by KJ Swann
“Ah, Derrick, it’s wonderful to see you again. Welcome to our cabin. It’s our home away from home.” Vivian hugged the young man.
“I want to thank you both for inviting me. When Michael asked me to come spend Christmas up here with you guys, I was hesitant at first. Heck, even Tessa wanted me to come, but I didn’t want to intrude.”
Vivian nodded. She hadn’t had anything to do with the invitation. Time up at the cabin was supposed to be for family only. She wondered how much Derick knew about the nature of Ivy and Jace’s relationship. He’ll find out in due time. Ivy wouldn’t put up with her father’s antics once she understood what his plans were.
Vivian knew a few things too: one, Jace had talked with Michael and knew something was up, and two, Jace wasn’t going to let Michael come between him and Ivy. She was sure he had told Ivy what was going on—they didn’t keep secrets from each other. One thing was for sure, Vivian was going to sit back and watch this whole debacle explode in her husband’s face, and snicker when it did.
Snow crunched beneath the tires as Ivy made her way to the cabin to see her parents’ vehicle and another that was somewhat familiar. Taking a deep breath, she parked her car and got out. Her mom stood at the window, watching her. She waved, and her mom waved back, unsmiling. Tessa’s music blared. That couldn’t be making her dad too happy. Shaking her head and taking another deep breath, she walked to her trunk and withdrew her bags, sparing a moment to look out over the beautiful view. Sighing, aware she could stall no longer, Ivy trudged up to the house. As she reached out to open the door, there stood her dad, smiling.
Ivy had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Daddy.”
“Sweetheart, you’re home. I see you didn’t bring that riffraff once again.”
“Now, Daddy, just because he didn’t come doesn’t mean anything.”
Tessa came running down the stairs. “Oh, good you’re here. Now you can save me from this jackass.”
“Tessa, must you call him that?”
“We both know he is. Oh, and he actually invited Derrick here.”
Ivy turned to her dad. “What?”
“Well, I, umm…”
“Daddy.”
“I figured, since Jace wasn’t coming, maybe you would see the type of person you should be with. Your sister has made a decent choice. Why can’t you? Since he can’t make the right choice in coming up here for the holidays to be with us, your family, you need to find someone who’ll put aside differences and focus on family.”
“No, Dad. I love Jace. He’s my type. The reason he doesn’t come is you. You always have to make him feel like he’s the cause of everything that goes wrong with this family, and he’s not. It’s you. You know what, maybe it was a mistake coming up here.”
Michael narrowed his eyes at his eldest daughter. “Don’t you take that tone with me, Ivy.”
“No, Daddy, you listen to me. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever change between Jace and me. You can try all you want to, but I’ll never let you come between us.”
Ivy didn’t bother to let her dad say anything else. She stamped up the stairs to her room, flopped onto her bed, and threw her arm over her eyes. Tears fell in earnest as she realized it wasn’t going to be easy coming home this time round. Her dad was going to continue doing things she didn’t like.
After a few minutes, there was a knock at the door.
“Yeah.”
Tessa peeked around the door. “You okay?”
“Remains to be seen.”
Tessa came in. “I don’t see why Daddy is such a dick about everything. He knows you love Jace.”
“Ah, yeah, he knows, but he doesn’t care. He wants what he wants and who cares what anybody else wants?”
“So what are you going to do about Dad wanting you to find someone else?”
“Not sure. Between you and me, Jace is on his way up here.”
“Really? Oh, that will ruin Dad’s plans.” Tessa giggled.
“What’s so funny?”
“Dad will have a cow when Jace gets here, right? I mean, he’s going to go ballistic. On top of it all, we’re all attending some New Year’s Eve ball, I guess. You can see how Dad is, ordering everyone around but rarely giving out any details.”
“What!” Ivy gape, sitting up to fully face her sister. “I didn’t know anything about this. Why wasn’t I told about this?”
Throwing her hands up in the air, Tessa got off the bed. “Ask Mom. Maybe she can tell you more.”
“Believe me, I will. I refuse to be Dad’s puppet. And another thing, why does he feel I need to find someone else? I’ve been with Jace since high school!”
Tessa shrugged. “It’s Dad. He’s never liked Jace.”
“So your boyfriend gets to be the model of who I’m supposed to be with? I think not. I’ll be with whom I choose, not with whom Dad chooses.
“Then you know what you have to do. I guess both of us will be pissing off dear old Dad this Christmas.”
Ivy nodded as Tessa shut the door, leaving Ivy to think about what she needed to do next.
2
Jace headed north on 87 toward Shaftsbury, “Holding onto Heaven”, by Nickelback playing on the radio. The lyrics fitted him and Ivy. He couldn’t wait to get up to Shaftsbury to prove to Ivy what she meant to him. He knew he’d have to get past Michael, who was likely to slam the door in his face. This made Jace push the gas pedal to the floor.
The ringing of his cell phone brought Jace out of his daydreaming. He tapped the Speaker button. “Hello.”
“Hey there, honey. I wanted to let you know that once I got here, I couldn’t go along with Daddy’s plans.”
“Oh? What’s going on, babe?”
“Where do I begin?”
