When Lily returned from Marlow House Saturday afternoon, she found Ian sitting at the breakfast bar, with Connor sitting nearby in his highchair. The two ate cold cheese sandwiches.
“What’s for lunch?” Lily asked as she stepped up to the breakfast bar. Connor held out his sandwich to Lily, offering her a bite. She eyed the unappealing half sandwich, squished and clenched in the little fist, the soft wheat bread now smashed and flattened, with cheese and mayonnaise escaping from between the two half slices. She pretended to take a bite and then sat next to Ian at the breakfast bar.
“Want half my sandwich?” Ian offered.
Lily rested her elbows on the countertop and sighed. “No, thanks. I’m going to make something in a minute.”
“Mom called; she wants me to come over. Says there’s something she needs to talk to me about. Claims it’s important and can’t wait. I promised her I’d come over when you got back from Marlow House.” Ian took a bite from his sandwich.
Lily groaned. “Do I have to go with you?”
After Ian swallowed, he said, “No. Mom wants to talk to me—alone.”
Lily arched her brows. “Alone? What do you think is going on?”
Ian shrugged. “Only way to find out is to go over there. It might be something about the house. The other day she was complaining about the fencing Dad wants to use.”
“Gosh, what does your mom expect you to do about it?”
Ian shrugged and then asked, “Is everything okay across the street?”
Lily told Ian all that had been said at Marlow House. When Lily finished her telling, Ian, who had eaten his entire sandwich, picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth before saying, “So there is no twin?”
“Apparently not. And according to Danielle, when she commented on the quilt jacket, Olivia claimed she made it herself. And Heather swears that’s the same jacket the woman had on when she was with Betty yesterday morning. So if it is a one-of-a-kind, homemade jacket, it can’t be some coincidental doppelgänger.”
“The woman is obviously lying about when she arrived in Frederickport. Once the chief has a look at those videos, her claim to have been on that plane won’t stand up, especially not with Heather swearing she saw her that morning.”
“That’s what’s really weird to me. The way this Olivia person can blatantly lie about it, and she knows Heather was there. I can’t believe how she talked to Heather this morning and pretended like nothing happened. That is freaking weird, if you ask me.”
Ian didn’t have to ring the doorbell at his parents’ rental house. As he stepped onto his parents’ front porch, his mother opened the door.
“What took you so long?” June asked.
“I told you, I had to wait for Lily to come back from Marlow House so she could watch Connor.” Ian followed his mother into the entry hall.
June shut the door behind them. “Lily is certainly lucky to be able to pick up and go whenever she wants, knowing she has a built-in babysitter.”
Ian chuckled. “I don’t babysit my son. I’m his father. It’s called parenting.”
“And when a mother doesn’t work outside the home, it’s her job to take care of the children.” June made her way into the living room, Ian trailing behind her. She took a seat on a recliner and motioned to the other recliner for her son.
Instead of commenting about a mother’s job, Ian asked, “Where’s Dad?”
“He had to go to the hardware store. I told him to take his time. I wanted to talk to you without him here.”
Now sitting on a recliner, Ian eyed his mother curiously. “What about?”
“While I am delighted to have another grandchild, I simply don’t understand why you two couldn’t have simply waited a few months and not ruined your sister’s big day. Was this Lily’s idea?”
Ian frowned. “You mean getting pregnant?”
“Of course. What do you think I mean?”
“We told you last night. It wasn’t planned. These things happen.”
“And you couldn’t have been a little more careful? You already promised to host their wedding, and now everything is ruined. This was incredibly selfish of you. But I suspect this was Lily’s doing.”
Ian leaned back in the recliner and propped one leg over the opposing knee. “No, I distinctly remember it was my idea. That’s if she got pregnant the night I suspect.”
June frowned. “I thought you said you weren’t trying to get pregnant?”
“We weren’t. But I was the one who initiated sex when she got pregnant.” Ian grinned. “I gave her a glass of wine, told her she was beautiful, reminded her our son was asleep…”
“Ian, please!” June gasped. “This is not an appropriate conversation to have with your mother. Or with anyone!”
“Mom, you are the one who started this conversation,” Ian reminded her, the humor gone from his voice.
“I did not bring up the topic of your sex life,” June snapped.
“You do understand how babies are made? Don’t you?”
June glared at Ian. “Why are you being like this?”
“I’m trying to figure out the point of this conversation. You seem to be upset that Lily’s pregnant, and instead of accepting it as something natural that happens in a healthy marriage, you’re suggesting this was some scheme by my wife to ruin Kelly’s wedding, which is absolutely ridiculous. Birth control is not a hundred percent. We would have preferred our second child to come a little later. What exactly do you want us to do? Have an abortion?”
“Of course not! Don’t even suggest that to Lily!”
