As they neared the backyard, the girls’ happy voices filled the air. It sounded like they were having a great time, and Tobias noticed that all the other men were smiling just as hard as he was. Preacher, Conroy, Mike, and Tank stopped before reaching the back of the house, and they all joined them, waiting in silence as the little pink truck made its way around to the corner of the house.

“What is that?” Madigan’s voice rang out, and Tobias chuckled.

Zander elbowed him, and he snapped his mouth closed.

“Aw, that’s the cutest!” another girl said, and suddenly a cacophony of curious female voices sounded, their words indiscernible.

“Mama! Look!” a little girl shouted, and Tobias could tell by the cadence of her voice that she was running.

“That’s Rosie. She’s a wild one,” Zander whispered.

“Wosey, don’t!”

Blaine said, “That’s Junie, our little redheaded rule follower.”

“Me wide! Me wide!”

“That’d be Gracie, Starr’s daughter,” Zander said as a pack of women came around the side of the house, little-girl voices and squeals still ringing out in the yard.

Leah stood with her hands on her hips. “Who’s getting yelled at?”

Tobias heard the others mumbling and sensed movement, but his eyes were riveted to his blue-eyed girl. The women giggled, and Blaine cleared his throat, catching Tobias’s attention. He realized all the other guys had stepped back in answer to Leah’s question, except him and Blaine, and Blaine was hiking a thumb at him.

“Me? What? Wait. What?” Tobias looked around, and as everyone cracked up and began talking at once, he realized Blaine had used him as a scapegoat. But he didn’t care, because Madigan ran to him, launching herself into his arms, pressing her pillowy lips to his.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” she gushed. “How did this happen?”

“They showed up at the Hog to get me.”

“What about Blaine?” Madigan asked with confusion.

“I think it was his idea.”

Her eyes dampened, and she looked across the grass at her brother, who was watching them with a smile on his face. She mouthed, Thank you, and he nodded.

Reba and Preacher looked over with warm expressions, and Reba put her hand over her heart. Ginger was hugging Conroy, Gunner had a lip-lock on Sid, and Maverick and Chloe were holding hands as everyone headed for the backyard.

The three little ones were squished into the pink truck. Rosie, a sprite of a girl with light brown skin and puffy golden-brown pigtails, was standing on the passenger seat wearing a pretty yellow sundress, shouting, “Papa Tank! Look what Uncle Blaine got me!”

“He got it for us, Wosie,” Junie corrected her, her adorable face surrounded by red spiral curls as she clutched the steering wheel.

The little blond cutie crouched between them, saying, “I dwive. I good dwiver,” had to be Gracie.