Page 184 of Beyond the Blue Horizon

Otto howled like it was hysterical. “Oh, come now, brother, you know you love me.”

“That’s because we gotta love our family, Daddy-O!” Nolan called.

Theo sat up with Finn, and my son threw his arms around Theo’s neck, squeezing him tight. “Iwuv!”

Theo looked up at me when Finn said it.

Eyes molten as he hugged my son.

My stomach tilted and my world tipped.

And I guess maybe that was the moment when I knew I was completely done for.

Raven snapped me back when she suddenly reached out and snagged my hand and hauled me around the island and into the kitchen, grinning at Charleigh and Emery as she whispered, “I’m pretty sure our girl here needs a drink.”

THIRTY-SIX

THEO

Our meal had long been dusted. Now,Taylor Swift blared from the speakers, and the laughter and voices of my family floated on the easy air since Raven had called for a dance party. The girls and kids had rocked right into action.

The day waning into night.

Just a typical Sunday evening when Raven had anything to say about it.

Only nothing about this family gathering felttypical.

Not when I felt every brick inside me being chipped away.

“Like this, Miss Piper Poo,” Maci shouted, jumping on her adorable feet to get Piper’s attention before she did a pirouette in the middle of the floor. “I’m an expert. I got dance lessons and everything.”

Joy filled Piper’s gorgeous face as she mimicked the little girl, and she twirled around with Finn in her adoring arms.

He squealed and hung on, though he sang, “Faster, Mommy, faster!” in his little garbled drawl.

Giggles erupted from Piper as she kept spinning them around.

Raven, Emery, and Charleigh were in the middle of the mix, and they hadn’t hesitated to join in on the antics.

Probably couldn’t help themselves since River and Kane were sitting on the couch, egging them on.

Cash was the only one missing, giving another lame excuse that he had work to do on his property.

“Watch this!” Nolan dropped down onto the makeshift dance floor, spinning around on his butt in his signature move.

“Whoa, that is awesome,” Piper enthused as she slowed her spinning, now just rocking Finn back and forth to the beat, her breaths shallow and short from the exertion.

“You want to try it? I can teach you,” he told her, spinning and spinning.

Giggling, Charleigh looped her elbow with Piper’s. “I think that may be too crazy a move for the rest of us,” she told him. She sent Piper a smile like she was saving her life.

“Not too crazy for me!” Maci dropped to her butt and started spinning, too.

“Me, too!” Finn wiggled, demanding to be put down, and the tiny tot dropped to the floor and attempted to spin himself around, though he basically just kicked his feet in the air.

I took a sip of my beer as I leaned against the island, facing the perfect bedlam going down in the middle of Otto and Raven’s house.

The kids on the ground spinning while four stunning women danced around them, laughing with each other as they gave themselves over to the easiness that had taken over the atmosphere.