“Ma, do you need a tissue?” Kane asked, motioning for his twin brother to go grab some. Nora sat beside him, her hand in his. She looked as concerned as he did.

“Or maybe some water?” Nora asked.

Tears poured down Dee’s face as she cried into her hands at the dinner table in the middle of the most lavish Christmas Eve dinner they’d ever had. Everyone was trying to comfort her and offer her food and drinks, but she just kept crying.

The entire family was spread between the dining room and living room at Kieran’s house at multiple tables they’d rented just for the event in order to seat everyone.

“I’m fine!” she finally managed to choke out, pushing away Seamus’ offer of a glass of whiskey. Then, on second thought, she grabbed it back from him and drank it down in one go. When she brought her head up again, her cheeks were stained with tears but she was smiling wide. It looked a little crazy, to be honest.

“Shit, guys. We broke Ma.” Quinn snuck the last crescent roll out of the basket in front of them, which normally Kane would have fought him on but he had too much on his mind to fight bread thieves tonight. “Someone get her new batteries—stat!”

“Feck off, Quinny,” Dee said, laughing between her tears. “I’m just so happy! Jimmy’s having a baby! Quinn’s moving home! Fiona’s have a baby! Casey’s in love! Everything is just so wonderful. I know you’re not kids anymore, but you’ll always be my kids, and you have made me the happiest mother this Christmas. In fact, I don’t need any presents. This has all been presents enough!”

“Does that mean we don’t have to help with dishes after either?” Kane teased, handing her the box of tissues Kieran had just passed him.

Nora smacked his arm. “Kane, really?”

Dee grabbed a tissue from him and shot him her signature don’t-even-think-about-it look. “I spent all damn day cooking this meal, so I’m not touching a fecking plate after. You’d better listen to that woman of yours.”

“It was worth a try,” Kane said, squeezing Nora’s hand tighter. “This one always makes me do the dishes, too.”

Nora grinned. “Not sorry.”

“Hey, I’m retired.” Kane spooned another helping of mashed potatoes onto his plate. “I should be doted on and spoiled day in and day out, like Pops!”

Seamus barked out a laugh from the head of the table. “Spoiled? Your mother’s got me checking my blood every five minutes, exercising, eating rabbit food, and I still check in on the gym regularly. No such thing as retirement in marriage, kid.”

“Excuse me for wanting to keep you alive,” Dee replied, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks and clearing her throat. Her usual sarcasm dripped from her words as she collected herself.

“Kane’s the one always dragging me to the gym,” Nora admitted. “You’d think now that he’s done with fighting professionally, he’d let us just get fat and happy, but apparently not.”

Kane laughed. “I’d love you any size, kitty. More cushion for the pushin’!”

“Your parents are literally sitting right next to us, Kane.” Nora rolled her eyes, though he doubted she was ever surprised anymore at the things he said. He loved how she always gave him a hard time, but he loved even more that she accepted him the way he was and loved him for it.

“Mom, what is cushion pushing?” Murphy turned to his mother, Clare, a few seats down from Kane. All the other children were seated at a different table, but Clare had insisted Murphy stay seated next to her. Kane had completely forgotten about that, since he’d assumed most of the kids were out of earshot.

“Um…” Clare looked bewildered and shot Kane an annoyed look. “Pillow fights. They were having pillow fights.”

“Yeah, pillow fights,” Kane agreed, nudging Nora. “Right, kitty?”

“Yep, just a pillow fight.” Nora nodded her head then put her hand next to her mouth and whispered to Murphy loudly enough that everyone could hear, “and I always win.”

Kane wiggled his brows. “I’m nothing if not generous.”

“Okay, I’m honestly going to throw up from all these mental images.” Casey picked up a roll and threw it across the table, hitting Kane right in the forehead. “Can you stop talking about…pillow fighting?”

“Five minutes ago, I’m crying because of how wonderful my children are,” Dee began, rolling her eyes. She leaned over and scooped the tossed roll from the floor, then fed it to one of the dogs under the table. A few years before, Kieran and Rory had both adopted dogs Jimmy had found abandoned during his shift. They’d named them Turk and JD and brought them to all the family gatherings, which always thrilled the kids. “Way to swing the pendulum back the other direction.”

