Jamison arched an eyebrow, shooting his wife a disgruntled look.
Ivy squeezed his hand under the table, signaling him to keep quiet, then turned to reassure the elderly woman, “Mom, please don’t worry. Even if he can’t have children, I won’t hold it against him. We can choose to live childfree, or we could adopt if we want to. Let’s just take things as they come.”
The old woman’s face darkened at that. Her tone was stern as she replied, “That’s not acceptable. You have to have a child. If it comes to it, you should try IVF–do whatever it takes.”
Jamison’s expression hardened. “IVF takes a real toll on a woman’s body, and since the problem is on my end, the chances of success are slim at best. There’s no reason for her to suffer through that for nothing.”
As a doctor, he knew all too well just how hard IVF could be on a woman’s health.
But the old woman was stubborn. “You still need to try. What if it works? There’s nothing like your own flesh and blood. You never know where an adopted child comes from–what if something happens…”
Jamison’s patience snapped. He cut her off before she could finish, “Mom, about this-”
But before he could get the words out, Ivy pinched his hand again and quickly soothed the old woman, “Mom, why don’t you focus on getting better for now? We’ll take this seriously, I promise.”
“Hmm, fine. Go get some dinner, I’m going to rest a bit,” the old woman said, her expression softening slightly at Ivy’s attitude. She waved them off, signaling that they could leave.
Once they stepped out of the bedroom, Jamison said bluntly, “Just ignore her. I’m not interested in having kids anyway. I think it’s perfect, just the two of us.”
Ivy lowered her voice, “Still, you can’t argue with her face–to–face, not when she’s still recovering.”
“I know how to handle it.”
He sounded sure, but Ivy couldn’t help worrying. “Also, when we’re at your parents‘ place, you really don’t need to go out of your way to defend me. And you absolutely shouldn’t argue with them just because of me.”
Jamison had already taken a couple of steps away, but at that, he turned back, his handsome face marked with confusion. “Why not?”
“Why do you think?” Ivy stepped up beside him, giving his arm a playful little punch as she spoke in a hushed voice. “The more you defend me, the more jealous they get. They’ll just see me as some conniving seductress who’s turned their son against his family.”
Jamison couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t just stand by if you’re being mistreated.”
“Relax, I’m not exactly the meek, long–suffering daughter–in–law type.”
What Ivy really thought was that Jamison’s parents were getting up there in years, and with his hot temper, if he ever went head–to–head with them and something happened to their health, that would be a burden she couldn’t bear.
There was another reason, too: she’d realized that Jamison’s parents, for all their prickliness, weren’t unreasonable people.
They didn’t much care for her, but for Jamison’s sake, they’d still accepted her into the family.
That was a far cry from the kind of in–laws who’d resort to cold words, endless criticism, or even threats to break up a marriage.
And anyway, Jamison wasn’t a mama’s boy–he treated her well.
So, after weighing it all up, Ivy didn’t mind putting up with a little discomfort during their visits to the Ludwig family estate.
Worst case scenario, she could always take it out on Jamison once they were back home–he might even think it added a little spice to their marriage.
Jamison thought it over, then pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the cheek, unable to help himself. “Ivy, thank you. You’re amazing.”
Ivy couldn’t help but snicker inwardly.
First time anyone’s called me “amazing” in that way, she thought–it almost sounded sarcastic.
Just as they were getting cozy, Thad Ludwig walked in and caught them in the act. He immediately slapped a hand over his eyes and spun around. “For crying out loud, can’t you two keep it PG? What if you corrupt the kid?”
He hadn’t finished speaking when Halley Ludwig’s excited, high–pitched voice rang out, “Uncle Jamison, Aunt Ivy, are you making me a little brother or sister?”
Jamison and Ivy both fell silent, exasperated.
After dinner, Halley learned that Uncle Jamison and Aunt Ivy would be spending the night at the family estate, and flat–out refused to leave. She insisted on sharing a room with them.
Davina Foster was mortified by her son’s antics, trying every trick to persuade him, but nothing worked.
“I want to stay with Uncle Jamison and Aunt Ivy!” Halley declared, pushing her mother towards the door. “I promise I won’t interrupt them making me a little brother or sister. Mom, you and Dad go home–don’t ruin our fun together!”
Davina was so frustrated she had a headache. She rounded on her husband. “Thad! Take your son and get him out of here. He’s driving me crazy!”
Thad got out of the car, but before he could reach Halley, the little rascal darted away, scampering straight to Jamison and leaping into his arms like a monkey.
“Uncle Jamison, save me!”
Jamison found his nephew a handful, but Ivy was amused. When Thad approached, she suggested, “Hey, why not let Halley stay at the estate tonight? The driver can take him straight to preschool in the morning–you and Davina could use a night off.”
Davina circled back, protesting, “No way. He’s too much to handle, you shouldn’t have to deal with him.”
“I’m not too much!” Halley, still clinging to Jamison, piped up quickly. “I promise to be good for Aunt Ivy! I won’t move around in my sleep, I won’t fart, and I definitely won’t talk in my dreams!”