Chapter 6 #2
“Ivy’s mother was named Regina, and her father–or the man who thought he was her father–was named Ivan.
Cassia is the aunt that’s been raising her.
She was Ivan’s twin. Ivan and his wife died at the same time.
Cassia feels that Ivy is her last link to her brother, so she’s not really keen on sharing her. ”
“Cassia and her sisters, Iliana and Erisa, almost died too. Their parents and their grandmother were in the house that night, and they died along with Ivy’s parents,” Scarlet explained.
Dad didn’t put it together that Scarlet had been part of the secret. “Holy shit! How did they all die?”
“Carbon monoxide poisoning.”
“She lost her parents and her twin brother in one night?” Loyal asked.
“And her grandmother?” Dahlia whispered in shock. “Oh my God.”
“That’s fucked up,” Chevy muttered. “No wonder she’s holding on tight.”
“She’s been through so much. When did this happen?” Mom asked with tears in her eyes.
“The baby was five and half months old. They were all in the hospital for quite some time. As they were released, they moved into their parents’ house in Dallas together to support each other.
It also kept them close to the hospital that Ivy was flown to that night and her doctors for her follow-up appointments. ”
“Were her parents doctors?” Dahlia asked. When I nodded, she said, “I saw a news report about that after it happened. They were important doctors for some reason, but I can’t remember why.”
“They were pediatricians who created a non-profit organization to bring medical care to war-torn countries,” I explained. “They were very well respected.”
“Holy shit,” Dad whispered before he took another sip of coffee.
“All of their children were adopted from places where they gave aid,” I explained. “They adopted Cassia and her twin brother when they were about six. The other two sisters came later from different areas, but under the same circumstances.”
“Let me get this straight,” Mom said with narrowed eyes.
“She was born in a war zone, lived there until she was six, was rescued by two saints, then lost them along with the brother who had been by her side through everything. And then she somehow rescued my granddaughter from dying at the same time she lost half of her family?”
“Yes.”
“Well, shit!” Mom exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t fucking hate her for keeping the baby away from you now because I don’t blame her one bit!”
“How did you find out about the baby?” Chevy asked.
“The youngest sister, Iliana, knew I was the father, so she came to Rojo to check me out and then showed up at the clubhouse and told me about Ivy.”
“Iliana went behind her sister’s back because she was convinced that Ivy needed more family than just the three of them,” Scarlet explained.
“How did you convince her to come here?” Adam asked.
“I blackmailed her,” I admitted simply.
“Really, Mem? You couldn’t . . . I don’t know . . . tread carefully? This woman holds the future of your daughter in her hands,” Josh said.
“I told her that she could either bring the baby to Rojo and make us part of her family, or I would drag her through the court system and take the baby anyway.”
“You didn’t threaten to take her child, Memphis!”
“I did. I’m not proud of it, but that’s how I played it.”
Mom slowly shook her head in disgust. “Do you know what sort of hoops I would have jumped through to keep your brothers with me? I’d have traveled to hell and slept in a bed next to the devil himself to make sure I didn’t lose them. You’ve basically made her believe that’s what she’s doing!”
Adam walked over and kissed Mom on the cheek before he pulled her into a hug. “We love you too.”
“Get off me,” Mom said grumpily as she half-heartedly pushed him away.
Before he let her go, she kissed his cheek and smiled.
She winked at Heath and Josh–whom she had also adopted after their biological father died–and grinned when they smiled back.
“How are you going to fix this relationship after you started it by threatening her?”
“I’m going to get to know her while she gets to know me, and before long we’ll realize that we can work together to raise Ivy while still going on with our lives,” I explained.
“And when you go on tour again, you’re just going to leave her here to take care of your daughter and wait for you to come back?” Dad asked.
“We’ll be here to help her,” Dahlia promised.
“I don’t know what that part looks like yet, but my plan is to have them live on the road with me.”
