“I bet they would love that,” I assured her. “Grammy will make sure to save them a piece if you ask her.”
Lucy smiled wide, then her eyes grew round. “Oh! There’s PopPop!” She pushed on my chest, hurrying toward Dad, who bent low, opening his arms. He doted on her, and aside from me and Ronan, he was her favorite Callaghan man.
I banded my arm around Paige again. “What about you, Momma? You want to eat a lot of cake tonight?”
She rolled her eyes. “Duh. It’s cake. Beth made it, so of course I’m going to eat it.”
I pulled her close as we headed toward the group of people waiting for us. “Then let’s get at it.”
An hour later, my shoulder ached from all the slaps, and I had been hugged more times than I could count. Neither Paige nor I could take more than a couple of steps without being stopped, congratulated, and handed a fresh drink, some food, or, at the very least, advice. Some of it, from my idiot brothers, I planned to ignore, but everyone was well-meaning and happy for us. There had been no discord over the fact that we had eloped. As long as my family got to celebrate in some sort of fashion, they were good with it.
Ronan had printed some of the pictures he had snapped with his phone and had given us copies of them all. One, in particular, was my favorite, and my mom had blown it up for tonight. Paige was tucked into my side, beautiful and smiling, Lucy in my other arm, her little face beaming, and I looked as if I had just won the lottery. Which I had—I got the two of them. That picture was framed on the table stacked with gifts for us to open. We had requested no presents, but I was pleased to notice many of them were addressed to Lucy and Paige. The packages were to welcome them to the family. It warmed my heart how they had been accepted.
My parents had already given us a gift. They were sending us on a Disney cruise and a three-day stay at the park. I’d thought Lucy was going to fall off my knee in excitement when she realized what the gift was. The best part was when Mom informed us she and my dad were coming along.
“We’re sharing a room with Lucy. You and Paige have your own suite,” she said quietly. “Ronan and Beth are coming as well. They have their own suite with Evan. Family during the day. Your honeymoon at night.” She smiled. “We couldn’t exclude Evan.”
I had to admit, my first thought had been how much Evan would love to go. My parents’ thoughtful gesture touched both Paige and me. We shared a glance, knowing how much this would mean to him.
Dad leaned close. “I’ve arranged for a scooter for Evan at the park. He can get around easier and do more. I talked to him, and he agreed it was fine. It’s all taken care of.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Paige hugged him and Mom, wiping the tears off her face at their generosity.
Dad grinned. “Lucy, Evan, and I are gonna have a blast! We’ll sit down and map it all out.”
Her squeal said it all.
Paige was overwhelmed. “I’ve never been outside Canada,” she confessed.
I kissed her. “The first of many trips, I promise.”
Paige turned away to talk to Nan, and I headed to the bar to get a fresh drink. No matter how many I had been handed, I kept losing them when someone would swoop in for a hug. I was parched from all the talking. I poured a splash of vodka into the glass and topped it with tonic and lots of ice. I turned and surveyed the place, unable to stop my smile. The elders of BAM gathered together as they usually did. Bentley, Dad, and Maddox were always easy to spot in this group. Richard and Katy had flown in, and he stood beside Maddox, laughing at something Dad had just said. Nan and Pops sat together on the sofa, smiling and visiting. They were both a bit frailer now, but still going strong. They ceded to sitting more and allowed us to “run and fetch” when they wanted something, but otherwise, they acted younger than their years. I spotted Van close to my dad, talking to Hal and Reid, the three of them in an intense conversation. Groupings of siblings and cousins were everywhere. Jaxson already had Gracie dancing, his arms holding her close. Brayden and Addi were headed to the center of the room to join them. I caught my mom’s eye and smiled. She was with Emmy, Dee, Liv, Fiona, Becca, and Katy. Lucy was on her knee, entertaining them. The cluster of women—the real strength behind the family—and the very nucleus of all the men I admired. They made this place a home, these gatherings a joy, and I was grateful for each one of them.
Halton spotted me and broke away from Van and Reid. He shook my hand with a wry grin. “How you doing?”
I sipped my drink. “Great.”
“Awesome party as usual.”
“It is.”
“I wanted you to know, I put forth your adoption petition yesterday. It’s all complete and filed. I expect zero problems with it.”
“Awesome.”
Hal grinned. “You’re as anxious as Van was when he adopted Sammy. Lucy is already yours in every way that counts.”
“I know. I want her to have my name, though. I want her to know she belongs to this family. To me. I never want her to doubt how much I love her.”
Hal squeezed my shoulder. “She does. I’ve never seen a happier child. She’s pure sunshine.”
“She is.”
“You know, given what I did for a living, I never wanted to get married,” he mused. “I never understood the meaning of family.” He snorted. “I certainly never wanted children.”
I met his eyes with a grin. “Have you checked lately? You have five, Halton.” I stated dryly.
His laughter was loud. “I am aware. But it was Fiona who changed all that. Meeting your family, being drawn into them, changed me. I saw what a real family could be. How it could complete a person.” He paused, sipping his drink. “My kids—my family—mean the world to me. They are my greatest treasure.” He grinned. “Most of the time anyway. I admit there were a few times I would have liked to bury one or two of them.”
We both laughed.
“Fiona taught me all I had to do was love them. That was all they really needed. You do that for Lucy. I see it. Everyone does.” He clapped my shoulder again. “She is going to be fine. You all are.” Then he winked. “Talk to me in a few years about how many kids I have. I get the feeling you and your siblings are going to keep your parents pretty busy with grandbabies.”
Chuckling, he walked away.
A few other people found me, and we chatted before they drifted away. It was always good to catch up with those I didn’t see on a regular basis. I cast my gaze around the room, looking for Paige. She’d seemed quite nervous over tonight’s party. I wasn’t sure if it was the thought of how many of us there would be, the fact that she’d be the center of their attention, or if she was reacting to something else. She’d been quiet most of the day, but I had chalked it up to nerves. Maybe it was more. She’d certainly tried to hide it. I hadn’t planned on leaving her side tonight but, given this group, wasn’t shocked to find us pulled in different directions. I wanted to check on her, but she didn’t seem to be in the main room.
Movement caught my eye, and I saw a solitary figure heading down the steps to the beach. I knew where I would find my wife—on the sand, close to the fire, staring at the stars.
Setting down my drink, I followed her.