She planted her chin on his chest and peered up at him. “That’s why I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
Donovan and Lucius went to the kitchen while the other four took a seat at the dining table, which Delia and Tammera had artfully set. The two guys ferried in lemongrass pork with rice vermicelli, fresh spring rolls with shrimp and cellophane noodles, and big bowls of pho with fragrant broth and the many fresh accompaniments. Donovan put on some music, a playlist of Lela’s favorites. WhenSave a Prayerby Duran Duran came on, she pressed her hand to her chest and closed her eyes. “I love this song so much. It will never, ever get old.”
All Donovan could think was that it would never get old to make her happy. To see her smile.
The conversation was brisk and lively as they skipped from topic to topic. Work came up a lot, of course. This was a workaholic crowd if ever there’d been one. Lucius had landed a publishing contract for his first novel and finally had a release date to share. He was also set to start teaching a writing class in the fall. Tammera’s career was regularly blowing up in a good way, with a new line of kitchen appliances, a second show, and more cookbooks on the way.
Delia insisted her job was just the same old, same old. “But Echo and Lucius, I’d love to be considered to be your pediatrician.”
“She’s an excellent doctor,” Donovan said. “The one time I had to see her, she took very good care of me.”
Lela cast a knowing smile at Donovan. “Thank goodness we don’t have to worry about that.”
“Yep. Clean bill of health.”
After the dinner plates were cleared away, Tammera popped the cork on another bottle of champagne and Donovan hunted down some seltzer so Echo could toast as well. He then put a single candle on the cake and walked it into the living room to present it to Lela.
“It’s so pretty. Thank you,” she said as he set it down before her. If she’d noticed the altered icing, she didn’t let on.
“Make a wish,” Donovan said.
“Are you sure? It’s not my birthday.”
“I still think you’re entitled.”
She smiled that stunning Lela smile, pursed her lips and blew out the candle. Everyone clapped and cheered. Donovan felt like his mission had mostly been accomplished when Delia started cutting and serving the cake.
“I’d like to propose a toast. Actually, several toasts. So bear with me.” He raised his glass and cleared his throat. “First off, we have to acknowledge how amazing it is to have a gathering of family and loved ones like this. I love you all.”
“Hear, hear,” everyone said.
“And to my daughter and son-in-law and the baby on the way. It’s going to take me a while to wrap my head around the idea of being a grandfather, but I can’t wait for this next chapter.”
“Hear, hear,” they chorused.
“And lastly, to Lela, the love of my life. You are more than an amazing woman, you are a force of nature. Thank you for waiting thirty years for the stars to align.” Their gazes connected, and he heard Lela’s voice first. “Hear, hear.”
He downed the last of his champagne, poured another glass, and gladly dug in to his cake. As they dispatched the final bottle of bubbly, the festivities naturally began to wind down. Lucius helped Donovan clean up the kitchen while Tammera, Delia, Echo, and Lela stole a few more minutes of conversation.
Tammera and Delia were the first out the door. “Goodnight, all. Have a good weekend.”
“Goodnight, Dad. Lela. Love you.” Echo hugged them both.
Lucius, not much of a hugger, even accepted an embrace before they were on their way.
“Thank you for tonight. It was magical,” Lela said as Donovan flipped the deadbolt.
“You’re not mad that I forced you to celebrate your accomplishments?”
“No. Not at all. I loved having our little family together. It was awesome.”
He drew in a deep breath through his nose. “I still can’t believe Echo is going to have a baby. It’s so amazing.”
“I know. It’s so exciting.” She planted a finger in the center of his chest. “You are going to be a grandpa.”
“How weird is that?”
