I smile before starting to swipe through the documents on my tablet I downloaded to review.
We抮e a few hours into the flight when the stewardess appears to serve lunch. She distributes each meal and then comes around with drinks. My father抯 cognac gets refilled. Then it抯 Candace抯 turn. She rejects the offered alcohol with, 揑 can抰 drink that. I抦 pregnant.?
Total silence fills the cabin. Even my father looks up from the paper he was reading. 揥hat did you say??
揑抦 pregnant, Arthur. Isn抰 that exciting??
Candace sounds bubbly and happy. My father looks shocked. Scarlett looks to me, wide-eyed. It抯 the same announcement we were planning to make on this trip. Thunder stolen. But I realize why she looks so shocked when she glances at Oliver. His complexion has turned gray.
And all of a sudden, I realize匢抦 not certain the baby is my father抯。
As soon as I have a chance to, I corner Oliver. We end up in the living room of the chalet, right between the elaborately decorated Christmas tree and a stunning view of the snow-capped mountains.
揟ell me there抯 no chance it抯 yours.?
He looks away. 揑抣l talk to her.?
I swear. 揙liver, I swear to God, if you棓
揑 know I fucked up, Crew. I don抰 need the perfect son rubbing it in.?
揑f perfect is not fucking our stepmother, then it抯 a damn low bar,?I snap. 揧ou need to handle this. Immediately. If Dad suspects?If Candace talks?This could be a total disaster. And it抯 the last thing I need right now. I抳e got enough going on, with棓
揥ith what??
I glance around to make sure we抮e still alone. 揝carlett is pregnant.?
揥hoa.?Oliver blinks. 揂re you sure厰 My glare cuts him off. He clears his throat. 揜ight. Congrats.?
揟hank you. But between that and the Sullivan acquisition that抯 supposed to go through right before then, this mess is the last thing I need to be worrying about.?
揟he Sullivan acquisition is set to go through in April.?
揑 know.?
Oliver counts backward, coming to the same conclusion I did when Scarlett抯 doctor shared the conception date during our first visit桰 knocked her up one of our first times. 揇amn. Impressive work, little bro.?
I roll my eyes. 揔eep it to yourself. I haven抰 told Dad yet.?
揌e抣l be fucking thrilled. More future CEOs.?
揑 know.?And that抯 why I haven抰 told him, because some part of me wants him to be excited about becoming a grandfather, nothing else. I know that抯 why Scarlett hasn抰 told her parents either. 揇eal with Candace, okay??
Oliver nods. 揧eah, yeah. I will.?
Everyone else is already at the table in the formal dining room when Oliver and I walk into the room. I take a seat next to Scarlett, grabbing her thigh and giving it a quick squeeze. Her eyes are filled with questions she can抰 ask and I can抰 answer. Not here.
The servers bring out the first course.
My father appears to be in good spirits, which I抦 surprised by. I抳e never gotten the impression he wanted more kids. He and Candace have only been married for a year, and I was surprised he chose to get married again at all. I didn抰 think the news Candace is expecting would be welcome. And it complicates the possibility it抯 not even his kid a whole lot.
Dinner is filled with forced pleasantries and discussions of the itinerary for the coming week.
揅an you ski??I ask Scarlett, while my father presses Oliver about something involving golf. I抳e never made much of an attempt to understand the sport.
揕ike a penguin,?she replies.
揝o, you waddle??
She rolls her eyes as she takes a bite of salad. 揟hey navigate snow successfully, okay? Yes, I can ski.?
揥ell??I challenge.
揕et抯 go on a black diamond tomorrow, and you抣l find out.?
揇eal,?I reply, although there抯 no chance I抣l be allowing my pregnant wife to ski down anything other than a bunny hill. I know that抯 a battle we抣l have later梐nd elsewhere梒onsidering Oliver is the only one who knows and she doesn抰 know that he knows.
Dinner is followed by Torta di Pane, a lemony bread pudding that抯 almost as good as the chocolate-covered biscuits I get here, and then everyone disperses. Candace claims jet lag and goes to lie down. Oliver disappears, hopefully to talk with Candace. Scarlett goes to let Teddy out. My dad takes a phone call.
I wander around the first floor until I end up in the study. I haven抰 been to the chalet since last winter. This is my father抯 favorite property, so I tend to avoid it. The holidays are usually the only time of year I visit.
The bookshelves and leather furniture look the same. I pour myself a drink from the bar cart in the corner and take a seat in one of the armchairs, looking out the glass doors that lead to the back patio. It抯 snowing out. The exterior lights illuminate each individual flake as they drift down from the sky.