The heavy wooden door pulled inward, revealing Danny standing on the threshold with an easy grin that vanished the exact second his eyes took in the figure beside Alex.
He froze mid-motion, his hand still resting on the brass handle as his eyes flickered from Alex to Victoria and back again in utter disbelief.
Before he could find his voice, footsteps sounded from the hallway behind him, followed by the warm, welcoming voice of Linda as she stepped into the foyer with David close at her heels.
"Alex, honey, is that you? Come inside, I just pulled the—"
Linda's words trailed off into stunned silence as she caught sight of their guest, her hands still instinctively clutching a kitchen towel.
Behind her, David came to a dead halt, his eyes widening in pure astonishment behind his wire-rimmed glasses.
