Chapter 18First and Last
Chapter Eighteen
FIRST AND LAST
Manny’s energy had been different since Darsh stopped by his office. One moment he was joking around, and the next he was bending her over the nearest surface. It had been an interesting couple of days. Ivy was longing for Manny to return home, but didn’t want to force the issue. After all, it was her doubt which pushed him out of the house.
Ivy wished that Manny would initiate the conversation concerning his parents’ lifelong omission. Clearly, it was wreaking havoc on him. She couldn’t be sure if allowing him to come to her in his own time was the right thing to do. Ultimately, however, Ivy had promised him not to bake. So, they were going to have to talk it out.
Sage and Ivy had spent the morning having mother/daughter time. They had brunch, followed by manis and pedis. Sage then had driving lessons, followed by plans to go see a movie and have dinner with her friends. Which gave the couple a few uninterrupted hours to spend together. Ivy was going to take this opportunity to talk.
Her plan had been to dive right into their discussion as soon as she arrived at the condo. However, Manny had other plans. She was barely through the door when he’d kissed her so thoroughly her toes had curled. Coupled with his admission, “Doc, I need you so badly right now.”
All thoughts left her as they fed each other’s needs.
Once they were satiated, and her mind was clear. Ivy donned his shirt, then made sure she was buttoned up and told him. “We need to talk.”
Manny sighed. “I know Doc.”
“When are we telling everyone?” She couldn’t figure out his logic for waiting any further. Darsh had confirmed what she had figured out.
“Soon, I promise.”
“I don’t like this hanging over our heads. What’s the holdup?” Ivy really wanted their lives back.
“I suppose I wanted more evidence to confront my parents with.”
“What about the children? There is no need for them to carry the uncertainty.”
It broke her heart that Oliver was still in crisis. He doubted his intuition because he thought maybe his hero wasn’t who he thought he was. The fact was, her son didn’t have it wrong. She desperately wanted him to know he was right.
“I know. Can you do something for me, Doc?”
Ivy wondered how he did not know she would do anything for him. “Of course.”
“Now that you know what to look for, can you run the test again?”
Shit. Why would he ask for something she couldn’t deliver?
“I wish I could, but the way it works is I would also need his sample to run a WAG test.”
Manny’s shoulders fell, and he looked slightly defeated. “I see.”
Ivy didn’t want to continue to be the bearer of bad news, but it was better that he knew now.
“Manny, the thing is, even then, we may never prove which of you fathered the child.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, we will have to compare the complete set of both DNAs. This is the real needle in the haystack. We are talking about six billion letters. There may be only one random difference.”
Ivy would need help with it when the time came. Clara should be able to help her navigate the complexities.
“Shit.” Manny rubbed his hand down his face. “I guess it is time for us to deal with this head-on. Let’s talk to the kids, but this time, can we forgo the whole dinner thing?”
She certainly understood why Manny wanted to avoid that type of get-together. The last one had certainly left a foul taste in his mouth. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too long before they could find their way back to family gatherings once everything was out in the open and they cleared the air.
“Sure. Um, don’t you think we should speak with your parents first?”
Manny explained how he didn’t feel like they had enough information to confront his parents. While she acknowledged some of his points, Ivy felt differently about the matter. It was her in-laws who should provide information. They owed him answers.
“Let’s start with the adoption and you can gauge from there if you want to discuss your twin. We don’t have to tackle the paternity today if you don’t want to.”
They spent the next several minutes discussing the pros and cons of confronting his parents. “You don’t have to bare your soul to them until you are ready. It is perfectly okay for you to ask questions. Maybe it is what you need to begin to properly process all of this.”
“I like that idea. I suppose you want to do this now?”
Ivy nodded. “Let’s pay them a surprise visit.”
In less than an hour, they were dressed and on the way to his parents’ house. Manny was quiet as he drove. She tried and failed to engage him in conversation. Eventually, she decided it was best to leave him with his thoughts. As they pulled up to the estate, they saw his parents returning home. Well, the timing worked out. Ivy felt Manny flinch beside her once he noticed them. He took a moment before he was ready to exit the car.
Grace and Larson Scott were waiting in the foyer to greet them. The tension was palpable. Manny stood rigid beside her.
“Emmanuel. Ivy. It is nice to see you both,” Grace greeted. Her awkwardness was apparent. She spoke so much more quickly than she normally did.
While Ivy greeted her as she normally would. Manny just responded with, “good afternoon.”
His cold and standoffish response had Grace dropping her hands to her side and her smile disappeared as despair clouded her features. Awkward didn’t begin to describe the interaction.
Despite Grace’s actions, Ivy felt sorry for her. The older woman wasn’t used to anything but a warm greeting from her son. Larson looked ashen, and his greeting was a brief nod in both of their directions. It was clear they understood the purpose of the visit.
“Well, you two come on in. I see we have a lot to discuss. Follow me to the sitting room.” Grace spoke quickly, her words running into each other. “I can have some tea brought in. Or maybe this conversation deserves something stronger.”
“Grace, dear, let’s just table that for now,” Larson told her gently.
