Baxter had finished one meeting, late of course, and was preparing for the next which should have started two minutes before, when Dani buzzed him.
"I'm almost ready."
"Mrs. Kane's on the line. She says it's urgent."
Dread hit him like an anchor in his gut. His father. "Mother is father okay."
"He's at the office, so yes."
"What's urgent? Doyle!"
"I didn't want Danielle to put me off. I'm tired of you and that girl generating publicity."
"We aren't hiding." He like #mysterygirl. Jimmy thought it was hysterical.
"She can't hide. Now all my friends will know she's nobody. What kind of name is Krasinski? It's humiliating. Bates is so much better."
"Because your friends respect men who abuse women. Wait a minute, what do you mean all your friends will know?" His heart pounded.
"Someone finally revealed her name, and it is unacceptable for this to continue."
He looked at his phone. "Mother, I'm late for a meeting and I'm an adult. I'll pick my wife."
"Wife!"
"Goodbye." He hung up and called, "Danielle!"
She appeared. "Did you know about this?" He thrust his phone in front of her face. She shook her head. "Get Macintyre to go to the school and stay with her. Then have him drive her to Sinclairs."
"Aren't the senior Sinclairs home?"
He looked at her puzzled. "You talked about it at Tate's place."
"Yes. I'll call myself."
Elena Sinclair was excited to meet Ivy and encouraged him to stay as long as he wanted. He had been too busy to look into moving. Baxter was late for his meeting. He tried calling Ivy, but she was in class, so he texted her instead. When she called, he answered and stepped outside the boardroom. His authoritative voice told her Mac was her bodyguard. Baxter didn't like how her classmate had posted her identity and location. He'd talk to her about the details later.
At six o'clock, when he arrived at the Sinclair's, Charles took his coat while Jimmy came down the stairs. "You're home."
His friend nodded and stepped close to him. "What do we do about the little amoeba who sent the post?"
Baxter frowned. "It was bound to happen. Macintyre said people only looked and a few pointed."
"She's still here, so they didn't spook her too much."
Laughter floated out of the parlor. Baxter followed the sound to find Ivy and Elena Sinclair together. Joseph stood as he entered and reached out his hand.
Baxter grasped it. "How are you, sir?"
"Alright. Thank you. We are enjoying your young lady."
Baxter smiled and as his gaze moved to Ivy's, she smiled back at him. "Thank you, she's..." There were so many words - beautiful, intelligent, caring, humorous. "She's everything."
As pink painted Ivy's cheeks, Elena squeezed Ivy's hand. "She really is. I'd be happy to have a daughter-in-law like Ivy. Your mother is acting..."
"Foolish." Baxter added.
"I favored ridiculous."
Joseph teased, "You would be happy with any daughter-in-law."
Baxter laughed at his friend's expense. Jimmy stood by the drink cart. "Bax, I was going to pour you a drink, but now I won't."
"I can pour my own."
Ivy pulled her shoulders back. "He can cook."
Elena nodded with approval. "Sometimes, I cook on the island, but never in Boston."
Ivy's jaw relaxed. "Did you grow up rrrr, um, wealthy?"
A soft giggle filled the room. "Yes, but not like a Sinclair."
"How did you meet?" Baxter surprised himself with his curiosity.
"My sorority sister is from an old Boston family. I visited her on school break and met a dashing man."
"Dashing." Joseph smiled.
She nodded. "Like Jimmy."
"And you fell in love?"
Elena laughed. "Not right away. He was prickly, like his son. I kept visiting and eventually..."
Jimmy said, "The ice around his heart melted."
Elena laughed. "No, I became friends with Sarah and helped her as she fell for Grant." Elena's face sagged at the memory."
Joseph cleared his throat. "It might have taken me a while to see the truth, but once I realized I never looked elsewhere."
Baxter stopped his drink in midair. "So neither settled."
Elena laughed. "Settled?"
"You know, loved someone else, but settled on each other?"
"No, I may not be as attentive as Grant had been, but I love my wife."
"Sorry, I asked."
Elena smiled. "I know so many couples like you described or worse they never even knew love. It's what your mother wants for you. I want my child to be happy. Maybe we have different expectations based on our own realities."
Charles interrupted his thoughts about how different the Sinclairs were from his parents. The butler announced that dinner was served. The conversation had gone on around him and he didn't realize it was seven.
Ivy's protests drew him out of his musing. "I'm not dressed."
"Don't worry, dear. We won't tell Amelia."
