The day is warm with spring giving way to summer. I sit out back in the chair swing that’s tethered to a tree, watching the kids playing with bubbles. Everyone is here at our newly renovated farmhouse in Waynesville to celebrate my birthday, a surprise from my husband.

Things didn’t work out with the Germany deal and we’ve only been back from Italy a few days and haven’t seen the family yet. We are getting over jet lag and trying to get our two kids back on schedule. I wasn’t expecting a big to-do for my birthday.

With the Wildes all involved in different professional sports, it’s rare when they all can get together without a conflict. But somehow, everyone is here—Fletcher and Cassidy, Ryder and Gina, Riley and Mark. Even Chase’s cousins, Kaycee and Landon, who both are heavily into winter sports, are here and all the parents. We haven’t all been together since my brother’s wedding back in February.

Colt wiggles in my arms. He’s been patient, almost to the point of sleeping after being fed, but with his sister and the cousins all playing, he wants in on the action.

“Okay, bud. Here you go.”

I set him down on chubby legs and he takes off in that awkward run a boy at his age does after only learning to walk a few months ago.

The happiness inside me is almost to the point of bursting. How close did I come to missing out on this?

“Hey, you.”

I look up to see Gina, Ryder’s wife, waddling over. Her belly looks huge and I glance down at my flat stomach, reminiscing about my pregnancy with Colt and how different it was than with Violet. Chase had been there every step of the way with his What to Expect When You’re Expecting book he’d kept close like it was a Bible.

“Hey,” I say, scooting over so she can sit next to me. “How’s it going?”

She shrugs. “My back hurts. My feet hurt.”

We laugh.

“Just wait until the baby comes. Your back and feet will hurt because you’ll be chasing the little guy. I don’t need Zumba with Colt.”

Our chortles have the guys looking in our direction. She cups a hand over her mouth and lowers her voice.

“Watch this. Ryder’s eyes are going to narrow. He thinks I’m talking about him.”

I can’t help but snicker when he does precisely that.

“What exactly does he think we’re talking about?” I ask.

“He probably thinks I’m telling you about the room we put in our house.”

I giggle. “You just did. Besides, I’ve heard about the swing.”

She winks at me. “Yeah, Mr. Vanilla over there has crossed over to the dark side.”

“Really?”

She nods. “Not completely, he has limits.” She sighs wistfully. “But he prefers giving me what I want in our house instead of going to a club.”

“Good luck on finding the time when the baby arrives.”

She glances over and tips her head in Ryder’s parents’ direction. “Their first grandchild. Pfft. Now that they’ve moved back since Riley and your brother’s wedding, we have built-in babysitters. His mom has already told me she wants to be a large part of the baby’s life.”

“What does Ryder think about having a daughter?”

They’d announced this at her baby shower.

She snorts. “He’s freaked the fuck out. I think it’s cute.”

Cassidy walks over with a sleeping baby swaddled in her arms. “What are the two of you talking about?”

“The room,” I say dramatically.

We practically wet ourselves laughing so hard at poor Ryder, who’s either red with embarrassment or pissed as hell.

“I hear you’re considering going back to work,” Cassidy says.

“Chase and Fletcher gossip like girls,” I tease. “But yes, I’ve considered it. How do you manage it with two boys?”

She doesn’t hesitate with an answer. “I cut back my hours after the first was born. I only go in three days a week when the oldest is in preschool, and my mother-in-law takes the baby. But since Fletcher has been off, he’s taken on a larger role. So I’m able to go in five days, but still, I don’t do full days.”

I nod and her eyebrow lifts. She continues. “But you said you considered it?”

Shrugging, I say, “There’s a lot to consider.” I change the subject because I want to talk more to Chase about it first. “What is it like being the only girl in the house?”

Cassidy is about to answer when Riley joins us.

“We’re considering trying again for a girl so I’m not the lone one,” she says.

We then turn to Riley. She holds up her hands. “Don’t look at me. Yes, I want kids, but not yet. Mark and I are going to wait a few more years.”

Her career as a professional golfer has taken off. She’s the number one ladies’ golfer in the world.

Cassidy says, “Don’t you want your kids to be able to play with ours?”

Riley’s eyebrow lifts. “I don’t see any of you stopping the baby making any time soon.” Her eyes land on me and then the other girls stare at me too.

Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, I get to my feet. “I need to find Chase.”

“Sure.” Riley smirks.

I’m going to kill my brother. He can’t keep a secret. “Besides, Gina needs to put Ryder out of his misery.”

Gina curls a finger at her husband. His frown flattens and he heads in our direction.

I tease, “Just don’t scare the kids with any public displays. We have more than enough guest rooms if you can’t contain yourselves until you get home.”

Owen, Fletcher, and Chase are all playing with the kids. Owen’s presence is another surprise Chase had for me. Holly and Violet have been thick as thieves since they showed up.

When Chase sees me coming, he breaks off from the group.

“Are you happy?”

He presses a quick kiss to my lips.