It was the most subdued Ivy had ever heard, the larger-than-life Larson.
“Okay, I just thought the kids might be thirsty. Maybe I will just request some water.”
Ivy took mercy on Grace. “We are okay for now. Maybe we should just talk first.”
Manny and Ivy sat together on a love seat, while Larson and Grace took separate seats.
Grace broke the silence. “Well, I guess it is clear why you both are here.” Her sigh was sad as her gaze held her son’s.
“Before we get into the details. I just want to express my displeasure at the cowardice exhibited when my wife was sent to do what you should have done at any point in the last fifty years.”
Holy shit, Manny. Ivy thought. This wasn’t how she had expected this conversation to go. She turned widened shocked eyes to him. His gaze was now locked with his father. Both men had matching ticking jaws. A deep red blush coloured Larson’s face.
“You will not speak to your mother like that,” Larson admonished.
“My apologies. To be clear, my statement was directed at both of you.” Emmanuel’s tone was deceptively calm. Almost bored, but his anger poured off him in waves.
“Watch—” Grace cut off Larson just as he was starting to speak.
“You are absolutely right, Sweetheart.”
Manny’s attention shifted from his father to his mother.
“We should have told you about… the adoption years ago. It was wrong of me to put Ivy in that position. My apologies to both of you.” Her voice hitched on the last sentence, and she used her ring finger to swipe away a wayward tear.
Manny released a pent-up breath. It couldn’t have been easy for him to be so mad at her. He adored his mother. “Mom. Why? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Grace gave a sad smile. “I’ve been thinking about how I would answer this question since I told Ivy. Being your mother has been my greatest joy. Telling you… that we adopted you… meant I had to share being your mother with someone else. It was selfish. I wanted my little boy all to myself.”
“Mom,” Emmanuel sighed. “I really wish you would have told me. I deserved to know.” He shook his head. Then he looked at Ivy. His pained expression broke her heart. She took his hand, and he held on tightly as he continued. “Listen… it doesn’t change what we share. You raised me.”
“Emmanuel, I’m so sorry. You know I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”
“I know, but not knowing has caused so much grief. It could have cost me everything. If I’d lost Ivy, I would have never forgiven you. As it is now, Mom. I need answers.”
Ivy guessed Manny had decided to lay everything on the table.
“Emmanuel, I am sorry, sweetheart. I don’t understand. What are you talking about? How could your adoption have cost you everything?” Grace asked.
Well, it seemed like Emmanuel was going to get everything off his chest. Poor Grace looked so confused as she looked between Ivy and her son. It was clear she was lost. Ivy understood her confusion. There was no logical reasoning behind a false paternity result, even when one knew Emmanuel had a twin. Ivy suspected Grace didn’t know about the twin. Manny hadn’t reached the same conclusion; he assumed his mother knew.
Ivy hadn’t had time to discuss it with him. He’d been so closed off about the topic of his adoption. The only thing he was certain of was feeling betrayed. Well, he would learn his mother’s betrayal didn’t run as deep as he thought it did. Now Larson… Ivy was certain he was in it up to his neck.
Manny must have come to a similar conclusion. “Sorry, even with Ivy spelling it all out for me, it took a moment for me to understand it all.”
“I’m lost here, Emmanuel.” Grace looked from her son to Ivy.
“I’m just saying the knowledge that I have a twin could have saved us a lot of heartac?—”
“What!? You have a twin?” Just as Ivy suspected, Grace looked blindsided. She wasn’t the only one. Manny wasn’t expecting her reaction. Ivy took a glance at Larson. Now he didn’t look the least bit surprised.
“Wait. You guys didn’t know?” Manny questioned.
“Of course not. Why would we separate two babies? We could have raised you both… Wait!” Grace swung her gaze to Larson. Who once again looked ashen. “Larson? Did you know our son had a twin?”
“No, dear. This is coming as a shock to me as well.”
Grace seemed to hesitate as she squinted at her husband. It was brief. Turning her attention to her son, she asked, “how did you learn you had a twin?”
“Actually Ivy…” He paused, turned, and looked at her lovingly. “Didn’t accept the results of the paternity test. She knew there had to be an explanation for the test to have the results it did. Her investigation led her to the discovery of my identical twin. Who is the real father of the Journee woman’s baby.”
Grace’s eyes became huge saucers as she gasped, and one shaky hand flew to her mouth. “Oh goodness. This is a lot to digest. I’m so sorry, son. I must confess at times I wondered if you made a horrible mistake that you wouldn’t admit to.”
“I was raised better. Besides, I wouldn’t betray everything Doc and I have built over the years.” Manny brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed her hand. A bit of guilt pricked her conscience. She’d almost fallen prey to a horrible lie.
“Thank God,” Grace said as she swiped away a tear. “I’m so happy to hear that. I knew what you two meant to each other from the first time you introduced Ivy to me.”
Grace was a curious woman, and she had many questions. Some Manny and Ivy could answer. Others… they didn’t have an answer to. “Have you found your… brother?”