“Seriously,” Seamus agreed. “You’re all acting like children.”

Kane grinned as the table fell into random, raucous conversations. Kieran and Shea had decorated the home for Christmas, and everything was red and green. It was beautiful, and Fiona was clearly happy to be part of today’s celebrations even if Kieran had had to carry her down to the table for dinner. Kane was happy for his twin and loved seeing the affection on his face when he looked not only at his wife, but at his son, Gavin.

Nora never asked, she never pushed, but he knew she wanted children one day. They were blissfully happy together, just the two of them, but he had no doubt that one day she’d be a wonderful mother.

“Pops? Quinn?” Kane called out to his father and brother, the rest of the table still distracted in their own conversations.

Seamus lifted one brow. “Now?”

He nodded. The nerves in his stomach were fluttering, but he pushed them away just like he’d always do before walking into the octagon. It was show time.

Quinn stood and discreetly handed Kane the ring box, hidden between their large hands and out of view. “You got this, bro,” Quinn whispered, clapping him on the back before returning to his seat.

Seamus stood at the head of the table and clapped his hands loudly. “Everyone shut up.”

The room fell silent. His dad had a way of commanding attention that no one else there did.

Seamus sat back down, and Kane stood up this time.

“What’s going on?” Nora whispered, tugging on the sleeve of his sweater. “Sit down.”

He ignored her and revealed the small red ring box in his hand, opening the lid. Gasps and hushed cheers rang out around the table.

Nora’s eyes widened, her hands folded against her chest. “Kane…”

Pushing his chair out from the table, he turned to face her and got down on one knee. She immediately began to cry and for a moment, he was worried he would, too. His normal jovial, sarcastic self seemed completely out of reach, and instead, all he wanted to do was embrace the woman who’d changed his life for the better and tell her how much he loved her.

“Nora, when we first met almost nine years ago, I was a goddamn idiot. Hell, I still am most days. It took two years to get you to fall in love with me, but once you were mine, I knew there was no way I was ever going to let you go. You’ve been by my side through every moment of my career, my life, my family…you’ve made me a better man. I will never be the man who deserves to be with a woman as wonderful as you, but I’d like to spend every day for the rest of my life trying. I love you, Nora Hannigan. Will you—”

“Yes!” Nora lunged forward and through her arms around his neck, kissing him hard.

“Will she what?” Shea asked from the other side of the table. “He didn’t ask anything.”

“They’re getting married!” Fiona explained to her teenage sister, who struggled with social cues due to her autism spectrum disorder. “He asked her to marry him!”

“Oh.” Shea nodded her head, then went back to eating her chicken nuggets, carefully separated in one straight line on her plate.

“Wait, wait,” Kane said, interrupting their kiss and pulling back. Shea was technically right, since Nora hadn’t let him finish the sentence. “You’ll marry me?”

“Of course, you idiot!” Nora kissed him again, then he took her hand and slid the diamond ring onto her finger. “I’ve been waiting half a decade for you to ask.”

“ME, TOO!” Dee shouted, crying again and clapping her hands. “FINALLY!”

He grinned at his future wife, ignoring his mother. “Sorry about that.”

The entire table broke out into cheers and congratulations, getting up to hug the newly engaged couple. Kane took Nora in his arms and dipped her right there in front of everyone as she squealed with laughter. Bringing her back up, he held her tightly to his chest and kissed her.

“We’re getting married.” Breathless, her eyes sparkled as her smile took over her entire face. “I’m going to be a Kavanagh officially.”

“You always have been,” Kane told her, teasing. “We never would have let you go.”

“That’s the truest thing he’s ever said,” Dee added, wrapping her arms around the both of them as everyone else piled in on the group hug.

“Oh, God! Too much love!” Kane groaned as he attempted to push his family off them.

“No such thing!” little Murphy shouted, wiggling his way into the center of the hug.