“Speaking of your parents,” he said, withdrawing his phone. “I think we have some news to share.”
I balked immediately. “Now?”
“No time like the present,” he said, reminding me of the lesson he had once taught Dash. “By the time we get back to Hawaii, the news will out our secret anyway. That ring is kind of hard to miss.”
I held it up to watch it sparkle in the sun. He wasn’t wrong. We had enjoyed a respectful bubble in Ademar. But PING awaited.
“I don’t know what to say. I left for a job and I’m coming back with a husband.”
“Sums it up nicely to me,” he smirked as he dialed my parents’ number.
It was nearly noon there, so Mom was the first to pick up. “Pea!” She exclaimed. “Auggie!” She scanned the backdrop of the castle. “Are you still in Hawaii?”
“Ademar,” he corrected. “I stole Pea away for a private mini vacation.”
“Wonderful!” she gushed before calling Dad, Dash and Dallas to the phone. “How’s it going? How are you feeling?” she asked me.
“Better by the day,” I answered. “I have a doctor’s appointment at the end of the week. I get my next sonogram to see how everything is progressing.”
“That’s wonderful, honey. Just wonderful. We miss you so much.”
“I miss you the most,” Dash insisted. Both Auggie and I laughed.
“We miss you, too, young sire,” Auggie grinned. “I can’t wait to see you all in Aldayne.”
“I’ve been reading about it every day,” Dash assured him. “I read about Mount Charlemonde and King’s Keep and Shimmering Falls.”
“I will show you all of it,” Auggie promised.
“Will we have enough time?”
Auggie looked at me and I at Auggie. “We have all the time in the world,” Auggie assured. He held up my hand and showed off the ring. “How does forever sound to you?”
Dash went ballistic, jumping up and down and squealing. Dallas seemed confused. My parents were downright dumbstruck.
To clarify, Auggie added, “I’ve asked Peaches to marry me. She said yes.”
“You did?” Mom echoed.
I nodded.
“It makes sense, Mom,” Dash told her. “They’re going to have a baby, after all. It’s a happy ending. All fairy tales have happy endings!”
Through the phone, though, I could see my mom’s concern. “Of course,” she said, trying to muster some support. “Congratulations, honey. If you’re happy, we’re happy.”
After knowing my mother for thirty years, I suspected she was slightly full of shit. The look on her face was everything.
Dad was equally shocked, but characteristically stoic. “Where?” He asked. “When?”
“We’ve yet to work out all those details,” Auggie assured them. “But we will be announcing our engagement soon, along with Pea’s November due date.”
The adults in the conversation understood the ruse. Dash, however, was confused. “I thought you said the baby was due on Halloween.”
Auggie and I stole a glance. “We miscalculated,” I finally said. Mom’s eyes were locked into mine.
“Oh,” Dash accepted with a shrug. “Okay. But it would have been more fun on Halloween.”
I had to laugh. “You never know,” I said. “Sometimes babies come early. Due dates are merely a prediction.”
That seemed to perk him up some. “Good. I can still call him Jack, then.”
We made small talk for a little bit longer before Auggie informed them that our flight would be leaving soon, and we had to go. Within about ten seconds of his disconnecting the call, I got a text alert from my mom. “Call me as soon as you can talk.”
Auggie read it over my shoulder. “Does this mean I have yet to win over your mother?”
I shrugged. “She’s a mom. This is a big surprise. I’m sure she just has some questions.”
He conceded with a nod. “Does she know the baby’s biological father?”
I shook my head. “Only Fern knows. And you. And I guess Sean.”
“Christopher has no clue?”
I shook my head again. “I’d never willingly tell him. He’s kind of awful.”
“To put it lightly,” he agreed. “What in the world made you sleep with him?”
“Alcohol,” I admitted with due chagrin. “We were always super competitive. He couldn’t let me win anything, even a drinking game. Three minutes and a sloppy condom later and voila,” I said, gesturing at my belly.
“No,” he decided. “That’s not the story.”
“It’s not?”
He took my hand in his. “You were with me that first night you came to the castle. We made love on my piano bench, overcome with our instant passion for each other.” He touched my face with the tips of his fingers. “I couldn’t resist you, and what I want…