Mia’s shoulders slumped. “Except we can’t have pets at our house. The mean landlord says.”

“Mia,” I chided. “The landlord isn’t mean. She just doesn’t want animals on her property.” Pinpricks of guilt seemed to dig into my skin. I’d worked so hard to give these kids a normal childhood—one full of all the things I’d never had. But pets hadn’t been something I’d been able to make a reality. Ava always looked longingly at the dogs at adoption fairs. And Mia full-out begged for a cat regularly. But when I could barely keep my head above water on the bills we already had, saving for a house of our own wasn’t exactly on my radar. “Maybe one day.”

“One day is so far away,” Mia whined.

Griffin met her disappointed stare. “But think about how much you’ll appreciate it when it finally gets here.”

“Kinda like how I only get pancakes on weekends?” Mia asked.

Griffin grinned, and it was truly devastating. “Exactly like that.”

Mia nodded and got to work laying pieces of salami on slices of rustic sourdough. Griffin’s gaze shifted to mine, and I mouthed, thank you. Who knew? Apparently, Griffin was the child-whisperer.

“About ten more minutes on the steaks,” Crosby said as he picked up his beer from the picnic table and took a pull. The table was one Bell had helped me haul from a garage sale and refinish so it was no longer a splinter-filled mess but instead a smooth, warm-hued masterpiece.

Kenna leaned back in a deck chair. “Good, because I’m starving.”

Crosby bent and pressed his lips to her slightly rounded belly. “Brown Eyes, you’re always hungry these days.”

Her gaze narrowed on him. “Are you saying I’m eating too much?”

Crosby straightened, holding up both hands in surrender. “No way. I think you’re perfect.”

Ford chuckled. “Retreat now, man. You’re fucked.”

“Language,” Bell chastised.

Ford winced. “Sorry, Caelyn.”

I waved him off. “They’re playing. They can’t hear a thing we’re saying.” Mia was forcing Will to play spotter as she worked on some of her tumbling. And Ava had gotten sucked into playing judge for each move.

I looked around at my friends, my family, and a rush of warring sensations flooded me. Warmth at this amazing community I had found myself a part of. One that was always willing to lend a hand and support. And yet those little flickers of jealousy ate at the warmth. I hated it. Wanted to shove the feelings away, but they wouldn’t be budged.