Michael had grinned for days. So had Diesel. And if Dani hadn’t already loved the two men who’d taken them all under their collective fatherly wings, she certainly would now.

“Dani?” Deacon said in her good ear. “Stop grinning like a lunatic and tell me where to put this cake. I’m not getting any younger, y’know.”

Laughing, Dani pointed to the space she’d cleared at the end of the long table filled with food. “There. Thanks, Deacon.”

“You’re welcome.” He gave her a little nudge with his foot. “Go. Mingle.”

She did as he suggested, chatting with the guests, making sure all the pregnant women had what they needed. Scarlett’s announcement had triggered a rash of baby making, with Faith and Meredith due within weeks of each other. Delores wasn’t far behind.

Apparently Stone had healed very quickly, but he had just muttered something like “I’m rubber and you’re glue” when Diesel had teased him about it, because they truly were ten years old. And because Diesel had healed quickly, too.

Thank God for that, Dani thought with an inner smirk. There would be no babies for them, but that didn’t stop them from “perfecting the technique,” as Diesel termed it.

Parrish had also recovered, as had Jenny and Miles. Mostly. Miles was still on leave from the clinic, and the nerve damage Jenny had sustained might mean the end of her nursing career.

Thankfully, Andrew McNab was back to work—and he and Evelyn had become cozy during his convalescence. They stood together off to the side of the yard, Evelyn’s baby on Andrew’s hip. Dani thought she’d seen a ring on Evelyn’s finger earlier, but hadn’t had time to ask for details. She would before the afternoon was over.

Her own ring had already been oohed and aahed over. Diesel had proposed two months after he’d been shot, the night before he’d gone in for surgery to remove the bullet poised next to his heart. Which had, of course, been successful, just as Jeremy had been telling him for years.

They’d be married on Christmas Eve, with Scarlett’s uncle Trace conducting the ceremony. The invitations had gone out, both of them stunned at how many people they knew. Life was very good.

Neighbors milled around, smiling and chatting. It had been a little dicey directly after Kaiser had blown up the neighborhood, and Dani and Diesel had campaigned hard to regain the favor of their neighbors, working with the insurance company to fix the damage. But all it had really taken was one look at Joshua’s winsome smile and the neighbors had been putty in their hands.

“Mama.” Joshua tugged on her jacket. “When can we eat the cake?”