Charlotte and Will congratulated us too, and to my utter surprise nobody looked angry or upset at the news. Easton appeared shocked at first, but that shock faded away at the sight of his mother’s notable excitement, and he was grinning.
“Well, damn. Congratulations!” Easton said, lifting his coffee mug in a cheers. “That will certainly keep attention off me for the foreseeable future. Thank you!”
Noah rolled his eyes and shook his head, but he was still smiling.
“When’s the due date?” Gloria asked as went back to her seat and picked up a napkin to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“July nineteenth,” I replied.
Gloria’s lips parted with surprise, as if she’d done the math and concluded that it didn’t exactly add up to when Noah and I started dating. But she didn’t say anything, and I had a feeling she wouldn’t have, if Noah’s younger brother hadn’t pointed out the obvious first.
“Wait a minute. So, this baby-making night happened back in October, after the Witches’ Ball?” Easton blurted, his eyes wide with scandalized surprise.
“Easton!” Gloria scolded, shooting her youngest son a chastising look.
“What! I’m just saying.” Easton raised his hands in surrender, a cocky smirk on his face. “Did you guys have the shots?”
“There were a lot of shots had that night,” I muttered, my face heating with embarrassment.
Easton let out a cackle. “The Hartley triplets did it again!”
“Did what again?” I frowned.
“They always have a hand in planning the Witches’ Ball. Yeah, the Hastingses put it on. But the Hartley triplets are behind the drink menu. They’ve been known to make certain cocktails and shots with the love elixir,” Easton explained, his eyes bright with amusement.
I’m glad somebody was entertained.
“How do you know that?” Noah asked, his brows furrowing.
“Aliza Hastings told me a few years ago. After I almost did a few shots with Leah Michaels.” Easton shivered, as if the memory gave him the heebie-jeebies. “Leah went on to do shots with Beckett Brown, and nine months later…” he gestured, rocking an invisible baby.
“Uh…” I glanced at Noah for help. “There isn’t any merit in the whole love elixir folklore, right?”
Noah’s parents, brothers, and Charlotte all exchanged looks with one another, as if they were nonverbally conversing about how to break it to me.
“I mean, it’s not like it’s been scientifically proven or anything,” Charlotte tried.
“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.” Gloria smiled.
“Or fate,” Will added helpfully, giving me a comforting smile. “Either way, we’re going to be grandparents again! That’s exciting news, right, Glo?”
“Sure is!” Gloria’s smile brightened.
Was nobody else concerned that a trio of elderly ladies was supposedly spiking the drinks of unsuspecting townsfolk with a love potion? I’d laughed when Sage had been so worried about unwittingly drinking the love elixir with Nix by way of the chocolate stout Nix had purchased for their first-ever date, but now I saw her point.
“That feels very dub-con-y,” I said, glancing at Noah with alarm.
“Dub-con-y?” Easton raised a brow, confused.
“It means dubious consent, and it refers to a situation where consent is unclear or dubious.” I explained, shaking my head. “The Hartley triplets tricking unsuspecting couples into taking the love elixir would fall under the dub-con category.”
“I really don’t think the Hartley triplets are in the habit of forcing people to unwittingly take the love elixir,” Gloria explained with a patient smile. “Anything in the café that contains the love elixir is labeled with a little heart.”
“Yeah, but they’ve expanded to include the love elixir in other items around town,” Damien pointed out. “The Choco Temptation chocolate stout from the brewery for example—which we include in our Couples Retreat baskets.”
“The Choco Temptation is labeled appropriately,” Charlotte countered. “It’s why you and Noah refuse to drink it.”
“What about that new wine that came out from the winery? Amour Au Chocolat?” Damien argued. “I don’t recall seeing a label on it.”
