The week hustled by in a blur of kids’ school activities, busy yoga classes, and the as-often-as-possible morning or afternoon tryst with Beckett.

Her work with Summer was going well and she was starting to feel a sense of ownership in the magazine. Between her business, Summer’s business, and Beckett’s … “business,” she fell into bed exhausted and smiling every night.

She had started a load of laundry the other evening and her heart had taken a hard stumble when she peeked outside to find Beckett throwing football with Evan in the yard. She and Aurora had joined in until the evening chill had chased them all inside. Beckett worked thugh an algebra problem with Evan while Gia made her father’s famous homemade hot chocolate. They all enjoyed steaming mugs — with Aurora’s ‘smarsh-smellos’ — before she sent the kids up to bed.

She and Beckett had then enjoyed several steaming kisses before she sent him home.

It had been blissfully … normal. And she had more than a fleeting moment of wishing that it could be real life for them all. In the dark of that cool autumn night, lying in bed staring at her little fairy garden, she let herself wonder what it would be like to have Beckett as part of her family.

What it would be like to fall asleep in his arms every night. What it would be like to touch him whenever she wanted, like she wanted to do now as he hefted Aurora up on his hip in Carter’s foyer.

Dress fitting day had arrived. Beckett and his brothers had unanimously dubbed it Man Day with a little side of five-year-old girl. Their plans included pizza and wings for lunch, video games, and whatever would tire Aurora out the fastest.

“You’re sure you don’t mind?” Gia asked, brow furrowed as Beckett tossed Aurora over his shoulder. Her little girl giggled so hard Gia was afraid she’d throw up her breakfast.

“Gianna. Go,” Beckett said, jerking his chin toward the door.

“Bye, Mama!” Aurora shrieked with glee as Beckett jostled her.

Beckett met her gaze, one solid, searing second in which she knew exactly what he was thinking. He wanted her, wanted to kiss her good-bye. But they could only share a look as Jax jogged down the hallway.

“Did someone say they wanted to eat lollipops for lunch and play video games all day?” he asked.

Aurora reached for him. “Me! I do! I do!”

Beckett tossed the little girl to his brother and sent Gia a slow wink. “Have a good time today.” He turned and sauntered after his brother.

“They have no idea what they’re getting into,” Gia said to Evan.

“Don’t worry, Gia. There’s three of them,” Evan said, patting her arm. “It’ll take her a little while before she wears them all out.”

“Just promise me one thing,” she said, laying a hand on her son’s shoulder. “Send me pictures if she talks them into a tea party.”

Evan patted the pocket with his phone. “I’m on it.”

A horn honked outside. “Okay, I’d better go. Good luck.” She dropped a kiss on Evan’s head. “Call me if anything catastrophic happens.”

“Blood that requires stitches or a fire that requires professional intervention,” he said, reciting their family definition of the word.

Sandwiched between Joey and Phoebe in the back of Summer’s new SUV, Gia let herself fret about Beckett and the kids on the ride. Summer’s mother, Annette, rode shotgun. She had a tall, slim build and wore her blonde hair short, with a stylish side sweep. Her blue eyes caught Gia’s in the rearview mirror.

“Don’t worry, Gia. They’re three grown men, they can handle her,” she said.

“The only thing you should be concerned about is if ‘dumbass’ becomes part of her vocabulary after spending the day with my sons,” Phoebe said, patting her arm.

“I don’t know why I’m so worried,” Gia sighed. But that was a lie. It wasn’t that she didn’t think the Pierces could handle her little fiery ball of energy. It was that she was afraid that after spending a day as primary caregiver, Beckett would start to reconsider his feelings for her.

She was a package deal. And she needed Beckett to be okay with that.

* * *

The dress shop was an hour outside the city. Summer had worked with the owner, Sashi, before on a piece on custom gowns and had fallen in love with the woman’s breathtaking handiwork.

Summer insisted that Joey and Gia try on the bridesmaids dress first to make sure they approved.

Eggplant in color, the full-length chiffon skirt floated rather than hung. Subtle beading woven throughout the layers caught the light here and there. The fitted bodice dipped just low enough to be interesting without racy and the open back took the entire dress to another level.

