Page 122 of The Rebel

I followed her gaze. Bella was asking absolutely everyone if they thought there were gators around the boat. No one was paying attention to us.

Anthony: Okay, let me know if you need anything.

Beckett: Just keep quiet. I want to be the one to tell the family.

Anthony: Sure.

I swallowed hard, putting my phone away, and glanced at Daisy. She was blinking rapidly, shaking her head and frowning. Then she looked up at me with wide eyes, clearly having a conversation with herself.

“What the hell?” she asked me.

I shook my head. “Later.”

“Did you suspect?”

“Hell no.”

I wondered what my brother told David.

I put my mouth to Daisy’s ear. “Let’s just enjoy the day. We’ll know more when Beckett’s back.”

Daisy nodded. She’d blended in seamlessly with my family. I especially liked seeing her interact with Bella, who was now coming right at us.

“Uncle Anthony, you always give it to me straight.”

That was an interesting start… especially if she asked me about Beckett.

“Are there gators in this water?”

Chad was looking at me with a warning in his eyes, but I couldn’t lie. As Bella said, I was always honest.

“Yes, there are.” There was a collective groan. “Come on, people.”

“I knew it. Why is everyone treating me like a baby?” Bella asked. She turned to face Chad. “I’m not a child anymore, Dad. I’m not afraid of gators.”

Chad opened his mouth, then closed it again. “You’re not?”

“No.” She looked around. “Everyone, please stop treating me like I’m a kid, okay?”

Well, hell. My brother was in for a ride. Bella wasn’t a baby anymore.

My mind flew to Beckett instantly. There was going to be a new baby in the family.

“You’re so clever,” Scarlett said. “So, you asked everyone just to see if we were all in on the lie?”

“Obviously!” Bella answered with a devious smile.

“Bella,” Isabeau said. “We just wanted to protect you, darling. But we get it. You’re not a baby anymore. Well, now that that’s settled and the cat is out of the bag,” she said, turning to David, “please take us somewhere where there aren’t many gators. Bella might not be afraid of them, but I am.”

Everyone started to laugh.

“Don’t worry, Isabeau. I asked them beforehand to take us out to deeper water. Less chance of alligators,” Xander said.

Bailey shuddered. “I have to say, I’m not a fan of gators either. One of the reasons I don’t go out on the bayou very often.”

“Don’t y’all worry,” David said. “We’ve worked closely with Xander on this.” His tone was a tad mocking. “Turns out, he knows the bayou even better than us even though he’s never out here. Now, I need help popping the corks and pouring.”

I moved forward, along with Dad and Grandpa Felix. Daisy beamed at me, and I mouthed, “I love you.”