"Gloria called," I tell her, taking her camera bag. "Three times. Something about the London exhibition needing final approval on the installation design."
"Of course she did," Jade sighs, but there's fondness in her voice. Gloria still runs Jade's professional life with terrifying efficiency, now from an office in Lisbon where she can also keep an eye on Cross Security. We're all a little afraid of her, honestly.
"And Sophie sends her love from Greece," Ethan adds. "Apparently she's fallen in love with a fisherman. Or possibly a family of fishermen. Thetext was unclear."
Jade laughs. "That sounds like Sophie." Her former assistant now travels the world as her advance scout, securing permits and access for Jade's projects. Last we heard, she was indeed exploring the polyamorous possibilities of a Greek fishing village. Good for her.
"Hungry?" I ask, guiding Jade toward the kitchen. "I was just about to make dinner before someone violated my blender with pond scum."
"Starving," she admits, dropping into a chair at the oversized farmhouse table where we take most of our meals. "Airline food is still airline food, even in first class."
I set about preparing a proper welcome-home meal, pulling ingredients from our well-stocked fridge while Jade recounts stories from her trip. Ethan asks questions about security protocols. Once a bodyguard, always a bodyguard. Declan listens quietly, offering the occasional observation that makes us all stop and think.
This is our life now. This rambling house with its creaky floors and salt-weathered shutters. These conversations around a table bathed in golden light. This family we've created, unlikely and unconventional as it may be.
"So," Jade says casually as I place a plate of garlic shrimp in front of her, "I figured out why I've been so tired lately."
"The fact that you work too hard?" Ethan suggests, eyebrow raised.
"The fact that you insist on chasing danger around the globe?" I offer, setting down my own plate.
"The fact that you never say no to anything?" Declan adds, his deep voice rumbling with amusement.
She smiles, a mysterious curl of lips that makes me pause with my fork halfway to my mouth.
"Actually," she says, taking a deliberate sip of water, "I'm pregnant."
The clatter of my fork hitting the plate seems impossibly loud in the sudden silence.
"You're..." Ethan starts, then stops, blue eyes wide.
"Pregnant," she confirms, watching our reactions with that photographer's eye that misses nothing.
"As in... a baby?" I ask stupidly.
She laughs. "That is typically how it works, yes."
"How long have you known?" Declan asks, his voice softer than I've ever heard it.
"I suspected before I left for Angola. I confirmed it yesterday." Her hands rest lightly on the table, steady and sure. "I'm about eight weeks along."
"And you're... happy?" Ethan asks carefully.
Her smile widens, eyes bright with unshed tears. "I am. Very much. But what about you three? This wasn't exactly in our plans."
"Plans change," Declan says simply.
"Ababy," I repeat, the reality finally sinking in. A grin spreads across my face, wide and unstoppable. "Mi reinais having abebé!"
I'm on my feet in an instant, pulling Jade from her chair into a spinning hug that has her laughing and protesting.
"Careful with her," Ethan warns, but he's smiling too, a rare full smile that transforms his face.
When I set her down, his arms are waiting, wrapping around her with tender care. "We'll need to upgrade security," he murmurs against her hair. "Baby-proof everything. Convert the east bedroom..."
"Already planning," she says, reaching up to touch his face. "But we have time."
Declan is last, rising from his chair with deliberate calm. But when Jade moves into his arms, I see the tremble in his massive hands as they cradle her against his chest.
