“Bella,” Chad said once he’d stopped laughing and we all moved toward the sitting area. “You can’t just ask people that.”
“Well, I’m not asking people. I’m asking Uncle Beckett. Heused to say he never wanted to have kids or a girlfriend, and now he has both, so you never know.”
I looked over at Beckett, who was the one laughing now. I was certain Bella could do no wrong in his eyes. Not that she was doing anything wrong. She was just being a kid, honest and to the point.
“Yes, but we need to talk about your approach,” Chad told her as he pulled Bella a bit away from the group.
“Chad, it’s fine,” Beckett said. “I really don’t mind. Bella always gives me food for thought.”
As we all sat down, Anthony and Xander came next to Beckett.
“We want to apologize to you, brother,” Xander said.
“Excellent. I’ve been waiting on that for a while.” Beckett sounded more smug than I’d ever heard him as he kissed Charlotte’s head.
I jerked my head back.
“What?” he asked, clearly noticing my reaction.
“I’ve just never heard you use that tone of voice.”
“That know-it-all slur?” Anthony said. “He reserves it just for us.”
“Didn’t you warn me off?” Beckett asked.
I gasped. “You warned him offme?”
“We just thought that he was living up to his before-Charlotte reputation. We figured it was our duty as brothers to remind him that he’s a father and needs to change. But again, we apologize,” Xander said, looking at Beckett, who was now busy looking around the room.
“Hey, did everyone hear? Xander is apologizing to me. He’s admitting that he was wrong,” Beckett called out, and I had to laugh. What a goof.
“He’ll never let me live this down. But I guess I deserve it,” Xander said.
“In his defense, we all thought the same,” Chad added.
Scarlett was now feeding their daughter, and I wondered if Charlotte might be getting hungry too.
A couple walked in through the door of the living room, and I instantly knew they were Beckett’s parents.
“We’re late again. I’m Adele. You must be Piper,” the woman said.
“Yes. Great to meet you.”
“This is my husband, Remy.”
As I shook hands with both of them, part of the group filtered out, including Isabeau with Bella in hand. Beckett was holding Charlotte once more. Simone was watching her young cousin with interest as Scarlett kept feeding her.
They returned a few minutes later. Isabeau had the beef brisket. Zachary and Grace carried in dishes as well. Julian brought a bowl of salad.
“Brisket is ready after all,” Isabeau said.
“Dinner is served. The table is already set,” Celine announced.
“Mom, you never told me you were cooking for tonight. I could’ve helped,” Adele said.
Celine wrinkled her nose. “Daughter, I love you. But even after all these years, your skills in the kitchen are nothing to brag about.”
“I know,” Adele replied. “That’s why I just saidhelp.”
