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“Holy shit. I’ll have to remember you aren’t wrapped too tightly when you are crossed.” Frank whistled as Emmanuel brought him up to date on some ideas he had to get, even with Leonardo.

“What can I say? He almost cost me Ivy.” Emmanuel shook his head, as if to ward off the thought.

“Yes, it’s true, but brother dearest certainly picked the wrong one. Especially considering your many resources.”

“To whom much is given, much is required. As far as I understand, that is the way the verse goes.”

“I am certain that verse wasn’t written to give you a carte blanche to exact retribution. However, from what I heard so far, while menacing, nothing you have planned is illegal. We will walk through the steps of the acquisitions to make sure they remain on the right side of the law.”

Emmanuel had already forwarded him all the paperwork he had received from Darsh. The files were extensive. It wouldn’t take Frank long to go through them. The man was a beast. Not only would he speed read through the information, but he also wouldn’t miss a detail. It’s likely he'll catch something to help put everything together. Emmanuel was glad to have him on board.

Ivy came in search of them. Emmanuel hadn't realized how long they'd been gone. “What have you guys been up to?”

“I’ve just been bringing Frank up to speed,” he answered.

Walking over to her, he kissed her temple. “Everything good out there?”

“Not really. Our children are waging war over what to order for dinner.”

“I thought you put out snacks?”

“Yes, but it was mainly finger food. Honestly, I think they just miss eating a meal as a family. However, it isn’t stopping them from arguing about what to order. The three of them can’t agree. We have camps Sushi, Chinese, and Pizza.”

“Hm, I could go for some Thai,” Frank added. He could be as bad as the kids.

“Oh, Frank, you better not start,” Ivy admonished.

“It’s fine. I’ll go out there and the kids and I will order. It’s my treat.” Frank waved them off as he left them in Manny’s office.

“You know he’s just going to order everything they want. Don’t you?”

“It’s okay Doc. Let them celebrate.”

“I guess we have a lot to be grateful for.”

Emmanuel pulled her, so she was in his embrace. “Yes, we do.”

“I’m looking forward to us falling asleep in our bed tonight.”

Emmanuel’s arms tensed around her at her declaration.

“Manny, you are coming back home, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but can we hold off until tomorrow night?” Before his question was completely out, Ivy went stiff in his arms. Her answer didn’t come right away. Emmanuel was beginning to think she wouldn’t answer at all.

Coughing, she cleared her throat, before she answered, “um sure.”

She moved to pull out of his embrace, but he held her firm.

“Doc.” It was one word, but it held so much meaning. It was a plea of understanding. Yeah, Emmanuel should have been jumping at the chance to return home, but he wasn’t ready.

“Sure. I said sure, didn’t I?” He could hear the hurt in her voice. “I get it,” Ivy added, worrying her bottom lip.

He was certain she most certainly didn’t get it. While he wasn’t ready to voice his avoidance of returning home, they’d been through too much to let anything else come between them.

Emmanuel released his hold but only to cup her face. “No, you don’t get it. I promise you. This has nothing to do with you. With us. You and I, Doc, are beyond solid.”

“So why don’t you want to come back home?” Her voice broke, and it was then he realised she was holding back tears. “Are you mad at me?”

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