Chapter 15We need to talk
Chapter Fifteen
WE NEED TO TALK
Ivy had been acting strangely since their date… well, more so since her trip to Alberta. It wasn't like she was pulling away. In fact, it was the opposite. Despite them still living apart, they seemed more connected.
The night she returned; she’d shown up late after leaving his parents’ place. Emmanuel was half asleep when he received the text that she was on her way over. The moment he’d seen her, he knew something was off. She’d worked overtime to keep him distracted. Truthfully, he hadn’t minded. Especially the afternoon visits to his office. The afternoon delights’ meetings had been spectacular.
At the risk of Ivy putting an end to her distraction campaign, Emmanuel had checked in. “What’s going on Doc?”
“I… I just need a little more time… I promise I’ll tell you everything. Soon.”
The worry he felt from hearing that Ivy was keeping something from him must have been evident on his face. Hell, it was certainly weighing on his soul. The last time she internalised her feelings, they had ended up living apart. Although they were making the best out of that situation, it didn’t take away from the fact that it was difficult.
“Baby, look at me,” Ivy implored.
Their eyes locked onto each other. Beacons desperate to hold on to their life partner.
“I’m working to figure some things out. I want us to be stronger than we have ever been. I just need a little… Time to get us there. Trust me.”
For Emmanuel, that was a given. Trusting her was as easy as taking his very next breath.
Sage had decided she wanted to spend the weekend at Karissa’s. As the baby in the family, she enjoyed being around younger children. Especially ones that adore her.
Ivy had called an hour ago. “Do you mind if I come over?”
The fact that she’d ask, and her tone while asking, set off the alarm bells. Yet, he made the conscious decision to play it off. Make light of the nervous energy she gave off.
“I gotta say, Doc, I seriously hoped that you would.”
Ivy’s lips had barely brushed his as she pushed by him and rushed into the condo. Then she had dropped the dreaded four-word bomb. “We need to talk.”
“Okay…”
“Let’s sit on the couch. I have so much to tell you.”
His response was hesitant. “Okay.”
Ivy waited until he was seated before she sat. Which wasn’t beside him, but on the opposite side of the sofa. A warning signal blared in his subconscious. Christ! How much more could he take? Then she angled her body, so she faced him. There was so much hope in that one action that he released a breath he hadn’t even been aware he was holding.
“Manny, before I start, I want to tell you how sorry I am that I allowed doubt to creep into our marriage.” Her smile was apologetic, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Despite her action, he was confident that whatever had caused her belief to waver was now a non-factor.
“You sound very certain.”
Nodding, she opened her eyes. “It’s because I am.”
Ivy cleared her throat. Her nervousness was palpable. “I waited to tell you because I was hoping I’d have all the pieces and proof in place.”
“Tell me what, Doc,”
“Where do I start? Sorry… I thought I had this all rehearsed. A couple of weeks ago, I visited your mom after I came back from Alberta. She shared with me some information?—”
What in the hell was going on? Whatever it was, had seemed to manifest as a vice, gripping his stomach muscle. Why did he feel like his world was about to be upended?
“Baby, stop stalling. Out with it.”
“You’re adopted.”
“I’m sorry. I’m fucking what?”
“Your parents adopted you at birth.”
Even as he shook his head, the truth of what she said took root.
“My mother told you that?”
“Yes.”
His mind was reeling. The certainty of who he was that had ridden with him his whole life bailed on him.
“Why? Why didn’t my parents… the people who raised me, not tell me in all this time?” They had fifty fucking years.
“I’m not sure Manny. I think it was too hard for them.”
Emmanuel scoffed. Then he realised Ivy didn’t look relieved after dropping the truth bomb of a lifetime on him. If anything, she looked more nervous. All her ‘tells’ were blaring.
What in the fuck?
“The rest Doc. Tell me the rest of it.”
“While I was in Alberta… No, the reason I went to Alberta was to see Jasmine Journee.”
“And did you see her?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Even after our lawyer advised us not to contact her directly under any circumstances?”
“Yeah. Like I was saying, when we parted ways, I was certain she had never met you. I suspected who it might have been, but at the time it didn’t seem plausible.”
“Doc. You gotta spit and spell this shit out.”
“The paternity test proves you are biologically the father of Jasmine Journee’s son.” The certainty with which she made her declaration was a slap in the face. She’d just apologised for doubting him.
“I’m not!” he ground out.
“No, Manny, you are biologically his father.”
Again, what the fuck? Pain rocked him to his core.
“But of course, you’re not his father.”
This time Emmanuel voiced his confusion, “Doc…” He drew out her name. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You know I love my science, but while it gives you facts, it doesn’t give you the full picture. Once I found out you were adopted, it all made sense.”
“What does my adoption have to do with anything?”
“You have a brother, Manny. More specifically, you are a twin.”
Ivy’s mouth was still moving, but he couldn’t hear a damn thing. He stood and walked out of the room. Water, yeah what would help? In the middle of drinking his second glass, he felt her hand on his forearm.
