Page 68 of Finding Love in the Clouds

“He is going to be so surprised tonight when he learns the secret both of us managed to keep from him during that game. He must be love-struck or something not to notice and interrogate us,” Anthony stated as they enjoyed a delicious lunch at the country club.

They sat for a couple more hours, catching up on business and discussing how the mayor’s job was going. Hannah called and asked them to run into town to pick up the cake since her mother, who was designated to deliver it, had come over earlier to help watch the children.

By the time they got back, they had less than thirty minutes to get cleaned up before their BBC brothers started arriving.

Julio was the first to arrive with a gorgeous female hanging off his arm. She looked like she had just stepped off a runway in her elegant form-fitting gown, glossy mane of long brown hair with perfectly applied highlights and low lights in varying shades of blonde, and make-up that would have made Kylie Jenner proud.

“Maria, this is my kid brother Fernando. Fernando, this is Maria.”

Fernando shook her hand, noticing her firm grip, and started to change his initial opinion about her. Perhaps she wasn’t a placeholder until Julio could find the woman he was destined to be with.

“Nice to meet you, Maria.”

“Likewise.”

Just then, Enrique walked through the door.

“No way! Enrique on time? Is this a result of Hannah’s genius, if slightly diabolical punishment last year, or the lovely lady I see standing by your side?” his brother asked, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Guess we will never know, as my lady hates to be late and won’t allow it to happen,” Enrique replied, helping a short blond woman out of her coat.

Fernando stepped up, and Enrique embraced him in a huge hug. “It’s good to see you, bro. Where’s Sophie?”

“She’ll be here,” Fernando answered cryptically but was saved from further interrogation when Hannah announced dinner was ready and everyone needed to grab their seats.

“What about Gabe?” Fernando asked, confused. Hannah never allowed family dinners to start without everyone present.

“Just pulled up,” she said over her shoulder, heading to the kitchen. Anthony followed on her heels to help carry out the food.

“Has motherhood enhanced her hearing because I didn’t hear anything,” Julio commented.

Just then, a car door closed, and two sets of feet could be heard coming up the stone steps.

“He probably texted her, the brown noser,” Enrique added as Gabriel entered, holding the hand of the woman behind him.

When she stepped around him to remove her coat, Leigh’s jaw dropped. “Mia? You’re with Gabriel?”

“Finally! It was so hard keeping that secret from you, boss. He made me promise not to say anything since everyone was keeping their pact details a secret, but…”

“Wait, pact secrets?” Leigh turned to Enrique, demanding clarification.

“You’ll see over dinner. Come on, I’m not going to be the one keeping Hannah waiting this year.”

Fernando claimed the seat closest to Anthony at the end of the table across from Hannah, the chair to his right remaining empty as everyone filled in the table around him.

Hannah delivered the food to the table, and after Anthony said the blessing, plates were filled with her traditional Jamaican New Year’s Eve dinner.

“Okay, who wants to start?” Anthony asked once the first few bites of Hannah’s wonderful meal had been enjoyed in relative silence.

“I’ll go first since I think mine is pretty well known,” Fernando volunteered, wanting to get this part over so he could enjoy his meal. “All the BBC brothers know I have refused to fly no matter how much coaxing orthreateningthey tried. I addressed that fear by taking a twelve-hour flight to Italy and then back. The good news is, I’m no longer afraid to fly and actually just took Sophie on a helicopter ride to Malibu to propose.”

Congratulations and cheers went up around the table as his brothers told him, in their own unique way, that it had taken him long enough.

Having said his piece for the evening, he sat back and enjoyed his meal while his brothers went around the room sharing their stories. He was happy for all of them and wondered at how they had managed to keep secrets from each other while at the same time noting that every single one of them had informed at least one brother, if not two, and that Hannah seemed to be in on everyone’s secrets. It just went to show how connected they were and how they leaned on each other in different ways.

The meal, as always, was a culinary delight, and the stories were entertaining. The men were all happy, and the family grew exponentially.

At eleven thirty, they adjourned to the living room to ring in the New Year and the proposal of a new pact.

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