Chapter Text
For Bela’s 30th birthday, per her requests, Leighton had arranged for them all to party in Manhattan. It started with a limo to the Plaza hotel where a suite was waiting for them. They would pre-game in the suite before taking another limo (Leighton tried to explain that limos aren’t the classiest, but there was no talking to Bela) to a high-end strip club.
The strip club was the one thing that Bela said would happen no matter what and Leighton finally took charge because she feared Bela might pick a strip club where the chairs alone would give you herpes.
“Are the strippers gonna be the hottest?” Bela asked between drinks.
“I guess. I don’t know.” Leighton shrugged.
“Well, how were they the last time you went?”
“Bela, I love that you’re so open and free with everything remotely sexual. But I’m not like that. I haven’t been to a strip club, and I still have no desire to go to one.” Leighton sighed trying to explain it.
“Well, if you had let me plan your bachelorette, you would’ve gone to like 20.”
“And that is why I was in charge of planning it.” Whitney joked. “Is your going to a strip club, going to cause issues with Alicia?”
“It’s fine. She doesn’t love the idea of having to watch Ivy on her own all weekend, but she knows that Bela’s birthday is important and she wants to make sure she has a great weekend that doesn’t end in everyone getting herpes from a poorly picked strip club.”
“So lame that you’re all boring and responsible now. I remember when you were getting questioned by the FBI for being involved in wire fraud.”
“Because my mom’s charity was being investigated. I was only questioned because, technically, I was on the board. I haven’t been questioned by the FBI for anything I’ve done. Only threatened to be by the SEC.”
“Wait, SEC, Leighton Murray are you insider trading?” Bela pretended to look scandalized.
“Of course I am. There is a version of Insider trading that is legal. Well, a few ways actually, like even though Congress passes bills that change the market all the time, they’re allowed to trade based on it, so if say, you donate to certain campaigns, not only will they vote your way, but if something might be about to fuck your shit up, they’ll give you a heads up to start selling. Whitney knows what I’m talking about.”
“I can’t believe you’re working hand in hand with let’s face it, Republican assholes to get richer while your wife is trying to save the world.” Bela joked.
“Well, Non-Profits don’t pay her what she’s worth and Spence is not going to pay for itself, Ivy is already accepted for their PreK program.”
“She’s five months old, Leighton. She does not need to be accepted to a PreK yet.” Kimberly pointed out.
“Oh, please, I applied for that spot as soon as we started trying. It’s all just formality of course, I went there, my mom went there, both my grandmothers. Ivy is just continuing the family tradition.”
“Hey, so long as you remember to introduce me to your neighbor in St. Barts, Lorne Michaels. You fuck up my goddaughter all you want.” Bela wanted her dream job.
“He’s not like a neighbor, neighbor, we just go to the same club, and live in the same gated community.”
“Don’t you share a fence?”
“We do.” Leighton groaned. “But still. We don’t know each other.”
“What time is our dinner reservation for?” Kimberly asked.
“Eight.”
“Okay, so we have another two hours before then. Should we just get started on the pre-gaming already?” Bela asked looking around for votes when there was a knock on the suite door.
“Nope. I got something already planned.” Leighton grinned as she opened the door and in walked four Asain women and two possible Swiss or Norse men carrying massage tables. “Massages and mani pedis.”
“Yes! Give me that rich white treatment!” Bela grinned.
Leighton was in the middle of her massage when her phone started to ring.
She saw the picture of Alicia flash on the screen. As soon as she answered the phone all she could hear was Ivy screeching.
“She’s having a hard time going to bed huh?”
“She wants you. She reaches out to any photo of you.” Alicia sounded so exhausted. Leighton was only gone for two hours at this point. “Why doesn’t our daughter like me?”
“She loves you. She’s just fussy and used to a routine that we’ve never missed a night of since she was born. Both of us putting her to bed at night. I’ll come home and we can both her down.”
“I didn’t call you to tell you to come home.”
“I know. But I am literally a 10 minute drive away from home. It’s nothing. I’ll come home, help you put Ivy to bed, and come back here.”
“Don’t you have a lot of things planned?”
“I don’t care about missing a massage or a mani and pedi for you and Ivy. You’re more important. Hell I’ll tell Bela to get fucked and just spend the rest of this weekend home with you and Ivy.”
“You’re not blowing off Bela’s birthday weekend. But fine, come home for bedtime.”
Leighton shooed away the masseuse and got off the table.
After getting redressed, she was back in the main room of the suite where Bela and Kimberly were getting mani-pedis.