“Manny?” she called softly.
“Yeah.” Emmanuel managed to answer from the deep fog he was in.
“I know this is a lot?—”
A lot was a huge understatement. It felt like everything that he had ever known was a lie… well, because it was all a lie. He turned to face her and found her eyes full of sympathy.
“—but I’m here. We can get through this.”
Emmanuel pulled her into his arms and held onto her with everything he had. Only she seemed real now. It made sense. They stayed in each other’s embrace, neither saying anything for some time… He couldn’t be sure how long.
The whole time, his mind was all over the place. A twin. A fucking twin? He couldn’t keep his thoughts straight. Not while he had so many questions. The pieces of what Doc was trying to tell wouldn’t come together.
“Wait…” Emmanuel said as a thought struck him. He pulled an arm’s length away so he could look at Ivy. “… first you were talking about the paternity test, then you switched topics to my adoption. Are they related? What am I missing?”
“Yes, the two topics are related. While I was talking to her, she was telling me about meeting you. All I could think was that sounded absolutely nothing like the man I know. As a matter of fact, I was convinced it wasn’t. For a second, I thought, hell, maybe Manny has a dissociative identity disorder, and I’ve missed it.”
“I don’t get it…” His tone was riddled with confusion.
“Even before I spoke to your mom, I started thinking, how can Manny and the tests both be right? Cause fuck me, that’s what I should have been thinking all along.”
“What? How are the test and I both right?”
“If, the father of Jasmine Journee’s son shares the exact same DNA with you…” Ivy stopped as if waiting for the pieces to come together.
Christ! The penny finally dropped, yet his voice was unsure as he said, “Like my twin?”
“Yes. Well, he is obviously your identical twin.”
“Sorry, what?” Shaking his head. This was too much for him to wrap his head around.
“You two are biologically the same. Pretty much the same in every way. Except…” Ivy’s voice pitched as she became animated. “…you are a marvel of science. Get this: you two are mirror twins. You’re left-handed and whoever your twin is, is right-handed.”
“Wait, how do you know that?”
“I told you I went to Jasmine Journee’s house?—”
“Doc—” The censor in his tone was normally reserved for their children. “You went to this woman’s house?”
Ivy looked like a reprimanded child. As well as she should. What in the holy hell!
“So, this woman let you and Roy into her house, just like that?”
No answer. Ivy bit her lip and looked down, avoiding his gaze.
“Doc, did you go into this woman’s house by yourself?”
“Don’t be upset. I had to sort this out. I think the end justifies the means.”
When Emmanuel woke up this morning, he was certain of who he was and the love he had for his woman. Now they were sitting on the couch in the condo after she dropped the biggest bombshell of his life on him. He no longer knew who the fuck he was. The only thing he was still certain of was the love he had for Ivy.
It was because of their love he was still fuming over the fact Ivy had gone and visited that Journee woman alone. Roy would hear from Emmanuel for allowing Ivy to expose herself to danger. In the meantime, Doc was receiving an ear full.
“We aren’t done talking about this, Doc.”
“Manny, just let it go. I did what I had to do.”
“What if this woman was some kind of psycho and attacked you? Do you have any idea what I’d do if anything happened to you?”
“I wasn’t in danger. Roy was right outside. I couldn’t go in there with him. I doubt that she would have let both of us in. As it was, I made the right call.”
Ivy was right. Emmanuel looked at Doc’s eager expression. He was certain there was more. No, he didn’t like that she had gone off by herself, but at least she’d gotten some answers. Those answers seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg though. He’d have to deal with that fallout.
“Alright Doc. What else do I need to know?” Honestly, he wasn’t certain he was ready for any more bombshells, but look where ignorance had gotten him so far.
“Let me start at the beginning. I gotta tell you when I arrived and first saw Jasmine Journee. I called myself all kinds of fools.”
“Why?”
“Cause she looks so much like me.”
Emmanuel shook his head. Confusion blanketed his features. He’d seen photographs of the Journee woman. She didn’t look like his Ivy.
“Of course, she looks like me.”
“I’ve seen pictures. Other than your race, sex, and height. I just don’t see it.”
“Umm, we’ll explore that later.” Ivy dismissed his assertion like he was out to lunch.
“Then I saw a picture of her son. It looks like she stole pictures of Oliver.”
Emmanuel never thought to ask what the child looked like. After all, he knew the boy wasn’t his. Now he could kick himself. His blinder had caused them so much time. Maybe. Maybe it was for the best. Without an explanation, that revelation could have made things so much worse.
She tucked her legs beneath her. “I know this is a lot, but at least now we are getting answers. Like, oh! I’m pretty sure you’re of Italian descent.”
Ivy explained how she came to her theory. Shit! Hadn’t he been asked or told that he was Italian for most of his life? There was so much more about himself that he probably didn’t know.
Ivy reached over and patted his leg and drew him from his thoughts. “I know it’s a lot.”
A thought struck him. “So, this woman knew I wasn’t her child’s father?”
“Here’s the thing. I think she really thinks that you are his father?—”
“But what about my twin?”
