“I really don’t think we had to wear these sweaters,” Jimmy Kavanagh complained, pulling at the hem of the itchy wool sweater that his girlfriend of the last two years, Sophie Conroy, had made him wear. She and her young daughter, Ava, were wearing matching ones as well. They looked like a goddamn embarrassing Christmas card photo. No family should ever wear that much red. He frowned down at his chest. And no man ought to have anything with a glittery trio of snowmen on the front in his closet, let alone on his body. “No one else in my family will be wearing Christmas sweaters, Soph.”

“Bah humbug!” Ava squeaked, pumping her little fist in the air before falling into a fit of giggles.

“You heard her,” Sophie teased. “Don’t be a Scrooge.”

Jimmy rolled his eyes, but couldn’t contain his smile. He might be a detective now, but being a beat cop for so many years in the NYPD had definitely made him cynical. He certainly was the last person to have any Christmas spirit, but becoming a father figure to Sophie’s four-year-old daughter from a previous relationship was certainly changing that.

He lifted the young girl who’d stolen his heart into his arms and carried her up the walkway to his parents’ front door. There was no denying that she looked adorable in her Christmas sweater and the matching red bows at the end of her braids were very cute. She was a mini replica of her mother, and Jimmy was head-over-heels for both of them. They both shared the same dark chocolate skin and bright green eyes that mesmerized him, along with an infectious laughter and sweetness.

“Ready for the crazy Kavanaghs?” He gave her the same warning every Sunday, but she’d yet to fall under the pressure that his family was known for.

She laughed. “Your family doesn’t scare us, Jimmy.”

“They scare me.” He pushed open the front door and was immediately welcomed to raucous laughter and shouting. Ava started wiggling in his arms, wanting to get down and go play the moment she saw Rory’s son, Murphy, run by with his little sister toddling behind him. “Down you go, baby girl.”

The moment her little feet touched the ground, she was off, chasing after her cousins.

“Well, that didn’t take long,” Sophie remarked, linking her arm through Jimmy’s. “She loves your nieces and nephews.”

“They love her.” Jimmy kissed the top of her head. “It’s good she has other kids to play with. I’m sure she wants a sibling one day.”

“You think?” Sophie watched her daughter running off. “Do you think you’d want that?”

He hadn’t meant to turn the commentary into such a serious conversation. Nerves flickered in his stomach as he cleared his throat. “Well, you know…one day. Sure. We’ve got plenty of time, so no need to rush it. Our jobs are so time consuming anyway.”

She was a police officer and still worked a shift schedule, while his was a bit more normal business hours, though he was almost always on-call. In fact, they’d first met a little over two years ago when she was his trainee after she’d graduated the academy. Her athletic build and take-charge attitude made her an amazing police officer, and he couldn’t be prouder of the work she did for their city every day.

“People have kids and jobs, Jimmy. We already have Ava, and she has one of us at all times.”

Shit. He’d offended her. “Soph, you’re an amazing mother. I’m not saying that at all. All I meant was there’s no need to rush on adding another child to the mix just yet.”

The furrow in her brows and frown on her lips told him that he’d definitely hurt her feelings. Fuck. He’d have to find a way to talk to her later and clarify.

There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to have children with Sophie. Hell, he was already beginning to plan an upcoming proposal on their anniversary this spring, and was going to ask permission to adopt Ava as well. Giving Ava a sibling sounded like a dream, and there was no doubt in his mind that the combination of Irish and African would be unbelievably beautiful in their future children.

But single motherhood had been a lot for Sophie. It was more than he’d probably ever be able to understand, and he wanted to prove to her that he was committed and in this for the long haul before he asked her to carry his child. He was going to make her his wife and promise the rest of his life to her. She’d never have to go it alone again.

“Sophie, I—” Jimmy began to try and explain this to her, but his mother walked around the corner.

“Jimmy! Sophie!” His mother immediately greeted them and opened her arms wide. They both hugged her and greeted the rest of his family who spilled out of the kitchen and living room, crowding the entryway to say hello. All of his older brothers and their families were there except for Quinn, who was living in Seattle the last few years.

Dee began ushering them to the dining room. “Come. Let’s sit down to eat.”

“Want a drink?” Kieran Kavanagh, Jimmy’s older brother, asked him and gave him a hard pat on the back. “About to pour myself a whiskey.”

