“Thank you,” Lily said as they separated. “It means so much coming from you.”
Rebecca was smiling but the feeling was a little bittersweet. She was, of course, happy for them, but it also reminded her how she hadn’t been able to carry a child to term. She glanced at Grace, who may be feeling similarly, since she had lost a child with her first husband and had been unable to conceive with Marcello. Rebecca also looked over at Arianna, who had given birth to a daughter—Eloisa, who was currently sleeping under the watchful eye of her nanny—but had been told she shouldn’t have any more as it would be unsafe for her health.
Rebecca mentally shook her head free of negative thoughts. There was too much to celebrate, and still too much to say tonight.
Once they were all seated again, Genevieve asked the question everyone expected. “Are you moving the wedding up?”
Lily shook her head. “There’s too much to think about logistically for that, especially with the funeral rearranging some of our plans.”
“You could pull a Nate and Charlie and elope,” Marcello suggested.
Ethan shook his head. “I refuse to officiate anyone else’s wedding. Mama almost killed me after that elopement, in case you don’t remember.”
“I still could,” Genevieve replied without any malice.
“Or you could pull an Alex and Rebecca and do a private ceremony with the family before the public one,” Carolina proposed.
“I’m still not marrying you then either,” Ethan added. His love, Anda, elbowed him. “What? They always pull me into doing this kind of shit.”
“A wedding is not ‘shit’,” Anda said.
“Of course not, but you know they’ll pull me into this one way or another. Why does it have to be me every time?”
“Trying to coordinate the timing for three weddings isn’t easy,” Grace said, ever the diplomat.
“Not to mention the arrival of our baby,” Charlie said as she rubbed her protruding belly, her voice sounding even more exhausted at the thought of attending all the weddings as a very pregnant guest.
“I’m a pregnant bride too,” Sarah added. “If anyone’s wedding should be moved up first, it should be mine. I’ll be due before you, Lily.”
As overlapping conversations broke out around the table, Alex and Gabriel looked at each other, then at Genevieve, and then finally back at her. Rebecca knew what those looks meant.
Alex leaned towards his father. “I think we should announce it now. It won’t affect the wedding planning, but we’ll need to plan it around the births and their recoveries.”
Gabriel nodded, then clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. Once they settled again, he shifted in his chair slightly and cleared his throat. “Before we talk schedules, there is something else we need to consider.”
He took a deep breath. “I’ve decided to step down and retire.”
Mouths fell open across the table, and a few people gasped. Everyone glanced around the table to see how others were reacting, until gazes finally fell on her and Alex.
Rebecca reached for Alex’s hand and gripped it tightly; he gave her a comforting squeeze in return.
“My health is a factor, it’s true,” Gabriel continued. “This incident was minor, but it could happen again and be more serious next time. Valleria needs stability and it’s time we plan for the future.” He glanced over at Genevieve and they joined hands on the table.
After nearly a minute’s silence, Finn spoke first. “Wow. Well, this is certainly a surprise, but we, of course, support your decision.”
“Of course, Papa,” Arianna agreed.
“Indeed, Gabriel,” Rio said. “Please let us know what you need from us.” He glanced at Alex and Rebecca. “All of you, please don’t hesitate to let us know.”
Murmurs of agreement echoed around the table.
Rebecca smiled. “Thank you. We appreciate that.”
“We certainly do, and we’ll hold you to it,” Alex added.
“When are you planning for the official change to take place?” Nate asked as he glanced at Charlie beside him. “Will it be soon?”
Alex shook his head. “No, though we were aiming for the end of the year.”