“Oh my God, Joey. This dress is amazing,” Gia said, stroking the fabric with her palm.

She heard Joey’s dressing room door open and then the whisper soft rustle of chiffon. “Yeah, I guess it’s okay.”

Gia opened her door. Joey was turning this way and that in the three-way mirror.

“Holy freaking crap, Joey. You look incredible.”

She’d released her rich, coffee-toned hair from its tail, leaving it in soft waves framing her face and shoulders. The top fit her like a second skin, highlighting her subtle curves and slim, strong shoulders.

Joey turned around again and frowned. “It’s not bad.”

“Joey. Jax is going to have an aneurysm when he sees you in that dress.”

The corners of her full lips turned up just a little, and Gia caught a distinct sparkle in her warm, brown eyes.

“Well, let’s get out there and show off so we can go to lunch,” Joey said with a nod. She turned around and studied Gia.

“You look good,” she said with a nod. “Beckett’s going to shit bricks.”

They hustled out of the dressing area to the front where Summer, Phoebe, and Annette waited. Phoebe and Annette had flutes of champagne.

“Oh!” Summer said, bringing her hands to her cheeks. “You two look amazing! Please tell me you like the dress. I know you’ll never be able to wear it again. I’m not the delusional bride who promises that. And Gia, we’ll have yours hemmed. But it’s just so perfect for both of you. Do you like it?”

“Summer, its stunning,” Gia said. “You couldn’t have picked a more beautiful dress.”

“Or more beautiful bridesmaids,” Summer reminded them. “What do you think, Joey?”

“It’s purple. Very purple,” Joey said, studying herself in the mirror. “But I do have a concern.”

Summer’s face fell by a degree. “What’s that?”

“Your dress had better be kick ass or we’re going to outshine the hell out of you.”

Luckily, Summer’s dress did kick ass. She had chosen the full organza skirt from one dress and combined it with the scalloped lace cup bodice of another. To join the two pieces — and camouflage the baby bump that would be evident in another month — Sashi deftly wrapped a wide piece of organza around and around Summer’s waist, tucking it here, tufting it there.

With quick hands, she pinned it into place and took a step back. “What do you think?” she asked, shoving a hand through her thick fringe of bangs.

Summer toyed nervously with one of the delicate spaghetti straps. Her cheeks were flushed.

“I think it’s …”

She turned around to face them. Her circle of women, her friends and mother. Gia’s fingers flew to her mouth.

“What do you think?” she asked them.

Summer’s mother answered first, with silent tears. “Perfect. You’re absolutely perfect,” she sighed.

“Oh, now there I go, too,” Phoebe sniffled, digging through her bag for a tissue.

“You look gorgeous, Summer,” Gia told her. “It’s exactly right.”

Eyes damp, Joey chugged her champagne and nodded briskly. “No one’s going to outshine you.”

Summer wiped briskly at her own tears. “I’m so happy.” She ran the hand wearing her engagement ring over her belly. “So very happy.”

“Would you like to see Summer in a veil?” Sashi offered, doling out tissues like they were cookies.

“Yes!” they all answered.

While Sashi and Summer debated mantillas and headpieces, Gia’s phone signaled a text message from Evan. Drying her eyes, she opened it.

“Oh my God.”

* * *

Beckett sucked in his cheeks and made a fish face.

“Like here?” Jax said, shoving a fluffy makeup brush in the hollow of his cheek.

“No, dumbass. On the cheekbones.” Beckett moved the brush higher.

“What color should I put on his eyes, Roar?” Jax asked.

Aurora looked up from the sparkly clips she was adding to Carter’s beard. “Um,” she tapped a little finger to her chin. “How about ba-loo?”

“Blue it is,” Jax said, smearing blue eye shadow on his finger and reaching for Beckett’s face.

“Not like dat, Jazz!” Aurora — her lime green sparkly eye shadow spread across her face like a mask — hopped off Carter’s lap and hurried over. She chose a brush that looked like it was meant to apply paint and dragged it through the blue shadow. “Close your eyes, Bucket.”

He obliged and felt the feather light pressure of the brush coating his eyes, temples, and part of his forehead.

“Dere! Now you’re perfect,” she sighed and patted his face happily.

