“We’re here!” I yelled when we walked through the front door of my parents’ house on Sunday afternoon. Each hand held a baby carrier with sleeping bundles of joy, while Suzy walked hand in hand with Gigi.

“Gigi!” Lily screeched from the living room and came barreling into the foyer to usher her away.

Sundays had become harder the larger the family grew. Babies weren’t as portable as one would think. So instead of doing it every week, we’d changed to biweekly for the sake of our sanity.

“Let me take Ro,” Suzy said and grabbed her carrier from my hands just as Rose’s eyes opened.

“I’m going to put Lu down in the other room where it’s quiet so she can sleep a little longer.”

I headed to the den, which was now more like a nursery with the influx of babies in the family. If I didn’t know better, I’d think my mom put something in the sauce each week to have us reproducing at breakneck speed.

When I opened the door, James was sitting in the rocking chair, holding Trace—their newest addition—and feeding him a bottle. Izzy found out she was pregnant just after we announced the twins. I don’t know who she pissed off upstairs, but they gave her another boy. James was over the moon about it and Izzy was too, but she craved a girl so badly that I almost felt sorry for her. She deserved a girl—someone to drive her as crazy as she drove us—a cute little spitfire who matched her propensity for getting into trouble and stirring up a shitstorm

“Hey, buddy.” James smiled at me, giving me his familiar chin lift. “Was afraid I wouldn’t see you here today.”

“Why?” Placing Lu near the bed, I sat down and stared at her while I enjoyed the last moments of peace I’d probably have the entire day.

“Just thought you and Suzy would take the weekend to reconnect.”

I couldn’t hold in my laughter. “If we reconnected any more this weekend, my dick would probably snap clear off.”

“That good, huh? You guys going to come back?” He looked hopeful, but the thought of seeing my sister as his submissive again made me want to hurl.

“Suzy said she had a great time but it’s not her scene.”

“I get it. At least you gave it a shot.”

“I’d do anything for that woman.”

“Not to change the subject, but Thomas and I need to leave early today. We have some business to take care of before shit gets out of hand.”

My eyebrows shot up. “What’s up?”

James laid Trace on the bed behind me, asleep and in a milk coma. “He asked me not to say, but I’ll tell you when we know more. Shit isn’t good, but hopefully we’re wrong.”

“Fuck,” I groaned and rubbed the back of my neck. “I thought things had been too damn quiet.”

“Don’t tell Suzy. They’ll all start talking and ask too many questions. It’s best to wait until they’re apart.”

“Gotcha.” Suddenly the smell of meatballs and sauce didn’t have my stomach churning out of hunger, but out of angst over what Thomas had to discuss.

I checked on Lu one last time before we closed the door behind us and headed into the living room. “Where are the ladies?” James asked as he took a seat on the couch next to Thomas.

“Kitchen.” Thomas pointed over his shoulder. “Did you tell him?” he whispered.

“Tell him what?” Izzy asked, walking back into the room so quietly that neither of them heard her.

“Nothing. Man shit, babe.” James tried to cover his tracks. “Some things are best as a surprise.”

Izzy wrapped her arms around his neck, standing with her chest to his back as she leaned over the couch. “Some of us don’t like surprises, Jimmy.” Her hands groped his chest through his shirt. “Especially me.”

James looked to me for the rescue, but I sat down across from him and kept my mouth shut. There was no way in hell I was getting involved and becoming the subject of Izzy’s questioning.

Thomas peered over his shoulder at Iz. “I need their help with something. Nothing major, sis. Just need a little muscle.”

“Uh-huh.” Izzy eyed him cautiously but let the subject drop. “Dinner will be ready in five.”

All the guys in the room stared at the television and waited for her to get out of earshot.

“You dumbass. You almost blew it.” Thomas elbowed James in the ribs.

James scrubbed his hand across his face. “Fuck, I didn’t hear her come up behind me.”

“No more talking about it. Just come when we call.” Thomas’s eyes scanned the room as he waited for silent acknowledgment of his statement from each of us. “I’ll give Morgan a heads-up since he couldn’t make it tonight.”

“How’s Morgan anyway?” I asked because I hadn’t seen him in weeks.

“Good, just busy with Race and the new business. Their weekends are sucked up with the track and getting everything working like a well-oiled machine.”

