Bjorn fiddled with the tie, but nothing he did seemed to straighten out the mess that he had made of the knot tightening uncomfortably about his neck. Any more than he could straighten out the mess that had become their lives.
If the week had gotten off to a mixed start with confirmation of Kirsty's pregnancy to lighten the load of their run-in with Greta and mounting pressures at work, it had not improved. Work was getting worse by the moment: unrealistic deadlines, promises to customers that were impossible to keep, and increasing animosity with his up-line.
Now this. Lunch with his in-laws was the very last way that he wanted to spend his Sunday. Brunch at a posh Chelsea restaurant was not his idea of a Sunday dinner. Tiny little quiches that would not be enough to satisfy even one of his mother's barn cats, let alone a grown man. A tiny portion of mixed greens and some fruit. For twice what it cost to feed a child for a whole month in one of those charity advertisements?
But that was his mother-in-law's pretentions. Being seen by the right type of people was important to Nancy Dickens. More important than her only child's happiness for certain. He shook his head as he yanked the tie off, unlacing it and preparing to start again. He had never truly understood all his wife's insecurities...until he met that woman.
From the moment, the woman pressed air kisses to both of his wife's cheeks in greeting until the sideways half-hug that announced the ending of their monthly summons to attend to her royal highness the cold hearted bitch, it was a constant barrage of all Kirsty's seeming failings. Had she heard about this new diet? Kirsty should really think about taking this night course, it would double her opportunities to advance at work. Had she looked into joining the Junior League yet? It never ended.
After his first meeting with the woman, he truly was amazed at how well his wife had turned out. Of course, maybe part of that was that her mother had had so little to do with her actual raising. Nannies, au pairs and boarding school had done that for her. It had made him even more grateful for the time he had had with his own mother.
He sighed, he wished Kirsty would video conference with his Mom. But since coming back here, she had steadfastly refused to speak to Petrine. She went so far sometimes as to go shopping while he and Monika talked with his mother and uncle most Sundays. He had tried to get her to talk about it, but she would not even do that. Nothing beyond some nonsense about her disappointing and failing another mother, which made no sense to him.
He knew that her refusal to speak to Petrine was hurting his mother just as much as it was Kirsty. Especially when she would not even participate in the teleconference with him and Mikael to announce Kirsty's pregnancy with their girls. He saw the tightness and forced smile when his mother told him to give their congratulations to Kirsty.
"Damn," he cursed as he once more got the knot off-center and too tight.
He saw his wife enter the room in the mirror and smiled...until he saw the unshed tears in her eyes, "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
She shook her head and brushed the back of her hand across her eyes, "There's been an accident."
***
Kirsty turned away from the woman, who had given birth to her. That was all she was now. A woman, who had chosen not to abort a clump of cells, which had unexpectedly changed her life. She smiled as she leaned down and caressed her daughter's slightly messy curls with one hand while softly cupping her other little girls with the other.
This was the last time, she had decided that when her mother greeted the news of her pregnancy with a heavy sigh and launched into her current diatribe on how could she be so careless, wasn't one child enough for her to manage, what about the career that they had spent good money preparing her for.
Monika fidgeted on the chair as her mother's voice lowered into that deathly silent scream, "You could have at least had the decency to wait until after you were properly married."
Bjorn's hand covered hers over their unborn girls, "Your daughter and I are very much married, Missus Dickens."
Monika began to kick the leg of table, probably sensing the change in her other father's tone of voice. Kirsty smiled...fathers. Despite everything, especially this incubator's opinions, that was how she wanted it. One big family.
"Your ridiculous barbarian customs aside, my daughter deserved better. We had always planned a lovely church wedding. Followed by a reception at one of the stately country homes of the gentry. All of her friends and family there," Nancy Dickens continued as her husband raised his third glass of champagne and drained the whole thing in a single gulp.
"Your friends, mother. The people that you want to impress," she sighed as Monika kicked the table harder. She wished with everything inside of her that Georgia had not fallen and broken her arm. She had tried to get a hold of Roz to see if she could watch Monika, but no such luck. She had even tried to reschedule this week's brunch, but her mother insisted that they had important things to discuss.
