Friday night at The Sloppy Pelican, we’re all set to have a gathering of family and friends. The place is bustling, the live band is doing their thing, and the scent of a grilled steak is coming my way. Sunday and I arrive together. It’s another reprisal of the Bakers and the Knights, not to mention everyone in the Maxfield clan has joined us as well— save for Sunday’s father, who is busy buying New York. Serena and Trixie are already whispering in one another’s ears, laughing it up over something, and I trace their gaze to Shep, who’s standing with Axel, Lex’s husband. Hollow Brook is a pretty small town, but in this room, it feels smaller than a thimble.

Mom and Dad come at us, and Sunday squeezes my hand a bit as they make their way over. I don’t know if it was conscious or not, but Sunday has never looked too comfortable around my parents.

“Look who’s here.” Mom’s eyes widen until she looks certifiably insane. She nods to my father as if they’re speaking a language of their own, and for as long as I can remember, they’ve been doing exactly that.

“It’s just Sunday and me, Mom.” I look to Sunday, glowing with an otherworldly beauty.

Mom crimps her lips. I know that look. It’s rife with disapproval, and I hope to God Sunday doesn’t pick up on it. “It’s not just the two of you anymore.”

Dad clears his throat, his own eyes look as if they’re about to shoot out of his skull, slightly embarrassed by mother’s brashness. “I think what your mother is trying to say is, congratulations.” My parents have already lambasted and scolded the shit out of me, so I suppose in the natural order of things a congratulations would be next.

“Thank you.” Sunday’s cheek turns a bright pink. “I mean, I know this must come as a shock to you. I’m sorry about that. But”—her hands cradle her stomach—“we’re actually pretty excited about it now.”

“Excited?” Mom balks. “That’s a little naïve, don’t you think? I think you need a reality check. Do you realize what a sleepless night feels like? I promise you, this will be the toughest thing you’ll ever experience.”

My blood boils in an instant. The urge to steal Sunday away and take off hits me hard, but we vowed we wouldn’t do anything to ruin Nolan and Misty’s take-two on their own good news.

Dad tugs at his collar as if it’s getting a little too hot in here, and I’d have to agree with him. Mom is bringing all the heat straight from the pit of hell.

Sunday chokes out a laugh. “I think I do realize that this won’t be a walk in the park, but I’m prepared to accept the challenge.”

“And school?” Dad asks almost nonchalantly as if it were an aside, but I can already tell Sunday is on high alert, and she’s not taking too well to him either.

“I’ll handle it. I’ll be taking online classes as soon as next spring, so I’ll only be out a semester. I’ll still be ahead of my peers who opted for a gap year. I’m not worried about school. I’ll graduate sooner than later.”

Mom sighs as she averts her gaze to Dad, and a sickening feeling takes over. There’s something about the displeasure written all over her face that frustrates the hell out of me.

“Your father and I have made the decision that we’ll raise the baby.” She looks to the two of us, cold as ice. “That way it doesn’t interfere with your studies.” She offers Sunday a curt nod as if that were the end of the discussion. “It’s imperative you finish your education—and Seth, grad school is a must for you. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. You’re going.” Her tone is stern, her demeanor stiff. And right now, she’s batting two for two on chasing us the hell out of here. If Sunday bolts, I’ll leave with her. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Sunday offers a nervous glance my way before nailing my mother with a hard look. “That’s very kind of you, but Seth and I are raising the baby ourselves. I’m not auditioning parents. The baby has a complete set.”

No sooner does Sunday get those last few words out than Nolan and Misty come up behind my mother.

“Dear God,” Misty groans as she steps into our tense circle. “Mother? You didn’t! You promised me you wouldn’t.” She grunts as she looks to Sunday, “Please, for the love of all things good, ignore my mother. She can be a bit overbearing without meaning to.” Misty wraps an arm around Mom. The two of them have always been close, and someday I’d love to see Sunday just as close to my mother. Especially since she doesn’t have a mother of her own. But seeing that my mom has no problem scaring the hell out of her, I doubt that will ever be a reality.

Sunday gives a sly smile to my sister, and something warms in me. “Duly noted. And now that the topic of who will raise my child is settled, I want to congratulate the two of you properly.” She lunges into a group embrace with Nolan and Misty.

