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“Sorry, Izzy,” echoed Derek.

Meanwhile, all the festivities had stopped and everyone in the room stared at the scene. Cassie emerged from the kitchen with her mother and sisters. Even old Angus the Dog nosed his way forward to see what the commotion was about.

“What the hell?” yelled Chase, who had crossed the room in record time to discover what kind of damage his sons had done now.

The two boys looked at each other. Then they looked at their father.

“I don’t want to hear excuses,” Chase warned, holding up a hand before they could say a word. “Go see what your Aunt Saylor has on hand to clean up your mess. And then offer your services to do whatever cleanup there is in the kitchen. Also, apologize to your cousin again.”

“We will,” said Kellan. “Just don’t tell Mom.”

“Uh, I’m right over here, boys,” waved Stephanie, Chase’s wife. “And by the way, I can both see and hear.”

“Great,” mumbled Derek as he trudged off to the kitchen after his brother.

Cord stood beside Chase and clapped a hand on his shoulder as he began chuckling.

“Karma, my brothers,” he said, raising his glass to both Chase and the third triplet in the set, Creed.

“Karma,” agreed Creed with a smirk.

Brecken had been having a serious discussion about baseball with Cami’s boyfriend, Dalton. Now he made his way over to me.

“Did you see what happened?” he asked.

“I kind of got caught in the middle of it,” I said, bending over to retrieve the food tray that Izzy Gentry had thrown on the floor two seconds after it landed in her lap and spoiled her Christmas dress. I didn’t really know what to do with it so I set it on a nearby end table and turned my attention back to Brecken.

The year had been a tough one for all of us, but perhaps most of all for him. He’d lost his home and the only parent he had left. Our mother had finally been sentenced to serve two years and had been moved to a federal detention facility three hours north of here. Once a month we made the drive to go see her and Brecken faithfully wrote letters twice a week, which she always answered. I was grateful she’d come back. Apparently even an incarcerated mother was better than none.

“You having a nice Christmas?” I asked Brecken. He’d grown at least three inches since the summer and filled out quite a bit. He didn’t look so much like a little kid anymore. He looked more like a teenager inching toward manhood.

But he was still enough of a kid to be awestruck by a storybook holiday celebration, even with the occasional meatball mishap. Then again, I was kind of awestruck too.

Brecken nodded eagerly. “This is the best,” he said and I knew he didn’t just mean the tree and the presents and the food. There was a spirit in this room that was rare and precious. These people who were all bound together by love and by blood had created a unique and special world. And we got to be a part of it.

Cadence appeared and urged Brecken to get another plate of food, “Before those two jokers who were sent to the kitchen return and consume whatever’s left.” She went with him and got another plate as well.

“Hello there, handsome,” whispered a soft voice and I felt Cassie’s arms around me.

“Hey, gorgeous,” I said, bending down to kiss her. She was wearing a sleek black dress that had been custom made by her Aunt Truly and even though I’d been admiring the sight of her in that dress all day I couldn’t wait to get it off her tonight. She was all the Christmas present I needed on this day. And I never got tired of unwrapping her.

Cassie leaned into the kiss. She was a few inches taller than usual thanks to the black heels she wore. The dress had to go when we got home. The heels could fucking stay.

I tightened my arms around her. “You want to get out of here soon?” I murmured.

She glanced across the room. “Not yet,” she whispered. “Cami hasn’t made her announcement.”

“What announcement?”

“Shh. It’s a surprise, although I can’t believe no one has noticed yet.”

I felt like we were having two different conversations. “Noticed what?”

Cassie smiled. “The ring.”

As if on cue there was the sound of metal clanging on glass and then Camille Gentry was standing in the middle of the living room with Dalton at her side. She took his hand and smiled up at him. “Everyone, we have an announcement.”

“You’re pregnant,” shouted a voice.

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