter and bring her home around six so Ella could relax. Imagine my surprise when I saw Ivan’s car here.”
“Do you drive by the pub all the time on your way to Ella’s?” he asked. “That’s out of the way.”
His aunt looked like she was going to crack. He’d caught her. “I forgot something.”
“No, you didn’t,” he said. “You’re watching the cameras, aren’t you? You saw my car here and rushed over since it was when the office would be closed and you had to know Ella was home.”
“Grandma was on Grandpa’s computer,” Madison said. “She was watching TV.”
“You just got ratted out by a two-year-old,” Kendra said, giggling.
“Fine,” his aunt said. “I was checking the cameras to see if Ella had left and I saw Ivan’s car.”
“We’ll let you believe that.”
Aunt Jolene shifted Madison on her other hip. “How long has this been going on behind my back? And don’t tell me it’s a work dinner.”
As much as Ivan wanted to do that and play some more, he wouldn’t. “It’s not a work dinner. We’ve been dating a few months.”
“Since when?” Aunt Jolene asked.
“Does it matter?” Kendra asked. “You wanted this to happen, so you should be happy. Your nephew is a lovely young man.”
He choked back the laugh when his aunt didn’t know what to say over being called out on trying to set them up. “I knew you two would be perfect for each other. Imagine how much better it would have been if you’d listened to me a year ago and were open to it.”
“We all know how right you say you are, Aunt Jolene. But Kendra and I will do this on our own.”
“So I’ve heard before. Enjoy your dinner,” his aunt said. “Let’s go see Mommy, Madison. After we go see Uncle Aiden and Uncle Brody first.”
He watched his aunt leave and it just occurred to him his mother had no clue. “Crap. I need to tell my mother fast before my aunt beats me to it. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
He pulled his phone out and sent a text off.
“That’s not very nice. Why didn’t you tell your mother this week? I didn’t even think of it.”
“It slipped my mind. I’m going to pay the price for that. She is going to want to meet you. Will you be okay going to dinner this weekend?” His phone went off and just like he thought, it was his mother asking when it started and when she got to meet Kendra.
“I’d love to meet your mother.”
He texted back that he’d call her tonight to make plans for the weekend, but he was out to dinner now.
His mother wouldn’t bug him like his aunt did and he knew they’d be able to finish their meal quietly now.
“I guess you won the bet,” he said. “How the heck did you figure that out?”
She laughed. “I knew your aunt had Madison today. I figured it would be when she was returning her home or it’d be like Ella said after we were home.”