“I need to head out for a bit. Ivy is not handling the change of me missing bedtime well, so I’m going to put her to bed.”
“Wait, you’re leaving?” Kimberly went to get up only to be reminded of her limbs being held by two women.
“It’s only like twenty minutes in drive time and getting Ivy to settle and go to sleep’ll only be twenty at most. So I’ll be back before it’s time for dinner.”
“Sounds fine with me. Go take care of the little princess.”
“Thanks.”
…
As soon as Leighton got to their townhouse on East 75th street, perfectly between 5th and Maddison and just down the road from central park, she called out.
“I’m home!” Leighton rushed up the four flights of stairs until she got to the nursery where Ivy was in an adorable Versace footie onesie. “Come here Ivy.” Leighton happily accepted the infant who was reaching out for her. She buried her face instantly into Leighton’s neck, clinging tightly to her. “Oh, it’s okay. Come on, let’s read your story.” Leighton sat down on the small loveseat in the room next to Alicia making sure that Ivy was between them as Alicia picked up the nearest book.
“Let’s see what Peter Rabbit is up to.” Alicia rubbed Ivy’s back with one hand and held open the book with the other.
Just like always, before the book was done, Ivy was fast asleep, lazily sucking on her pacifier.
Leighton laid down carefully in the crib and pressed a kiss to her forehead before backing up for Alicia to be able to do the same.
“See, she just needs us both.”
“Which means we’re fucked if we ever have to be out of town for work.” Alicia pointed out.
“I can always work remotely and we’ll just follow you if you need to go.” Leighton shrugged. “Okay. I gotta get back to the girls.” Leighton gave Alicia a quick kiss. “Love you!”
…
Leighton looked at the word that Bela had written on her nails.
“Who’s Ivy?” Leighton looked up at Bela. “Some new girl you’re chatting with?”
“No! Your daughter. Ivy. My goddaughter.”
“You’re not her godmother, you don’t even know her name. It’s not Ivy, like the weed. It’s Ivy as in short for Isami Violet.” Leighton rolled her eyes.
“Literally the first time you ever mentioned this!” Whitney pointed out. “Look, the text you sent us literally says Ivy, as in I-v-y.”
“Yeah, so? We’re going to have her use that instead of just the letters I and V because she’s not a medical thing.”
“Then what’s the issue?” Bela was so confused.
“So why didn’t you just name her Ivy?”
“Because Alicia wanted to name her after her grandmother and my side of the family is racially ignorant at best. Look, it’s a lot of pressure from all sides when you have a kid. Let’s just go have dinner before we get so drunk we hopefully have no memory of the strip club.”
…
“So I know their whole job is to pretend to like you, but I really think there was sparks between Candi and I.” Bela half yelled over the loud music as she rejoined her friends at the table after having finished her private dance in the VIP room.
“Doesn’t matter she’s working.” Leighton pointed out.
“It’s true, nothing worst than customers hitting on you and you don’t have anywhere to go and hide.” Kimberly pointed out.
“I wasn’t gonna hit on her.” Bela groaned. “But speaking of, I need more money Leighton.”
Leighton rolled her eyes and handed over another stack of bills to Bela.
Bela went to talk to another dance only to come back rejected.
“Leighton, come with me. Jerri and Ginger won’t give me a couple dance unless I have my SO with me. Come pretend to be my wife.”
“I don’t want a lap dance, let alone a couple one. Get Kimberly to pretend to be your girlfriend.”
“Fine, but I need your wedding and engagement rings.”
“No.”
…
Bela was passed out on the floor of the main room of the suite. Kimberly was asleep in one of the bathtubs, and Whitney and Leighton were trying to get Bela to a bed.
“This is the last wild party we have. I’m missing Dateline with Alicia for this.” Leighton huffed.
“Tell me about it, there is a symposium I could be attending.” Whitney groaned. “How the hell are these two still going wild?”
“Because they don’t have responsibilities. Bela spends all her nights at open mic nights at bars and Kimberly can barely keep a job or a personality that doesn’t resolve around some hot guy.”
“Would it be terrible to gift Kimberly therapy sessions for her birthday?”
“I mean, it’s what I gave Bela.” Leighton shrugged. “It’s what I give her every year. I’m hoping eventually she’ll finally understand boundaries.”
“I should’ve done that. I just got her a gift card for Target and Candi’s phone number.”
Leighton laughed so hard she dropped Bela’s head causing it to bang loudly on the floor.
“Is it good or bad that she didn’t wake up?”
Whitney shrugged. “No idea, but I’m going with good. I’m too tired to deal with drunk Bela.”