I was dancing on air as I glad-handed the patrons and enjoyed the crazy circus that was an art show. Jacques, the gallery owner, had dollar signs flashing in his eyes as he zipped in and out through the crowd.

"Are all art shows like this?" Kyle asked curiously as he watched yet another of my paintings get a sticker dot discreetly placed on the wall beneath it. "This is bananas, but so exciting at the same time."

Houston bumped his hip against mine. "No, Kyle, darling. This isn’t what successful showings are like, this is even better. This is what you call a smash hit."

I wrung my hands, not sure how to process all the attention I'd been getting this evening. "It's the mixed media, I think. People are intrigued by the mix of charcoal sketches, pastels, and watercolors alongside the oils. It's a little different than what I've done in the past."

Austin stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pulled me against his chest, resting his chin on the top of my head. "I like your oil paintings too, though. I'm assuming those are ones you painted before you were pregnant, right? At least, I don't think you've worked in oils recently, have you?"

"Just the one," I said softly, motioning toward the painting that currently had Brenda and Bradford so transfixed. "It doesn't bother you, does it?"

Austin's arms tightened, as if to reassure me with his embrace. "Not at all. Josh was Jay's father, not to mention your best friend for a lot of years. It's only right that you paid tribute to his memory."

As I looked at the painting I'd done, my throat felt tight as memories of Josh flooded my mind. I'd painted him in a more ethereal form, yet still in his uniform and wearing the lieutenant bars he’d been so proud to earn. He was depicted in Jay's nursery, standing at the foot of the crib and looking down at our son with a proud smile.

I told you things always work out the way they were meant to in the end. And by the way, it's about damn time you found yourself an alpha who who will love and worship you the way you deserve. Didn't I tell you I wanted you to have romance in your life at some point? Do me a favor, kiddo. Remember me fondly, but let me go—live your life and love our son for both of us, but let me go. Thanks for being good to my parents. Tell my mom she looks like a real hot chimichanga in that red dress. I smiled, shaking my head at my flight of fancy as Josh's voice clearly spoke in my head yet again.

"You look happy, Owen. I don't blame you a bit. You have a lot to be proud of tonight. You've done a wonderful job here." Brenda smiled as she and Bradford joined me where I was standing with all of the Logans. "Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you about a certain painting that is marked NFS. If I'm recalling correctly, that means it's not for sale? Is there any way I could talk you into changing your mind? I would so love to purchase it."

"It's marked NFS, because I'm planning to make it my gift to you," I explained gently. "I wanted to make a tribute piece of Josh with Jay, but I think it belongs in your home, don't you agree?"

"I can't thank you enough; you have no idea how much that painting would mean to me." She wrapped her hand around Bradford's arm, leaning against his shoulder as she smiled her gratitude. "While I'm thanking you, can I just say how much those pictures you and Austin keep texting of Jay mean to us? That little doll gets more precious every day."

Austin released his hold on me, pulling his phone out as he stepped around me to hold it out toward Brenda. "Check out this picture I took before we came. He had real food for the first time today—if you can consider puréed peas to be real food, that is. I was planning to text it tomorrow, but you can see it now. I'll still send it, of course, because I'm sure you'll want to have this picture too."

Brenda chuckled as she saw Jay's face and bib, both completely covered with puréed peas. If Austin had been doing the feeding, it probably wouldn't have gotten so messy. But I didn't have as much experience with babies as he did, so it had been a real learning experience. As she looked away from the picture, Brenda smiled wistfully. "I wish I could've seen him tonight, but I understand this is no place for children."

I laughed at that one. "No kidding. Although, I'm right there with you. I wish he were here too. He's with all of his cousins at the babysitter’s for the evening."

"I think it's wonderful how your marriage has provided him with such a large extended family. That'll be so nice for him as he grows," Bradford commented with a respectful nod toward Austin.

"Well, sweetheart, I think we need to say our goodbyes. We do have a bit of a drive to get home, after all," Brenda said reluctantly, her eyes moving back to Josh's painting. Recalling the random thought that had flitted through my head, I turned to her and shared it.

"Please don't think this is weird, but from time to time I have thoughts go through my head that I hear in Josh's voice. Things he’d said to me at some point or other, coming as flashbacks. At any rate, I was having one of those thoughts just before you came over and my inner Josh voice said to tell you that you looked like a real hot chimichanga in that red dress tonight." I grinned, expecting her to laugh at the silliness of my comment.

I was stunned when she paled and brought her hands to her mouth with a gasp. "How did you know about that?"

"Know about what?" I asked, completely confused as to the turn the conversation had taken.

