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Monica glared, but Colin grinned at Gabe as he sat himself on the fireplace hearth. He’d turned into all limbs almost overnight. A teenager, talking cars and college or the marines or whatever that would get him the hell out of Montana ASAP all the time. So close to adulthood he could taste it.

It broke both Gabe’s and Monica’s hearts a little bit, but they knew Colin needed that space. To dream. To spread his wings. Much as it pained her.

Besides, they still had three years to convince him he was very, very wrong.

“So, what’s the news?” Colin asked, vibrating with energy. He usually was, but always a little bit more so after he’d spent time with Katie Lane. Monica didn’t like to think about that.

Monica grabbed Gabe’s hand, and he squeezed, which was what she needed. A gentle urging. Some courage. “Well, in a few months…May actually, you’re going to be a big brother,” Monica said carefully.

Colin’s eyes widened. He grinned, before sobering. “It’ll…be okay this time?”

“We can’t promise that, of course, but so far, the doctor says he or she is very, very healthy. In fact, we get to find out if it’s a brother or a sister next month.”

Colin’s grin was immediately back. “Cool. Cool.”

Monica laughed a little. The tears were back, but she didn’t shed them even as she turned to Gabe and rolled her eyes. “So verycool.”

“Yeah,” Gabe said, brushing a kiss against the back of her hand. “The coolest.”

* * *

Gabe parked in front of Revival next to Jack and Rose’s truck. The kids were out building snowmen under Alex’s watch. He held his youngest at his hip, so bundled up you couldn’t even be sure there was a baby under there. His oldest played happily with Rose and Jack’s two.

Gabe’s heart squeezed. It was amazing the way they’d built this family when it had all started with a tragedy.

When Colin stepped out of the back of the truck, Mac jumping out behind him, the kids forgot their snowmen and came running, both for Colin and the llama.

“Guess what, guys,” he heard Colin announce. “I’mfinallygoing to be a big brother!”

The kids squealed happily, because Colin was their favorite since he always greeted them with tosses into the air. Mac danced through the snow, happily basking in the attention of the little ones.

Monica grabbed the bags of presents and treats from the back. “I’ve got them. You go tell Jack and Alex,” she said, nodding toward the porch where Jack had joined Alex.

“I think Colin announced it to the world.”

She grinned, gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Go tell them.”

He followed her to the house, opening the door for her so she could go inside.

“So. Someone’s going to be a daddy.” Alex handed him a bottle of beer with his free hand.

Gabe took it, looking out at the yard where Colin was playing with the little kids. “I’ve been a dad for five years.” It hadn’t always been easy. As the reality of a new family dynamic had set in all those years ago, he and Colin had suffered their issues. But Gabe supposed that was fatherhood, no matter how you sliced it. And as long as love was at the core, you could get through any problems.

“True enough,” Jack agreed. “Still, the baby years are something else. Hope you’re prepared.”

“I’ll survive.”

“Of course you will. With friends like us, you’ll have so much advice, you might just drown in it.”

“Yeah, can’t wait.” It was sarcastic, but at the same time, he couldn’t. He’d somehow gotten here, and he couldn’t wait for advice and babies and all this damn hope inside of him to be drowned a little out by stress and reality.

“So, how do you think we got so lucky?” Gabe gestured to all the kids playing in the snow. “Kids and weird-ass animals and the three strongest women I’ve ever encountered? A foundation that’s helped countless men and women?”

“I’d say it was just that—luck,” Jack offered. “And you know, maybe a little bit earned, with all we went through before we got here. And those countless men and women earned their help, too.”

“Three busted-up former Navy SEALs couldn’t have hoped for better,” Alex said, jiggling the baby on his hip.

No, they couldn’t have, and these three busted-up former Navy SEALs had found everything they couldn’t have even dreamed of in the midst of the big sky of a Montana ranch and the biggest hearts of three amazing women.

“Merry Christmas, gentlemen,” Jack offered.

Merry Christmas indeed.