Chapter 612

Jamison gave a faint, amused smile. “That’s all it takes to make them cave?”

He’d thought the Carter family would put up more of a fight, maybe drag things out for a while. But to his surprise, they surrendered the very same day.

“So… are we meeting them or not?”

“Nope.” Jamison grinned. “What, do I look like I have nothing better to do, meeting whoever asks?”

“Got it. I’ll get back to them.”

As soon as he hung up, Boyd went off to handle the matter.

But later that day, a call came in from the Ludwig estate.

“Jamison, come home for dinner tonight.” This time, it was Danny himself.

Jamison remembered it was the weekend, and Ivy was home. He figured it’d be a little too lonely to leave her eating dinner by herself, so he asked, “Is it urgent? If not, I’ll come by Monday night.”

Danny, already guessing his son’s intentions, grumbled, “What, Ivy doesn’t want to come back?”

“It’s not that she doesn’t want to – it’s just, every time she comes over, things get awkward. She doesn’t want to put everyone in a bad mood.”

Danny sighed. “It’ll just be the two of you and Thad tonight. Your sister’s family isn’t coming.”

The whole Ludwig family already knew Micah Shepherd had caught something and was sick.

With his immune system weakened, Carla Ludwig hadn’t been back to the estate for a while, just to be safe – and Micah, the “walking germ,” was staying away too.

“Alright, I understand.”

Ivy had just woken up from her afternoon nap and was already back at her desk, completely absorbed in her work.

Jamison couldn’t wrap his head around how a college student could be busier than he was.

He pushed open the study door and leaned against the edge of her desk, watching his wife’s eyes flick over the screen while her fingers danced across the keyboard. She didn’t even look up at him, which, he had to admit, made him a little jealous.

One thing was certain: once she entered the workforce, she’d be a full-blown workaholic.

Not that he could blame her, with how badly she wanted to break into the finance world, fighting to carve out a place for herself in the market.

Eventually, Ivy could feel his gaze burning into her. After a while, she finally looked up, meeting his eyes. “What’s up?”

Jamison nodded, but then said, “You finish up first.”

“I’m not finishing up today.” She was working on her thesis.

Just the other day, she’d mentioned to Jamison that she was planning to publish a paper soon.

After finishing her first draft, she’d asked a well-respected professor from her department to review it. The professor had been shocked – how could an undergrad write something so professional and insightful? He spent a long time going over it with her, offering detailed feedback.

Now she was determined to get her revisions done as soon as possible.

Jamison was quietly impressed.

Just that afternoon, she’d been sitting in a daze, troubled by what happened with Baillie. Yet after a quick nap, she was back on track – level-headed, focused, following her plan.

No matter how wild the storm blew outside, she stayed completely unruffled.

His wife was truly remarkable.

But since he was still standing there, Ivy could only sigh, save her document, and swivel her chair toward him. “Alright, what is it?”

Jamison took her hand and stood her up, then sat himself down and pulled her into his lap.

He was tall and broad, so every time he held Ivy like this, it felt like he was hugging a life-sized doll.

“Dad called earlier. He wants us home for dinner. He made it clear my sister’s family won’t be there, so it’s an open invitation for you too.”

Ivy had said before she wasn’t keen on going back to the Ludwig estate, if only to avoid more unpleasantness.

So, Jamison made sure to ask for her opinion.

“Is it just a family dinner, or is there something important to discuss?” Ivy asked.

“Just dinner, I think. I’ve been busy and haven’t been back in a while. Plus, after the car accident yesterday, the family’s probably worried and wants to make sure we’re both really okay.”

If that was the case, it was only right to ease their minds.

Ivy nodded. “Sure, let’s go. The chef at the estate is pretty good anyway.”

Jamison was speechless for a moment and tapped her on the nose. “So you’re only going for the food?”

“What else? You gotta eat to live.” Ivy wriggled out of his arms, turning back to her computer. “Let me finish editing this section. Go wait somewhere else.”

Jamison frowned, not pleased. “Do you really have to get it done today?”

“Not really, but I don’t have anything else to do right now.”

“Says who? Spending time with me doesn’t count?” Jamison caught her hand before she could reach the keyboard, holding her fast.

Ivy gave him a look, lips pursed in exasperation. “Why are you acting like such a kid? You’re so clingy.”

“We only get weekends together. Isn’t it normal to want to be close?”

“But you’re the one who usually stays at the faculty apartment. It’s just that you were busy this week and couldn’t.”

“Exactly, so this weekend you have to make up for it – spend more time with me.” Ivy could only roll her eyes and look at him. “So what do you want to do?”

He pretended to think it over, then said with a straight face, “Start by giving me a kiss.”

“Jamison!” Ivy groaned, exasperated.

“What? Isn’t that what married couples do? Or do you have a better idea of what ‘spending time together’ means?”

Ivy was momentarily at a loss but refused to back down. After a pause, she argued, “Can’t I just do my work while you read or do your own thing next to me? That’s spending time together too. It doesn’t always have to be kissing and cuddling..."

Chapter 613

Mostly, Ivy was worried that