Page 51 of Ignacio

The rest of the family laughed, while his ex-wife pursed her lips and shot him a playful glare. Her name was Rose, but Delta remembered he always called her Rosa.

“Do you like to have the whole family together too?” The question came from Junior, Audra’s oldest child.

Benicio smiled indulgently at his grandson. “I do. I love these moments when we’re all together. Our family is big and growing every year. Soon, I’ll have another son.” He turned his attention to Monica’s fiancé, Andre. “And I have two more daughters now,” he said, his gaze encompassing Skye and Marissa, his sons’ wives. “Before we say grace, Ethan said he wanted to say a few words.”

“Thank you.” The oldest son acknowledged his father with a nod.

“He must be about to announce a very lucrative deal. The only time I’ve seen him look so pleased was when he secured funding for his mixed-use community,” Ignacio murmured from the side of his mouth.

Delta only remembered meeting Ethan a handful of times in the past, but she recalled him being rather stoic. Horizon, his mixed-use community, was well-known in the Atlanta area.

“This announcement isn’t mine alone.” He took the hand of his wife, who was standing beside him in a loose-fitting, long-sleeved dress. “We wanted to share our good news with all of you. Skye and I are going to be parents.”

A gasp went through the room, and the entire family erupted in cheers. Delta and the other guests joined in the congratulations, sharing pats on the back and hugs as everyone celebrated the excitement.

“That’s why you’re wearing that loose-fitting dress,” Monica accused, pointing, which caused the Connor-Santana clan to burst into laughter.

Skye, grinning from ear to ear, placed a hand on her belly and showed off her bump.

Finally, everyone settled down, and Benicio clasped his hands together. Looking around the room, he said, “That was some unexpected but excellent news.”

Bruno, the second oldest son, cleared his throat. “I have an announcement too, but it’s hard to beat that.”

Scattered laughter filled the room, followed by hushed silence.

“Since we cannot beat you, I guess we’ll join you. Marissa and I are also pregnant.”

Delta’s mouth fell open as excited screams filled the room, followed by hugs and pats on the back as everyone congratulated them too. Once again, she offered her congratulations with the rest of the family and guests.

Rose’s eyes filled with tears. “Is this really happening? Two babies at the same time? Oh, my goodness!”

“You’re going to be busy, Mommy,” Monica said, squeezing her mother into a one-armed hug.

“I’m ready,” Rose said with confidence.

They all laughed.

When the room was quiet again, Benicio looked around at his family. “Does anyone else have a pregnancy announcement before we say grace?” He waited, his eyes twinkling with humoras he surveyed the room of smiling faces. “All right, let us hold hands and bow our heads.”

Benicio said a prayer to bless the food and for his sons and daughters-in-law and their unborn babies. Afterward, they all lined up to fill their plates. In addition to turkey, there was ham and various sides. Delta had already cheated once on her diet this past week, but she couldn’t resist adding a helping of macaroni and cheese to her plate. She then perused the dessert table, and her mouth fell open. She turned to look at Ignacio, who was across the room talking to his brother Thiago.

She caught his eye and mouthed,Chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts.

He smiled, and that’s when she realized he had put in a request to his mother. He was so thoughtful. The small gesture meant the world to her because he had paid attention and wanted her to have the treat.

“Are you going to stick around this time?” The surprising question came from Monica, Ignacio’s sister, tall and slender with a short natural hairstyle. She held a plate of food in her hand as she waited for a reply.

“What do you mean?” Delta asked, playing dumb.

Monica eyed her with barely concealed annoyance, and Delta straightened her spine, refusing to be intimidated.

Monica leaned closer, as if about to share a secret. “Don’t play games with my brother’s emotions. Ignacio doesn’t deserve that. If you care about him, act like it.” A taut smile briefly lifted the corners of her mouth, and then she sauntered off to her table.

Great. As she’d suspected, not everyone was pleased she and Ignacio were supposedly back together. Being viewed as the bad guy in the relationship sucked.

As Delta made her way to her chair, Marissa and Skye sat next to each other at another table and immediately put theirheads together. She felt a twinge of envy. They were about to become mothers, and she didn’t know when or if she would ever have children. Could she strike the right balance between being a performer and a good mother? Plenty of women had done so before her, but she was well aware that having a supportive partner played an important role in ensuring balance and raising well-rounded children.

She cast a quick glance at Ignacio, who was filling his plate with food. Did he want children? They hadn’t discussed the topic in any detail when they were younger, but they were both in their thirties now, and she didn’t know what he wanted. She also didn’t know if their “relationship” would last past the originally discussed six-month expiration date.

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