“This is the hard part. I think he knows about you. Let’s say this guy’s name is Leo. I think he wanted her to believe he was… you.”
When Emmanuel thought he couldn’t handle anymore… oh look, there was more. This wasn’t an accident. Or a betrayal by the Journee woman. No, some brother he didn’t know set him up.
“Fuck!” He swore viciously. “Do you know who he is?”
“No.” Ivy shook her head. “I wanted to have all the puzzle pieces together before I told you, but I hit a wall. I don’t know how to find him. Plus, I just couldn’t keep this from you anymore.”
“If you couldn’t find this twin… How are you so convinced that he exists?”
“See umm… Just bear in mind I have already done it. So, you can’t be upset with me all over again.”
He would reserve his judgment until she told him what else she had done. “Doc?”
“When your mom told me about the adoption and asked me to tell you about it.”
Emmanuel still wasn’t sure how he felt about his Mom tasking Ivy with such a monumental task.
“I asked her to give me all the paperwork accompanying the adoption.”
Of course. His absolutely brilliant wife would gather all the facts. Ivy swallowed. “Then I visited your dad’s attorney.”
“You went to visit Chester Ellison? Isn’t he retired?”
“Yes. I visited him at his retirement home. One nurse might have thought I was one of his doctors.”
Emmanuel didn’t know if to laugh at the ‘misunderstanding’. He certainly had a good idea of how they might have come to that conclusion.
“I told him I was there to talk to him about the Scott adoption. The first thing he said was, ‘ I’m sorry. That girl should have had her own attorney’. Then he said, ‘ I shouldn’t have made her split up the twins. Those boys should have been raised together’. ”
“Christ! What else did he say?”
“He went into pulmonary distress and is now on a respirator, and they aren’t allowing anyone in to see him.”
Disappointment crushed him in a wave. Emmanuel supposed his parents could give them answers, but he wasn’t feeling very trustful towards them now. The answers would have to come from an outside source. They had lied by omission to him his whole life. His father’s action didn’t surprise him, but his mother’s… did. Grace Scott didn’t have a deceptive bone in her body — No, he had thought she wasn’t capable of deceit. They were going to have to get answers without them.
“Hey, Doc. Well, if you assemble all the information you have, we can give it to Darsh. If anyone can find this mystery twin, Darsh can.”
“I was hoping you would say that. Anything else you want to ask?”
“Not right now. Actually, give me a few. I’m going to take a shower.” Yes, he had taken one before her arrival, but he needed a fucking moment. Did he have a doubt that Ivy would hold his hand through this shit storm? None. But he was so shaken. He needed to gather himself together before he could turn to her. The revelation called forth something in Emmanuel he didn’t recognise in himself.
The stream of cold water poured over his head, down the expanse of his back. Emmanuel had hoped the physical discomfort would keep his mind from raging. Pissed was an absolute understatement. Sure, he lived a privileged life, but all of it was based on a lie. If he wasn’t a fucking Scott, then who the hell was he? Emmanuel was just about to voice his outrage when he felt a hand on his lower back.
“Manny, I’m here,” she called softly.
“I know. Thanks, Doc.” Emmanuel didn’t have it in him to turn her away. Instead, he immediately changed the water’s temperature. They remained with her at his back.
“If you want to talk—” Ivy began, but he cut her off.
“I don’t. Not now.”
“Whatever you need.” Then she grabbed the body wash, and he sighed as she washed his back. Her touch was firm, and she massaged away some of the tension that he was holding there. Her touch didn’t remain at his lower back, but migrated. He smiled as fingers kneaded his taunt cheeks.
It was funny how people spent so much time discussing what body parts were a man’s favourite. Oh, he is a leg man, or he is a breast man. The same attention wasn’t spent on discussing what body parts women preferred. Which seemed odd to him. Women certainly had preferences. For example, Ivy was definitely an ass woman. Her nails were sinking into his muscled ass.
Ivy drew out her thought; achingly slow. “I know you said you don’t want to talk.”
“Cause I don’t,” he answered quickly.
“Are you opposed to not talking?”
Yeah, he was absolutely up for that.
“Yeah,” Emmanuel answered as he turned, presenting her with the evidence that he was in fact prepared to ‘not talk’.
“Definitely,” he moaned as she wrapped her hands around his length.
God, her grip was firm as she worked his cock. Emmanuel closed his eyes and let his head lean back. All thoughts left him as her silky grip worked its magic. He was so close. Then she exchanged her skilled hands for her hot, talented mouth. The way she bobbed on his hardened length was driving him to the brink way quicker than he would like. It was the sound of her enthusiastically slurping on his cock while not allowing a drop of his leaking essence to be wasted. That was his undoing. He came with a roar as jets of cream flooded her mouth. Ivy was there to swallow it all up, not missing a drop. His only thought was returning the favour to his wife, who he was certain expected nothing in return.
Tomorrow, he would unpack his feelings. Tonight, he would spend the night pleasing his woman until they both passed out.