“I guess wherever you feel you need to.”
Ivy laughed, then sighed. “He figured since you weren’t here with me that you and I are done. I told him the reason you don’t come was because of him and nothing was changing between us.”
Jace chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure he loved that.”
“I never stuck around for him to say anything. I told Tessa you were coming, and then she dropped the bomb that we’re supposed to be going to a New Year’s Eve ball. He invited Tessa’s boyfriend, who, according to him, is the type of guy I need to be with.”
“Excuse me? What the hell does Tessa’s boyfriend do? And what’s this about a New Year’s Eve ball? Have you ever been to one before?”
“Honestly, I have no clue what’s on his mind. As far as her boyfriend goes, all I can tell is he works for my dad at the bank. I feel like Dad’s totally lost it. In regards to the New Year’s ball, no, we’ve never gone, and I was surprised as hell it was even brought up. If I’d known about it, I would’ve brought a dress from home, and I think you would have come up with me then. But the way things stand now, I have to go shopping and so do you.”
“Ugh, shopping. You know I don’t usually do balls and that sort of thing, but I’m going to go since it will piss him off further. But still doesn’t explain your dad’s motives.”
Ivy sighed. “Good. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when you get here. Be safe driving—it’s starting to snow here.”
“I will. It’s coming down here too. I should be there in about an hour and a half or so depending on the weather. I’ll send a text when I get to town.”
“Good. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
“Just do me a favor, will ya?”
“What’s that?”
“Keep your cool around your dad until I get there, please.”
Ivy chuckled. “Yes, I think I can do that.”
“Good. See you soon.”
“Bye.”
Ivy smirked after hanging up. She couldn’t wait for Jace to get there so they could spend their first real holiday together. She placed her phone on the bedside table and absently fiddled with an old picture there of her and Tessa playing in the snow. Sighing, she stood and walked downstairs to
meet Tessa’s boyfriend, not wishing to be rude. It wasn’t his fault her father had never been so welcoming to Jace, though it pissed her off he could show such clear favoritism. Ivy started down the spiral staircase, but her dad and Derrick talking in the den made her stop short.
“I’m glad you decided to come up here for the holidays, Derrick. My daughter and her so-called boyfriend are on the outs, and I think you’d help me make a good point to her that Jace isn’t good for our family.”
“I’m not here to cause issue, Mr. Mercer. Tessa and I are happy together, and I don’t want to be the cause of any friction between anyone.”
“Don’t worry about her; she’ll do what I tell her to do.”
“Well, once again, thank you for inviting me for the holidays. It was nice of you. I suppose before it gets too late, I should go up and get settled in my room.”
“That sounds like a plan, Derrick. Dinner will be in about an hour or so.”
Derrick nodded. He was standing to get out of his chair when Ivy came walking into the room.
“So, you must be Tessa’s boyfriend,” Ivy remarked, taking in his appearance. His brown hair was tousled, and his hazel eyes seemed to pierce right through her. He was dressed in a pinstripe business suit as if he had come straight to the cabin after work. The more she took in of him, the more it set her off. He was a mini version of her father. “I don’t understand the real reason why you’re here. I hope it’s because you’re here for Tessa and not one of my father’s schemes.”
“Now, Ivy.”
Ivy snorted in disbelief at her father. “All these years I’ve tried to get you to like Jace, and you pushed him away for no reason whatsoever. I love him with all my heart. I always have, and I always will. Nothing will change that. I want to know why you hate him so much.”
“You wouldn’t understand why I do half of what I do for the family. I have my reasons. Just leave it at that, child.”
“Child? I haven’t been a child for a good few years now. So, I think you need to leave things alone when it comes to me and my relationship.”
Michael edged closer to his daughter. “It’s my responsibility to make sure you’re taken care of.”
“Jace takes good care of me at all times. You hate he’s a firefighter, but you need to get over it. He loves what he does, and I respect that. He helps save people’s homes and their lives. I don’t understand why you can’t see he puts his life at risk each and every day.”
“That’s it right there, Ivy. He puts his life at risk for other people. Who would do that? What happens if he dies in the line of duty? What will happen to you if something happens to him? What if you have children, will they be covered? That’s what I’m worried about.”
Ivy shook her head. “I can’t believe you. That’s what this whole mess is all about? You hate him because he puts his life on the line for others? Well, I for one am proud of what he does. It’s not easy for any of the First Responders to run into a burning building or face tragedy every day, but they do it because they care about people. That should mean something to those of us who have a First Responder in the family, since we never know if they’ll come home at the end of a shift. Look at those who responded to the Twin Tower attacks. Some of them never came out. Some families are without their husbands, sons, brothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. Because they cared, because they put others before themselves. Why can’t you see how noble that is?”
Michael had opened his mouth to respond when Ivy’s mother walked into the room. “Michael, from the moment you thought of this harebrained scheme, I told you things weren’t going to go your way. As you can clearly see, I was right. I’m supporting Ivy and her decision. She’s standing behind Jace, and, therefore, I am too. I never had a problem with him. You’re digging a hole so deep you’ll never be able to dig yourself out of it.”
“Do you realize he won’t be able to support our daughter if something happens to him?”
