Hidden Secrets by Jannine Gallant

Author:Jannine Gallant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-09-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Wearing a bright red Christmas dress, Keely ran through the entry, chasing Leo, Barney, and Coco. Leo skidded on the hardwood floor as he took the corner into the kitchen with Leah’s big mutt in hot pursuit. Not to be outdone by the larger dogs, the little Papillion barked like a lunatic.

“Keels, please!” Teague shouted over the commotion as he carried a stack of dirty plates from the dining room table to the kitchen sink. “Find something quieter to do.”

The girl stopped beside Nina and scrunched up her nose. “No fair. You’re all talking about boring, grown-up stuff, and I don’t have anyone to play with.”

“True.” Paige scooped leftover scalloped potatoes into a container. “It really isn’t fair. I don’t mind the noise, and she’s having fun with the dogs. Christmas should be about kids enjoying the excitement of the season.”

“It’s tough to contain all that anticipation.” Leah took Keely’s hand. “I’d much rather play Go Fish with you than clean the kitchen. I’m sure there’s a deck of cards around here somewhere, and the dogs can take a breather.”

Quentin paused from loading the dishwasher. “There’s a deck in the cabinet by the TV.” He smiled at Ryan, who was hovering near the refrigerator. “Why don’t you go play with them? This kitchen isn’t big enough for everyone to help out.”

“I scrubbed pans before we ate, so the dishes won’t take long.” Paige shooed Ryan toward the doorway. You, too, Teague. Go have fun with your daughter. It’s Christmas Eve.”

Keely released Leah’s hand and skipped across the floor, her shiny dress shoes clicking against the wood. “Once my baby sister comes, I won’t have to hang out with only grown-ups. Too bad she won’t get here for months and months.”

Everyone turned to stare at Nina and Teague as his daughter disappeared around the foot of the stairs into the living room.

Nina laid her palm across her stomach. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag. We were going to wait until after the holidays to tell you. I didn’t want tonight to be all about us.”

“You’re pregnant?” Paige practically shouted as she dropped the serving spoon and ran across the kitchen to hug her friend.

Leah wrapped her arms around both of them in a three-way hug. “I’m so happy for you. The baby’s a girl?”

“We have no idea. It’s way too early to tell.” Teague’s smile was so wide he looked like he might burst. “Keely’s just wishful thinking.”

Nina laughed. “She says boys are nasty, so if this is a baby brother, we’ll have our work cut out for us.”

“I thought we were going to play Go Fish,” Keely shouted from the other room. “I found the cards.”

Leah backed out of the embrace and wiped away a few tears. “Whatever this baby is, I’m thrilled for you.”

“So are we.” Nina leaned against her husband as Paige released her. “But we don’t want to make a huge deal about it in front of Keely, not yet, anyway. She isn’t used to sharing the limelight, and I have a feeling there’ll be a few challenges ahead.

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