Hey, Rafe. I’m glad to see your family could make it. I wasn’t sure you would with Milo being so close to his due date. I take it he’s feeling okay?” I clapped the other alpha’s shoulder as I passed him and Ian a cold drink from the cooler.

“Are you kidding? Short of being in labor, there was no way he was missing a chance for all of us to get together. It’s nice day though, and he has a week left supposedly.” Even while he downplayed it, I noticed that Rafe was keeping one eye trained on Milo.

“I just hope that Milo and Tom don’t go into labor on the same day,” Colin said with an easy smile as he walked over to join us. “Could you imagine? Dr. Greene would have her hands full.

“She’s had her hands full with our group lately anyway. Ever since you guys had Xander, it’s been a regular baby boom around here.” Rafe said, lifting his water for a drink.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much everyone now isn’t it? Hank and Ezra just had their new baby a few weeks ago, didn’t they?” I asked. “I need to get to know those two better, but it’s kind of hard when they’re both so busy most of the time.”

Colin nodded. “Yeah, the hazards of being a doctor. But Ezra assured me they’d be here today, so they should be showing up soon. He didn’t want Valentina to miss out on the Easter egg hunt.”

Rafe looked around. “Have Christian and Kent got here yet? Milo has some things in our car for Liam’s new baby, and he said on the way here that Tom wants to talk to Pierre about planning a baby shower for him.

Ian raised a brow. “Tom is planning a shower for Pierre? I thought you don’t usually have showers for people who already have children.”

Colin shook his head as he explained. “Apparently, you can when it’s a different gender. Since Pierre and Kent are having their first girl, Tom says that the shower is entirely appropriate”

Rafe laughed. “And, of course, this has nothing at all to do with Tom’s penchant for party planning. What’s up with your man, Colin? Isn’t he busy enough with his new wedding planner gig?”

“Tom says that he and Liam plan weddings for work; family parties are different. And he views it as his personal responsibility to make sure that we properly celebrate all of our moments, big and small.” Colin explained.

Ian held up a hand. “Okay, enough talk of babies and pregnancy. All of our omegas are either pregnant or just got done having a baby, we get it—we’re still a bunch of studs. But I have a better question for you, Colin. Are you going to survive Allie’s big sweet sixteen boy-girl party this summer?”

We all laughed at Ian’s question, because Tom had been planning Allie’s big sweet sixteen party for months now. Although, knowing Tom… He’d probably started planning it the day she had re-entered his life.

Colin shuddered. “Would you believe that Tom is planning to make us take ballroom dancing lessons? Apparently my tango is deplorable, my foxtrot shamefully nonexistent, and my waltz downright laughable.”

Rafe smirked. “You should’ve just asked me. I spent my youth going to fucking dance classes and cotillions. I could’ve hooked you up with some skills, and nobody would’ve been the wiser.”

“Hold that thought, buddy. Tom plans for you and Milo to join us. He figures it will be good exercise for him and Milo to shake off the baby weight before the party.” As he spoke, Colin reached over and clapped Rafe on the shoulder.

Before we could gossip anymore, Sammy came running up with Shannon at her heels. I bent to catch my two-year as she made a running jump into my arms, a routine of ours that still made Luke nervous every time he saw it.

“Uncle Grazer, Daddy said to come get you. The Easter Bunny came!” I grinned when I glanced down to see that Shannon was bouncing up and down in front of me.

“Yes, Papa! I want all the eggs!” Sammy clapped, those big gray eyes filled with wonder.

Braden came walking up just then and scooped up his three-year-old daughter, plunking her onto his shoulders with an easy grin to the rest of us.

“Did Shannon tell you guys the good news? The Easter Bunny shat a couple hundred or so eggs all around the park. And we alphas have been given the job of helping the munchkins find them all.”

“I’m fairly certain that we could have chosen a better word than shat, Bromeo.” Greg chided as he walked up next to his husband. He was wearing a sling across his chest to hold their two-month-old son.

“How is Dylan managing to sleep through all this ruckus?” Scott asked as he walked up and peeked over Greg’s shoulder at the presumably sleeping infant.

Braden answered for Greg. “If you ever have kids, make sure you watch Luke’s Omega Manny Diary series. There’s this one great episode about making noise while your newborn sleeps—that trains them to sleep through anything. Greg even lets our vacuum, Bob, run while the kids sleep. The thing used to bump up against Shannon’s crib, and she’d sleep right through it every time.”

