Page 104 of The Grump I Slept With
“Wait…” Weston said, flashing the table a funny smirk. “She isn’t here? That’s odd.” He rose to his feet and moved to stand in the doorway, pulling a tiny party horn from his pocket. He blewit hard. Beside me, Isla jumped, then giggled at the unexpected noise.
Alistair leaned toward me. “What’s going on?”
“No idea, mate.”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Weston said, his voice booming across the room. “May I have your attention?”
“I think you’ve already got it,” Alistair muttered.
“Uncle Weston, I want that horn!” Kenna cried, jumping down from her chair. Weston pulled a second horn from his pocket and handed it to her, ignoring Alistair’s groan.
“As you know,” Weston continued, “earlier this year Lena and I fell in love with a little girl. She came into our lives and brightened our world until we couldn’t imagine being without her. Together, we’ve built a family. And today, I’m proud to announce that we are adoption official.”
Isla gasped beside me, pressing her hand to her mouth.
“May I present to you: Aisling Kincaid!” Weston said, throwing his arm out and blowing the horn again. Kenna blew her horn too, giggling as she jumped up and down by his side.
Everyone broke into applause as Aisling danced into the dining room in her frilly blue dress, positively beaming. She ran straight to Lena, throwing herself into her arms.
“The adoption went through?” Isla said, voice cracking with emotion. I reached over and squeezed her thigh.
“On Friday,” Weston confirmed, sitting back down at the table.
“You didn’t say a word!” I said to him.
“’Cause it was a surprise!” Aisling said, taking Weston’s party horn for herself.
“And it was the hardest secret we’ve ever kept,” Lena said. “I ran into Isla in town shortly after and thought it would explode out of me.”
“Ithoughtyou were smiling extra hard,” Isla said, laughing as she blinked away the tears that had gathered in her eyes. “You guys, we’re so happy for you. Congratulations. And congratulations to you, Aisling.”
“Thanks!” Aisling said.
“So,” Weston said as the girls started marching around the table, making the most of their horns, “not only is today’s lunch to officially welcome Alistair and Kenna to town, but it’s also an adoption celebration.”
The table clapped again. Aisling tooted her horn extra hard. Kenna followed in turn, staring up at Aisling like she was the coolest person in the entire world.
“Look at us getting everything out of the way before the new year,” Alistair said as Lena passed warm trays of food across the table. “It’s going to be quiet next year.”
“Notthatquiet,” Lena pointed out. She eyed Isla’s belly. “We all know what the next celebration is going to be.”
“Though maybe we can have less horns for that one,” Isla said, wincing as Aisling made a particularly shrill squeal. The table dissolved into laughter.
“Watch your steps there,” I called, leading the group across the hotel construction site. After lunch, I’d invited everyone over to the site to show them the progress on the hotelandthe new gallery that Isla and I had been working on.
“Just stick to the gravel path,” Isla called as Aisling and Kenna ran ahead.
“Is the house live-in ready?” Weston asked, coming up beside me.
I nodded. “It still needs furnishings, but the construction is complete.”
Since returning to town and reconnecting, Isla and I had decided that our home base would be at the inn. The nursery was already set up there, and that was where she was most comfortable. But seeing as I no longer needed my own place to stay, that meant the MacRae house was free to be put to other uses, and we’d agreed to turn it into an art gallery to show off her mother’s paintings as well as pieces from the current artist in residence. Isla had been super excited to move forward with the plans and had immediately started transforming the building.
“Just through here,” Isla called, leading the group toward the house. The grounds were bare, a layer of frost clinging to the surrounding trees, but white winter light spiraled through the naked branches, making the space feel ethereal. Isla walked up the porch steps, unlocked the door, and stood aside, welcoming everyone.
Aisling and Kenna were the first ones through the door, immediately racing up the stairwell to the second floor.
“Oi, you two be careful!” Alistair called. “Don’t go breaking anything.”
