Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux (60 page)

“Okay, what is it?” he asked smiling at her.

“I don’t think that you’re quite over Ivy,” Rachel said looking back out the window. “I’m the next street.”

“I know where you are,” Nicola said awkwardly. “Why do you think that I’m not over Ivy?” He turned at her street and slowed his driving.

“For one, we haven’t made love yet.” Rachel looked down at her fingers. “It’s been long enough…nearly a month and a half. At first I thought that you were doing it for my sake, but tonight I realized that it was for your own. Secondly, I saw the way that you looked at her tonight. Something is still going on between you two.”

“Rachel, I haven’t made love to you, because I didn’t want to rush things.” He tried to explain. “I’m very attracted to you. You’re a beautiful woman…” Nicola avoided the discussion of his feelings for Ivy all together.

“I know that I’m beautiful, Nicola,” Rachel said cutting him off. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” Nicola said pulling into her driveway. He turned his truck off and turned to her giving her his full attention.

“When was the last time that you were intimate…with Ivy?”

Nicola looked away and sighed. Why not, “
When was the last time that you were intimate with anyone?
” That would have been a hell of a lot better. What was it with women? She would have never been asking these questions if he had just slept with her the first night and never called her again. “What difference does it make?” he asked staring her dead in her eyes. Inwardly, he knew exactly what difference it made, but he tried to buy himself time.

“When?” Rachel stared back at him.

“Recently,” Nicola said refusing to tell her that it was not even a week ago that he was in the middle of making love to Ivy when Santo busted in on them both.

“Since we’ve been seeing each other?” She clinched her keys.

Nicola debated whether or not to lie to her. “No.” He didn’t change his expression at all. He would tell her what she wanted to hear.

“Good.” Rachel said relieved. “Because I’d like you to spend the night tonight.” Her green eyes were wide and unopened to rejection. She willed him to say yes.

“Alright,” Nicola said unlocking the doors.

Nicola followed Rachel inside of her little three bedroom, red bricked home buried quietly in the mid-town Memphis neighborhood of Cooper and Young. She unlocked her door and motioned him inside. Nicola looked around impressed at the cozy little sanctuary decorated in art deco motif. Pulling off her shawl, she turned around and wrapped her hands around his neck. Purring like a cat, she felt him grab her by the waist and lift him up to her. Kissing her lips softly, he carried her over to her couch. As she lay back, he ran his fingers over the curve of her breast and thought of Ivy. Suddenly, he stopped.

“Wait. I can’t do this,” he said realizing that he was in between Rachel’s thighs.

“What?” Rachel asked confused. Her intense blue eyes burned through him.

“I can’t have sex with you tonight. And I can’t lie and tell you that I was with Ivy before we met. I was with her a few nights ago.” He fought with the thought visibly.

“I see,” Rachel said sitting up disappointed.

“I just don’t’ have my shit together right now. And that’s no reason to drag you down with me.” He stood up over the couch and looked over at the door.
This is embarrassing,
he thought inwardly.
What in the hell was wrong with me? Rachel is prime cut and I am about to leave hungry.
Alas, Ivy has completely stolen his mojo. “I’m really sorry about all of this,” Nicola said looking back at her.

“Yeah,” Rachel said unable to look at him. “I’m sure you are.” She straightened her clothes up and sat up on the couch. “Look, you’re a very nice guy, Nicola. I hope that it works out for you two.”

“Somehow, I just don’t think that it will,” Nicola said breathing heavily. He leaned over on the couch and kissed her forehead. Then quietly, he escorted himself to the front door and exited.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Exposed

Chapter 34

EXPOSED

“Ivy, I can’t believe that you all got caught up again,” Trina said with herhand over her mouth in total disbelief.

It was the night before the wedding and Ivy sat in her hotel bed talking with Trina. The bachelorette party had been a huge success, and now they had to get some rest before the big day. The bride’s maids had settled in for the night in their hotel rooms adjacent to Ivy’s at the Madison Hotel, a four-star boutique hotel in the middle of downtown Memphis. Sadie and Liz had gone hours earlier after the strip tease show by Thunder, a stripper with a lisp, a massive body and an undeniable crush on Sadie. Now the girls had the opportunity to spend some quality time together before the big day.

