“All right. I’ll see you in a while.” Audrey went up on tiptoes to kiss him.

“Wait up, Audrey.” JJ tried to give Caz a G-rated peck on the cheek and ended up lured into a full, sex-in-the-near-future kiss instead.

Gabe grinned, and when Regan started giggling, he exchanged fist-bumps with her.

Off to one side, Kit had pulled Hawk down for a hug and kiss, and damn, but it was good to see his brother happy. To see him with a woman who would protect that soft heart of his. And a family he could guard with all the protectiveness in his soul.

Bull pulled Frankie to one side, asking her to go home with Kit and Aric—and though her belly was still flat, he gave it a gentle rub. “Our baby.”

“It’s going to be a while before you see him, but then, it’ll be all diapers and lack of sleep.” Her delighted smile showed the idea didn’t bother her in the least. “Hmm.”

She turned and raised her voice, “Hey, Hawk, I expect you to babysit our boy like you did Aric before he was yours.”

Still holding Kit, Hawk lifted his head. “What?”

“Wait, we’re already reserving babysitters?” Audrey spun. “Hawk, same here!” She bumped Frankie with her hip. “I know our baby will be a sweetheart. Yours, though…”

As the women headed away, mock-bickering and teasing each other about temperamental offspring, the shocked expression on Hawk’s face was priceless…because they trusted him with their babies.

Gabe shook his head. His brother had never seen himself clearly. The rest of them knew that, of them all, their hawk had the softest heart.

Within a few minutes, there were just the four brothers at the picnic table with Gryff snoozing at Bull’s feet.

Gabe gazed around at the new school buildings and the bright banners flapping in the light wind. Townsfolk were packing up cheerfully with everyone mingling together. The store owners, Charlotte and Glenda, chatted cheerfully with off-the-gridders, Tucker and Guzman. Lillian was instructing Orion and Felix about ways to heat the greenhouse at the house they’d just moved into.

Throat tight, Gabe looked at his brothers. “When the sarge died, he ordered us to save this town. To bring it back to life.”

Bull’s gaze dropped. Caz pulled in a breath. Hawk’s eyes gleamed with tears for a moment.

“It wasn’t just to save the town; it was to save us. To remind us of what’s important—that we’d given enough time to death, that it was time to remember how to live.”

Gabe picked up his beer, waited as his brothers lifted theirs, then grinned at Hawk. “Use your words.”

Hawk said in a deep rasp, “To Mako.”

Gabe, Caz, and Bull echoed, “To Mako,” their voices rough. Bottles met with soft clinks.