Page 58 of Twin Babies For The Grump

“I’m done hiding,” I say once we both run out of breath. “There’s no point to it, especially now with a child on the way. Tomorrow morning, we are going to gather all the staff and announce our relationship and pregnancy. We are doing nothing wrong, Tess.”

“You want to tell everyone that the news report was true?”

“No, I want to tell everyone that we are together and expecting a child. They are free to believe whatever they want but we are not hiding our relationship.

“What about Macy? We don’t have proof that she did this.”

“I know. If I fire her now, without cause, it will only send more reporters here. After all, they know who their gossip source is. But… I’ll handle her, don’t worry.”

“But first I need to tell my sister.”

“Oh,” Tess says.

From what she said earlier she must have already told Adela about us, but I doubt she's informed her family. But my sister—she needs to learn this today, before she sees it on the news.

We both get up and I sit at my father's desk placing the phone in the middle of it before making a video call. Tess offers to go to the living room to wait until I'm done but I asked her to stay. I want her to be present for this call.

“Okay, I'll just wait here then,” she says and plummets on the couch right next to the window.

The phone rings only twice before Tiffany picks it up.

She has definitely heard the news.

“Hey, Tiff,” I say.

Tiffany is leaning against a counter, her hair pulled up on top of her head with a few strands stuck on her forehead. There are dark circles under her eyes, but she has a very pleased smile plastered on her face.

“Hey, Owen,” she says. “How's it going?

“Better than ever. The Grapefest is a few weeks away, but we have already a killer wine prepared. And I have some very exciting news to share with you.”

There's a weird noise in the background and then something breaks. Tiffany looks away for a brief second, sighs, and then turns her attention back to me. “I'm guessing they have to do with what I heard about the winery and you this morning in the news?”

Tess makes a soft, whiny sound and hides her face in her hands.

“Precisely,” I say. “It was an effort to smear the name of Delia Winery and our work for the contest.

“Relax, Owen, I didn’t believe any of that. I know you’d never hand over a position like that without merit, let alone trade it for sexual favors.”

I knew my sister wouldn’t believe all that crap but hearing how she dismisses those allegations makes me love her even more. Tess looks just as relieved, finally giving me a proper smile. She makes a gesture to leave the room so that I can continue the conversation in privacy, but I shake my head.

“What?” Tiffany asks, seeing that motion.

“Actually,” I begin and rise, taking my phone with me. I cross the room and sit next to Tess. Her smile is gone, replaced with an expression of pure terror. “Tiffany this is Tess, the winery’s new manager, and my girlfriend.”

The word girlfriend sounds wrong when it comes to describing what Tess is to me, but that's a conversation I need to have with her first. “Tess, this is my sister, Tiffany.”

Tiffany is staring at us with an ambivalent smile while Tess greets her.

“Nice to meet you too, Tess,” she says. “I guess there was some truth to that news report.”

My sister's expression has now changed completely. Not because she thinks Tess used me to get a promotion—but because she realized the pregnancy rumor is also true.

“Yes,” says Tess and her hand instinctively goes down to her belly. My sister almost shrieks at the announcement and floods us with questions about our relationship and the baby. Tess responds to all of them and I sit back and listen to their conversation with a smile on my face. It's only when the topic of the rumors comes back that they both remember I’m there.

“We're not sure yet,” says Tess. “I suggested that Owen picks another manager so that we can just say the news report was false, but he thinks that's pointless.”

“My brother was never one to shy away from a problem or challenge, Tess, he's not gonna do that in his forties. And I agree, Dad wouldn't want this either. The winery was his pride and passion, but he wouldn't want the win if it meant bowing down to the people who wanted to smear his name.”

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