“Congratulations, man.” I slap Nolan five. “Next Christmas, huh?”

“That’s right. And since we’re all here together, and our first announcement went a little sideways…”

“A little.” Sunday cups her belly, and we share a laugh.

Nolan nods and raises a brow. “Okay, more than a little. Nevertheless, Misty and I thought we’d try it again—this time we’re going to have a gender reveal after dessert.”

“During dessert,” Misty corrects. “We’ll cut into the cake, and if it’s blue on the inside, it’s a boy, pink it’s a girl. We don’t know ourselves. I gave the results directly to the bakery.” She reaches out and picks up Sunday’s hand. “I’m scared spitless, I’m so darn excited! But I know whether we have the same gender or not, our kids will be close.” She looks to me with tears flickering in her eyes. “I for one am thrilled with the way things worked out. And I’m so relieved you’re the father.” She gives a little shrug. “I’ve been rooting for the two of you for years.”

Nolan thumps my arm with a light sock. “Me, too.”

Sunday is quick to swat him. “No, you have not!”

“I was”— he holds up a hand in the event she’s moved to strike again—“on the inside.”

Mom takes a breath, then exhales as if she dropped a granite boulder she’s had on her back for years. She looks to Sunday. “I’ll be honest, the day we met, I said ‘now that’s a cute girl for Our Seth.’”

I’m ashamed to say that Our Seth is an actual moniker gifted to me by my parents. They’ve been prone to shelter and coddle, and those are two traits I don’t plan on taking with me on my own parental journey. But the kindness, the generosity, the faith, the positivity, the work ethic, all of those wonderful attributes they’ve instilled in me are coming along for the ride.

Sunday wraps her arms around me and gives me a squeeze. “You were right about that. In fact, I am the perfect girl for Our Seth.”

We share a light laugh just as the waitress comes by to seat us. Dinner goes off without a single disaster, and that alone is noteworthy. Dessert comes in the form of a double layer vanilla cake, and you can see both Nolan and Misty grow stiff with a nervous excitement. The waitress hands them an enormous knife to do the honors with.

Sunday shivers as if it were our gender reveal party—only we won’t be having one. Sunday and I are already set on the fact we’re going to find out in the delivery room. No cake, no knives, just one hundred percent jitters—at least on my part. Sunday is as calm as can be at her doctor appointments, and I haven’t missed a single one. Afterwards, I always reward her with a nice lunch, and we’ve made a ritual of seeing a movie the same afternoon. So far, Little Fish doesn’t seem to have a problem with it, but I’m sure once he or she arrives, lunch and a movie aren’t going to be at the top of the list for an easy afternoon.

“On three,” Nolan shouts as both he and Misty grip the knife that’s already embedded into the cake.

“One, two, three!” our raucous group roars, and Misty pulls forth a slice of bright pink cake.

“It’s a girl!” my sister screams so loud the band stops cold for three seconds flat. The table breaks out into a riotous cheer as everyone stands to their feet embracing.

The cake is doled out, and our party eventually scatters to both the dance floor and the bar as Nolan buys a drink for everyone in the restaurant.

Sunday heads over to Trixie and Serena, while I head to get us a couple of ginger ales on my brother. I spot Shep, and I head on over.

“How’s it going?” He slaps me five. “Congratulations. Looks like everything is coming up roses for you. I’m glad about it, too. You deserve to be happy. You had a rough couple of months.”

“That I did. And I want to apologize again for dumping all over you a few weeks back. You certainly didn’t ask for it.”

“No way, no apologies necessary. I think under those circumstances I would have been spilling my guts to anyone who would listen, too. In fact, I’ll be at Briggs all summer and hanging out at the Black Bear a little more than I’d like, so if you spot me, don’t be a stranger. It’s been years since I’ve been at Briggs, and it’ll be nice to see a friendly face.”

“Rush will be there.” I nod over to him as he chats it up with Sunday and the girls.

“I said friendly.” He bounces with a dry laugh. I know for a fact he’s close enough to Rush to razz him, and Rush seems to revere him like an older brother.

“Serena will be there, too. Her sister and your brother are married, right?”

“That’s right.” He sighs as he looks in her direction. “But that is one face that has never been friendly—feisty is more like it. In fact, I’d go as far as saying she’s a spoiled little brat.” He frowns before taking a swig of his beer.

