Alvin, Ian, and I all jump at once, spinning towards the room, peeking in the window to see –

“Duck!” I whisper, seeing Victor standing alone in the empty room, confused as he looks for his missing family. Alvin and Ian comply immediately, tucking their heads down below the windowsill, but I am either too slow or too large to fully hide.

“What!” I hear Victor gasp in the room, and then I hear his footsteps moving swiftly towards us. “Evelyn! What the -!”

“Stop!” I hiss, popping back up to see him already at the window’s edge, reaching for me. I swat at his hand. “Be quiet! They’ll hear you!”

“What? Who?” he asks, making no effort to lower his voice. I swat at him again and Ian pops up, gesturing angrily towards Rafe and Bridgette in the yard, who, luckily, are too wrapped up in their conversation to have heard us.

Victor’s eyes go wide when he sees Ian crouched next to me, and then wider when he peers to my left and sees Alvin there, eating his candy, his focus already back on his uncle. “Oh my god,” Victor murmurs. “You’re spying – you have a spy platform –“

“Ya!” I say angrily, swatting at him for a third time. “And you’re ruining it! It was just getting really good!”

Victor groans, leaning forward and reaching for me, taking me under the arms and starting to pull me back into the house.

“Noo!” I cry out in a whisper, doing my best to wriggle away from him. “Put me down! I need to hear them!”

“You’re all coming inside right now – this isn’t safe –“

“Yes it is!” I protest. “It’s safe!”

“You’re pregnant, Evelyn!”

“I’m aware, Victor!” I object, angry, still trying to be as quiet as I can. “But it’s sturdy out here – I promise! We’re not coming in! If you make me come in, I’ll shout now, and then your brother will never get his girl back!”

holding each other’s hands and looking deeply into each other’s faces. “Don’t make me ruin this moment, Victor,” I whisper, my eyes narrowing at him. He pauses, and I know that

growls, unhappy, but lets me go. “You’re lucky I

whispers, spinning on his dad,

throws a candy at

Victor mumbles, defeated and leaning against the window sill. I sit back against it so that my face is

of candy. He complies. “Go turn off the light,” I whisper to Victor, waving my hand at

room, peering out the

Bridgette,” Rafe says, shaking his head at her. “I think – I think maybe I’ve always loved you.

a hand to my

I promise, I’ll listen to you – I’ll do everything in

head then, running down the length of my hair. He sends me a little nudge down our bond, letting me know that he makes that same promise to me. I send my

I hear a little “aww” from Alvin and can’t help but smile myself, truly touched by this moment, so grateful to have been able to see it. Their kiss deepens,

Ian ruins it

and whoops loudly at the top of his lungs. The three of us near him all flinch, tuning to stare at him, and I see Bridgette and

is going to be my auntie!” Ian

spying on them from above. Rafe narrows his eyes, clearly perturbed, but Bridgette bursts

family, these nephews? She really should know

make space for us. “Everyone inside, now. Give them some

through the window and then stepping back to make space for the

Alvin says, disappointed as he climbs through. “It was just getting good – it’s not my fault that Ian wasn’t being sneaky! I should get

did you a favor,” Ian says, coming in next to his brother. “It was getting gross,

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