“Hey! Look who’s here,” Elliott Alexander yelled over his shoulder. “Come on in, man. Everyone else is already here.”

Matt accepted a handshake from his friend’s older brother and allowed himself to be pulled into the warm, welcoming interior of the Alexanders’ ranch-style home. Mark Alexander stood next to the window, looking out. When he saw Matt, he ambled over with his hand outstretched.

“Hey there, son. I’m glad you were able to come out. It’s always good to see you.”

“Thank you, sir. It’s good to see you, too.” He followed Mark and Eli toward the source of the noise, the kitchen. Matt loved spending time with the Alexanders. There was always tons of food and just good people having a good time.

Julia Alexander walked out from the kitchen carrying a platter. She stopped short when she saw her husband and son.

“What are you two doing out here? It’s almost time.” When she caught sight of Matt, she let out a little squeal. “Matt! I didn’t think you were going to make it. Come on in, honey. Everyone else is in the kitchen.”

He put the drinks he was still carrying down on the table and followed them all into the next room. A chorus of “hellos” rang out. His friend Jackson Alexander stood next to his wife, Ridley, as she stirred a bowl of something. Nick Alexander stood across the counter from them holding a plate of oranges while his wife, Raina, ate the pieces one by one.

“Matt’s here!” Mara raced over and gave him a quick hug. “That’s everyone. Now that we’re all here, you can tell us. Is it a boy or a girl?”

Trent chuckled and just shook his head. “Mara, we’re still missing one. I’m sure Raina and Nick want to wait for Bennett.”

Matt looked at his sister in disbelief. “Have you been badgering her the entire time you’ve been here?”

Raina answered for her. “Yes, she has, but it’s okay. She’s not the only one.” She glanced at Mrs. Alexander from the corner of her eye. Matt laughed along with everyone else when Julia crossed her arms in mock outrage.

He thought back on the stilted Christmas dinner he and Mara had spent with their parents in Florida. He loved his folks, honestly, but spending time with his parents couldn’t be called relaxing. His father usually spent their time together rehashing his glory days as a lieutenant or badgering him about when he was going back on active duty. He sighed. It wasn’t as if Mara had it any easier. His mother had always been extremely critical of his sister until recently. Once she’d gotten wind that Trent had proposed, she was obsessed with planning a big society wedding.

Even though that wasn’t what his sister wanted.

Then he looked around at the crazy, loud bustle of people in the Alexanders’ kitchen. Everyone was accepted exactly as they came, no criticism about what they were wearing or where they’d been. No nosy questions or pressure.

When he was here, he could just be himself.

“So, how did things go with Penny?” Mara whispered.

“Fine. It was okay.” He flinched internally. A weak answer was a surefire way to get his sister interested.

Mara narrowed her eyes. “So, she’s going to help you? Does she think you’ll get better?”

“I don’t know, Mara. It’s too soon to tell. Stop worrying.”

Mara crossed her arms and probably would have given him an earful if Raina hadn’t cleared her throat just then.

“Okay, I know you guys are all dying to know what we’re having, so we won’t keep you in suspense. Bennett tends to lose track of time when he’s working on something, so we might as well just go ahead.” Raina ate the last orange slice and delicately wiped her fingers on the napkin her husband held out. She turned to her sister, who was spreading icing on a small cake. “Ri, is it done?”

“Almost… Okay, now it’s done.” Ridley lifted the cake and winked.

Raina grinned. “I decided to use my newfound ninja baking skills to make a pink or blue cake. So, you won’t know until we cut the first piece. Who wants to cut the first piece? Mark, would you like to?”

He took a step forward, but then glanced back at Julia. “I’d better let Mama Bear do the honors.”

Julia rubbed her hands together and stepped forward. “I’d love to. I wasn’t blessed with any baby girls, but a granddaughter would be just as good.”

Mark rolled his eyes fondly behind her back.

“Okay, here’s the knife. Let’s do this. Drumroll, please!” Ridley motioned to Elliott, who banged a loud staccato rhythm on the table.

Looking back, Matt couldn’t be sure what had triggered him. Perhaps it was because the room was so quiet before the loud sound or because his shoulder was still aching from earlier. He was always on edge when he was in pain. Either way, the sudden loud sound hit his eardrums like a bomb going off. Matt dropped to the floor and rolled. He hit the leg of the table. A second later, something shattered. Instinctively, he covered his head with his arms.

Everyone went silent. Then there was a sudden cacophony of voices.

“What the hell?”

“Did he fall?”

Mara kneeled next to the table. He looked up from the cradle of his arms and their eyes met. Her face fell.

“Oh, my god. Matt.” She stopped, obviously overcome. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”

Adrenaline was still flowing through his bloodstream so strongly that Matt started shaking. As much as he wished he could just sink into the floor, the best he could do was wrap his arms around himself and hold on.