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Ivy’s sigh and her cutlery being placed down on her plate drew his attention. She sat there staring at him. “Hey, I promise we will figure this out. It’s not going to happen tonight, not right now. So, let’s enjoy it. We can get through anything when we put our heads together. Okay?”

Slowly, he nodded. Ivy was correct, they would figure out what the hell was going on, but the night would not be lost because he wouldn’t or couldn’t get out of his head. His wife was back home with him, he would enjoy their amazing meal. Then they would go back to their home and make love to her.

Chapter Six

EYES OPEN

Ivy would have preferred to wait, but neither she nor Emmanuel wanted their children to find out about the results of the paternity test from the media. The Saturday lunch was supposed to be a family get-together for everyone to catch up with delicious food. Instead, they were about to drop a bomb on their unsuspecting children.

They had decided that Emmanuel would make the announcement right before the meal was served. He wasn’t looking forward to it. The pair held hands as they sat beside each other. His knee bounced slightly.

As always, they shared the head of the table. It had been Manny’s idea.“We either both sit at the head of the table, or neither of us sit there.”

Oliver was the last to arrive. The moment he was seated. Emmanuel got everyone’s attention. “Your Mom and I have something we want to discuss with you all.”

Immediately Benjamin sat taller, on alert he looked between his parents. Oliver remained glued to his phone, giving them half his attention. While Sage seemed to be off in her own world.

“Just hear me out, and then you guys can ask whatever questions you want.” Emmanuel looked around the table, the seriousness of his tone drew all the children’s attention. “We are trying to get to the bottom of this, but the courts have determined that I am the father of a little boy.”

Silence. His announcement was greeted with silence. Oliver’s head immediately whipped in the direction of his mother. His eyes probed her features. While Benjamin and Sage held their father’s gaze.

“I’ve never met this woman. I am not sure how or why this is happening, but we will get to the bottom of this.”

The moment Emmanuel finished Sage shrugged and said, “okay.”

Benjamin just sat and looked between his parents. Whatever he saw there, must have satisfied him because he nodded.

Oliver though… “Mom?”

Ivy could see how skeptical he was.

“Dad and I promise we will get to the bottom of this.”

“Dad, there is no chance this is true?” Oliver asked, he hadn’t taken his eyes off his mother. While his attention was directed at his dad it was clear that they both needed to convince him, so he came on board.

“Positive,” Ivy and Emmanuel answer in unison. The united front that can weather anything. That seemed to be enough for Oliver. “Alright, well that’s messed up.”

“It is,” Emmanuel replied. “Do you guys have any questions?”

“Can we eat now? I’m hungry,” Sage said.

“You’re always hungry Junior!” Oliver jested.

The topic soon turned to appetites and which of their children ate more. Relief washed over Ivy. Although Oliver was 21, Benjamin 18, and Sage 16, they placed their trust in their mom and dad. Their parents’ words were enough for them to accept.

It was a messed-up situation and Ivy didn’t know why it was happening, but at least it wasn’t messing up the structure of her family. Emmanuel released her hand and placed it on her shoulder, drawing her closer to him. She looked up at him, their eyes connected, and they shared a private conversation. Their children were okay, and everything would be all right. She smiled as he kissed her temple.

Thank goodness for Frank. Even with all their money and influence, there was no way they would have been able to get in front of the top family law attorney in the province without him on such short notice. It took two days for her to grant them an appointment.

Ivy didn’t know what she was expecting, but it wasn’t the beautiful, petite, dark-skinned, delicate-looking woman before them. She looked more like a kindergarten teacher than a cutthroat attorney.

The moment Anna Harkness opened her mouth, she realised how deceiving looks could be. “All right Scotts, please have a seat.” She’d sat behind her large glass desk as she gave the instructions. There were no pleasantries.

“Yes, that isn’t an issue. What I really want is to get the paternity test redone, so we can put this behind us,” Emmanuel said as he cracked his neck ever so slightly. Tension was etched all over his body.

“Listen, the court will not do that. There is no cause. You took the test, and paternity was established. Done deal. Now, we can try to reach out to the other side and see if they are amendable to running another test at another lab.”

“Well, it’s worth a shot,” Emmanuel interjected.

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