Kirsty had foolishly even looked forward to sharing the news of her pregnancy with her parents since she had not felt comfortable participating in the video call with Bjorn, Mikael and their parents. She swallowed hard and tried her best to fight back tears at the thought she had truly failed her mother-in-law. Petrine's disappointment and rejection hurt so much worse than this woman's had in many years.
She raised her glass of juice, ignoring the slight shake in her hands as she took a sip as her mother went on, "You have spoiled everything again, Kirsty." Her mother gave her that stern look that she knew preceded one of the woman's lectures.
"There is a managerial position in the OT department open at Children's Hospital, but of course this pregnancy ruins another career opportunity for you. I suppose you will even want to take the full year's maternity leave off," the woman frowned and shook her head.
"Actually, my wife won't be returning to work at all once our daughters are born," Bjorn replied in a low tone as he clutched his fork tighter.
"What? What misogynistic malarkey is that? Young man, I know that you are from some backwards God-forsaken place that no one has ever heard of, but let me tell you that is not how it is done in civilized countries. Women..."
"Civilized?" His voice was louder this time, so much so that Monika began to rock back and forth in her chair with her hands covering her ears as she hummed.
"For the record, our culture has always been light years ahead of yours in terms of women's right. Our women, not only had complete control of their homes, including the wealth, but they fought alongside of us. Something you still deny your female soldiers. So do not lecture me on women's rights," he said as he stared directly at her mother.
"As for civilized...I am sure it has been years since your posh ass did, but try taking the Tube one morning during rush hour, then let's talk about it. Oh, and while we are on the subject, once our little girls are born, I am taking my family back home. Where we all belong," he finished as Kirsty watched the fork bend in his fingers.
"What? My daughter become just some haus frau and baby factory? We raised her for better than that. We invested too much money in her education. The best schools, private piano lessons, ballet...well she was never any good at that. Too tall and...not the right body shape, of course. But that is beside the point."
"Oh, no, that is the point, Missus Dickens. You have always seen nothing but the things you think are wrong with your child. You know until we came here, until I met you, I could never understand why a woman as smart, as intelligent, as strong and caring as my wife could have so much trouble accepting our love," he turned to her and smiled tightly, "I do now."
"Hand me your phone, please, sweetheart," he held out his hand.
Kirsty frowned, but it was impossible to disobey him when he used that tone of voice. "Yes, Sir," she replied as she dropped her eyes automatically and picked it up from the table, passing it to him.
"Sir? Did you actually refer to your husband as Sir, young lady? How barbaric? It is like that horrid book. Charles, do something. Say something to your daughter," she demanded turning to her husband, who merely continued to sip another glass of champagne with his eyes down.
Bjorn chuckled and shook his head as he handed her phone back to her, "Doctor Dickens, if you wish to speak to your daughter please text me," he spoke directly to her father. "As for you, Missus Dickens..."
"Doctor Dickens. I am a physician too. Did you conveniently forget? A respected one too. More highly paid or respected than my husband, I'll have you know," she replied.
"And I am certain you never let him forget it either."
Monika kicked the table and began to fight all of Kirsty's calm reassurances. Her mother's glass of red wine tipped over and spilled across the table, "For god's sake, why did you have to bring that urchin, Kirsty? I certainly hope that our genes are dominant enough that those..."
"Those what, mother?" Kirsty wrapped her arm around her daughter and drew her onto her lap. "Burdens? Accidents?"
She felt the hot tears cascading down her cheeks then. She saw the people at the next table looking at them. She knew it was yet another of her failings that this woman would hold against her. But she did not care anymore. "Babies, mother. Children. Blessings. Your granddaughters. And for the record, they are very much planned and wanted. By all..."
She caught herself a moment before saying, 'all of my husbands.' She blushed and looked up to see Bjorn smiling and doing his best to stifle the laughter. "All of us," he finished for her.