"I suppose it's possible he might have mentioned it to you at some point, although I don't see why he would've. That phrase was an inside joke between us, you see. When Josh was a boy, one of my husband's former business partners always tried to flirt with me. Every time he saw me, he would tell Bradford that his wife was a real hot chimichanga. It became a joke between us, and Josh found it to be hilarious. He'd use it on me every chance he got." She smiled and stepped forward to give me a quick hug, rubbing my arm as she pulled away. "Thank you for reminding me of that; I'd nearly forgotten those happier memories. It brings him back to me a little whenever I hear you repeat things he's shared with you."

There was no way I'd ever heard that story from Josh, I knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. If I'd ever heard that phrase, I would’ve never been able to see Brenda with a straight face without thinking of her uptight, socialite perfection being called something as base as a hot chimichanga.

It was downright hilarious, so yeah—I definitely would've remembered it. I wasn't about to tell her any of that, though; Lord knows I didn't need people thinking I was crazy. Instead I just smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I must've heard him say it at some point. Ten years of friendship covers a lot of old stories between friends, I suppose."

*****

"Oh, my God," I groaned as I leaned back in the chair while Austin pulled my feet onto his lap and quietly rubbed my socked feet. "That feels amazing, but it's probably a little tacky for me to have my shoes off in public like this, don't you think?"

"Not at all." Dallas smiled reassuringly across the table of the small, family-owned restaurant we'd stumbled into after the show. "It's so late that the only ones here besides us are people coming in from the bars, trying to pad their stomachs to soak up all the booze."

"You make a good point." I smiled as I caught sight of Gideon and Lukas snuggling in on either side of Beau, totally not caring whether or not anybody in the restaurant was noticing that the large alpha had two omegas draped across him. Dallas and Kyle were hanging all over each other too, while Houston was perched on Cody's lap. I so didn't need to worry about Austin having removed my shoes to rub my feet.

"Is it me, or was that show pretty damn successful?" Lukas asked around a yawn. "But seriously, do they usually run this late?"

The adrenaline was still flowing through me from the success of the evening and I was on a natural high. I threw my head back with a joyful laugh before looking back at Lukas and shaking my head.

"No, they usually would've ended a couple hours ago, at least they did for me in the past. This is the best show I've ever had." I looked at Austin and did a little bounce in my chair, punching the air playfully as a thought occurred to me. "Jacques told me that the show was a sellout. Do you guys realize I made enough money tonight to keep myself in paint and Jay in diapers for a good year, if not longer?"

Austin merely smiled, but Houston snorted. "Bitch, please. You need to get your husband to invest that for you and spend his money instead. There are benefits to having a rich hubby, honey."

Cody bent to blow a raspberry in the crook of Houston's neck. "Is that why I married you, fancy?"

Houston giggled as he squirmed, raising his shoulder and bending his head to the side as if to block Cody from getting him again. "No, big guy. You married me for my fine ass, remember? The money was just a happy bonus."

Everyone was still laughing when Gideon glanced over at me curiously. "Can I ask a question without you thinking I’m being too nosy?"

"Gid, I promise I don't mind answering your questions; I thought I told you that. Ask away, I'm an open book for you." I pulled my feet down when Austin released them, sliding them back into my shoes before moving over onto his lap. Gideon waited until I'd relocated to ask his question.

"This is probably going to sound really weird, but you had a strange look on your face while you and Brenda were having that whole odd chimichanga conversation. What was that about?" He looked unsure of himself now that he'd asked, as if he were worried that maybe the whole thing had been in his head or something.

"If I tell you guys something a little kooky, do you promise not to think I'm insane?" I looked around the group, then realized who I was talking to when they all rolled their eyes and motioned for me to continue.

"Fair enough." I laughed. "Okay, so check this out. For months now, I’ve been hearing Josh's voice in my head. Like encouraging me or whatever in moments when I kind of needed the help. I figured it was just my own brain using Josh as a crutch and replaying things he'd said to me in the past. But then tonight, that voice in my head told me goodbye and said to tell Brenda that she looked pretty in that red dress, like a real hot chimichanga. And then you heard the rest of our conversation. But here's the thing, I'd never heard that before in my life! Look at her, could you have ever had a straight face around her if you were picturing some rando calling her a hot chimichanga? I would've been giggling like crazy, especially back in the days when she used to look down her nose at me."

They were all silent for a moment until Beau quietly spoke up. "A lot of soldiers will tell you they've had experiences where they see or hear lost brothers-in-arms. There were times when I've been at my lowest, especially when I wasn't really in touch with my brothers after my parents died and I was stationed overseas. In those moments I would smell my mom's perfume like she was standing next to me. It was the strangest thing, but it always came right at the moment I needed it the most."