“Thanks, shortcake. How does Jax look?”

She turned to study his brother. “Good,” she nodded. “I gotta finish Car’s hair and den we can take selfies.”

“Selfies?” Jax asked, swallowing hard.

“Yeah, wiv your phone.”

“What are you worried about?” Beckett asked. “I gave you a really classic look. You could totally pass for a chick with that cat eye and lip stuff.”

“How do you even know what a cat eye is?” Jax demanding, crowding Beckett at the makeup mirror Aurora had found upstairs.

“It’s just something you pick up when you date women. And judging by my face, you’ve only dated blind drag queens.”

Jax smirked. “I was going for something a little more abstract.”

“Evan!” Carter called from his chair at the table as Aurora tried valiantly to secure his beard with hair ties. “Please tell me your sister takes an afternoon n-a-p.”

Evan’s head popped up from the couch where he was in a life and death battle as a knight on Carter’s big screen. “She will if you gave her enough s-u-g-a-r.”

All eyes skimmed to small pile of empty juice boxes and Twinkie wrappers. “Yeah, that should be good,” Evan said, returning his attention to his video game.

“Hey, shortcake. How about we put in your movie so you can watch it while we teach your brother to play poker?”

Evan’s head shot up again. “Poker? Seriously? Cool!” He turned off the game and wandered over to the table.

“Not yet, Bucket!” Aurora said, dancing over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Mwah!” She kissed him loudly on the cheek and skipped back to Carter’s beard.

“Oh, boy. You’re a goner,” Carter sighed.

“How could I not be?”

“She’s not getting tired yet,” Jax pointed out, as Aurora danced from one foot to the other humming and twisting Carter’s facial hair into a tail.

“I’ve got a plan.”

“You want to lock her in with Dixie and Hamlet?” Carter suggested.

“No! I’m not suggesting we lock her in a paddock with two pigs. What kind of a human being would do that?”

Carter shot Jax a guilty look.

“They were from HCAEDC, they don’t count as human children,” Jax argued.

Carter shivered. “That one got me by the beard and tried to rip it out.”

“Dats not nice, Car!” Aurora gasped, gently patting his beard. She added a sparkly butterfly clip to it.”

“Now do you see why I don’t come out here and help on daycare tour day?” Beckett asked.

“Anyway, what’s your brilliant idea here? If this goes on much longer we’re the ones who are going to be napping,” Carter grumbled.

“We’re gonna run the hill,” Beckett announced.

Jax groaned. “I haven’t done that since we were all in fall sports in middle school.”

Carter laughed, remembering. “Dad told us running up to the ridge and back down would make us better athletes.”

“Pretty sure he did it just to get us out of the house before Mom could murder us,” Beckett recalled.

“That was years ago. Are we even physically capable of this?” Jax asked.

“We’ll take turns,” Beckett decided.

“It’s worth a try,” Carter said, as Aurora spun in a circle flapping her arms.

“Hey, shortcake, want to run up a big hill outside?” Beckett asked.

“Yeah!” She darted out the side door before any of them were able to get to their feet.

* * *

Beckett was bent over trying to catch his breath and not puke when his phone signaled in his pocket.

Beckett spit in the grass and prayed his lunch of pizza and hot wings would stay down.

A text from Gianna. Everything going okay?

“I’m winning, Jazz,” Aurora squealed and she hurtled down the hill as fast as her little legs would carry her. Jax gave up running and lay down on the hillside. It was a long, slow grassy rise if you were on horseback or walking. But running? It felt like the last quarter mile of the marathon. And after a heavy, greasy lunch, it was probably the worst thing they could have done.

Aurora had successfully made the climb nine times so far. Thankfully Evan had taken pity on them and entered the rotation.

Carter was laying on his back in the grass, muttering something about “two of them.”

Jax rolled the last few feet down the slope stopping at Beckett’s shoes. “Your turn,” he groaned.

“I gotta answer this …” he waved the phone over Jax’s face. “Evan! You’re up”

“I really expected more from you guys,” the kid said, shaking his head sadly.

“I’ll pay you five bucks,” Beckett offered.

“Deal.” Evan took off with Aurora hot on his heels.

