“He’s too modest,” I add with a quiet laugh, returning with three glasses of wine. “He and Emilee are basically living here now.”
Noah nods. “Still… must be nice having a place that feels like home.” Which is a strange comment, but I don’t call him out on it. He lifts his glass and takes a careful sip. “Who’s Emilee?”
“My daughter,” Alex answers, casually crossing an ankle over his knee.
Noah freezes mid-sip, his eyes snapping wide like reality just tilted sideways. He lowers the glass with both hands, blinking hard.
“Wait—you have a daughter?” His voice pitches up, somewhere between awe and disbelief. “Like… an actual child?”
Alex raises a brow, amused. “Is there another kind?”
“I—I just didn’t think…” Noah stammers, clearly caught off guard.
“Well,” Alex says evenly. “She’s thirteen, and away at boarding school with Elijah’s daughter.”
Noah’s eyes widen even further, curiosity sparking like a match. “Wait—were you married? I mean, where did she come from? Okay, sorry. That sounded really weird.”
Alex doesn’t flinch. He looks up from the rim of his glass, tone clipped. “She came from my ex. And no, I wasn’t married.”
That’s enough for me to know we’ve landed on shaky ground. The mention of Meera still tightens something in Alex, even now. I step in, trying to shift the energy, maybe lighten it.
“Let’s just say Alex officially turned in his straight card.”
Silence.
Cringe.
When no one laughs, I wince internally. Clearly, I’m not as quick with the one-liners as my daughter… or Gabriel.
Alex pivots, his voice clipped, but steady. “Have you met Elijah’s ex-husband?”
Wonderful. So that’s where he’s taking this?
Noah looks over at me, then quickly back to Alex. “Um. No. Can’t say that I have.”
“Well, he’s not here at the moment,” Alex says a little too dryly, “but I’m sure you’ll run into him eventually. He’s kind of… unavoidable.”
His gaze shifts toward me, narrowing just slightly.
Interesting. I’ll have to ask Gabriel what crime he committed this time.
Sensing the tension, Noah raises his glass with a crooked grin. “This wine is delicious,” he offers, cheeks flushed, a shy smile still intact.
The way he tries to smooth things over—it’s endearing. But I can’t help getting snagged on his reaction to Alex having a daughter. He seemed genuinely shocked.
Almost…tooshocked.
The conversation stalls, hovering in that awkward space where everyone’s pretending not to notice the awkwardness. I sip my wine, keeping my focus on the fire, letting the heat soak into the silence.
“I’m glad you like it,” I say warmly, remembering Noah’s compliment. “It’s actually Alex’s favorite. Hints of strawberry, if I remember correctly. Isn’t that right, love? Let me top you off.”
I reach for the bottle, just as my phone buzzes. Gabriel’s name flashes across the screen.
“Speak of the devil,” I murmur with a wink, excusing myself as I swipe to answer and head back to the kitchen, giving myself a moment to breathe.
ALEX
Hints offuckingstrawberry.
