Page 55 of Wishing Stone

“She’s right about that,” Matteo chimed in, and I laughed.

“Sorry, Alex. Some secrets are just meant to be kept hidden—even if only for a little while,” I added.

The hard, tense lines of his shoulders relaxed, and I mentally sighed my relief. I knew he would be upset that I hadn’t told him, but I could explain more about my reasoning later.

“So, Alex,” Stephen said. “You don’t own any guns by chance, do you?”

Alexander frowned in confusion. “Not personally. Why?”

“Because if you end up with a baby girl, I don’t want to have to defend you in court. I pity any man that comes sniffing around her.”

Bryan laughed and added, “If the guy who dates Alex’s daughter is anything like he was with women—”

“Don’t even fucking joke, man. Just don’t,” Alexander warned.

“What do you mean? How was Alex with women?” my stepfather asked.

Allyson snorted and I thought I heard a chuckle from Hale.

“Don’t ask,” Justine muttered.

I raised an eyebrow, still uncertain about how much Justine knew of Alexander’s less than conventional life before me. No matter what she knew, I couldn’t help but want to laugh at the idea of Frank knowing. He was a tolerant man, but somehow, I didn’t think he’d be happy to learn about Alexander’s kinks—or that I loved those kinks just as much. It was like I had said earlier—some secrets were just meant to be kept hidden.

Alexander was given congratulatory thumps on the back, while each guest took turns pressing their hand to my still mostly flat belly and giving me a brief hug. Each embrace felt stiff and awkward, ending just a little too quickly. I wasn’t sure if everyone sensed it or just me, but it felt strange to hug people after so much time apart.

A brief wave of sadness washed over me as I thought about all the time lost, but I was able to push it away just by focusing on the smiling faces of all the people I loved. We were all together in one place for the first time in far too long. I wanted to savor the moment because I didn’t know how long it would be until we were all together again.

I heard a rustling to my left and turned to see what it was. Vivian, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air, stood next to one of the golf carts arranging steaming mugs on a tray.

“Attention everyone!” she called. “I think a toast is in order. I have a nice mulled spiced wine here to warm the cockles of your heart on this chilly evening.”

Everyone gathered around as Vivian doled out the warm beverage. When she got to me, I held up my hand. There was no way for her to know I couldn’t drink it since she hadn’t been here when it was revealed that I was pregnant.

“No thank you, Vivian. No wine for me because…well, I’m going to have a baby!” I announced, anxious to see her expression.

“Yes, I know, dear. That’s why I prepared you a spiced cider instead. Here you go,” she said offhandedly as she passed me a mug.

I blinked in surprise.

“But how could you know? You weren’t here when I gave Alex his gift.”

She looked at me knowingly.

“There’s very little that gets past me. I just figured you had your reasons for staying quiet and would get around to telling me in your own time.”

“Any you never said anything to Alex?” I asked incredulously.

Vivian laughed.

“I know better than to interfere with the two of you. Now, enough chatter for the moment. I have to run and finish dinner preparations. Hale,” she said, turning to where Hale stood next to Alexander’s mother. “The nursing staff will be down to collect Helena in just a bit. I’ll have dinner ready to go in the insulated coolers to keep things hot, but I’ll need your help strapping it all to the golf cart so I can deliver it all to the igloos.”

“Not a problem at all, ma’am. I’ll be up to the house as soon as I can,” Hale replied.

I stared at the older woman, in awe over her endless energy. Perhaps Alexander was right. Maybe she didn’t need an assistant after all—at least not right now.

“As Vivian said, a toast is in order,” Alexander announced, raising his steaming glass mug. “After nearly two years of turmoil—socially, economically, and personally—I think I can finally move toward the light at the end of the tunnel. I may have been the last one to see it, but thankfully I have my beautiful wife to keep me in check.”

“You got that right,” I teased with a wink.

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