Page 115 of Knot on the Market

"We'll need to organize a proper celebration," she continues. "And a baby shower, of course. I know exactly which cake tomake for the announcement party. Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet? Not that it matters, but I like to plan the decorations..."

"Maeve," Dean says with gentle amusement, "take a breath. We just told you."

"I know, I know," she says, waving him off. "But a baby! Your first baby! This calls for immediate celebration planning."

"Did someone say baby?"

I turn to see Sadie approaching, her usual calm composure replaced by bright curiosity. She must have overheard Maeve's excited exclamations.

"Lila's pregnant!" Maeve announces before I can say anything. "Spring baby! Isn't it wonderful?"

Sadie's face lights up with genuine delight. "Congratulations!" she says, pulling me into a gentle hug. "That's incredible news. How are you feeling?"

"Much better now that I'm past the first trimester," I admit. "Though Callum's been treating me like I'm made of spun glass."

"Because you're carrying precious cargo," Callum says gruffly, though I can see the fond exasperation in his expression.

"We need girl time," Sadie says decisively. "Pregnancy talk, planning, all the things the boys don't want to hear about. Coffee tomorrow?"

"I'd love that," I say, realizing how much I've missed seeing her these past weeks… a little wrapped up in our own little bubble. "Though it'll have to be decaf."

"Obviously," she says with a laugh. "I know all about pregnancy restrictions. My sister went through it twice, and I helped with both pregnancies."

As we're making plans, I notice a commotion near the festival entrance. People are turning to look at something, and there's a ripple of interest moving through the crowd.

"What's going on over there?" Julian asks, following my gaze.

That's when I see him. A man walking through the festival entrance who looks so much like Dean that for a moment I think I'm seeing double. Same height, same build, same warm brown eyes.

But there's something different about him too, a wariness in how he moves, like he's constantly scanning for threats. His hair is shorter than Dean's, military-precise, and there's a gravity to his expression that speaks of someone who's seen things he'd rather forget.

"Holy shit," Dean breathes beside me, and I can hear the shock and joy in his voice. "Caleb?"

The man—Caleb—hears his name and turns, his serious expression breaking into a smile that transforms his entire face. Suddenly I can see the resemblance to Dean's easy warmth, though it's tempered by something harder-earned.

"Surprise, little brother," Caleb says as he approaches, and Dean immediately pulls him into one of those back-slapping hugs that men do when they're too emotional for words.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asks, pulling back to look at his brother with wonder. "I thought you were still deployed."

"Got back stateside last week," Caleb says, his voice carrying a slight rasp that suggests he's not used to talking much lately. "Figured I'd surprise you at the berry festival. Drove straight through from the base."

"You should have called," Dean says, though he's still grinning. "We could have?—"

"That's why it's called a surprise," Caleb interrupts with gentle humor.

"Caleb, meet our pack," Dean says with obvious pride, gesturing to include all of us. "Lila, Julian, and Callum. And this is my brother Caleb."

"It's an honor to meet you," Caleb says, extending his hand to me with the kind of respect that speaks to military training in proper behavior. "Dean's mentioned you in his letters."

"The honor's mine," I say, accepting his handshake with genuine warmth. "Welcome home."

"Thank you," he says, and there's something in his voice that suggests coming home isn't entirely simple for him.

As Dean introduces Caleb to Julian and Callum, I notice Sadie has gone very still beside me. When I glance at her, she's staring at Caleb with the kind of wide-eyed wonder that suggests she's been hit by something unexpected.

Caleb notices her attention and turns toward us with polite curiosity. When his gaze lands on Sadie, his expression shifts to something like recognition mixed with surprise.

"Sadie Penrose?" he says, his voice carrying wonder. "Wow. You're all grown up."

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