Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux (20 page)

“I didn’t let him. We used protection. It must have slipped or something.” She turned away from him in shame.

“Protection? If you were really interested in protecting yourself you wouldn’t have thrown your legs open and invited him in. Don’t try to justify this bullshit, and don’t ever bring up how you may have gotten pregnant by him again. I’m quite sure that I know how these things happen. Now, grab your things. I want you out of my family’s house.” Turning away, Grey walked out of the kitchen door and left her standing in sheer humility.

Book Two

Chapter Nine: Happy New Year!

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Chapter 9

Happy New Year!

Ivy had decided the day after the Grey’s Christmas party that she needed to get her own apartment and within days signed a lease with an apartment complex in Cordova not far from her mother’s home. This would be a counter move just in case she didn’t marry Grey in the summer. Plus, she still needed a place for the baby once he or she arrived. As a favor to Ivy’s current state, Trina moved also to provide support both financially and mentally.

Much to her surprise, Ivy had not spoken to Grey in nearly a week. He had text messaged her to make sure that she was physically well, but refused to speak with her personally for fear that his anger might overcome him.

Nicola had been missing in action, too. He had not called once since he left her dorm room the morning after his discovery of the child. She wasn’t sure if the lack of communication from the men was good or bad, but she used to time to prepare herself for the next hurdle of her life, which was telling her parents.

There was, however, a small sentiment of pride that she was moving forward without approval. Moving out of the dorms into an apartment was a decision that she had made on her own, using her own resources. For once, she was taking charge of her life and leaving little room for suggestions.

As Ivy pulled into the Registry at Cordova apartment complex, her cell phone vibrated on her hip. Debating whether or not to answer it, she looked at the caller ID. It was Nicola of all people. Without explanation, her heart began to flutter.

“Hello?” Ivy said turning down her radio.

“Hey. Happy New Year,” Nicola said in reasonably good spirits.

“Happy New Year to you, too,” Ivy said happy to hear his voice.

“Uh, I was just calling to see how you were. I know that it’s been a minute since you’ve heard from me.”

“Yeah.” Ivy pulled into her parking spot and turned off her car. “I’m fine. Just in the process of moving.” She was proud of her accomplishment and couldn’t wait to share the news with him. “What have you been up to?”

“Nothing much. I’m just leaving a bust in South Memphis and…moving? Where to?” His first guess was her fiancé’s house. Such a decision would surely make it more difficult for their already overly complicated situation.

“Trina and I have our own place in Cordova now. It’s at the Registry at Woodhaven.”

“Huh.” He was impressed with her selection. “Yeah, that’s a nice neighborhood. Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” she said smiling. “It’s not exactly the most exciting New Year’s Eve plans, but I’m happy. I’m surprised that Brooks didn’t tell you.”

“He tends to forget anything that isn’t about him. Well, do you need some help? I know with the
baby
you can’t do a lot of moving.” There was a strange and awkward silence as Nicola tried to move past his first recognition of the pregnancy as a form of life.

“No, thanks though. For the most part, the movers took care of everything yesterday. Trina is going to take care of everything else.” Ivy tensed up as well when she thought about the word
baby
. She was actually going to be a mother. Oh, God.

“Alright.” Even as long as Nicola had waited to call he had absolutely nothing to say to Ivy. There was always an awkwardness about their situation he could not get over. He wasn’t ready for fatherhood. He wasn’t ready for responsibility. He wasn’t ready for Ivy!

“Hello?” Ivy said hoping that she had not lost her signal.

“I’m here. Um, you can call me at any time day or night if you need me,” Nicola said taking a long, deep breath and trying to calm his silent panic attack. .

“Thanks, again,” Ivy said hearing his familiar voice of concern.

“Alright then.” Nicola felt as though he had said more than enough. “I better get back to doing what it is that I do.”

“Alright. Talk with you later,” Ivy said softly as she hung up the phone.

