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And that’s when the panic hits. He can’t know that I told Bennett. He can’t. I lean closer to him, my voice urgent. “You can’t tell anyone what I said. Promise me.”

Bennett blinks at me, clearly startled. “Uh… yeah. Promise.”

“Swear it.”

“Pinky swear,” Bennett mutters, his gaze darting to West, who’s almost at the table. “But you owe me bacon for life.”

That pulls a wet laugh out of me. I swipe at my face with the heels of my hands, dragging in a steadying breath. No way am I letting West see me crying again.

By the time his shadow falls over the table, I’ve rearranged my expression into something resembling calm.

West drops a kiss on my cheek like it’s the most natural thing in the world, taking a piece of toast from my plate as he does. “You ready to get out of here, Mrs. Abbott?” he murmurs, his voice low and amused.

I nod, forcing my smile. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”

thirty-two

EDEN

When we’re back on Liberty, we drop Bennett at the North House, before West turns the car toward Hudson’s place. My stomach gives a slow roll when I spot the line of cars in the drive, cutting through the dusk. They’re here. My family. Well, most of them. Zach and Wyatt will have to find out by phone, but it’s not their reaction that I’m worried about.

While Bennett was packing up at the hotel, West had asked me if I was still ready to tell the truth. And the strange thing is, I am. Despite my freak-out earlier, despite everything Selena stirred up, right now I feel steadier.

So I messaged my family and told them to meet us at Hudson’s because I have something to tell them.

We take the turn to the Captain’s House, overlooking the bay, and West pulls into a space on the graveled driveway and cuts the engine.

“Are you ready for this?” he asks me.

“Not even.” Our eyes lock and I smile. “But let’s do it anyway.” Because if I’m lecturing him about keeping secrets from me, I should stop doing it to my family.

Before he can reply, the front door is wrenched open, and Autumn walks out onto the step, shading her eyes as she looks at West’s car. I’m barely out of it before she’s running down the stairs, her expression a mix of concern and excitement.

“Hudson’s already thinking the worst,” she tells me, as she throws her arms around me and hugs me tight. Her bump is firm against my abdomen.

“He knows?” I ask, my stomach turning.

She shakes her head. “He thinks you’re planning to leave for some godforsaken place that needs irrigation systems and that West is here to ease the blow.

“Asher thinks you’re pregnant with some Himalayan monk’s baby. And Francie is trying to figure out how to fit it all into a book.”

West puts his palm firmly against my back and Autumn’s eyes widen even more. “You’re going to walk in like that?” she asks. Then she sees the rings on our fingers. “Oh Jesus on a pogo stick, I picked a bad time to be pregnant and unable to drink alcohol.”

West presses his lips against my brow, cool and calm. The man may not be able to do emotion, but he doesn’t shirk away from the hard things. And the rest is teachable, I think.

“Come on,” he says. “The sooner we do this the sooner I can take you home.”

He slides his hand tighter around my waist as we walk up the stairs. By the time we get to the top, Hudson is in the doorway, a frown on his lips as he takes us in.

“What’s going on?” His voice is sharp, with the kind of edge that used to make me stop dead when he caught me sneaking home after curfew.

“Hey.” West pulls me tighter against him. He’s so damn sure of himself. “Eden and I have something to say.”

“Is that them?” Asher stops dead next to Hudson, his eyes narrowing as he takes in the way West is holding me. Autumn lets out a low whistle. “Why are your hands on my sister like that?” Asher asks.

“The same reason your hands were on my best friend,” Autumn tells him gleefully.

“Hey, you started it with Parker,” Asher shoots back. “You two snuck around for months without telling any of us.”