Page 368 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

“Thank you.”

Siena found John’s reason for being in the kitchen. With his back turned to her, he chatted with his mother who was currently readying a dish of cheesy scalloped potatoes. Next to Jordyn, John’s father tried to sneak a piece of shredded cheese but ended up with his hand slapped by a wooden spoon.

“Fuck my life,” Lucian snarled under his breath. “You’re going to break my knuckles, woman.”

Jordyn smiled. “Keep your fucking hands out of my food. You know better than that. I know because your mother taught you better.”

John chuckled, and when Siena stepped in beside him, his small grin turned on her. It was harder to see the blank emptiness in his eyes when he was smiling. She found that most disturbing. Not John, no. But the fact something like depression could be so easily hidden by something like a smile.

She realized then just how carefully her husband had perfected hiding his problems. At the same time, he also didn’t mind asking for help when he needed to now.

It was a give and take.

A constant learning process.

“Hey,” she whispered.

Pushing up to her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to his jaw.

“Hey,” he murmured back.

She gave him a questioning look—a simple raise of her brow that asked you good? John winked back, and tried to smile a little wider for her but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. She knew then that he was probably ready to head home and call it a night. Hell, dinner hadn’t even been served yet, but at least no one could say he didn’t make an effort to come.

Wasn’t that what counted?

She thought so.

“So, Lucian and I were talking,” Jordyn said, drawing Siena’s attention away from her husband for a moment, “and we were wondering if you both wanted to do a party after you find out the gender like a surprise for everyone. We could throw it and—”

“I don’t know,” Siena said quickly, wanting to give John the choice to say yes or no to that before anyone else became too attached to the idea. Just in case he really didn’t want to do it because then he wouldn’t feel required to agree. “We haven’t really talked about it.”

“Why not?” John asked. “We could figure something out. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, right?”

“No, of course not,” Lucian said. “We could even do dinner for just family if you wanted.”

“Yeah, I think—”

John’s words cut off when a familiar guest came to stand in the back entryway to the mansion’s large kitchen. He lifted a hand and tipped his head to the side, a silent invitation for John to join him. Andino didn’t make it seem like he was demanding anything, though.

Probably a good idea, considering everything.

“I’ll be right back,” John said to Siena and his parents.

Lucian cleared his throat when he glanced over his shoulder to see what had caught John’s attention. “Sure, son.”

John pressed a quick kiss to the top of Siena’s head and pressed his palm flat to her stomach before stepping away from the conversation entirely. That just left her and his parents to plan a gender reveal. If they noticed that something was off with John, well, they didn’t say. Then again, his parents rarely did mention that sort of thing now. They would much rather let Siena and John handle it alone, but they were always there if they needed help.

“Well,” Siena said, giving her in-laws a smile, “I guess we’re planning a gender reveal.”