I can’t help but belt out a laugh. Sunday might agree, but tongue-in-cheek, of course. “Okay, maybe a little. But her sister, Lex, is something special.” She’s as caustic as they come, and I mean that in an almost lovable way. Sunday adores her. And who could blame her? Lex stepped in to raise her after Sunday’s mother died.

“You got me there.” His gaze never leaves Serena, although he doesn’t seem thrilled in the least. He seems downright annoyed. “Anyway, I think I’ll steer clear if I see her coming my way. I’m not in the mood for trouble.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Axel slides my drinks over, and I take them over to Sunday.

“For you.” I can’t help but shed a lopsided grin. I lean in and whisper into her ear, “It’s a virgin. Something you’re not.”

“All right, smart ass.” She bats her lashes up at me. “And who’s fault would that be?”

I wrap my arms around her, and Rush grunts my way before sagging into a humble smile. I know for a fact he didn’t hear the exchange. “I’m glad it’s you, dude.”

“I’m glad it’s me, too.”

Sunday bounces on her heels. “So, who has big plans for the summer?”

Trixie raises a hand as if she were in class. “I’m stealing Rush away for the weekend, and we’re headed to Mirror Lake. You guys are totally welcome to come along. My family has an amazing cabin that could house half of WB, and we’ll have the place to ourselves.” Rush growls at the thought of me having some one-on-one time with his sister, I’m sure, but Trixie knocks an elbow into him. “Behave. My brother, Knox, and his girlfriend, Harper, will be there, too. It’ll be fun. I’ll bring board games.” The three of us break out in a riotous laugh.

Sunday nods to Serena. “And you?”

“Just summer school. I’m taking a class—entrepreneurial sciences. It counts as credits and as an internship, so I’m pretty psyched. Dr. Miller is teaching it, and we’ll be assigned a proctor. I’ll be breaking my back at the Black Bear, too.”

“I just talked to Shep”—I nod back at him, I can’t help but stir the pot a bit—“he’ll be hanging out at the Black Bear this summer.”

“Oh, please”—she looks as if she’s about to be sick—“I’m the last person who’ll wait on him. I’d rather lose my job than serve that egotistical ball of testosterone.” She wrinkles her nose at Sunday. “He’s one person I’m determined to stay away from.” She jumps up on her tiptoes, and a mischievous grin blooms on her face as she looks to the band. “I think I see a drummer I’d like to know better. I’ll catch you guys later.”

Rush and Trixie take off for the bar, and it’s just Sunday and me, holding one another right here in a room with friends and family.

I press a kiss just above Sunday’s ear. “I’m pretty sure Serena and Shep are about to collide this summer. I think he’s the proctor for that class she’s taking.”

Sunday gasps with a laugh in her throat. “Are you kidding? And we get to have front row seats? This is going to be great. Serena and Shep make oil and water look like soul mate compounds. I bet she explodes day one. And, believe me, she’ll bring the aftermath right to our doorstep. She’s really going to need me to get through that nightmare.”

“You think she’ll drop the class?”

Sunday shakes her head emphatically. “Serena is a lot of things, but she’s no quitter. If anything, she’ll make Shep rethink his assignment.”

“Looks like we won’t have to wait for the Fourth to watch the fireworks fly.”

“Nope.” Sunday trembles with a laugh. “We’ll be watching a grand finale-worthy spectacle every day those two are together.”

“You almost make me look forward to it.”

“Are you looking forward to anything else?” She bites down on her lip, seducing me with little more than a glance. Sunday has always held that power over me. One look, one thought aimed in her direction is enough to get me going.

“I think I’m looking forward to saying goodnight to everyone and getting you home. You know, to tuck you in. Making sure you have a good night’s sleep.”

“Oh, to tuck me in? I see. Well, I hope you won’t mind tucking me into your bed because it’s where I happen to sleep best.”

“That’s the only bed I ever want to tuck you in.” I lean and whisper into her ear, “And something else that rhymes with tuck.”

We share a dark laugh and say a quick goodnight to everyone. I take Sunday home and tuck her in my bed and make her mine in every way. Little Fish offers up a few good kicks, and I drink it all in. I love Sunday Knight. I love that things worked out. I’m glad her brothers didn’t murder me like I’m sure they wanted to. And mostly, I’m glad Sunday and I are about to embark on a brand new journey together.

