Mary broke the news to Linc that she was leaving the company on the Saturday morning after she and Patrick returned to Vermont from their romantic trip to Martinique to hear the news that Hannah and Nolan’s baby had been born early. Mary called Linc to give him her two-week notice with tears streaming down her face as she told him her life had taken an unexpected change in direction.

He’d replied with stunned silence.

“Linc? Are you there?”

“I’m here. I’m just… I… What’ll we do without you, Mary?”

“Oh, stop. You’ll be fine. You’ll find someone great to take my place.”

“No one can replace you.”

“Linc… I’m sorry. I’m…”

“Please don’t be sorry. Just tell me you’re happy about this new direction.”

“I’m very happy, and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you on Monday. I wanted to call you because I knew there’d be ugly tears, and I didn’t want to do that in front of you.”

He laughed. “You may be surprised to hear there’re a few tears on my end as well.”

“I’ll never have the words to tell you what you, your family, the company and this job have meant to me.”

“You are part of our family, Mary. You always will be.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much for everything and for understanding.”

“I’m looking forward to hearing about what’s next for you.”

“I’m looking forward to telling you. I’d like to tell everyone at the same time, if that’s all right with you. I don’t have enough tears to do this one at a time.”

“I’ll call a family meeting for Monday morning, and you can share your news with all of us.”

“Okay, that sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

Mary fell into Patrick’s outstretched arms, sobbing from the emotional wallop of making the call that would put their plans into motion.

“There now, honey,” he said, stroking her hair, “it’s okay. Everything will be okay.”

“I know,” she said, hiccupping. “It was just hard to tell him.”

“I’m going to stay for that meeting on Monday.”

“But you have to get back to work.”

“One more day won’t hurt anything. I want to be with you when you tell them our news.”

“So you’re not leaving tomorrow?”

“I’m not leaving tomorrow.”

More tears slid down her cheeks, which he brushed away with light strokes of his fingertips. “I thought that would make you happy.”

“I’m so happy.”

Patrick laughed and hugged her close. “That’s all that matters.”

He came with her to work on Monday morning where the entire Abbott tribe had gathered to hear her big news. They took one look at her holding Patrick’s hand, and Charley said, “Pay up, everyone! I told you it was him!”

“You took bets?” Mary asked, astounded.

“Of course we did,” Charley said. “Have you met us?”

Mary laughed at her predictably saucy comment.

“We’ve known for weeks!” Cameron said, raising her hands and doing a little dance.

“Since when?” Hunter asked. Just back from his honeymoon to Bermuda, he was tanned and as relaxed looking as Mary had ever seen the tightly wound CFO and eldest Abbott sibling.

“Since the night of your wedding,” Cameron said, sticking her tongue out at her brother-in-law.

“I can’t believe you guys kept such a big secret,” Ella said. “That’s very un-Abbott-like of you.”

“No kidding,” Lucas Abbott said. “We suck at secrets.”

“Um, I knew, too,” Molly said sheepishly.

Everyone stared at her, especially her husband. “You knew they were together and didn’t tell me?”

“I’m sorry, honey, but you’re a terrible gossip, and they weren’t ready for everyone to know.”

“I am not a gossip,” Lincoln said to howls of laughter from his family.

“Whatever you say, Dad,” Charley said.

“Gotta side with the kids on this one, Linc,” his father-in-law, Elmer, said.

“You’re one to talk, Gramps,” Colton said.

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“Sure, you don’t.”

Elmer hugged and kissed Mary and shook Patrick’s hand. “I hope you’ll both be very happy.”

“So I guess there’s no need for any kind of announcement, then,” Patrick said, seeming overwhelmed by the Abbott family dynamics. They were still in the foyer, and the cat was already out of the bag.

“Well, we do still have one additional thing to share,” Mary said, extending her hand so they could see her ring.

While everyone exclaimed over the beautiful ring and congratulated the happy couple, Charley said, “Who had engaged in the betting?”

“That’d be me,” Max Abbott said, grinning as he held Caden in his arms.

“Crap,” Charley said. “That makes you the big winner. Five hundred bucks.”

“These people don’t mess around, do they?” Patrick asked.

“You have no idea,” Mary said, patting his arm as she took in the chaos with a bittersweet feeling. She’d miss them all so much. Thank goodness Patrick’s daughter lived here so they’d have an excuse to frequently return to visit.

“Congratulations, dear friends,” Molly said, hugging Mary and then Patrick. “I’m so happy for both of you.”

“Thank you so much, Molly,” Mary said, returning her embrace. “For your advice and for not telling Linc before we were ready.”

“I still can’t believe you kept this from me,” Linc said to his wife, a playful glower directed her way.

“She did what I asked her to,” Mary said. “We weren’t ready for people to know yet. I just hope you can find someone to take good care of you all after I’m gone.”

“About that,” Colton’s fiancée, Lucy, said, grinning widely. “I hear my sister and niece might be moving to Butler to come to work for the family business.”

“Oh,” Mary said, clapping her hands. “Emma! How perfect! You must be so excited, Lucy.”

“I still can’t believe it,” Lucy said. “And she talked my dad into coming with them. Everyone I love in one place.”

“That makes me so happy,” Mary said. “I feel so much better about leaving knowing you’ll be in such good hands.”

Patrick slipped his arms around her from behind. “And so will you, my love.”

* * *