Chapter 8
We were back at the diner and the gown had been paid for and left at the bridal shop to be steamed. It was now or never if we were going to talk to Mel about our plan. Ivy slid into the booth with two pieces of pie and two coffees. She had a Sprite and some toast in front of her, but that was as far as she was willing to go this late at night. The diner was closed so we had the place to ourselves, thankfully. The fewer distractions the better.
I took a container of strawberry jam from the dish and spread it on my blueberry pie, much to the chagrin of both Melissa and Ivy. “What?” I asked, scooping a bite into my mouth. “You should try it. Even Ellis tried it and thought it was good.”
Ivy waved her finger around my pie. “I noticed that the other day when he was in here. I rolled my eyes so hard I almost fell over.”
Mel nodded as she chewed. “That boy has it bad,” she added when she swallowed.
“Has what bad?” I asked, shoving pie in my mouth.
Ivy and Mel just rolled their eyes at each other and I decided now was a good time to change the subject. Spring the idea on her when she was least expecting it, so to say.
“Hey, Mel, I have a question.” She motioned at me with her fork to go ahead. “What happens at an adoption hearing for a step-parent?”
She laid her fork down and took a drink of her coffee. “It will be simple since we don’t know who Holly’s father was. That means there was no one to contest the adoption, so once we’re married, we sign the paperwork that my lawyer has already submitted to the judge. Then they send us a new birth certificate for Holly with Mason’s name on it and a new social security card.”
I nodded along as though this was new information, even though it wasn’t.
Ivy jumped in. “Yeah, the judge doesn’t even have to do it in the courtroom. That’s why they’re getting married in his chambers.”
Mel shrugged. “No sense using up courtroom space and time when it’s not needed.”
I leaned forward. “I’m glad you feel that way because I had an idea.”
“And I thought it was a great one,” Ivy added, helping me along.
“Well, out with it,” Mel said, glancing between us.
“I checked and there’s nothing going on at the gazebo on December ninth. I was thinking, since that’s where he proposed, it would be a great place to get married.” I nodded along as though she should too, but she didn’t. She just sat there and stared at us.
“Um, what now?”
Ivy decided to take over the explanation. “The courthouse is a good place to get married, but the gazebo is so beautiful, and you know how much Holly loves the tree,” she added, using her daughter as a bargaining chip. I had to give her points for that.
“She does, but we’re not getting married at the gazebo.”
Ivy held up her hand. “I know, you’re worried about the cold and your feet, but we wouldn’t be out there for very long and I found the cutest pair of white boots. You wouldn’t even be able to see them under the gown you just bought anyway,” she said, holding up her phone to show her the fur boots on the screen. “I’d buy them, and they could be your something new,” she added quickly. “Besides, you can wear them again, they’re nice boots.”
Mel waved her hand in confusion. “Why does it matter where we get married as long as we get married?”
“It only matters where you get married if you’re going to get married in one place, but your heart is in another.”
“You’re saying I’m settling for the courthouse when I’d rather get married in the gazebo.”
Ivy touched her nose gently. “Bingo. You always said it was your dream to get married there. Last year, at my wedding, you looked so beautiful rocking back and forth in Mason’s arms as you danced by the light of the tree.”
Mel sighed. “Okay, I’ll admit I have always thought about getting married at the gazebo, but I was thinking in like June, not December.”
“But if you could do it, you’d get married in the gazebo?” I asked, my hands clasped together under my chin.
“In a heartbeat,” she agreed. “Holly would love it, but we want to do the adoption hearing after we’re married.”
Ivy opened her email app on her phone and handed it to Mel. She read it and looked up slowly. “You asked the judge to marry us at the gazebo and sign the adoption papers there?”
“Well, I mean, he was going to marry you anyway. I didn’t think he’d much mind where it happened. And, like you said,” Ivy continued quickly, “Holly’s paperwork can be signed anywhere.”
