Ashley’s meticulously crafted smile froze, a mask of disbelief etched onto her face.
Guests stared openly, whispering amongst themselves, their eyes wide with curiosity as they meticulously counted the children.
I greeted them with a polite, almost serene air, as if this were simply any ordinary Sunday afternoon gathering.
“Olivia?” Jason finally managed, his voice sounding like it had been dragged across rough gravel, barely recognizable.
“You invited me,” I responded calmly, adjusting Ruby more comfortably on my hip. “I wouldn’t want to be rude.”
Jason’s mother, ever the matriarch, approached first, her face a mixture of confusion and burgeoning alarm. “Dear… whose children are these?”
“My children,” I answered softly, my voice filled with an undeniable pride. “Ava, Noah, Ruby, and Liam Bennett.”
“Bennett?” she repeated, her eyes widening further.
Ethan stepped forward then, his presence radiating warmth and strength, and extended his hand to her in a firm, confident handshake. “I’m her husband.”