“Definitely. How’s Fiona feeling?” The combination of pregnant wife, toddler, and teenager under one roof sounded stressful as hell and Jimmy couldn’t imagine how his older brother was handling it.

Kieran rubbed a hand over his scruffy beard and sighed. “She’s doing better this week. She’s actually at home tonight. Wanted a night alone, so I’ve got the kids.”

“Oh.” That didn’t sound great. “Well, I’m here for you, man. Whatever you need.”

“Appreciate that, Jim.” Kieran poured them both a stiff whiskey. “Does Sophie want a drink?”

Jimmy turned to look for his girlfriend and saw her laughing with Clare in the kitchen. Sophie had Clare’s daughter, Brontë, on her hip. “Hey, Soph! Want a drink?” he called out.

She shook her head and gave him a tight smile.

“What did you do?” Kieran asked. “She’s staring daggers at you.”

Jimmy sighed. “Yeah, that’s my bad. Just a misunderstanding. I’ll clear it up when we get home.”

“That’s code for you-were-an-asshole-and-need-to-apologize.” Kieran swigged back the rest of his drink, then poured them both another.

Jimmy laughed. “It’s a language you’re very familiar with.”

“Ain’t that the damn truth?”

“Who’s an asshole?” Rory Kavanagh, Jimmy’s oldest brother, walked up to the two of them. He was a recovering alcoholic, so he was sipping a soda as usual, instead of their whiskeys. “Jimmy for his ugly Christmas sweater? Or are we talking about Kane’s stupid mistletoe hat?”

Kane, Kieran’s twin brother, jumped into the mix. “Who’s talking about me? I hope you’re singing my praises, because anything less would be a damn lie.”

“You wish.” Rory chucked a light punch against Kane’s arm, which Kane quickly returned. “You’re losing your touch, Kane. That was a pansy-ass punch.”

“I’m retired, fucker.” Kane poured himself a whiskey and clinked his glass against Jimmy’s. “I can do whatever the fuck I want. Retiring undefeated means I’m a champion for life.”

“Are you going to keep mentioning that for the rest of your life?” Jimmy teased. “It’s going to get old fast.”

Kane rolled his eyes. “Says the man who’s every other sentence starts with back when I was working the streets as a cop.”

“FOR FECK’S SAKE, WILL YOU ALL PLEASE GO SIT DOWN?” Dee shouted from the dining room to where the brothers were standing around the whiskey cart. “You’re grown-ass men arguing like children.”

They grinned at one another, not bothered one bit by their mother’s chiding. Annoying her was just a perk because fighting with each other was one of their favorite pastimes. It was all meant in jest, and they were closer than ever.

“Mom!” Murphy came rushing through the living room and into the dining room, throwing himself at Clare. “I’m bleeding!”

Sure enough, a stream of blood was running down the little boy’s face from his nose.

“Oh, baby, are you okay?” Clare grabbed a napkin from the table and held it to his nose, cuddling him against her. “Does it hurt?”

He shook his head.

“What happened?” Dee looked alarmed, coming around the table to fuss over her grandson. “Let me see. Did you hit it against something?”

“I’ve got this, Dee. Thank you.” Clare’s words were crisp and commanding. “He’s fine.”

“Of course. Just want to make sure he’s okay.” Dee frowned, propping her hands on her hips. “Murphy, what happened?”

Clare stood and took Murphy’s arm, holding the napkin against his nose with her other hand. “I said I’ve got this. We’re fine.” She led the boy from the room, leaving a silenced dining room behind her. Rory quickly jumped up and followed them both out.

“What…what did I say?” Dee glanced around at her family, but no one said anything. “Did I say something wrong?”

Jimmy exchanged glances with Sophie. They’d never seen Clare snap at anyone like that before because she was generally the sweetest person around. Even more so, they’d never seen anyone put Dee in her place like that before. It was more than a little strange.

“Ma, let’s just leave them alone.” Jimmy ushered her back to her seat. “We’re all hungry for your delicious food.”

She nodded, though the worry never left her face. Jimmy made a mental note to talk to Rory later. Damn, he needed another whiskey after today. Sunday dinner had only just started and it was already dramatic as hell. The chaotic feeling in the room was clearly displayed in the tense looks on everyone’s faces.

“Soooo…who’s finished all their Christmas shopping?” Kane tried to change the topic as they all began to sit down around the table.

Shit. He hadn’t even started.