"There are stranger things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Austin quoted Hamlet in a contemplative tone. "And by that, I mean to say, who knows? Only you can say whether or not Josh might have been checking in on you. If you guys were as close of friends as I think you were, I don't doubt that he would’ve checked in on you from time to time if it were possible—especially when he died while knowing you were carrying his child."

I leaned my head against his shoulder, smiling when his arms automatically wrapped around me. "You might be glad to know that his departing message tonight was that he was happy to see I'd finally found romance with an alpha who would love and worship me the way I deserved. He also told me to remember him, but to let him go. To live my life, but love our son."

I heard several sniffles, and looked up to see Dallas, Kyle, Gideon, and even Cody tearing up at what I'd said. I blinked back my own tears and smiled. "I'm so lucky to have you guys for my forever family. At least you don't think I'm crazy, right?"

"It's not that we don’t think you’re crazy," Houston said with a slow wink. "It's that we’re all crazy, haven't you figured that out by now? Welcome to the nut house, honey. You're one of us now."

Gideon, Kyle, and Lukas had me cracking up when they started chanting one of us, one of us in stereo. I looked up at Austin with my heart nearly bursting as we shared a private smile.

It hit me all over again that this was my life now, and these people were my family—my forever family. It had only taken my entire life and a fake marriage to bring me the real family I'd always dreamed of having.

"I love you," I whispered as I tipped my face up for a kiss.

"I love you too," Austin whispered back as he bent to brush a kiss over my lips. "What do you say we go pick up our son and get him home so we can finish this conversation in bed?"

"How fast can we get the tab? I feel a real need to get home, now that you mention it," I answered.

The rest of the family started laughing and Houston made a sweeping motion with his hand. "You lovebirds go on and get out of here; we'll take care of the bill."

"Thanks, Houston. You're the best." I smiled as I hopped off Austin's lap and held my hand out for him.

"Nope, that title belongs to me," Beau said, a slow smile spreading over his face. "Because I was just going to suggest that you let Jay stay the night at our house. Since Miss Marian watched all the kids over there tonight, I’d bet you anything that your son is sound asleep in the crib next to Rosie right about now. It'd be a shame to wake him, so you might as well go home and get some alone time."

"Speaking of bets, I believe we have one to settle, Lukey." I turned back to see Houston smirking at Lukas as he spoke. Houston was holding his hand out, wiggling his fingers for added effect. "I won, so pay up, honey."

Austin slipped his arm around my shoulders as he shook his head, rolling his eyes in amused exasperation. "All right, this has gone on long enough—will one of you please tell us what the hell that bet was about?"

They all started snickering, except Gideon who beamed a radiant smile in our direction. "It's simple. Houston said that you were going to fall in love with Owen. Lukey said that you were serious about the whole marriage of convenience thing. Then Houston said that you probably believed that to be true, but he knew better than that. You never would've offered to marry someone to give them insurance if they didn't interest you on some level. So they put twenty bucks on whether or not you guys would be madly in love by your six-month anniversary."

Lukas groaned. "That's what I get for believing in Austin, no offense, Owen—I am happy for you guys," he was quick to add.

Austin pulled out his wallet and removed a twenty-dollar bill, passing it to Lukas. "Here, use this to pay your bet. Because honestly? You were both right. It wasn't at all like me to offer to marry someone to give them insurance, especially when I'd never planned to marry, so it probably looked like a sure bet that I wouldn't get emotionally attached. But Houston was also right—the fact that I even offered in the first place was out of character."

I stood on tiptoe to kiss the underside of his jaw. "To quote Josh, things always work out the way they were meant to in the end."

Austin smiled. "I'm starting to wish I'd had a chance to meet that guy. I think I would've liked him. I definitely like his taste in friends."

"His friends appreciate you saying that, because they kinda like you too," I said playfully.

"Gag me with newlywed bliss, you guys need to get a room before you make me take Cody home and force him to put another baby in me. I cannot handle this kind of sweetness," Houston said with a groan.

“Mmm, now there’s an idea.” Austin winked down at me with a grin. “I really did like seeing you pregnant.”

“I mean, Jay should have a sibling, don’t you think?” I ran my hands up his chest, standing on tiptoe for another kiss.

Austin kissed me then lifted me into his arms, glancing back at his brothers with a grin. “Sorry to rush off, guys, but you heard my husband. We have more babies to make.”

“Better you than me,” Lukas called after us.

I rested my head against Austin’s shoulder as he carried me to the car. I really was the luckiest guy in the entire world.