“Since all the family will be at the gazebo for the wedding, it just made sense,” I finished.
“But the family wasn’t going to be at the gazebo!” she exclaimed before taking a deep breath. “Guys, I know you have the best intentions, but you know how much I struggle when my feet get cold. Being so close to Christmas I don’t want to be limping around for the holiday.”
“Agreed,” Ivy said.
“Okay, it’s settled then, courthouse it is,” Mel said in her motherish tone of authority.
“But,” Ivy added, “I have some connections with the city. They have several portable heaters they use at the shops. I could easily get my hands on a couple of those and plug them in. With the boots and the heaters, your feet wouldn’t know you weren’t inside the balmy seventy-degree courthouse.”
Mel lowered a brow to her nose. “Ivy, seriously.”
Ivy shrugged. “What? I am serious. I wish we’d have thought of it last year for our wedding. Besides, the ceremony won’t take long and then I’m closing the diner and everyone is coming back here for food and cake. In fact, if you want, you could sign the adoption paperwork here. I’m sure Judge Masters wouldn’t mind coming over here for some cake, coffee, and cuteness from Miss Holly.”
She chewed on her lip and eyed us both, uncertainty in her eyes. “Tempting. Really, really tempting.”
Ivy climbed from the booth and pulled her out. “I have an idea. Go home and tease Mason a bit about the dress. Then, when he’s all hot and bothered, gently suggest, while you’re running your hand up and down his arm, that you get married in the gazebo. When he willingly agrees under the promise of a delightfully warm December night, call me immediately!” She threw her arms around Mel in laughter and Mel patted her back a couple of times.
“I’m blaming this on pregnancy for you,” she whispered not so quietly in her friend’s ear. “And young love for her.”
Young love? What the hell?
“Mel, I’m not in love. Good Lord,” I said crustily.
Ivy and Mel looked at me in unison. “I believe one doth protest too much,” Ivy laughed.
Melissa grabbed her coat and threw it on. “I totally want to get married at the gazebo, but the boots and the heaters would have to be in play for Mason to even consider it.”
Ivy crossed her heart. “Done, without question. I’ll even throw in some of those toe warmers to sweeten the deal.”
Mel smiled and blew her a kiss. “I’ll let you know!” And then she was gone.
Ivy sat back down in the booth and huffed out a breath. “Wow, that was …”
“Yeah,” I agreed without even needing an ending to the thought. “Definitely.”
“Do you think we convinced her?”
“I think so, now it’s up to her to convince Mason. Of course, if she’s smart, and she is, she’ll get Holly on her side first.”
Ivy pointed at me as she chewed her toast. “Agreed. That girl loves the gazebo.”
“Me too,” I sighed, my voice far away. My mind went back to Saturday night where his lips were on mine and the tree was magical.
Ivy lost her battle with the laughter. “You’re so see-through, but I love that about you, Addie.”
“See-through? There’s nothing to see through,” I insisted. “I was just saying I loved the gazebo.”
“When were you there last?” she asked, one brow raised.
“Uh, Saturday night, I think,” I added last minute to make it sound nonchalant.
“Oh, you think? Not what I heard.”
I tipped my head to the left. “What did you hear?”
“I heard from Tammy’s brother’s sister’s husband that you were sucking face with one particular yoga instructor in the gazebo on Saturday night.”
I rolled my eyes to my hairline and pursed my lips. “Nope, wasn’t me, they must have been mistaken. Lots of couples make out in the gazebo.”
She nodded pensively. “True, but not very many of them are five-foot-eight with ginger red hair and chocolate brown skin.”
I dropped my chin to my chest and shook it. “Cripes. This town.” I rolled my eyes in exasperation and she laughed.
“I’m just teasing you. I hope you know that. I love that you found someone to have fun with. Anything beyond that is none of my business.”
“At least until I’m ready to share, right?”
“Then I’m all ears.”
