Chapter 56 – Welcome to our family

As the night went on, Bastian who was looking thoroughly amused from the all banter, finally broke a lull in the conversation. "So, seriously, what are we celebrating? Aside from Matt apparently thinking his gentlemanly dancing story is the pinnacle of human achievement?"

Everyone chuckled, and Billy raised an eyebrow, glancing at Rose who was sitting beside him, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. He took a deep breath, pushed back his chair with a dramatic stretch, and cleared his throat. "Actually… there is something worth celebrating."

Rose turned pink as all eyes swivelled toward the two of them.

"What, did you win the lottery or something?" Sean teased, already mid-sip on his glass.

"Nope, better than that." Billy shot back, getting up and a cocky grin spread across his face. "So, uh, I don't know how to say this—"

"You're pregnant," Matt interrupted, keeping a straight expression.

 "Well, I've been eating a lot of bread lately, but I didn't think it showed!" Billy let out a theatrical gasp.

"You're starting a boy band?" Matt kept wondering.

Billy lifted his eyebrow. "Only if you're ready to be the lead singer in 'The Off-Key Brothers'!"

"MATT! Shut up and let Billy tell us already," Anastasia said, laughing.

Laughter rippled through the room, and Matt held up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, I'll shut up."

Billy paused for dramatic effect, then took Rose's hand, lifting it gently. The faint glimmer of a diamond ring caught the light as he spoke. "Rose and I are engaged."

For a moment, there was silence, and then—

"What?" Bastian gasped, shooting up from his chair. His eyes darted from Billy to Rose and back again as if waiting for one of them to shout, 'Gotcha!'

But instead, Billy just grinned, shrugging. "Yep. Popped the question a while ago."

"Oh my god! Congratulations!!" Bastian practically jumped across the table to hug Billy and Rose. "I can't believe you didn't say anything sooner!"

"Congrats, man!" Matt and Sean both said in unison, coming over to slap Billy on the back. Wyatt had a knowing look on his face, as if he'd been anticipating this moment all night.

"Well, it's about damn time," Wyatt replied, rising up and offering Billy a hard handshake before grabbing him in a hug. "Congratulations to you both and welcome to our big family Rose."

"Thanks, Wyatt," Billy responded, attempting to remain calm but plainly glowing with pride.

"I think that calls for another round of champagne," Sean said, already reaching for one of the unopened bottles on the table.

"I'll drink to that," Matt added, helping pop the cork as bubbly shot out of the bottle, narrowly missing Bastian's face.

"Hey!" Bastian shouted humorously as he ducked and glared at Matt. "Was that revenge for Billy popping the cork at you earlier?"

"Hmmm, Maybe," Matt responded, his eyes looking up at the ceiling, acting like he was really thinking about it.

Wyatt shook his head and chuckled. "Just don't break anything, or I'll be celebrating by kicking you all out."

As glasses were replenished and shouts resumed, the atmosphere around the table became more sincere.

"How did you propose?" Anastasia replied, leaning in eagerly.

Rose shook her head, rolling her eyes while smiling warmly. "While we were discussing our concerns on the boat, he suddenly went down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And, obviously, I agreed."

"Obviously," Anastasia said, her eyes shining. "That's quite romantic! Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Rose shrugged and squeezed Billy's hand. "We wanted to enjoy ourselves for a while, you know? Also, there's been a lot going on lately...

Bastian murmured, "Understatement of the century," while smiling warmly.

"Well, I'm really delighted for you both! You two deserve all of the happiness in the world." Anastasia smiled broadly as she sat back.

"I second that," Wyatt remarked, raising his glass again. "To Billy and Rose."

"To Billy and Rose!" Everyone clinked their glasses in unison.

Billy gave a spectacular bow. "Thank you very much. I'll be here all week."

"Unfortunately," Matt joked, and everyone laughed again.

After a few more rounds of champagne and some celebratory desserts, the conversation started flowing even more freely.

"So, when's the wedding?" Sean asked, wiggling his brows.

Rose and Billy exchanged glances. "We haven't decided yet, but it will have to wait until this whole thing blows over and it won't be too wild. We're thinking about something small and intimate," Rose replied.

"Oh, come on!" Matt objected. "You've got to have at least one large party. It is a rule."

"I'm with Matt on this one," Bastian nodded. "While a small wedding is nice, what about the reception? That is where we go all out."

"You just want an excuse to dance terribly, don't you?" Anastasia mocked Bastian, elbowing him playfully.

Bastian gasped in mock offense. "Terribly? I'm an excellent dancer, and you know that, thank you very much."

"Sure, sure," Sean said, rolling his eyes. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Oh, you will see it. In fact, I'll give you a preview right now." Bastian pledged while rising up and adopting a ludicrous stance.

Before anybody could stop him, Bastian burst into a dramatically exaggerated dance, flailing his arms and whirling in a manner that was more interpretive art than dancing.

"Wow," Matt said expressionless. "I'm speechless."

"I'm traumatized," Sean added.

Everyone burst out laughing, and even Bastian couldn't keep a straight face as he spun around and tripped over a chair leg, landing in an ungraceful heap on the floor.

Wyatt shook his head, chuckling. "And you expect me to believe this man can lead an army of angels?"

"Hey, I save my serious moves for the battlefield," Bastian remarked, jumping to his feet and grinning sheepishly.

"Good because those moves are absolutely not making it into the wedding," Rose said, fighting back her laughter.

"Agreed. We'll leave the dancing to the professionals," Billy remarked, snickering.

Anastasia was laughing so hard she almost fell off her chair.

As the evening came to a close, everyone was still buzzing about Billy and Rose's unexpected news. Anastasia felt that this was one of the best nights of her life and this is what her family was supposed to be like - she just wished it wouldn't end.

The next step was to get Bastian alone, and tell him that she knows who he is.