“This is true,” I agreed. “Luke did the same thing when Xander was born. He’d be running the vacuum, talking on the phone, playing music–heck, he doesn’t even make Sammy here be quiet. He’s a big proponent of making noise while your baby sleeps. I don’t know that it works for every child, but it’s definitely worked for Xander. That boy will sleep through anything.”

Sammy excitedly tugged on my shirt. “Now we get the eggs, Papa? Daddy has the basket.”

I smacked a noisy kiss on her cheek before turning my attention back to the other guys. “You heard the princess, we’d better get a move on—those eggs aren’t going to find themselves.”

After a quick stop to get her basket, I carried Sammy over to the grass and set her down in the area where we’d designated for the younger members of our tribe to have their egg hunt.

The older kids would be searching further back in the park, Scott, Kent and Braden had utilized the bushes and trees when they’d hidden the eggs earlier. Or, when they’d watch the Easter Bunny hide them, as I was supposed to say.

Those of us with younger ones—mainly meaning me, Greg, Ezra and Kent—followed our little ones around the grass helpfully pointing out the bright plastic eggs until their baskets were filled.

“Sammy, I think we’re done here, love. Your basket is filled to the brim, and your poor Papa can’t possibly fit another egg in his pockets for your overflow. What do you say we go find daddy, and see if he wants to help us open all these eggs and see what we can find inside?”

To punctuate my words, I held up one of the plastic eggs and shook it firmly so she could hear it rattle.

“Okay, Papa. We go see daddy now.”

My heart melted as I watched her turn and run across the field to where Luke was sitting at a picnic table with some of our friends. Her entire body was tilting slightly to the right from the weight of the basket, as she stubbornly ran with her shoulder length ringlets bouncing along behind her.

By the time I caught up, Luke was already helping her pop open the plastic eggs to reveal the prizes inside. Tom, Liam, Milo, and Luke had spent the past week filling the eggs with little toy prizes, wrapped candies, and coins. Naturally, Luke and Tom had made sure the eggs were stuffed age appropriately.

These eggs the younger ones had found didn’t have anything that they would choke on, while the older kids were more likely to find items that would rock their world. We may or may not have gone overboard with spoiling the kids for this one. But there wasn’t a soul among us who would have it any other way.

“Here, sweetness.” I said as I suddenly remembered my full pockets and began emptying them onto the table next to Sammy’s basket. “Sammy had a small overflow problem.”

“No, Sammy got greedy, and her Papa enabled her.” Luke laughed. “But that’s okay, I’m quite certain that the baskets will mysteriously even themselves out before the children all go home today. Everyone knows the fun is mostly in the hunting of the eggs anyway.”

Luke motioned for Tom’s daughter Allie to come over and replace him. “Sweetiepie, would you mind helping Sammy open all her eggs while I go for a little walk with my husband? I need to stretch my legs.”

Allie shot Luke a knowing grin. “Stretch your legs, or get a few minutes of peaceful alone time with your husband? I hate to break it to you, but my dad has tried every trick in the book on me when he wants alone time with Papa and needs a babysitter.”

She giggled but made a shooing motion. “Go ahead, I’m just messing with you, Uncle Luke. You guys go on, I’ve got this—Sammy and I might be a while though, so take your time.”

Luke stopped to check on Xander, who was sleeping peacefully in the fancy, hooded British pram that Rafe and Milo had gifted us with when he was born. Allie rolled her eyes at Luke.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Luke. I’ll keep an ear out for the baby too. And, not to be rude, but you guys might want to get going. Uncle Pierre said the caterer would be here with all the food pretty soon. He called and checked on it for Dad about ten minutes ago.”

“You don’t have to tell us twice, sweetheart.” Luke said to Allie as he stepped over to take my hand. “We both have our cells. If we aren’t within shouting range, just shoot one of us a text.”

Luke and I wandered off and left Allie watching over our babies. I pulled him over to the path that would lead us down toward the pond, and away from all the ruckus of our family of friends. As much as I dearly loved our tight-knit little community, I also enjoyed having these little moments alone with my husband.

