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The beautiful brunette inched up her chin. “I don’t know. Don’t care.”
Vienna’s mouth curved. “You love your brother really.”
“Only sometimes,” said Tamara. “Today is not one of those times.”
“Burgers are ready!” Ollie announced.
I helped my mom plate up food for Simon, Melinda, and Wyatt before going to grab my own food.
Hanna tossed me a smile. “We made sure to put aside burgers and hot dogs for the birthday girl before they could be demolished.”
My lips curled. “Thank you, Hanna. I’d plant a kiss on your cheek, but you have mustard on it.”
A frown fell over her face, and she began rubbing at the blob of mustard … which only succeeded in spreading it along the side of her face. Rolling his eyes, Kyle used a napkin to wipe it off.
We all ate, drank, and gravitated from seat to seat as we joined conversation after conversation. Once everyone was finished their food, I grabbed a garbage bag and started collecting the trash.
Seeing that, Simon frowned at me. “This little gathering is for you. You should be sitting down and relaxing.”
“She can’t help herself,” Melinda told him with a fond smile. “She’s used to being the one cleaning up after gatherings—it’s part of her job.”
“Which is yet another reason why she shouldn’t be on clean-up duty now,” said Simon before sliding his gaze back to me. “Enjoy the break from it, sweetheart.”
Instead, I took his empty plate and trashed it. “I’m almost done.”
Wyatt sighed. “Sit down, woman.”
I shot up a brow. “I don’t see any of you looking to take over. Or am I wrong?”
The two men spluttered while Melinda averted her gaze.
“Yeah, figured you wouldn’t offer,” I said, barely stopping my lips from quirking.
The night soon began to darken, which was when people eventually began to trickle out. Simon, Melinda, and Wyatt left first—apparently, they’d all arrived in the same car. Hanna and Kyle left shortly after. It was when I heard Ollie talking about heading home with Marleigh that I decided it was time to make my little announcement.
I cleared my throat and spoke loud enough to be heard over the chatter: “I have some news to share.” Immediately, the talk died down and everyone’s attention settled on me. “But first, I need you all to promise that you won’t repeat any of what is said here to anyone else. And I mean,anyone.”
Aside for Sabrina and Alicia—who sat either side of me on a sofa, pillars of support—people exchanged looks that were either uneasy, confused, or a combination of the two. Each person eventually gave me their word, though my dad and Ollie dragged their heels on that.
I rested my clasped hands on my lap. Seeing no need to beat around the bush, I got straight to the point. “Dax Mercier proposed to me. I said yes.”
Silence reigned. Eyes bulged. Jaws went slack. Backs straightened.
“Since when have you two been an item?” asked Vienna, her voice carefully even. “And why did you keep it from us?”
“We’re not an item,” I said. “We’re just—”
“Oh my God, are you pregnant?” Harri burst out.
I wish. “No. Dax and I agreed to a fallback marriage pact years ago and, well, the time’s come for us to honor it.”
There seemed to be a collective intake of breath, and then everyone other than Alicia and Sabrina were speaking at once. Well, they were morerantingthan anything else—particularly when it came to Ollie and Dane, who both shot to their feet.
I held up a hand, palm out, and said calmly, “I can only answer one question at a time.”
“Why the hell would you agree to something like this?” my dad demanded, his expression hard, his body rigid.
“It’s insane,” Ollie added, his cheeks a worrying shade of red.