“Yeah, I know,” Ivy said sighing. “I couldn’t believe that we did it, but I also couldn’t believe that he had a twin.” Ivy shook her head. “He’s so secretive. That is why I just don’t trust him. He wants you to know your whole life story, yet he can’t tell you one thing about himself.”
“Even I didn’t know that he had a twin brother,” Trina said rolling her hair. “But you shouldn’t be so angry with him about not being an open book.”

“What does he have to hide? I didn’t even know who the father of my children was. I cannot judge anyone.” Ivy sighed. “I mean, who could he possibly be protecting?”

“Me,” Trina said solemnly. “He’s trying to protect me, Ivy.”

Ivy lifted her eyebrow confused. “What?”

Trina turned on bended knees in the bed, and sat down her rollers. “Emerald has been begging me to talk with you. He said that you would understand, but I know us. And I know how we are about our men…even though technically, you and Nicola aren’t together.” Trina stopped to gauge Ivy’s openness to the conversation.

“What about Nicola?” Ivy stopped smiling, sensing that whatever Trina had to say was critical.

“Ivy, I’ve been carrying around a huge secret. But it can’t wait any longer. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness for waiting until now with this.” Trina took Ivy’s hands.

“Trina, you’re scaring me,” Ivy said with her eyes watering.

“Earlier, you said that Nicola hasn’t asked for you, but I know that it hasn’t been because he didn’t want to. It was because he couldn’t.” She sighed heavily, afraid of the words that were about to come out of her mouth. “It was because Grey was holding something over his head about me.”

Ivy sat and listened carefully, shocked to find out that Nicola and Trina had been together years before and even more shocked to find out that Grey had known for so long. The news was both disturbing and painful. With her hands over her mouth and wiping a steady flow of tears, she took in the news, angry that Trina had not confided in her before now, but also understanding of how complicated the entire situation was for all of them. Her mouth quivered as she tried to speak.

“Please tell me that’s all,” Ivy said not wanting there to be anymore to the twisted story.

“That’s all,” Trina said wiping her tears. “Ivy, I don’t want us to stop being friends, but it would be worth it for you to find true happiness. You’ve given me so much, and I feel as though I owe you this. I’m just sorry that I wasn’t strong enough to tell you before.”

“I can understand,” Ivy said taking Trina by the hand. “Telling Grey about Nicola nearly killed me. Telling my family that I had gotten pregnant…” she gasped. “It was the worst experience of my entire life.”

“I wouldn’t have said anything if I thought that Nicola was just a one night stand, but I’ve seen you two fall head over heals in love with each over these past months. I don’t want you to miss something great because of me. It’s only fair that you find true happiness. Look at me. I don’t know what I would have done without Emerald,” Trina said rubbing her stomach.

“I need to pray about this,” Ivy said confused. She rubbed her temples. “I don’t know what in the hell is going on in my own life.” She laughed, dismayed by her current situation, wiping tears from her eyes she sniffed. “And all this time, I thought it was because he didn’t care.” She looked at Trina. “But he does care. I know that this was hard for you, but thank you for telling me.”

***

The full moon shone down on Nicola as he sat by his pool looking up at the cloudless night gleaming stars and sipping on a bottle of Heineken. There was a quiet peace in his home tonight. The twins were fast asleep in their beds, his brother was upstairs watching television and his parents were out enjoying Memphis. Thoughts of Ivy cascaded through his mind and consumed him as he tried to prepare himself for tomorrow’s fiasco. Alone in his sorrow, he waded his bare legs in the warm water and listened to the stereo playing Incubus’s
Wish You Were Here
. And he did wish that she was there. He allowed his imagination to run and before long came thoughts of Ivy in a beautiful flowing wedding gown, marrying Grey instead of him, raising his sons without him. In his thoughts, he suffered alone away from all that could know it.