“Who was that?” Trina asked standing at the car door while Ivy finished her conversation.

“Nicola. He just wanted to know how
the baby
and I were doing.” Ivy got out of the car and smiled.

“Alright now,” Trina said shaking her head. “Don’t forget your bargain with Grey.”

“I didn’t agree,” Ivy frowned profusely. “I won’t separate Nicola from this child if it is his just because of Grey’s insecurities.”

“It’s not the child Grey’s trying to keep from Nicola,” Trina said grabbing a box from Ivy’s back seat. “It’s you.”

“My God, Trina. You act like the guy is a blood-sucking vampire,” Ivy said defensively. She didn’t want anyone to spoil the fact that Nicola had taken time to call her.

**

Across town in the historic Central Gardens estates, Grey sat quietly in his father’s study watching his father smoke an Ashton cigar. As the smoke billowed up to the ceiling, Grey poured another glass of scotch and sipped it lightly savoring the taste and contemplating a plan of action for Ivy and Nicola.

“You want to tell me what’s wrong with you, boy?’ Mayor Henderson said putting down his newspaper. “You’ve been here two hours and haven’t said one full sentence.”

“Here’s one for you.
Ivy is pregnant
,” Grey blurted unconcerned with his father’s approval.

“Oh,” his father said taking the cigar out his mouth. “Well, that explains the face.” Looking back at the newspaper, his father tried to let the news settle before he began his interrogation.

“Go ahead. Ask your questions. I’ve been preparing myself all day,” Grey said feeling his father’s eyes glaring at him.

“Alright.” Mayor Henderson sat up in his chair. “How does this affect the family?”

“Negatively. The child could possibly belong to someone else,” Grey said irritated. “Some cop.” Grey gulped down the potent contents in his glass and set it down angrily on the end table.

“Not Ivy!” Mayor Henderson folded his newspaper and pondered for a moment. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Same thing I said.” Grey poured another glass of scotch.

“Easy on that boy. It won’t help. Believe me, I know.”

“Yeah, I’m sure Mom’s stepped out on you and gotten pregnant a few times,” Grey said sarcastically. Mayor Henderson shot back a brutal look that made him remember his place. “Anyway, the only thing that will help is an abortion. The problem with that is that even if I could bring myself to ask her to have one, I’m sure that she would not.” The thought sickened him.

“Abortion is legal not moral. The Henderson men have been fighting abortion for thirty years. It’s a politician’s cash cow. More lobbyist pay to fight that than they do clean air or education just ask your uncle.”

“Well, when I run for Congress next term, I’ll remember that.” Grey sighed heavily exhaling the large upheaval trapped air in his lungs. “Right now my issues include a pregnant fiancée, a bastard child and a postponed wedding.”

“How far are you planning to push the wedding back?” It was already hard enough to keep Grey’s many indiscretions out of the hands of the wrong people, but it would be even harder to keep such a scandalous incident out of gossip columns. All of Memphis would be buzzing.

“She’s not due until July 29
^th
. The wedding was set for the end of May, so we’ll have to push it back until the middle of September.”

“Why so late?”

“I can’t bring myself to marry a pregnant woman. If we’re going to get married, I want to at least know what I’m up against. Besides that I’m not going to have some over exaggerated wedding and not enjoy the honeymoon. You know how irritating pregnant women can be.”

“Do you really think that she will leave that child right after she has given birth?”

“The child will be six weeks old. Mom can watch it, or Ivy’s mom or a sitter. Hell, I really don’t care.” Grey hadn’t given much thought to babysitting before and refused to do so now.

“Your mother may watch the baby
if the baby is yours. If the baby is not yours, someone else will have to baby-sit. Look into hiring a good nanny, now. And stop saying
it
. There is no
it
involved here. There is a child involved. Don’t be caught referring to a child as an
it
. You get quoted, and you’ll never live it down.”

“Something else to remember.” Grey sighed. “This has been more than a notion.”