“Deliriously.” I snuggle to his side and watch as Fletcher loops an arm around the shoulder of his wife, Cassidy.

He’s one of the nicest guys you can ever meet. I’m glad that he and his high school sweetheart worked things out.

As Violet organizes the kids in a circle, they begin playing Duck, Duck, Goose.

The bone marrow transplant has done the trick. Violet has been fine, though blood work is done at every routine visit. And by the grace of God, Colt doesn’t have the dreadful disease. We’ve had him tested to be sure.

“Chase,” I begin.

“You see it too,” he says, looking at Owen, who is now in a conversation with a smiling Kaycee.

Owen and Chase have become fast friends, having sports in common.

“Isn’t he seeing someone?”

Last we spoke, he’d been dating a woman he’d met from Holly’s preschool.

Chase shrugs. “I don’t think it’s serious.”

We watch as Kaycee blushes and I leave it because I want to talk to him before we get inundated by family again.

I meet his beautiful gray eyes before glancing at my nails, suddenly tongue-tied. His beauty inside and out floors me on a daily basis.

“How did I get so lucky?” The words spill out of my mouth instead of remaining in my head.

“The luck is all mine.”

He bends down and presses our lips together.

“Hey, you two.”

I yank back because I know that voice. Chase’s mouth splits in a grin. “Surprise.”

Then I’m enveloped in a hug from my best friend, Beth. Tears leak from my eyes because I haven’t seen her since I formally moved out of my apartment in Chicago and gave her and the city a final goodbye.

We screech and bounce on our toes as we spin.

“I’ve missed you,” I say through sobs.

I’m not sure she’s heard me until she says, “Me too.”

Violet tugs on my shirt. “Mama okay?”

I reluctantly separate from my friend, still a little surprised she’s really here. Then I bend down.

“I’m okay. These are happy tears.”

My little girl leans in and kisses my cheek. Then she turns to Beth and holds up her arms. “Bef.”

Beth picks her up and swings her around, gracing her with loads of kisses.

I knock on Chase’s shoulders. “You got me.”

He smiles. “Anything for my girl.”

There is no time to say more because my mom comes out with a cake and everyone is singing “Happy Birthday” to me.

I don’t hold back on emotions. For once, I let it all pour out, unafraid because everyone here is family, blood or not.

Chase and I don’t get another moment alone until after I’ve fed Colt and Chase has tucked in Violet. We’ve left Owen and Beth downstairs watching a movie with a promise to return.

“Wait,” I say before Chase tugs me out the door. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you all day.”

He cups my chin and rubs a thumb lovingly across my cheek. “Worried about the trip to see your aunt?”

Though my parents have passed, I made contact with my mom’s sister months ago. With Colt’s birth and going back to Italy, I haven’t had a chance to meet her yet. But judging by everything I’ve gotten to know about her, she’s a lovely woman.

She’d told me how Mom struggled with the decision to give me up for adoption. When my dad died in service of the U.S. Army, she’d taken it hard and didn’t have the means to take care of me. So she’d given me up. I will forever be grateful for her decision. If she hadn’t, I might never have met Chase and have two beautiful children with him. Not to mention Mom, Dad, and Mark.

“No, not about that. Actually, I’m looking forward to it.”

She’d said she had lots of pictures of her family and some of my father.

He brushes his lips over mine. “It’s okay to be nervous.”

I nod because I am, just not for the reason he thinks.

Though the door is cracked, we are far enough away not to be overheard.

I lift my head and gaze at the man who’s made my life a fairytale.

“I’m pregnant.”

We’ve never really talked about how many kids we wanted, just that we wanted them.

His eyes drop to my belly. I try not to let insecurity rise, as it’s not as flat as the first day he put his hands on me. And just like the first time, when his big hand splays over my stomach, butterflies take flight. I cover his with my own.

“Say something,” I whisper.

He stares at me with wonder. “Every day I wonder how I could ever be happier than I am. But you’ve done it again. You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”

“Are you sure? We’ve never really—”

His finger stops me from saying more. “If I didn’t want more kids with you, I would have pulled out, worn a condom, or asked you to go on the pill. Any child we have will be lucky to have you as a mother.”

“And you as a father.”

“We can have twenty kids.”

I laugh. “Yeah, no,” I say firmly.

His hand lifts and gently closes the door. His hooded eyes are a dead giveaway to his mood shift.

I playfully back away with two hesitant steps.

“What about our company?”

The corner of his mouth lifts in a sly half-grin as he prowls forward. “They’re adults. They can take care of themselves.”

For a mere millisecond, I think about Owen and all of the female attention he’s gotten. He’s given them all equal time, which includes Beth. I’m not sure where things stand between her and Joshua. They’ve had a few dates, but nothing has turned serious yet.

All thoughts disappear as Chase scoops me up and tosses me onto our bed. When he crawls across the mattress, my insides boil and drench in anticipation. I vaguely wonder if the door is locked before his hungry kiss completely turns my brain into mush. My last thought before I’m consumed is how he was very much worth every risk to my heart. The reward is priceless.

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