“Would you ever have pictured us here like this three years ago, babe? Nevermind—that was a stupid question. Don’t bother answering,” Luke laughed.

I stopped in the middle of the path and tugged on his arm to pull Luke up against me. I wrapped my arms around his waist, clasping my hands together to hold him against me. Luke’s arms went around my neck as he smiled into my eyes.

“You know that old saying, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it? Well, I wasn’t smart enough to wish for anything as fantastic as what I’ve got. But if I’d known this much happiness was within my grasp? I’d have been crossing the fingers on both hands and wishing on every lucky star. You and our children are far above anything I ever would’ve hoped to wish for, sweetness.”

Luke leaned forward and brushed his lips over mine, kissing me gently before he pulled back to talk again.

“For a forty-year-old alpha who’d never been in a relationship before me, you sure do say the sweetest things. Tell me again, how did I ever get so lucky?”

“I’m pretty sure that luck had nothing to do with it, sweetness. More like a miscalculated heat cycle and a little assistance from a fluffy bunny.”

As if I’d conjured it with my words, there was a rustle in the bushes next to us before what looked like the same bunny from last year came pushing through.

It stopped just under the bushes, and stared at us for a long moment before flipping an ear in our direction and quickly hopping away with a twitch of its little round tail.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked Luke with a wink.

Luke grinned. “If you’re thinking that it’s the grown-ups turn to go egg hunting, then we are on the same page, babe.”

I leaned forward and rubbed our noses together in a quick bunny kiss, before releasing him so we could dash over to the bushes like a couple of overgrown kids.

Sure enough, right under the bush was one final egg. At least, I could only assume it was the last one, but hell, who knew. Especially in Hollydale where pretty much anything could—and usually did—happen.

Luke bent to retrieve the egg, then gasped as he looked at it before turning to show me the newest painted shell. It was another beach scene, much like the other ones that Luke had found, but this time it was depicted in the daytime.

Miniature versions of the two of us were sitting in the sand together, where I was shown helping Sammy and a slightly older Xander build a sand castle. Luke was stretched out on a towel, with a definite baby bump on display over his swimming trunks.

“I’m not sure which part makes my hair stand on end the most. The fact that the egg somehow knows we have plans to take the kids to Hawaii with Cecil and Ian for Christmas this year, or the fact that I don’t need to worry about being beach body ready since I will obviously be about four months pregnant by then.”

I bit back a laugh. “I mean, the eggs can’t really tell the future, can they? Maybe this is just a idyllic picture of what could be.”

“Please... Like the eggs of ever been wrong? And don’t even get me started on that wedding picture we have that looks exactly like the one on the damn egg. But, even if I didn’t know all that? Perhaps you can explain why I just bought that exact pair of swimming trunks when I was online last night? And the craziest part, is that it was an impulse purchase.”

I dug in my pocket for my Swiss Army knife, since I didn’t really have a response for that. Besides, I was kind of in a hurry to read the scroll now. Once I had the scroll removed, I passed the egg back to Luke and folded the knife and put it back in my pocket before reading our newest message.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Luke snorted. “I’ve never been happier in my life. What about you, babe?”

As I leaned in to kiss my husband, I murmured softly. “I’m pretty sure we both know the answer that one, sweetness. My happiness begins and ends with loving and being loved by you.”

Luke’s eyes shone brightly with unshed tears of joy as he smiled brilliantly at me. “I love you so much, Grazer.”

“I love you too, Luke. Thank you for giving me a second chance at your heart, even though I probably didn’t deserve it.”

“Keep up the sweet talk, babe. Especially since I’m pretty sure you’ve got about another four months before you have to worry about knocking me up. If we’re basing the calculations on the fortune cookie egg, anyway.”

I laughed. “So instead of watching your heat cycle, our new method of birth control is going to be trusting this painting on the egg?”

Luke giggled. “Might as well, these eggs are far more accurate than my method ever was.”

“Thank fuck for that. I love the results of your miscounting. I wouldn’t have you or Sam and Xander if it weren’t for that.”

Luke carefully put the egg in his pocket then wrapped his arms around my neck again. “Hurry up and kiss me, babe. I don’t know how much longer we have before someone sends out a search party.”

“Seriously. How did I ever not think that you were the perfect man for me?” I winked and pressed my lips against his for another kiss.