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“Then do it,” her lover grinned. “Jeremy’s watching.”

Olivia chuckled and went right ahead. She kept it brief and reasonable, not wanting to overly provoke and offend anybody, but it was great to be a bit daring like this, and Grace clearly appreciated it. The patriarch of the family made his appearance shortly after. He was tall and lean. Olivia noted that his eyebrows had not grown back yet from his recent chemo treatment, but other than that, he did not look like it had taken too much of a toll on him. Charlie hugged her brother for a long time, and they stood together for a few more minutes, talking privately. Then, John Michaels headed their way.

“Do you want me to—”

“No. You can stay,” Grace murmured.

Olivia nodded, and she just took a couple of steps aside to give them space. Michaels did not glance at her or anyone else as he walked up to his eldest child.

“Grace.” Unsmiling, he looked her straight in the eye. “It’s been a while.”

It had to be said that he had an excellent poker face. Olivia had no idea what may be going on inside his head from his tone of voice, either. He did not sound angry or sad; he was just authoritative in that quiet way Grace also had to be. If he was happy to see her, he sure did not give it away.

“Father.” She nodded in reply. “Long enough, I thought.”

As Michaels put one hand on her shoulder, across the room, Olivia noticed Charlie smile.

“Yes. Long enough. Sorry I couldn’t meet with you in New York when you asked. Perhaps you will give me a few minutes of your time after lunch?”

“It would be nice, yes.”

Both turned to her at the same time. From the subtle shine in Grace’s eyes, Olivia guessed this first chat must have gone as well or even better than she expected.

“And you must be Olivia,” Michaels said with a charming smile which also surprised her. She could see where Grace got her charisma. “Charlie told me a lot about you. Welcome to our home.”

“Thank you, sir.”

She shook the hand that he offered and wished him a happy Christmas. At which point he glanced back at his daughter with a cocked eyebrow.

“Yes, I think we will manage that.”

Lunch went well, with everyone making a concerted effort to keep it that way. It also started with a bombshell that made Charlie well up in joy and even had John Michaels looking somewhat genuinely happy. The second they were all sitting around the table, Chloe sprung up again with a beaming smile on her face and announced that she had something to say.

“Mark and I… We are pregnant!” she declared.

In the boisterous congratulations that ensued, Olivia clearly heard Jeremy spit,‘Hope it’s a boy’,but no one paid attention to him. She also noticed Grace raising her eyebrows at Reece and shooting him a look. He shook his head and mouthed, ‘Later’. Toward the end of the meal, when Olivia did not recall this little moment between them, he clinked his dessert spoon against the side of his glass. As all eyes turned to him, and Reece pushed to his feet, Grace took her hand under the table.

“What is it, son?” Michaels inquired. “You pregnant too?”

Though this was said in good humor, it still elicited a mean snigger from Jeremy. But it seemed a perfect launching point for Reece, who ignored his brother and just flew with it.

“Not pregnant, no.” He flashed a smile around the table. “I just want you all to know something important about me that I kept suppressed for many years. It’s not healthy to continue to deny it. And also, I like the man I am. So… I’m gay.”

???

Grace stared threateningly enough at Jeremy across the table to stop him from launching into a furious tirade but he still threw his napkin over his plate and left the table with a resounding ‘Fuck that!’. Undeterred, and beaming with love, Charlie was the first one to stand up and raise her glass of champagne.

“To Reece!” she declared. “I love you so much, darling. And you are a fine man indeed!”

Everyone joined in the toast but their father, though Grace assumed his mild shake of the head and resigned grunt,‘Huh’, was about as good as they could expect. Better than what he’d dished out to her on the day he found out she was a lesbian, for sure. She met him after lunch, as he’d offered, in his plush office that smelled of old leather and polished mahogany wood.

“It’s good news about Chloe,” he started.

“Yes, very good.”

He poured whisky into two tumblers and passed one to her, then sat heavily into his chair.

“How are you doing?” she asked, noting he looked tired.