Redeeming the Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Ivy

DECEMBER

The house was complete chaos! It seemed like everywhere I looked, there was someone standing or sitting there. It was Christmas, meaning it was my favorite time of year, and I'd invited everyone to fly out to our home. Zane offered to pay for their plane tickets, which I thought was incredible. Everyone came.

I ran down to the basement to grab a few folding chairs and halted as soon as I saw Pop. He was standing just inside Zane's office, looking down at a piece of paper. My heart started beating so hard that I had to force myself to take a deep breath.

"Pop?" My voice sounded strained when I spoke his name, but he looked up from the paper and waited. "What are you doing in there?"

"Zane told me to come look at his office. He said there were a few car models I would like, and I accidentally knocked over his papers."

I knew he wasn't lying. "So, you picked them up." I said.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to read it, I just saw the words, 'marriage contract,' and felt my heart stop."

I walked into the office and shut the door, ensuring no one would overhear us. "Pop, it's not what you think."

"Then what is it?" he asked. He wasn't angry, but I could tell he was confused and probably worried. "It says you get a million dollars if you stay married for five years. Are you planning your divorce already?"

"This is how it started, with the contract I mean. He asked me to marry him to help his image, but, we fell in love." I smiled, feeling the truth of what I was saying. "I love him more than I ever thought I could love someone."

"What about this thing?" he asked, holding the contract up.

"We haven't really spoken about it. I know I don't want a divorce. It doesn't say anything about fighting for the marriage, and to tell you the truth, if he wanted to honor the contract, I'd fight. I didn't plan on loving him, but I do."

"This is a lot to take in. I mean, your mom falling in love with a homeless man, even with me knowing who he was almost drove me crazy. I'm going to be worried about you for the next four and a half years now, Ivy."

"Please don't worry about me. I promise you, no matter what the outcome is, I won't regret this. Getting hurt is a possibility, but I don't think I will. Zane loves me and I don't doubt him for a second because you didn't see the man I lived with when I first got here. He was so dark and moody all the time, but little by little he started coming out of the darkness. It's almost like being here has helped redeem what was inside of him."

Pop sighed and walked to the couch to sit down. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this information."

"You can't tell anyone. It's supposed to be a secret and if anyone ever found out about it, Zane's dreams would be destroyed. His image would be even worse."

"Ivy, I can't keep this secret from your grandmother. We don't have secrets."

I walked over and took a seat beside him, laying my head on his shoulder. "You can tell Gram if you want to. I understand that, but please keep this between the two of you. I really do love him, and even if I still have to leave after five years, I'll be okay because I knew I helped the man I love achieve something."

"That's being too selfless. You're not taking your heart or feelings into consideration. I told your mom so many times that you are the keeper of your heart, you need to be careful about who you let in."

Hearing the phrase he spoke to my mother, and she spoke to all us kids our whole lives brought a smile to my face. I don't know what we would have been without this amazing man. "You're the greatest, Pop. I hope you know that."