“If you keep trying to plan her life, she’s going to hate you more than anything in this world, Memphis,” Mom warned.
“I’m not trying to plan her life; I’m trying to plan for my daughter’s future. If she wants to be part of it, she can buck up or kick rocks.”
“Son, if she doesn’t kick your ass for being a prick, I’ll do it for her,” Dad promised.
“Listen, I’m just trying to make sure Ivy is taken care of.”
“Sounds like she has been doing just fine on her own without any fucking input from you for . . . two years, right?” When I nodded, Mom huffed before she said, “Your dad won’t have to kick your ass because I’ll do it my damn self.
You can’t just bust in like the Kool-Aid man and rip her fucking life apart, and then expect her to sit meekly while you make declarations like you’re suddenly the one in charge.
Fix your attitude, change your perspective, find some compassion in your heart, and at least become a friend to this woman–if for no other reason than the fact that she’s your child’s family and you’re going to be tethered to one another for the rest of your lives. ”
“Or you could do it for the right reason,” Dad suggested, then took another sip of coffee.
“What do you mean? What’s the right reason?”
“Because the man we raised should know that taking care of your family and the people who matter is the most important job you’ll ever do in this life.”
“You’re both right,” I admitted. “I went about this the wrong way, but in my defense, I followed some advice that steered me in that direction.”
“Did Gamma suggest you steal their passports so they can’t leave the country?” Scarlet asked.
Mom and Dad both stared at me in shock, and I winced. “No,” I said. “I pulled an audible and threw that in when she said it was going to take her a week to pack up and get into town.”
“You gave her a fucking week to move here? She’s supposed to get a house full of stuff, a child, and all that entails, and her entire life buttoned up and transported in a week?” Dahlia asked. When I nodded, she deadpanned, “You’re a dumbass.”
“And where is she going to live when she gets here?” Heath asked. He glanced over at Josh before he asked, “Do we have a place that’s move-in-ready right now?”
“She doesn’t need a house. Ivy, Cassia, and her sisters are moving in with me.” The silence that followed lasted exactly one second before the garage exploded.
Adam, Josh, Heath, and Dad erupted in laughter, their booming voices echoing through the garage as the rest of them stared at them like they were nuts. Finally, Dad said, “Son, you don’t need any more punishment than what you’ve already carefully planned out for yourself.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Adam slapped me on the shoulder and said, “You’ll see.”
I watched Scarlet pull out her phone and start showing everyone pictures of Ivy. I smiled when Mom got tears in her eyes at the sight of her. While everyone fawned over the pictures Scarlet was scrolling through, Dad walked over and stopped in front of me, blocking my view.
“I’m proud of the fact that you’re going to step up and be that little girl’s father. You’re a good man, so I would expect nothing less, but you know you went about it the wrong way, don’t you?”
“Gamma thought this was the best way!” I blurted as I threw my hands up in a don’t-shoot-the-messenger gesture.
“Gamma knows the whole situation?” Dad asked.
I nodded and explained how I’d met Iliana at the clubhouse that day, noting that Gamma and Papa Smokey had known about Ivy before I even did.
Dad sipped his coffee, his eyes narrowing as he pondered the logistics.
“Your Gamma’s a fucking genius, but we knew that already, didn’t we? ”
“What do you mean?”
“Instead of everyone in the family holding it against her for keeping the baby away, Gamma turned you into the villain of the story and got everyone’s sympathy on this woman’s side. That’s gonna make her welcome to the family much warmer than it would have been before.”
I thought about what he said and then gasped. My stomach did a slow roll as the pieces clicked into place. Gamma had been playing chess while I was playing checkers.
“She’s a wily one,” I admitted.
“She is. Now, explain to me why my brain is vibrating and I can smell colors. I haven’t had a buzz like this in fucking years.”
“Mom’s been swapping your coffee out for decaf for a while now, and you just drank your first cut of real caffeine in weeks,” I tattled.
“Damn, this feels good!”