I was supposed to be watching Alex and Dante.
What I was doing was scanning the room.
A motley crew of cops and crooks, bounty hunters and baristas, PIs and rock stars, hot guys and Rock Chicks.
My people.
My family.
All together, safe and happy.
I turned to look at my man just in time to see him yank his little girl tight to his chest and set her squealing as he tickled her.
My man.
My girl.
My family.
Katie pretended to try to get away and Ren pretended to let her, going after Gus, probably to tickle him too, when he felt my eyes on him and he looked at me.
“What,” he asked.
“We did it,” I told him.
His head tipped to the side and his eyes grew intent, probably because he was reading the look on my face.
And reading the look on my face, his voice went sweet when he asked quietly, “We did what?”
“That night, after we found out Indy was carrying Callum and we made a pact to work on being that happy for the rest of our lives?” I reminded him.
He got me.
I knew this when his face got the look.
“We did it,” I whispered.
He didn’t answer.
He pulled Katie and Gus close so he didn’t lose them when he leaned into me.
His kiss wasn’t long, but it did include a touch of tongues so it was righteous.
Then again, they all were.
“Can I steal her?”
Ren and I broke apart and looked up to see Indy standing there, eyes to Ren.
“Sure,” he replied.
I studied my BFF.
Then I turned to Alex and Dante and said, “Hey, buddies. Do me a favor and scooch closer to Uncle Ren while you eat, yeah?”
They looked up at me, both with big black eyes, chocolate crumbles and vanilla cream all over their faces, and nodded.
I turned to my husband, leaned in and touched lips, then I did the same on my daughter’s wet mouth.
When I was done, she shoved her face in her daddy’s neck and giggled. This was because her daddy was tickling her again.
As for me, I just smiled at her daddy.
Then I followed Indy through the room to the stairs.
She led us to her bedroom. In it were Jet, Roxie, Jules, Ava, Stella, Sadie, Daisy and Shirleen.
Oh man.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Don’t know,” Ava answered.
“Oh God, please tell me no one’s pregnant. I can’t keep the birthdays straight already,” Roxie moaned.
Daisy gave me a look.
I ignored it.
