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I shake my head. "Give me a little more time with him first."
My phone rings on the bed and I go to take it. She starts dressing while I get on the phone with Ryder, who seems a little hurried as he informs me about the arrival of another shipment of our merchandise.
I nod and reply as I watch Mel sink her head into the flowers again, a tiny smile curling her lips. As we'd both been expecting, the pregnancy test had turned out positive. The relief I'd felt in the moment had been instant.
I end the call with Ryder and decide it'll be good to spend some time with the family. "We should head over to my father's. I'm sure he'll love hearing the news from us instead of over the phone."
It's been a while since the family has been together. We haven't had a family gathering since my father's illness had been outed by Gabriele. I'd been too busy keeping everything afloat with my brother's help.
She drops the flowers to the bed finally and nods. "I'll ask Father if he'd like to come over."
I walk over to her, tip her head up and plant a soft kiss on her lips. She kisses me back with no hesitation. It feels as though something is crushing my heart. It's tight as though filled to the brim. It's an odd feeling, but it's good.
I pull away and she moans, a gentle hum that ends with a mewl when I nip at her lips gently. "You've got to be the best thing that has ever happened to me Melissa."
She leans forward and spears me with a long look full of meaning. "Good. I better be."
* * *
Mother heaps some peas over Father's plate, and when he grimaces and shoots a look at the rest of the table with her head bent, we all laugh. Father looks as though he's aged ten more years since the last time I saw him.
He's weak, so much so Mother is feeding him a part of his meal. It wrenches my heart to see the once strong man so weak. It's also a reminder of the futility of it all. Some day, we all will slip from the earth like stardust disappearing in the sky.
Sedric shakes his head like he understands and scoops up his own peas, which he heaps on Lucian's plate. The laugh explodes again.
"I can see you all are having fun at my expense, but he's going to eat what the doctor says is good for him."
We all shut up. Knox is smirking at me. "Of course he will, Mother. We all know how much he needs it."
Mother finds a pea on the platter and in a move that surprises everyone at the table, throws it across at him. It hits right on his forehead and a laugh rings out along with a steady applause which mom accepts with a queenly wave.
Mel flicks her hair back and leans closer to me. "Do we tell them now?" She smiles. "I'm sure they're all thinking why we invited them to dinner at your parents."
I let my hand drop to her thigh under the table. "Let's let them stew in it a little while longer."
Knox's voice breaks into the conversation. "Are we too boring for you, brother?"
I lift my eyes to his to find the rest of the table already staring at us. Mel blushes a furious pink and returns her attention to the half eaten chicken on her plate.
I roll my eyes when Declan snickers. "Quite frankly? Maybe you are Knox."
Alec laughs. "Oh, I see how it is then."
I bare my teeth in a smile, my heart somehow even lighter. This feels familiar. "You do? Pray tell."
Mother taps at the table, and glares at the four of us. "You will desist from such behavior at the table, especially not when we have guests."
Sedric meets Mother's eyes and chuckles. "You don't count us among guests, do you? We already are family."
Daniel nods and gives his sister a playful glare. "Especially since those two were being very obnoxious with it too."
Mel winces. But before she can get a word in, Gianna jumps in. "And he looked a second away from kissing her right here." She giggles and slaps at the table. "The insolence!"
That's Gianna, alright.
Mel grimaces this time and glares at her sister. They stay locked in a stare down until Mel laughs and looks away. She rolls her eyes and mutters "asshole" into her food.
We finish the meal, Mother making sure Father gets as much fiber as he can, Father muttering all the while about controlling women. Daniel and Alec are discussing something I can't hear, while Knox has a smile on his face as he recounts some story to Mel.