Santo had watched Nicola sulk for nearly an hour out of the bedroom window. He had never seen his brother so in love with a woman, even more so than Arin. The thought was comforting because it meant that his brother had moved on. However, the thought was also deeply troubling, because it meant yet another woman that Nicola loved had chosen to marry another. Santo wanted to go down to him and lend a shoulder to the cause, maybe encourage him to get some rest. There was nothing worst than sulking. Deciding to act on his thoughts, he headed down to the pool but was interrupted by the doorbell.

“Please, God don’t let it be more drama?” he said aloud looking down at this watch. It was nearly three in the morning.

Going to the door hesitantly, considering all of the ruckus over the last few days, he peered through the peephole to find Ivy on the other side of the door in her pajamas. How interesting, Santo thought to himself as he curiously opened the door.

“Hi, Santo,” Ivy said pulling at her hair nervously.

“You can tell us apart?”

“Of course,” Ivy said stepping in out of the darkness. “I came to see, Nicola. Is he in?
Is he alone?
” She allowed the words to fall clumsily out of her mouth.

“He is in, and
he is alone
,” Santo said closing the door. He thought Ivy was exceedingly charming and the best match for his twin brother.

“He’s asleep?” Ivy asked looking around.

“No. He’s out by the pool,” Santo said lifting his eyebrow. “Do you want to surprise him.”

“Yes,” Ivy said walking towards the den. “I know how to get there.”

Ivy stepped down into the den and pulled the black linen curtains away from the wall-to-wall glass windows. She examined Nicola’s body language for a moment, still sitting by the pool, his form slumped over. She could have stayed there and gazing at him all night, but she had to prepare for a wedding the next day. So, moving along, she opened the doors and went out to him.

Nicola didn’t turn at first, assuming it was just Santo coming out to join him. He instead gulped down the last of his beer and pulled his shirt off for a swim.

“Is this what you call babysitting?” Ivy asked playfully, standing behind him.

Turning quickly, Nicola’s mouth dropped stunned at Ivy’s presence. He stood up and closed his mouth, darted his eyes around her trying to find something clever to say, but regrettably he was only left with his sincerest of emotions. Rubbing his hand through his large chocolate curls, he pulled back on his shirt. “They have enough sense to be asleep at this hour.”

Ivy smiled at his dishevelment. It pleased her to see that she was not the only one that could be overcome. She walked up to him and hugged him tightly, feeling his heart beat against her own. He kissed the crown of her head and released her.

“I’m afraid to ask why you’re here,” Nicola said taking her by the arm and leading her back into the house out of the night air.

“I had to say something to you that couldn’t be said over the phone and couldn’t wait until tomorrow.” Ivy turned and stared into his eyes. “You look so flushed,” she touched his red cheeks.

“I’m fine. What is it?” Nicola said trying to stop his racing mind. He took her hand in his own.

Ivy caught her breath as it tried to leap from her body. “Trina told me everything,” she said watching the air deflate from his body. “She told me about the night you two slept together, the abortion, about Grey and his threats. She told me everything.” Her arms trembled. She heard Santo’s feet shuffle across the floor and up the back stairwell.
Nicola needed to sit down. Releasing Ivy, he reached for a chair but settled for the corner of his end table. The room began to spin around and around and little sweat beads popped on his forehead.
She has come to kick me in the balls
, Nicola thought to himself. He looked up at her, realizing that his betrayal was total. He tried to beg her forgiveness.

“I swear that I’ve tried to keep this from you,” Nicola said softly raising both brows at her. “I wanted to protect you and Trina.” He reached out for her.

“Protect us from what?” Ivy asked walking closer to him.

“From the truth,” Nicola said unable to read her. “I didn’t want you to loose your friend. And I didn’t want to loose Brooks. So, I just stayed away. Until this day, I still don’t remember being with Trina, but I know that she wouldn’t lie about something like that.” He sighed heavily feeling his heart in his stomach. “Look, I know that you think the worst of me, and you’ve seen the worst of me. In fact, since you’ve met me, I’ve caused you nothing but pain. But all that I can do at this point is ask for your understanding. I’m not a good man, Ivy. I know that, but I don’t believe that I am a bad man either. I’m just…somewhere in between.”