“Trust me, when I figure out what this is between Ellis and me, you’ll be the first to know. This so isn’t my thing.”
She lowered the toast back to her plate. “What isn’t your thing? Guys? Did that other A-hole ruin you for men everywhere?”
I shook my head at her. “No, jeez, that’s two people in two weeks to ask me if I was a lesbian.”
“Audrey?” she asked without hesitation and I rolled my eyes again as an answer. “What’s to figure out then?”
I motioned around with my hands wildly as though that would help me come up with the words. She lowered my right hand before I hit her accidentally. “If I’m ready to deal with it all again. It’s been a long time and the last one didn’t end well.”
She frowned when it dawned on her what I meant. “The last one was a real moron for letting you go and karma bit him for it. Forget about him. You’ve grieved that relationship long enough. It’s time to move on. You’re too young to let that kind of guy have that much power over you still.”
I sighed heavily. “I know you’re right. I guess my heart thinks so too or we wouldn’t be talking about me not knowing what to do about how much I like Ellis David.”
“How much do you like him,” she asked curiously.
“A whole lot.” I laughed and waved my hand. “Actually, can I ask you a question about a different topic?”
“Sure,” she said, leaning over the booth.
I fiddled with my fork even though my pie was gone, just so I didn’t have to make eye contact. “I need an opinion more than anything.” She nodded so I worked to put it into words that made sense. “Do you think it’s wrong to want to know who my father is? My mom refuses to tell me his name. She knows I’d go looking for him. Ellis says that she’s not protecting me anymore, she’s protecting herself.”
Ivy rested her chin on her hand and sighed. “I would never be one to get in the middle of family dynamics, so I’ll use my own personal experience instead. I don’t know who my father is. The truth is, my mother didn’t know who he was, either. I suppose if she had, I would feel the same way you do. There’s an empty part of me that will never be filled for the same reason as you. I will never have access to who he was or if I have other siblings out there. My mother didn’t do it to be malicious. She was a kid when she got pregnant after a one-night stand. It was just circumstance.”
“But my mom lived with the guy for eighteen months. She’s well aware of who he is.”
She nodded and tipped her head in agreement. “I would guess there are a few people left in this town who also know.”
I tapped the table with the fork as I thought about it. “Probably, but I’m not going to go behind her back. That definitely feels wrong. I really would like to know, though.”
“It’s closure,” she added and I pointed at her with my fork.
“That’s exactly the word I was looking for. I don’t think he’s going to welcome me into his family with open arms or anything. That’s not what I’m after. He knows he has a kid here and could find me at any time, but he hasn’t. I guess I just want to know his name, find out if I have any siblings, and stop this constant churning I have in my soul every time I look in the mirror.”
She patted my hand and sneakily took the fork from me. “No one can blame you for that. Not even Loretta. You’re an adult now. The two of you should have a discussion about it and decide on terms, and then she should hand you his name.”
“That’s what Ellis said, too.”
She raised her brows once. “Smart guy. I’m sure he doesn’t want you to be unhappy either.”
My head snapped up and I waved my hands. “Oh, I’m not unhappy, but it has been bothering me.”
She made raspberries with her lips. “Honey, you’ve been unhappy for at least a year. You’re incredibly good at hiding it, but those of us who know you well, we know. You’re looking for more in life and up until a few months ago, you weren’t finding it here. Maybe that’s changed now, but I think you owe it to yourself to see where it could go with Ellis and to get those answers from your mom. You’ll never be truly happy until you put them both to bed, or in this case, take the one to bed.”
I gasped loudly in the quiet diner. “Ivy Lund!”
She laid over the table giggling her fool head off and I remembered why I loved her so much. She always knew how to get to the heart of the matter and the heart of it was, mine was definitely already part of the equation.
I glanced up to the window and a man stood in it, a shy smile on his face and his hands in his pockets. I returned the smile and motioned with my hand for him to come in.
I stood and patted Ivy on the back. “No time like the present.”