“No. We haven’t been able to find him yet,” Emmanuel answered as Ivy schooled her features. He squeezed her hand subtly. There was a reason he wasn’t ready to disclose the information, and Ivy would stand with him.
“Well, there must be something we can do to help. Larson?”
“Grace, I’m not sure what we can do. I imagine Emmanuel has someone working on it?” Larson inquired.
Luckily, Manny was saved from answering as his mother posed a question of her own. “The papers I gave Ivy haven’t helped?”
“What papers did you give Ivy?” Larson thundered.
Everyone in the room turned shocked eyes towards her father-in-law. He wasn’t one of her favourite people, but Ivy had never heard him say a cross word or raise his voice to his wife. The only tender spot he ever exhibited was towards his Grace.
“What’s gotten into you? I gave her all the documents we had concerning the adoption?—”
“Why the hell would you do something like that?”
“One, I tasked Ivy with a difficult request. I wanted to give her all the information to make it easier. Two and more importantly, why are you speaking to me this way?”
“I’m sorry Grace. The news caught me off guard.” Larson rubbed the back of his neck before his hand fell away into his lap.
“Well, not as off guard as your reaction has caught me.”
“My apologies to you both.”
A look passed between Manny and Ivy. What the hell was going on? Larson was a man rattled. The question was, why was he so fucking rattled?
“Emmanuel dear, your father should be able to fill in some blanks. Larson, tell him more about his mother. Maybe that will help.” As Grace spoke, Larson was already shaking his head.
“There is nothing I can add that the papers didn’t contain.”
“Well, there must be someone who can help. We owe Emmanuel.”
“Owe him? Grace, you will find we gave our son an amazing life.”
“That may be true, but it is a life filled with many omissions.”
Emmanuel scoffed in disgust. “I have no idea who my biological parents are. Do you realise the information I gave my physicians while I was going through my cancer scare was inaccurate? How could you not have told me then?”
A sob escaped Grace. “I was so worried it never crossed my mind. Emmanuel, I promise you we will do everything we can to get you answers.” Grace snapped her fingers. “We will start with Chester Ellison. He has to be able to fill in some of the pieces.”
“Grace, dear, we can try, but Chester is in a home. From what I heard, the man can barely remember his own name.” Well, wasn’t Larson… helpful? If the look on Emmanuel’s face was any indication, he felt the same mistrust that Ivy was feeling.
“Darn it! Emmanuel, we will come up with something.”
At least his mom gave a damn.
“I appreciate it, Mom. Really, I do.”
As they talked, Grace asked them to stay for dinner.
“Not today, Mom. We will take a rain check.”
“I understand.” Grace uttered those words, but her mannerism betrayed her. A blanket of sadness covered her features.
“It’s been a long day for both of us. Ivy and I are going to head out now.”
Manny stood, bringing Ivy with him. Her in-laws did the same. The walk back to the entrance was quiet. The air was heavy with revelations and, more importantly, with what was not said. Ivy was certain what they had learned so far was the tip of the iceberg.
The goodbyes were short. While they didn’t contain the same frost their arrival did, it was far from warm. They were halfway out the door when Emmanuel stopped, released Ivy’s hand, turned around and drew Grace into his embrace. It was brief, but it seemed to be just what the older woman needed.
“I’m sorry, Sweetheart.”
“We will work this out, Mom.” Manny nodded at his mother, reclaimed Ivy’s hand and left. Ivy couldn’t help but notice the same olive branch wasn’t extended to her father-in-law. Not that she blamed Manny. Larson’s visit, coupled with his recent reactions, was beyond suspicious.
Their ride home was decidedly different. Emmanuel had a lot to say. “Doc, thank you for pushing me to confront my parents.”
“I didn’t mean to push you.” Ivy apologised.
Manny patted her knee. “Hey, pushing isn’t a bad thing. I needed to address the adoption with my parents. In some ways, I feel much better having spoken to my parents.”
“In other ways?” She prompted.
“My dad is full of shit. He is hiding things. I’m going to get to the bottom of it all. My next move will be to expose his ass. I just hope the fallout doesn’t hurt my Mom.”
It was then that Ivy told him about Larson’s visit.
Manny seemed to take the news well. All he said was, “Hm.”
He remained quiet for a moment. Then he requested that the hands-free device make a call. When the man on the other end picked up, Manny got to the point. “You have gone my whole marriage without paying Ivy social calls. Let the one that you made be the first and the last.” The moment he said his peace, he hung up.
“Manny?”
“Don’t. Fuck him. Involving you was the wrong move.”
“It really wasn’t a big deal.”
“It was a big deal to me. My father is very intentional. I’m going to have your office swept for bugs.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Back in the day. It was his move.”
The thought made Ivy feel icky. Thank God Emmanuel hadn’t visited her office. The very thought their personal moments would be captured made her shudder. Wait. What about her patients and their personal information?
Manny’s phone interrupted her thoughts, as it announced, “Incoming call from Darsh.”
“Ignore,” Manny immediately responded. Ivy found his reaction suspicious.
“Why would you not take Darsh’s call?” One would think Manny would be chomping at the bit to speak with Darsh and get more information. What the hell was going on?