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Manny released a pent-up breath. It couldn’t have been easy for him to be so mad at her. He adored his mother. “Mom. Why? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Grace gave a sad smile. “I’ve been thinking about how I would answer this question since I told Ivy. Being your mother has been my greatest joy. Telling you… that we adopted you… meant I had to share being your mother with someone else. It was selfish. I wanted my little boy all to myself.”
“Mom,” Emmanuel sighed. “I really wish you would have told me. I deserved to know.” He shook his head. Then he looked at Ivy. His pained expression broke her heart. She took his hand, and he held on tightly as he continued. “Listen… it doesn’t change what we share. You raised me.”
“Emmanuel, I’m so sorry. You know I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”
“I know, but not knowing has caused so much grief. It could have cost me everything. If I’d lost Ivy, I would have never forgiven you. As it is now, Mom. I need answers.”
Ivy guessed Manny had decided to lay everything on the table.
“Emmanuel, I am sorry, sweetheart. I don’t understand. What are you talking about? How could your adoption have cost you everything?” Grace asked.
Well, it seemed like Emmanuel was going to get everything off his chest. Poor Grace looked so confused as she looked between Ivy and her son. It was clear she was lost. Ivy understood her confusion. There was no logical reasoning behind a false paternity result, even when one knew Emmanuel had a twin. Ivy suspected Grace didn’t know about the twin. Manny hadn’t reached the same conclusion; he assumed his mother knew.
Ivy hadn’t had time to discuss it with him. He’d been so closed off about the topic of his adoption. The only thing he was certain of was feeling betrayed. Well, he would learn his mother’s betrayal didn’t run as deep as he thought it did. Now Larson… Ivy was certain he was in it up to his neck.
Manny must have come to a similar conclusion. “Sorry, even with Ivy spelling it all out for me, it took a moment for me to understand it all.”
“I’m lost here, Emmanuel.” Grace looked from her son to Ivy.
“I’m just saying the knowledge that I have a twin could have saved us a lot of heartac?—”
“What!? You have a twin?” Just as Ivy suspected, Grace looked blindsided. She wasn’t the only one. Manny wasn’t expecting her reaction. Ivy took a glance at Larson. Now he didn’t look the least bit surprised.
“Wait. You guys didn’t know?” Manny questioned.
“Of course not. Why would we separate two babies? We could have raised you both… Wait!” Grace swung her gaze to Larson. Who once again looked ashen. “Larson? Did you know our son had a twin?”
“No, dear. This is coming as a shock to me as well.”
Grace seemed to hesitate as she squinted at her husband. It was brief. Turning her attention to her son, she asked, “how did you learn you had a twin?”
“Actually Ivy…” He paused, turned, and looked at her lovingly. “Didn’t accept the results of the paternity test. She knew there had to be an explanation for the test to have the results it did. Her investigation led her to the discovery of my identical twin. Who is the real father of the Journee woman’s baby.”
Grace’s eyes became huge saucers as she gasped, and one shaky hand flew to her mouth. “Oh goodness. This is a lot to digest. I’m so sorry, son. I must confess at times I wondered if you made a horrible mistake that you wouldn’t admit to.”
“I was raised better. Besides, I wouldn’t betray everything Doc and I have built over the years.” Manny brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed her hand. A bit of guilt pricked her conscience. She’d almost fallen prey to a horrible lie.
“Thank God,” Grace said as she swiped away a tear. “I’m so happy to hear that. I knew what you two meant to each other from the first time you introduced Ivy to me.”
Grace was a curious woman, and she had many questions. Some Manny and Ivy could answer. Others… they didn’t have an answer to. “Have you found your… brother?”
“No. We haven’t been able to find him yet,” Emmanuel answered as Ivy schooled her features. He squeezed her hand subtly. There was a reason he wasn’t ready to disclose the information, and Ivy would stand with him.
“Well, there must be something we can do to help. Larson?”
“Grace, I’m not sure what we can do. I imagine Emmanuel has someone working on it?” Larson inquired.
Luckily, Manny was saved from answering as his mother posed a question of her own. “The papers I gave Ivy haven’t helped?”
“What papers did you give Ivy?” Larson thundered.
Everyone in the room turned shocked eyes towards her father-in-law. He wasn’t one of her favourite people, but Ivy had never heard him say a cross word or raise his voice to his wife. The only tender spot he ever exhibited was towards his Grace.
“What’s gotten into you? I gave her all the documents we had concerning the adoption?—”
“Why the hell would you do something like that?”
