Cord grinned. ‘Good, because I was planning on playing hooky as well and watching sappy rom-com movies with Sara while we gorge ourselves on burnt popcorn.’

Alyssa laughed. ‘You, my friend, have some weird taste buds.’

‘Hey, this one’s on Sara. Those babies give her some strange cravings. Burnt popcorn, pickles and lemon juice, jellybeans and guacamole.’

Alyssa shuddered. ‘Stop. That’s so gross. That even beats Isaac’s Cheetos and salsa combo.’

Cord’s laughter cut off so quickly, it scared her. ‘What? What’s wrong? What did I miss?’

‘It’s a boy and a girl. We weren’t going to say anything to anyone, but Sara and I discussed it, and we both wanted you to know. Besides, Sara’s super stoked to be able to share it with someone.’

Alyssa’s grin couldn’t be any wider. ‘Cord, that’s great news! You and Sara are going to be amazing parents, I just know it. And I can’t wait to meet them. In due time, of course,’ she added, feeling superstitious about jinxing the babies to arrive too soon.

‘We’re still arguing over our son’s name, but we’re naming our daughter Shelley.’ A tear trailed down his cheek, and that quick, Alyssa felt the golf ball bloom in her throat yet again.

‘I think your sister would love that.’

A sad smile ghosted his face. ‘Yeah, I think she would.’

After dropping Cord off at the precinct so he could get his own vehicle, Alyssa rolled her window down so she could savor the aroma of roasting green chiles wafting through the air while she drove home. When she walked in, her heart smiled at the lively card game being played at the kitchen table, grateful the kids were on fall break. Everyone was there: Brock, Holly, Isaac, Mabel, Nick, Rachel, Sophie, Jersey, and Trevor.

Strolling over to her husband, she bent down and kissed him. But before she could head upstairs to change her clothes, he stood and wrapped her in his arms. ‘Missed you, baby. Glad you’re home.’

Her heart couldn’t possibly have held more love than it held at that moment.

Their attention for each other was dragged away when Isaac, Trevor, and Nick let out ear-splitting whoops, high-fived and fist-bumped over Holly’s head, and danced around the kitchen like lunatics, drawing laughter from everyone.

She was wrong. The love and happiness for her family would never cease growing.

A letter from Charly

Well, I must admit that 2020 has been the craziest year on record in my lifetime, at least that I remember, and I imagine, a lot of you feel the same way. Luckily for me, Alyssa Wyatt had another crime to solve, and so I had a place to channel some of the stress and insanity, at least for periods of time.