Luc #2
She’s teasing, but her eyes stay sharp. She’s reading more than what’s in front of her.
“Something like that,” I say. “Seemed like a good time to try a public outing.”
She nods, and then steps aside and pulls Addison into a brief hug.
Ric joins us a few minutes later, coming to stand at my shoulder. “Addie,” he says, warmly. Then his attention shifts to me. “I’m Alaric, Addie’s older brother, but you can call me Ric.”
I shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
A server passing appetizers stops to greet Addison. “Hey, I heard you were pregnant,” she says, bumping her shoulder playfully. “Who’s the baby daddy?”
Addison gives her a look that should melt her on the spot. “That’s not even remotely your business.”
She’s got it handled, but I’m already moving. I don’t remember deciding to step forward, my body angled between her and the question like I can erase it. “Enough,” I say sharply.
The server’s eyes flick to mine, and then back to Addison, like she’s looking for a weakness to exploit.
Ginny steps in beside me, easing the tension. But I’m still aware of how close I am to Addison. I force myself to step back.
“Tracy, no one here is interested in anything you have to say right now,” Ginny informs her. “I’m giving you two seconds to walk away and continue doing your job, or else Sadie and I will have a conversation with your boss that will leave you unemployable in this valley.”
Still, Tracy looks around the group, shaking her head. “Your grandmother is asking people to take sides, and here you all are, yukking it up at the enemy’s party. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
I look around, and it feels like everyone is staring.
Sadie shakes her head, points to the door, and speaks very loudly. “Get out. Your services are no longer needed, Tracy. This is not the place for that kind of crap. Out!”
With that, Beckett and Ryker walk Tracy out, and I look over at Addison to find a blush creeping up her neck.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods. “It’s fine. I’m not worried. I walked away from the family drama a long time ago. Ric may have some problems once Evie learns where he spent his afternoon, but I doubt he cares. He’s my grandmother’s favorite.”
“How did he get that title?”
“He’s the first-born male of her first-born male.” She looks around, and it seems people are back to whatever it was they were doing before the confrontation.
“Luc?” The voice comes from behind me, and I turn to find a woman approaching. “It’s great to see you,” she says.
I don’t recognize her at first, but then it falls into place.
She’s Maggie Brown, the local pediatric dentist. I consulted with her after a hockey injury took out a ten-year-old’s two adult front teeth.
“Great to see you too. Are all these crush parties so…” I look around, trying to come up with the right word. “Exciting?”
She laughs and shakes her head. “I’ve been to a few, and that was a first.”
I gesture to Addison. “Do you know Addison Dempsey?”
Maggie smiles. “We haven’t met, but I’ve seen your art. It’s beautiful. I’m Maggie Brown. I own Kids Pediatric Dentistry.”
“Nice to meet you,” Addison says. “And thank you. This place is easy to paint.”
We talk for a few minutes, and Maggie and I agree to schedule a meeting so we can find ways to work together on a few professional projects.
I catch fragments of conversation as we move through the room. Not full thoughts. Just phrases. My name. Addison’s name. A pause that suggests a question no one finishes out loud.
It seems that’s how it works here. People don’t confront things directly. Rumors just get repeated often enough that they start to feel true.
I go over to the bar for another round of drinks while Addison talks with someone she’s known for years. When I look up again, drinks in hand, I find her across the room. She isn’t trapped or shrinking. She’s poised, open, handling this the way she seems to handle everything.
But as I rejoin her, I recognize the signs that there’s effort in it.
She keeps smiling, but her grip finds my hand and doesn’t loosen.
I’ve never walked into something like this without a plan, without a way to steer it if it goes sideways.
Tonight doesn’t give me that option. I asked Addison to come here, but she’s in charge, or really none of us is.
We can’t manage the whispers, the interpretations, the way those things might impact her.
She glances up and finds me watching. There’s no question in her expression. No hesitation. Just acknowledgment. She knows what this is. And she still chose to do it.
As the evening winds down, the crowd thins, and the energy distills into something that almost resembles normal again. Addison and I step apart into different conversations as coats are pulled on. Goodbyes linger. Conversations drift back to safe ground.
Eventually, I make my way across the room and rest my hand at the small of Addison’s back. Not to stake a claim, but just a quiet acknowledgment that we walked into this together. She leans into me without hesitation.
In that moment, I sense that whatever tonight has set in motion won’t end here. Yes, there’s the baby tethering us, but I sense the potential for something so much more.