“I can only imagine. I love your mother, but I can tell you now that she won’t be a damned bit tolerant with this situation.” With Mayor Henderson, everything translated into approval or disapproval of his lovely wife, Maple.

Grey looked up surprised but in agreement. “You’re right. I’ll look into some reputable nanny’s later in the pregnancy.” His mother’s wrath worried him more than the situation.

“Always remember to plan ahead.” Grey’s father smiled as he put his cigar back in his mouth. “And meet this man as soon as possible.”

“Why would I want to meet this guy?” Grey didn’t want to lay eyes on him. He hated him already and didn’t even know him.

“Don’t you want to know who this remarkable fellow is? After eight years, he steps in and in a matter of moments…steals your fiancée. Now, I don’t know about you, but I would want to know whom the son of a bitch was that so damned cunning. Plus, you need to evaluate who could possibly be in your life for the rest of your life, and decide if it’s worth it. Ivy’s a nice girl, but you should cut your ties now. It’s not like everyone won’t understand.”

“I gave Ivy an ultimatum. If we marry, even if the baby is his, he can’t be connected to it.”

“Did she accept?” Grey’s father looked surprised.

“No. Not yet.”

“She won’t either. Take my advice. Just go and meet the man face-to-face. Come to some type of agreement. Believe me, he won’t just go away.” Grey’s father picked his newspaper back up. “Besides that, don’t be so hard on her. If I recall correctly, you had a scare what two years ago now? The doctor from the abortion clinic that you were seeing on the side thought she was pregnant. You could have easily been in the same situation.” It was important not to let his son forget that he was no angel.

“I wish that it was me. Maybe, I’d be able to take it better. Every time I think of another man touching Ivy, I swear to God I feel like killing someone.” Grey could feel his veins bulging out the side of his neck.

“Well, let me ask this…why are you marrying her at all, if this is going to be such a big issue for you?”

“Well, for one, I love her. And I think if the shoe was on the other foot, she would still marry me. Second, I can’t run for office next term with a bastard child in the limelight. The media will eat it up, especially the republicans here. They have been looking for a way to hang our ass since we moved into this house.” He knew that his father already knew that answer to the question, but Grey voiced it just to give him ease.

“I just wish that you would have listened well to my advice,” Mayor Henderson said sighing.

“What’s that?” Grey rolled his eyes again. He was in no mood to hear one of his father’s long drawn out speeches, but considering he was sitting face-to-face with him in his house, he had no choice.

“Don’t let a woman wrap your personal life and career around her finger,” Mayor Henderson said with a slighting tone in his voice.

“So, how do you explain Mom having you by the balls?” Grey asked frustrated. He had had enough of playing the role of the man. It was time to actually stand up and be one.

Mayor Henderson lifted an eyebrow as his only response and finished his cigar.

Inwardly Grey knew the cardinal rule of the Henderson men had been broken. It had been the one thing that the did not do. They never allowed a woman to absolutely control them under any circumstance, but Grey had failed. He would be the first of nearly three generations of well-respected, well-educated young bachelors in his family to allow the birth of a child out of wedlock to actually happen. However, times had changed. He knew what it would take to win the Seat, and he could do it as long as he kept a cool head, a clear vision and strong game plan that included keeping Ivy as close and quiet as possible.

Chapter Ten: The Meeting

Chapter 10

THE MEETING

“
I need to meet this Nicola,”
Grey said pulling a roasted duck out of his oven and setting it on the stove. He hated that he had waited until he and Ivy were about to sit down to a quiet dinner after a long day at work to discuss such a complicated matter, but that was the way the cards were dealt.

Grey had finally thought through the entire situation and agreed that his father was right. As long as Nicola remained “successful and determined” in Ivy’s eyes, as she had described him that night at his father’s house, then he remained to be a threat. He had to somehow find out what Nicola’s real story was and make his flaws apparent to Ivy before he found himself married to someone else’s wife.