“Don’t worry, Mom. While Lily and I support a woman’s right to choose, we both agree that the only time we’d consider abortion would be if it was an unviable pregnancy or if it endangered Lily’s life. We are more than willing to welcome our next baby with all the love we welcomed Connor, even if it’s not convenient. Are you?”
June stared at her son and sputtered, “Of course. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Then I’m not sure why we’re having this conversation.”
“Are you aware your sister stopped by this morning after going to your house? She told me they want to move the wedding date to March. March. That is only two months away. There is no way we can plan a wedding that fast. Especially now that we have to find a new venue.”
“Lily suggested having the wedding at Pearl Cove. They do events mid-week such as weddings.”
“Yes, she told me that. I understand Lily was quick to spend your money.”
Ian sat up straight in the recliner, placed both feet firmly on the floor, and leaned toward his mother, his expression stern. “If you don’t stop speaking disrespectfully about my wife, this conversation is over. And Lily, Connor, and I may not be able to make the next family dinner.”
June’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t being disrespectful.”
“Yes, Mother, you were. First of all, I think Lily’s offer to pay for Kelly and Joe’s wedding was most generous. And I love her for it. Plus, you seem to forget Lily did not come into our marriage as a pauper. And even if she had, we’re married now. Lily and I are a team. I trust her. I love her. You know as well as anyone I didn’t jump into marriage. It took me a long time to find a woman I wanted to make a life with. And now that I’ve found her, I will not sit back and say nothing while my mother—my mother, whom I do love very much—makes snide remarks about my wife.”
“I’m sorry if it came out that way,” June sputtered.
“Mom, do you know the three main reasons people get divorced?”
June shrugged in response.
“It’s sex, money, and in-laws. I know you don’t want to hear it, but Lily and I have a great sex life. In fact, that’s why we’re having an unplanned baby.” Ian grinned before continuing, “The next is money. As you are aware, money is not a problem for me. I’m blessed. Many people aren’t as lucky. And Lily, well, she isn’t with me for the money, because the settlement from the Gusarov estate set her up for life. So that means the biggest threat to our marriage is possible in-law problems. Now, I get along terrific with Lily’s parents. Her mother adores me, and I get along well with her father. So that only leaves you and Dad. Do you want to be the one responsible for my marriage breaking up?”
“Of course not. How can you even suggest such a thing? I would never want to cause you marriage problems!”
“And I wouldn’t want that either. Which is why I’m willing to limit the time we spend with you if you continue this pattern of criticizing my wife.”
“I don’t criticize Lily! I… I sometimes make suggestions, but that’s because I care about you.”
“No. What you call suggestions are criticisms of our marriage. For one thing, you are constantly bringing up the fact Lily is not working outside the home, and you take issue with the fact I watch Connor while she spends time with her girlfriends.”
“I simply care about you,” June insisted. “I know how hard you work. And how much work it is to take care of an active toddler. I don’t understand why Lily doesn’t understand that she shouldn’t be expecting you to watch Connor whenever she feels like running off.”
Ian leaned back in the chair and let out a sigh. “Can you even hear yourself, Mom? I’m serious. I should record you and play it back. Maybe then you would understand what I’m talking about. But I doubt it.”
“You are mad at me because I worry about you?” June asked with a pout.
Ian studied his mother for a moment before answering. Finally, he said, “Mom, if you want me in your life, you need to respect my marriage. And you need to respect me. Or at the very least pretend you do.”
“Don’t be silly! I respect you!”
Ian shook his head. “No. No, you don’t. Do you have any idea how insulting it is when you act as if I’m not capable of taking care of my son?”
“I never said you were incapable.”
“You act like it when you make comments about how Lily should watch Connor, or insist on coming to our house and watching him when I’m working. If I needed help, I would ask.” Ian couldn’t tell his mother that he often had help with Connor when he was home working and Lily was elsewhere. But he doubted his mother would understand about Marie’s ghost being his son’s favorite babysitter.
“I simply want you to know I am there for you,” June insisted.
“I do. But you need to understand, I feel blessed that I can be part of my son’s daily life. That when he looks back at his childhood, he will remember both of his parents present. Most people don’t have the luxury Lily and I have. Hell, in most families, both parents have to work to put food on the table. And in case you haven’t noticed, Lily is a wonderful mother. And when this new baby comes, I imagine we will ask you for help. But I won’t ask, not if you continually slip in snide remarks about my wife, like suggesting she got pregnant just to screw up Kelly’s wedding.”
After a moment of silence, June asked in a small voice, “What do you want me to do?”
“To begin with, no more comments about Lily going back to teaching. When that time comes, if it does, that will be something she and I discuss between us. And ultimately it will be her decision. And if Lily wants to take off with her girlfriends for an afternoon and leave Connor with me, that’s between Lily and me. You don’t need to rush over to our house and offer to watch Connor, and whatever you do, don’t reprimand Lily for leaving Connor with me. In fact, don’t reprimand Lily for anything.”