“Only fashionably,” I shot back, grinning. I hugged her carefully before taking a step back and glancing at her belly. “Unlike that little one, who’s more than just fashionably late at this point.”
“Actually, I’ve still got a few weeks to go. Lucky me, huh?” She let one of her hands drift to the top of the bump and moved out of the way, shutting the door behind me once I was inside. “I used to think people were exaggerating when they waddled instead of walked. Now I know that the struggle is real.”
I chuckled. “You’re braver than I am, that’s for sure. I don’t know if I would have walked at all. I would have sat on my ass and ordered Sterling around.”
She winked at me. “What do you think I do when we’re alone?”
“Good girl. Milk it.” I grinned and she laughed, ushering me inside.
The house was buzzing with people, old friends and my brothers with their wives. There were a few I vaguely recognized from Sterling’s school days as well as a couple from the firm. He’d said he was keeping this party intimate, but there were still probably fifty people in attendance.
Laney disappeared after taking the wine from me, grumbling about forcing Sterling to keep the bottle until she could share it with him. I joined Callum at the bar, accepting the glass of whiskey he held out to me.
“It’s about time you showed up,” he said. “I thought I was going to have to drink that myself.”
I brought the glass closer to my chest as if shielding it from him. “Don’t you dare. I just spent two days in New York with Mom. I’ve earned this, and at least half a dozen more.”
He laughed, head tipping back, and he watched Maisie talking to Sadie at the other side of the room. Brody sat on the floor with Jack, Sterling and Laney’s cat, in his lap.
“I won’t argue with that,” he said, finally tearing his gaze away from his wife and son to glance at me. Almost immediately, the weirdly serene smile he’d had on his lips while watching them disappeared. His head cocked and his eyes narrowed. “What have you done? You look smug.”
“I’m not smug. I’m triumphant. I survived another Christmas shopping spree,” I said, trying to shrug it off, but he caught it.
Callum always caught it. He arched his eyebrows at me. “Nah, it’s not that. Something is different about you. What happened?”
“I might have met someone,” I said casually, testing the words. “No one knows about it yet, so keep it to yourself.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Look at you, bringing home the gossip for a change. Who is she?”
I opened my mouth, about to say Aurelia’s name, but then Sterling’s voice cut through the room, followed closely by theclinking of metal against glass. “Welcome, everyone. If I could have your attention for a minute.”
“Don’t think this is going to get you out of telling me,” Callum muttered as everyone turned to face our eldest brother.
He stood near the fireplace, one arm slung around Laney’s shoulders. She looked radiant, her hand resting over the curve of her belly as she looked up at him.
Sterling’s cool blue eyes swept across the room, but there was a warm smile on his face, his posture relaxed and his features soft. It was like he’d had a personality transplant after he’d met Laney.
“I won’t bore you for long,” he said, his voice as clear and commanding as ever. “Laney and I simply wanted to thank you all for being here. As you know, we’ve been working hard getting our home ready for the arrival of our daughter and we’re thrilled to finally be able have you all here with us.”
A few catcalls and chuckles rang out, and he continued. “Dinner will be served shortly and there are snacks coming out in just a moment, but first, I wanted to make a toast to my beautiful wife, Laney, and to our daughter, Claire, who we can’t wait to meet in just a few weeks’ time. I love you both, and thank you for putting up with me and all my crazy ideas during the renovations. To Laney and Claire.”
Sterling raised his glass and the room erupted into applause, cheers, and glasses clinking.
I raised my glass too, but my mind wandered away from the party. I took a sip of my drink and couldn’t stop thinking about Aurelia, about how different my secret felt compared to Sterling’s open joy. He got to stand in front of everyone, declaring proudly how much he loved them and sharing the beginning of this new chapter in their lives.
Me? I had to tuck Aurelia away like contraband. The thought didn’t sit right with me, but I realized then that, before I toldanyone, Aurelia and I needed to talk. Not telling our mothers straight away was one thing, but keeping it from everyone else felt as unnecessary as it did wrong.
As the crowd settled, a voice at my elbow made me turn.
“Claire is such a pretty name,” a woman said brightly, extending her hand toward me. “I’m Megan. Laney’s friend.”
I shook with her politely. “Harrison. Sterling’s brother.”
She giggled. “I know who you are. It’s nice to meet you.”
Callum glanced between the two of us, chuckling as he shook his head. “I’m Callum. Also known as chopped liver, apparently. I’ll see you guys around. We’ll talk, Harrison.”
He gave me a pointed look and smirked. As he walked away, I suspected he thought that this Megan girl was the woman I’d told him about meeting, but he was gone before I could correct him.
