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She was out of her scrubs, and in a pink chiffon dress that came to just below her knees. She looked not only gorgeous but innocent too, as if she couldn't hurt a fly, couldn't possibly blow dragon fire, and hadn't made my life a nightmare.
“Congratulations.” She smiled. “I’m happy for the two of you.”
“Thank you,” I replied, since there wasn’t anything else to say, especially when all I really wanted to say was,I know I sent you an invite but that was honestly just to be polite. Why are you here?
At least Vicki took the lead in the conversation. “I know me showing up here is a bit weird for you . . . But there’s something that’s been weighing heavily on me for the last few weeks.” She took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry, Sophie.”
“Sorry?” I asked, not expecting it at all. I had made peace with the fact that Vicki was never going to apologize, and I was fine with that. But this apology, so out of the blue, was probably one of the best baby shower gifts she could give me.
“Yes,” said Vicki, nodding. “I'm terribly sorry. How I’ve treated you during your pregnancy hasn’t been fair. Not even in the slightest. You were right when you said that it has nothing to do with me. It doesn’t. Alex and I weren’t together anymore. I had no right to get so angry, so cruel—”
“What’s going on here?” asked Alex, sliding in next to me.
Vicki turned to look at him. The expression on her face was both sad and guilt-ridden. It was hard to see, and despite all the maliciousness on her part, I felt bad for the woman. Beneath her hard exterior was actually a soft, loving woman who had felt betrayed and taken her feelings out on me.
“I came here to say that—”
“She’s sorry,” I interrupted, noticing Alex’s face scrunch up as if all that anger from before was resurfacing. I knew Alex wasn’t happy with Vicki, that he was still angry at her for howshe had treated me, but today wasn’t a day for a fight. “And I believe her. And that’s all that matters today. So, let’s get this party started. I know Danny’s got another surprise for us.”
It was then that Danny sidled up beside Vicki and slid his arm around her waist.
For a moment there, my body went completely still, and so did Alex’s beside me. Neither of us even breathed, as if we had just witnessed something so unbelievable our minds couldn’t quite process it. But then Danny kissed Vicki on the cheek, and every inch of my skin erupted in millions of prickly goosebumps.
“What the hell is happening here?” I asked, stunned, my jaw hanging halfway down to the floor. Despite my gnawing suspicion that Danny was secretly seeing Vicki, I had never thought it would actually happen.
Danny laughed—though it wasn’t a laughing matter—and Vicki, who I’d never seen blush before, flushed pink as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “I know this must seem a bit much to the two of you, and I know I probably should have waited for another day to tell you guys about us.”
“Hang on a second,” said Alex, obviously struggling to make sense of what was happening. He had a bewildered expression on his face that I was sure mirrored mine. “Are you . . . Are they?”
But it was terribly obvious, wasn’t it? As clear as day. As apparent as the gender of our twin babies.
“Yes, Alex.” I pointed a finger at each of them as the realization of what was happening slowly set in. “These two are together.”
“How did that even happen?” Alex asked.
“Do you remember the pain in my elbow?” Danny lifted his arm. “Well, I went to the hospital, hoping you were there, Soph. But you were at one of your scans, and Vicki was there.”
If there was ever a time to regret leaving work early for a scan, it would be now. But then again, maybe Becks was right. Maybe fate really did have a hand in all of this; maybe my leaving that afternoon was always meant to happen, to open the door for someone else’s story—Danny and Vicki’s.
Vicki’s smile dropped. “You don’t mind, do you, Alex? I know this must seem ridiculous, and I promise it has nothing to do with you.” She looked up at Danny, her eyes glossing over with that blissfully happy look people got when they were falling in love.
“No.” Alex shook his head. “I don’t mind.” He still looked somewhat flustered, but was managing to gather himself far better than he had just two minutes ago. “It might not seem like it, Vicki, but I want you to be happy. Just like I am happy.” He then snaked his arm around my waist, his palm brushing along my hip.
The warmth of his touch spread through me like wildfire.
At that moment—with my brother grinning like he’d won the Powerball, Vicki all placid and looking like she was falling in love, and Alex beaming with happiness—, I knew that everything was going to be fine, perfectly fine.
I reached forward and squeezed my brother’s wrist. “I hope this is the only surprise for today.”
His smile was as cheeky as ever. “Oh, come on, Sophie, where’s the fun in that?”
CHAPTER 26
Alex
ONE YEAR LATER
“Aggie,” Alex shouted, running after our daughter for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes. “Give Daddy his cell phone back.”