“Good for them,” Anthony finally joined the conversation after putting his phone down. “Max is going to have my balls when we meet for leaving her at night with the kids.”

“Want me to talk to her? You know she has a thing for me.” Mike laughed and flexed his muscles, kissing each bicep.

“Dinner!” Mia yelled from the kitchen and saved Mike from getting a punch in the face from Anthony.

“Lucky son of a bitch,” Anthony grumbled when he walked past Mike and headed toward the dining room.

Just as I was about to follow, I heard Lu start to wail from the den. Turning on my heels, I went to grab her before taking my seat.

“Hey, princess,” I said when I reached down into the carrier and scooped her into my arms. “Couldn’t wait ten more minutes for Daddy to have dinner?” She cooed and lifted her leg, her hands finding her feet and playing with her toes.

Suzy walked in, carrying a sleeping Ro in her arms. “We can swap them out. Let me just put her down and I’ll grab Lu from you.”

“Babe, I got her. You just relax at dinner and eat. I’ll hold her in my lap.”

Suzy gave me a lazy smile after she set the baby in the carrier. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

“Every day.” Moving to her side, I grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze before leading us into the dining room.

“Sal, we’re going to need a bigger house.” Mom gave Pop the eyes, which usually earned her anything she wanted, but typically, her requests were small.

“Someday, Mar. If these kids keep having babies like they’re trying to repopulate the world, we’ll have no choice but to get a bigger place.” Pop laughed before he scooped the biggest heap of pasta onto his plate.

Mom glanced around the table. “I think it needs to happen soon, because I think there’s going to be more Gallos.”

“Don’t look at me.” Izzy waved her hands wildly. “I’m getting fixed. Three boys are enough for me.”

“But you need a girl,” Ma replied.

“Nope.”

“We’re done too,” Max added and elbowed Anthony.

“Yep. No more.”

“Oh, there’s always room for more babies. More kids means more love.”

“You’ve been saying that forever, Ma. But more kids means more dirty diapers, sleepless nights, and sexless days.” Mike chuckled and gave Mia a side glance as she was cutting Lily’s meatball into tiny pieces.

“You’re a jerk.” Izzy smacked him in the arm. “Like you have ever changed a poopy diaper.”

I loved my brother, but the simple fact that changing a diaper made him weak in the knees made me question his manhood. You couldn’t legitimately call yourself a father unless you stepped up to the plate and took part in everything.

“Don’t listen to him. He’s so full of it. Literally,” Mia said and rolled her eyes. “The man has changed more than his share of diapers. He just likes to pretend like he’s too big of a man for that, but he’s been covered in crap.”

“We are trying to eat.” James gagged. “I have enough baby crap to wade through on a daily basis.”

“Ma seems to forget all the bad parts of being a mother since she wants us to have more babies.” Thomas pulled the bowl of meatballs in front of him, but he didn’t dare look at Ma. “She wants more, but she gets to pop in and out of their lives while we’re stuck with baby puke and volcanic poop.”

“You kids act like I didn’t go through this with all of you. I did, and it’s part of being a parent. I never complained when I would play with you and you’d puke on me. I didn’t whine when you crapped the bed.”

“That was Mike.” Thomas laughed and pointed at him.

“Eff you. I was sick.”

“Sure,” Anthony teased him, and Mike looked like he was about to jump over the table.

“It’s just what we do. If I didn’t go through all of the bad things, I wouldn’t be sitting here today with a table full of you and all the love I have in my life. I love your father, but if it were just him and me, I’d go crazy.”

“True,” Pop said and leaned over, kissing her cheek.

“When you’re older and your kids are grown, you’ll forget all the sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and other things that make most people cringe. You’ll be thankful to be surrounded by your kids and loved ones. So stop your complaining and eat.”

My head jerked back. Ma was a little tougher on us than she usually was, but I think it was only because she wanted more grandkids. If she had her way, we’d have double the amount than sat in this house.

I glanced over at Gigi and thought about Ma’s words. There wasn’t a day, no matter how rough it had been, that I ever regretted having her in my life. She meant the world to me. She was forever a tiny piece of Suzy and me walking this earth. We’d never be forgotten as long as she was around.