“Daddy, let me tell you something. I make good money as a stock trader. We’ve been putting money aside for a while now. Not that it’s anyone’s business, but we’ve been preparing for our future.”
Michael opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out. Behind them, Derrick shuffled his feet.
“Sorry to interrupt, but maybe I should leave.”
Tessa came bounding in the den door. “You don’t need to leave. Just don’t pay attention to his schemes or become a part of them, and you’ll be just fine. Besides, I don’t think anyone is going to be leaving anytime soon. The snow is starting to come down, and, per the radio, they’re starting to close down the roads on the mountain.”
Ivy glanced over at Tessa. Jace was on his way up to the cabin. Ivy wasn’t going to panic quite yet, as they were both from Vermont. Jace could drive in these types of snowstorms. A sudden knock on the door jarred her from her thoughts. Jace? Ivy’s heart leaped into her throat. “I’ll answer it. Just relax and get settled in for the night since we’re all stuck here.”
Ivy walked casually out of the den not to raise her father’s suspicions. After she was out of sight, she ran to open the front door. Jace stood there, smiling at her.
“Hey there, beautiful. I’m so glad to see you.”
“Oh, I’m glad you made it up here safely. Tessa just told us about them closing the mountain.”
Jace nodded and grabbed Ivy into a big hug and gave her a kiss.
“Ivy, who’s at the door?” her dad asked.
When Ivy didn’t respond, Michael headed over and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Jace standing there.
“What in the hell are you doing here?”
“Oh hey, it’s nice to see you too, Mr. Mercer,” Jace remarked, glaring back.
“Ivy, what the hell is he doing here?”
“He came up here to see me.”
“You knew he was coming?”
“Yep, I sure did.” Ivy smiled at her dad.
Michael stormed a few paces away, passing Vivian, who was obviously coming to see what the commotion was.
Vivian’s eyes lit up. “Jace, it’s wonderful to see you. How were the roads on your way up?”
“The closer I got, the worse the roads got. So, who’s this?” Jace nodded toward Derrick.
Ivy took a deep breath. “Honey, this is Derrick, Tessa’s boyfriend. My dad brought him here to try to show me the type of person he thinks I need to be with.”
Jace looked down at Ivy, then over at Vivian, both nodding in agreement with her words. Tessa stood next to Derrick with her arm wrapped around his.
“I’m not going to let anyone come between us, and that includes Mr. Mercer,” Jace remarked.
Derrick shook his head. “Jace, I didn’t have a clue what Mr. Mercer had in mind when he invited me.”
“You sure about that?” Jace narrowed his eyes at Derrick.
“All he told me was Tessa would like to have me up here for the holidays, and I accepted. I never knew about him wanting to use me to prove a point to Ivy. If you’re happy, then so be it. I know I am.”
“We’ve been together since high school. Although we have our ups and downs, we always manage to work through them.”
A harrumph noise came from Michael.
Besides Jace, Ivy gasped. “Let me make one thing clear to you, Daddy. I want nothing to do with whatever you have planned. I’m happy with Jace. We’ve built a strong and loving relationship over the years, and we know what we each want.”
“You’d be better off with someone like myself or Derrick, someone with a safe, stable job who isn’t putting themselves at risk day in and day out. Someone who’d make it a point to be at family functions all the time, not just when he chooses to be.”
Jace’s face tightened. He wasn’t going to take this lying down, Ivy knew. He’d dig in his heels for the duration. She somewhat understood his reasons for not coming to her family functions. Jace glared at Derrick, but then a slow grin crept across Jace’s face. He wasn’t going to play her dad’
s games anymore. Jace kissed her forehead.
“Man, I’m tired after driving,” he said.
“Since we weren’t expecting you, you can sleep on the couch,” Michael responded.
“No, Daddy. He’ll be sleeping with me.”
“Like hell he will.”
“You seem to forget, we live together in New York, and therefore, we sleep together every night.”
Michael put it together, his face turning red. “I will not have you cavorting about under my roof.”
“Michael, just shut up and let everyone be. You fail to realize she is an adult now; you have no control over her anymore,” Vivian shouted above her husband’s tirade.
“If she is under my roof, I do.” Michael stared back.
Ivy shook her head and started up the stairs, then turned around and motioned for Jace to follow her. Her dad didn’t stop them. He was all talk at times, but mainly he was worried what she would do if he did push the issue.
Once behind the closed bedroom door, Jace grabbed Ivy around the wrist and pulled her to him. “So, what’s up with this Derrick character? You interested in being with a person like him?”
“Get real, Jace. If I wanted to be with a guy like that, I’d have made that choice long ago,” she scoffed.
“Okay, just checking.”
Ivy lightly shoved Jace’s chest. “You know you’re the one for me. I was getting worried you wouldn’t make it up here.”
“The roads were starting to get a little slick and covered with snow, so I took my time until I realized they could start closing the roads, and then I put the truck into high gear and beat it up here.”
“I’m glad you made it here safely.”
“Me too. So, any suggestions on how we deal with your father?”
Ivy ran her fingers through Jace’s hair. “Let’s not worry about that tonight, shall we? I have other things on my mind.”