Be stopped abruptly, staring at Sean Spencer, sitting alone on the sofa, his eyes fixed on her. She couldn’t believe he had shown up at thest minute, especially when she had thought he wouldn’t join them.

’Why did he suddenly appear here!?’ Be wondered, tightening her grip on Tristan’s arm.

Sensing her unease, Tristan patted her hand and leaned in closer to whisper, "Why are you nervous about meeting him?"

Be snapped out of her thoughts, looked up at him, and smiled while shaking her head. "I’m not nervous. I’m just surprised to see him here. He already told his mother he couldn’te. It feels suspicious."

"Don’t overthink it. This is his parents’ house; it’s normal for him to show up," Tristan teased. "If you’re worried he might cause trouble, I can promise you he won’t. He promised me he would no longer have romantic feelings for you. And he is a man of his word."

Be was slightly surprised to hear that. Did they talk about this thest time they met? About the promise Sean has made to Tristan? She shook her head, trying to push aside her curiosity. Her eyes returned to Sean.

"Yeah. I hope so. I’m exhausted from exining how we met or anything about our rtionship over the past year," Be faintly responded. "I just want to go home. I can’t help but feel sleepy after eating so much tasty food."

"Yeah, dear. You need some rest. Let’s go home—"

"Be," Emily’s voice made Be and Tristan turn toward her. "Come here quickly. I’ll introduce you to my son." Her eyes beamed with excitement; she finally had a chance to introduce Sean to Be.

Tristan and Be quickly joined the others in the seating area and sat together at the end.

"Be, this is my firstborn, Sean Spencer. He is now—" Emily Stearn’s voice trailed off as Sean interrupted.

"Mother, you don’t need to introduce me to her. I know her."

"YOU KNOW HER?" Emily Stearn was surprised.

Everyone else was also surprised and curious, except for Amanda Spencer, who looked rxed as she sipped her sparkling wine and smiled at Sean.

"Has Tristan introduced you to Be?" Jason Spencer asked, clearly curious. He knew how secretive Tristan was about his wife. Only a few people knew he was married, let alone had children.

Sean didn’t immediately answer his mother and father. He chuckled before looking at Be and Tristan, then said, "I knew Be long before Brother Tristan met her—"

"How so?" Keira asked. "Did Sister Be also serve in the military before getting married?" She was curious about Sean’s having another female friend, knowing her brother well enough to understand that he didn’t have female friends apart from his military co-workers.

"Do you remember when I was in business school?" Sean asked, looking at his family. When he saw them nod, he continued, "We were in the same ss for two years before she moved to the US to continue her studies—"

Everyone was surprised, including Tristan. He knew Be had known Sean for a long time, but he didn’t know the details about them being in the same ss.

"Heaven! This world is so small. You guys turned out to be college friends, and now Be is married to Tristan," Emily said, amazed to hear this.

However, in her happiness, she felt slightly jealous when looking at Tristan. She was jealous because Be chose him despite knowing her son first.

Emily looked at Be with a sincere smile. "Be, I’m so happy to know you..."

Be could only smile in response to Emily’s words. She now felt confused about addressing her as Aunty or Sister Emily.

’Sigh! How on earth did this happen?’ She stifled a smile.

Later, everyone started to engage in conversation again.

When Tristan was about to excuse themselves, Sean suddenly asked Be to speak outside. Alone, just the two of them.

Worried that Tristan would be unhappy, she turned to see him as if asking for permission. However, his response almost caused her to choke.

"If he tries to seduce you, try to break his leg. I’ll make sure you’re safe if his family gets angry..." Tristan whispered yfully. She said nothing and immediately followed Sean out of the room.

***

"Wear this," Sean offered Be her coat before they went to the backyard garden.

They sat facing each other, with the campfire between them. Even though the night was cold, the air around them felt warm and cozy.

"How are you?" Be asked, breaking the awkwardness between them.

"Never better!" Sean answered as he stood from his seat and headed to the outdoor minibar nearby. "Do you want white or red wine?" he asked, turning to look at Be.

"Wine? No, I can’t—" Be immediately refused.

"Why? Don’t you like it?" Sean frowned.

"I’m pregnant, Sean. I can’t drink alcohol now," Be answered him casually, but Sean was shocked to hear that.

He quickly turned his gaze back to the red wine in his hand and poured himself another ss full. After grabbing a water bottle for her, he returned to join her.

"Thank you," Be said as she epted the water bottle. She saw him settle in his seat before asking, "What do you want to talk about?"

He didn’t answer her question but raised his wine ss to toast her. "Congrattions on your pregnancy, Be. I’m sincerely happy for you and Dax. He must be thrilled to know he’ll have a sibling."

"Thank you," Be’s eyes beamed, remembering Dax’s reaction when they told him. "Yeah, he’s so happy."

Silence hung in the air again as they both got lost in their thoughts, staring at the burning embers before them.

But not long after, Be began to feel cold and sleepy. She tightened her coat and looked back at Sean, who was staring at her. She could see there was something he wanted to say but was having trouble expressing.

"You seem like you want to say something. What is it?"

"I think... I’ll start to move on," Sean finally expressed what he wanted to tell her.

His sentence surprised Be, mixed with curiosity. "Seriously? Who’s the luckydy?"

"Your friend—" Sean’s tongue stiffened as he tried to exin what had happened between Harper and him.