Grace straightens.
Ethan frowns slightly.
Jace smirks like he knows a bomb is coming.
Asher squeezes Leona’s hand.
“Last night… I asked Leona to marry me.”
Silence.
The kind that has weight. The kind that shifts the air.
Leona’s smile is tight but triumphant.
Grace chokes.
Not a soft cough, she full-on sputters her drink across her plate, doubling over, face red. Caleb wraps an arm around her and thumps her back.
“Oh hell,” Jace mutters.“Did you knock her up?”
“JACE HAWTHORNE!” Lily smacks the table.“You watch your manners!”
But Asher lifts a hand.
“No, it’s okay,” he sighs.“And… yes. We are, in fact, having a baby.”
Gasps ripple around the table.
Lily covers her mouth, eyes filling. Josh stands, moves straight to Asher, and pulls him into a careful hug.
“Oh honey,” Lily whispers, hugging Leona next.“Congratulations.”
Everyone gets up, everyone except Grace.
She stares at her plate, frozen. Then she stands abruptly, her chair scraping hard against the wood.
“Excuse me,” she whispers and bolts.
Caleb curses and runs after her.
The family watches them go, unsure. I swallow hard, my chest pinching at the heartbreak on Grace’s face.
After a beat, we gather ourselves. We congratulate Asher again. We ask Leona questions, names, due dates, all the little details.
Grace and Caleb rejoin us after a while, and Grace walks up to Asher, looking him in the eyes.“Congratulations, Asher. I’m happy for you.”
Asher nods. Grace turns and takes her place at the table.
Eventually, lunch winds down. Asher and Leona leave early because she isn’t feeling well.
When the table is cleared and everyone helps clean the kitchen, Josh claps his hands together.“Board games?”
Jace groans.“If it’s Monopoly again, I swear…”
“It’s Monopoly,” Lily announces brightly.
We all drag into the living room. The board is set up. Ethan sits beside me, thigh warm against mine. Mia curls in my lap, clutching the new doll Grace got her.