Even Baxter smiled as he took her arm and guided her. Leaning in, he kissed her neck. "Hello. I missed you."
She smiled and looked into his eyes. He once thought a snowscape was beautiful, but her brown eyes with specks of gold exceeded the most spectacular vista.
The conversation at dinner turned lighter. After dinner, Ivy looked at her phone. "Eleanor is wondering when I'll be home?"
Whenever her landlady checked up on her, Baxter wondered where his father was. The big hole in his theory was Eleanor's invitation for Ivy to live with her. If she were seeing a married man, wouldn't she want privacy?
Jimmy stood beside Ivy. "You should stay here." Baxter turned to Jimmy. "I wanted Ivy to move in before Baxter crashed. She refused me."
Elena said, "You are welcome anytime, dear. I'm not naïve. I'll save the maids the trouble of freshening up another room."
Baxter whispered against her pink cheek. "Stay. You can get a change of clothes in the morning."
He needed her and missed her. She nodded her head slowly and after the older couple retired to their suite, Baxter pulled Ivy upstairs. He had been thinking a lot about love and trust, and his dwindling condom supply.
"Sweetheart, I want to prove my love."
"You did when you moved out." He frowned. "She called me today, but I can't think about her."
His lips met hers in a sensual kiss. Sometimes his lips expressed want, but he tried to express love. His want struggled to obey as he deepened the kiss. Pulling away breathless, he rested his head on her forehead.
"I will always want you, even when I'm old and gray." His words conjured thoughts of his father. What did a sixty-five-year-old with a bad heart do with his lover? It was not something he wanted to imagine.
She looked sad. "I don't believe in fairytales."
"We'll have ours. Trust me. I trust you." She frowned. "I want to trust you enough to break the Kane rule."
"The what? Seriously?"
He nodded. "I trust you to take your pills and to tell me if you miss one. I think we both can agree that now is not the time for a baby."
"No. I haven't even started my job."
"Exactly. We have time before we make Kane heirs after the wedding." Ivy's face turned white. "I will marry you, but I'll also propose."
He had been thinking about a ring. Tradition dictated that he should offer his future wife his grandmother's ring, but he didn't have access to it.
"My mother called me. She still thinks you'll break my heart."
"I'll tell her I won't. Isn't it time I met her? Both your parents."
"Do you have to?" Ivy frowned.
"I won't love you less. I could never love you less."
"Freya wants to meet you."
"Make arrangements to meet your friends and your parents. Tell me about this classmate of yours."
"The amoeba?"
"Yes, I see Jimmy spoke to you."
"I threatened him. I hope it doesn't cause you trouble."
"Me?" Baxter laughed. "What did you say?"
"I mentioned Jimmy and asked if his father's law firm owned their building."
"Which firm?"
"The one who rejected me."
He smiled and nodded. "They're already getting a rate increase."
"Because of me?"
He shook his head. "Because they had a multiyear lease which is up for renewal. But it felt good to increase it because of you."
"I feel better."
"I wouldn't, although Jimmy can be spiteful."
She bit her lip. "I know. He's fiercely loyal."
The following day, Baxter planned to meet Ivy at Tate's for another airing of Kasper's show. His father had been in his office, and Baxter wanted to find out if his mother had calmed down.
Philip's secretary smiled. "He's gone for a walk."
"Does he walk often?"
"Since his health crisis, he takes two or three walks a day. I think he enjoys visiting different departments."
Baxter took the stairs down and entered the legal department in the back. The voices reached him and his gut tightened. He froze like a peeping Tom, he could see them but they didn't see him.
His father held Eleanor in his arms. When he looked into her eyes, the old man looked younger.
"You need to fix this." Eleanor demanded.
"I know. It's difficult."
"What's the worst thing she can do?"
Baxter didn't wait for an answer. He turned around and left quietly. As he rode to Tate's house he tried to answer the hanging question. She could divorce him, but his mother cared too much about appearances. Could she stop him from sneaking around and keep him home? Doubtful. Baxter was a man who planned and didn't act rashly. Although he hadn't played in sometime, he was very good at chess. With a smile, he considered his next move.
⭐️ OMG! This has been so hard🤣😂🤣 I love to respond to those who read as I post, but this has been hard. You guessed Eleanor early on. Honestly, I wasn't sure who it was going to be while writing it. I let my gut decide. That was why Ivy moving in with Ellie didn't make sense. Instead of rewriting all of that, I had Baxter point out the obvious flaw. Thanks for all the fun!