* * *

Now that finals are through and summer is taking off, I drive Sunday up to the overlook, and I hold her as we gaze out at Jepson down below, Hollow Brook in the distance. It’s so beautiful up here on the mountain, with its mustard grass in full bloom, a sea of lavender blanketing the fields behind us.

“I have to tell you something.” I pick up both her hands and look into those bright sunshine-inspired eyes. “We have a check ready for the Jepson homeless shelter.”

She winces. “So, how far off are we?” Her affect falls flat as she grows dejected.

“About a hundred thousand.”

Her mouth opens, then closes before she finally concedes. “I think that’s great, Seth. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done. I’m proud of you.”

“I’m proud of you.” I give her hand a little tug. “Sunday, you’re over a hundred thousand. We have three hundred fifty thousand dollars ready to gift them.”

“Oh my God!” Her voice shrills into the sky. “How is that even possible? Please tell me my father had nothing to do with it. But if you can’t, I totally understand.”

“The only thing your father had to do with it was bringing you into the world. All of the drives, all of the fund matching we were able to get the corporations to participate in boosted us over the edge. Collins and Associates may have helped in tipping the scale.”

“Seth!” She rings her arms around the back of my neck. “You’re incredible, you know that? You really are a living superhero.”

“I’m glad you think so because—Sunday, I know that we’re in a unique situation, but what I’m about to say has less to do with that and more to do with how I feel about you. I realize we’re young, we have an entire lifetime together, but my love for you is solid. It’s not fly-by-night, and I’m not caught up in the moment. This is real, and it’s for all time.”

Her eyes water on cue. Sunday’s emotions only seem to grow more extreme by the day, but I’d like to think she’d be shedding tears at this point no matter what end of the scale these emotions tip.

“Sunday—” I drop to one knee and pull out the white sapphire ring I purchased last week. Nolan and Rush went with me. We thought a diamond was nice, but the white sapphire means so much more since that’s the stone that represents the month our precious son or daughter will enter this world. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I would love to make you my wife.” I bear hard into her watery eyes. “Would you do me the honor and marry me? No hurry to answer. We can do the ceremony whenever you want. It could be tomorrow or ten years down the road. I just need you to know, I’ll be waiting for you if you’ll have me.”

“Seth!” Her voice comes out threadbare as if it expended all of her energy just to squeeze it out. “I don’t need to wait. I already have my answer. Not only do I want to marry you, I would never wait ten years to do it.” She pulls me up with tears raining from her eyes. “Yes! I love you, Seth Baker!” She looks to the cliff side and shouts into the great expanse, “I’m going to be Mrs. Seth Baker!” She pulls me in close, giggling through tears. “And I cannot wait.”

Sunday collapses her arms around me, and I can’t help but laugh as she crashes her lips to mine. Sunday Knight will one day soon become Sunday Baker, and it’s because she loves me, because she wants to. I’m not sure what’s happened this last year, but I can honestly say it’s been the best year of my life. And something tells me with Sunday by my side, each passing year will only get better.

She said yes.

And she loves me. Life made.

Sunday has always had the ability to make it or break it.

A sharp jab pins me in the gut, and we back off from that perfect kiss with a laugh.

Sunday cups her belly. “Somebody is happy.”

“Hey, Little Fish, we’re a family. And we can’t wait to meet you and make it complete.”

Sunday lifts her brows. “I guess we’d better start entertaining names. I’m pretty sure Little Fish Baker will make for a tough start in life.”

“How about Baker Baker? It’s gender neutral and has a nice ring to it.”

Sunday swats me as she tips her head back. “Good thing we didn’t wait until we were in the delivery room to come up with something solid. I think we’re going to need all the time we can get.”

I take her back in my arms and pull her in tight. “All the time we can get together is something I look forward to spending with you.”

Sunday and I dive right into a kiss that christens this moment. It rings a bell, letting the universe know this is how it’s going to be forever, Sunday and me, in love, a child to raise, the first of many if we want. I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be luckier. It looks like something good has come from what once felt like an impossible situation. And with Sunday by my side, we will always look for the good in everything.