“Oh, shit!”

Beckett swiveled when he heard the panic in Jax’s voice.

Clementine, Carter’s pet goat and Jax’s full-time nemesis, loomed over his prone brother.

“Get away from me, hell spawn,” Jax said, his feet scrambling for purchase on the grass.

Clementine bleated and shook her head, brown ears flopping in the fall sunshine.

“Do you see that?” Jax yelled. “She just said ‘no.’”

Clementine bleated again and pranced closer. Jax rolled over, trying to crawl away, but the goat was faster. With a four-footed jump, she landed next to Jax and went in for the kill.

Her little goat mouth closed over the flannel of his shirt. “Get her off of me!” Jax yelled, trying to push Clementine away.

“Hang on,” Beckett said, opening the camera on his phone. “Okay, just hold it right there … and … perfect.”

He looked at Carter who was rolling on the ground laughing.

“Should we help?” Beckett asked.

“Yes you should fucking help,” Jax shouted at the top of his lungs, shoving Clementine’s face away. Her mouth took a hunk of fabric with it.

“Hey, there’s kids present. You can’t use language like that,” Carter lectured.

“I’m going to f—”

“Uh-uh. Watch your mouth,” Beckett reminded him, switching to video.

“I’m going to freaking kill you guys,” Jax growled, rolling onto all fours before regaining his feet. “And I’m going to kill you too and cook up a nice goat stew,” he said, reaching for Clementine who danced out of his grip, happily munching flannel.

“She ate my shirt,” Jax said in disbelief, staring at the sleeves that bunched at his wrists, the back cleanly ripped open.

Clementine meandered toward the kids.

“Uh, Carter? Is she going to eat us?” Evan asked, ranging himself between the approaching goat and Aurora.

“She’s fine. She only hates Jax,” Carter called, getting to his feet and going to supervise the impromptu petting zoo.

Beckett followed, just to be sure Clementine didn’t suddenly develop a taste for the flesh of children.

As predicted, the goat flicked her ears and tail, charming pats from Aurora and Evan.

“She’s so funny, Bucket,” Aurora told him, her little hand patting the goat’s neck.

“Yeah, she’s hilarious,” Beckett agreed. “What do you say, shortcake? Are you ready for a snack and a movie?”

Her face lit up and she raised her arms. “Can we watch Monkeys and Pandas?”

He picked her up and swung her around onto his back. “Sure, kiddo. Come on, Jax. If you stop whining, I’ll buy you a beer out of Carter’s fridge.”

With Aurora cozied up in front of the TV, the men took turns washing the makeup off their faces before gathering around the kitchen table for a poker lesson.

Beckett took the opportunity to sit down and respond to Gia’s text.

She answered quickly.

False alarm, he told her. We got to it with extinguishers first.

Her response had him shifting in his chair as his blood threatened to migrate.

“Evan!” Beckett shouted. “Get over here so I can murder you!”

* * *

“Now remember,” Summer whispered as she pushed open the front door. “Not a word to Carter about the dress, got it?”

Gia and Joey nodded earnestly, while Annette and Phoebe crossed their hearts.

“Our lips are sealed,” Gia promised.

“Thank you ladies so much for coming with me today,” Summer said. “It meant the world to me.”

“Sweetheart, we wouldn’t have missed it,” her mother said, grasping her hand. “Your father is going to get a little choked up when he sees you on the big day.”

Gia left them to commiserate in the hallway and headed back to the kitchen. It was quiet in the house. Too quiet. There should have been yelling, possibly some crying, or at the very least a few shrieks of laughter.

She found the kitchen empty, but the TV in the great room was lit up with cartoon pandas parading about. That’s when she heard the first snore.

Tip-toeing in, she spotted Jax first on the end of the couch, his feet on the coffee table. Evan was sandwiched between him and Carter, his feet on Jax’s lap and his head resting on a pillow jammed up against Carter’s side.

Beckett was sprawled out on the other couch with Aurora asleep on his chest. She felt something warm and bright open in her heart. She bit her lip.

“Well, if that isn’t the sweetest thing …” Phoebe whispered at Gia’s side.

Grinning, the two women dug for their cellphones as quietly as they could.