“I’m starving,” Lyric said mournfully. “Food on the plane sucked.”

“Well of course it did,” Faith said as she tucked her arm through Lyric’s. “Bye, Connor! We’ll see you in a few hours.”

Connor laughed. “I know when I’ve been dismissed.”

He leaned down and kissed Lyric before pulling away. “Have a good time, baby.”

Lyric waved as he got into the car and then allowed Faith to drag her into the restaurant.

As they headed into the quiet and empty place, Lyric grinned in sudden remembrance.

“What’s the shit-eating grin for?” Julie asked suspiciously.

“Do you guys know that this is where Connor and I first kissed? Well, I can’t really say he kissed me. I kissed him. Right there at the bar.”

The girls laughed and Lyric turned her attention to Angelina, who’d been mostly quiet to now.

“You look fantastic, Angelina. I’m so jealous. You lost all the baby weight.”

Angelina grimaced. “Not all. But I’m getting there.”

“How is Nia?”

At the mention of her daughter, Angelina positively lit up. “Oh she’s gorgeous. Such a wonderful baby. And Micah is so in love with her. It’s really disgusting how she has him so wrapped around her finger already.”

Julie rolled her eyes. “Like mother, like daughter.”

Serena and Faith laughed at Angelina’s startled expression.

“Well they do have you there,” Lyric pointed out. “That man is an idiot over you.”

Angelina’s soft smile glowed.

“Hey, ladies. I am here to serve. Just tell me what your pleasure is.”

Lyric turned to see a young—and hot—bartender grinning at them.

“That’s Drew,” Serena murmured. “Isn’t he yummy? He’s seen us drunk before so you don’t have to worry that he’s going to take photos and sell them to tabloids. Damon has already threatened him with bodily injury if he so much as breathes a word about us being here.”

Lyric laughed. “I do love your husband, Serena. He looks and acts so civilized, but underneath he’s a complete barbarian.”

Serena beamed. “I know. Isn’t it great?”

“Let’s quit talking and start drinking,” Julie said. “We have a lot of catching up to do!”

For the next two hours, the drinks flowed freely, as did the laughter and the conversation. Though Lyric had never enjoyed being alone and surrounded herself with people, she’d never surrounded herself with really great people. People she could trust. People who loved her and she loved in return.

Being with those people? She didn’t even have the words to describe the feeling.

Drew was the dream that the girls had reported him to be. He kept their glasses full, cleaned up their spills and never blinked an eye when their conversations detoured into the way-too-much-information department.

“Soooo, Lyric,” Faith began. “Tell us when you’re going to put Connor out of his misery and make an honest man out of him.”

Julie, Serena and Angelina all eagerly sat forward, their attention focused solidly on Lyric now. Lyric blushed, but she couldn’t help the wide smile that attacked her face.

“Soon,” she said serenely. “I want it to be perfect. Connor’s been . . . He’s been so patient and understanding. He’s been just perfect.”

“Of course he has. He’s in love,” Julie said. “Men are pretty stupid when they’re in love.”

Angelina snorted. “You love that Nathan is stupid over you.”

Julie grinned. “Yes. I have to admit. I do.”

“So how soon?” Serena asked Lyric.

“I have another month of touring and then I have a surprise for him. You guys can’t breathe a word!”

They all solemnly crossed their hearts and swore never to tell.

“I’ve bought a house here in Houston.”

The squeals were deafening. It took several minutes to get everyone quiet again and Lyric beamed at them all, thrilled with their excitement.

“I’m going to surprise him with the house and then I’m going to ask him to marry me.”

“Ohhh, I like it,” Serena said.

“You would,” Faith said with a laugh. “She popped the question to Damon after she finally decided to marry him,” she explained to Lyric.

“I’m so excited for you, Lyric,” Angelina said. “I’m so glad you’re happy and ready to make the commitment. Connor loves you so much. I want you both to be happy.”

“He makes me happy,” Lyric said with a catch in her throat.

“I have something I want to tell you guys,” Serena said when things got quiet again. “I wanted to wait until we were all together.”

Lyric and the others exchanged worried glances, but the look on Serena’s face was one of utter contentment. She all but glowed.

“Damon and I are going to start trying for a baby.”

“Oh my God!” Faith shrieked.

Julie and Lyric looked at each other with something akin to horror and Angelina promptly laughed when she caught the exchange.

“Are you sure, Serena?” Julie asked. “I mean have you worked things out to the point you feel comfortable bringing a baby into the picture?”

Serena smiled. “It means that some things will change for us, but not for a while. We’re comfortable with the change. We want . . . we want to start a family.”

“That’s awesome,” Lyric said softly. “I’m so happy for you. You look . . . delirious.”

“I am. This time last year I wouldn’t have been able to imagine having a baby. I wasn’t ready. But now? It’s time.”

“I’m still not ready,” Faith muttered. “That pregnancy scare I had awhile back was enough to convince me I won’t be ready for a bit yet.”

“Me either,” Julie seconded.

Lyric nodded her fervent agreement. “We’ll leave the procreating to the earth mothers over here,” she said, jabbing her thumb in Angelina and Serena’s direction.

Angelina snorted. “Earth mother. Yeah. That’s me all right. It’s a wonder I didn’t kill my poor child her first week home. I couldn’t even figure out how to change a diaper. Micah had to help me. Isn’t that pathetic? I swear he has more maternal instinct than I do.”

Faith giggled and then the rest joined. It was hard to imagine a dominant badass like Micah being all maternal.

“Are you all still conscious?” Nathan called from across the room.

The women whipped around on their barstools to see the men trailing into the bar. Lord but they looked good. Although as soon as Connor appeared, Lyric lost all interest in everyone else.

Then Micah appeared and Lyric’s eyes narrowed. She cocked her head to the side before she realized what it was she saw attached to Micah.

The room went dead silent as all the girls focused their attention on Micah. And then Julie shrieked with laughter. She damn near fell off her barstool as she pointed at Micah and laughed her ass off.

“Oh my God!” Julie wheezed. “I win. I win!”

“What the hell do you win?” Faith asked with a frown.

Tears streamed down Julie’s face as Micah fixed her with a ferocious scowl.

“He once bet me that I’d be tamed before he ever would be. We made a bet. Oh my God, I totally win. Look at him. He’s wearing the baby!”

There Micah stood, a rueful, somewhat abashed look on his face, Nia securely attached to his chest in a Snuggie.

The women died laughing and then the rest of the men joined in. Micah rolled his eyes heavenward and then slung an arm around Angelina.

“They’re all just jealous they don’t have my fashion sense,” he muttered. “Nia would make any man look good.”

Damon shot Serena a queasy look. “You aren’t going to make me wear our baby, are you?”

Serena grinned mischievously while the rest of the room roared with laughter. “I don’t know, Damon. You might look cute with a baby strapped to your chest.”

Connor came to stand beside Lyric and wrapped his arm loosely around her shoulders as they laughed with the rest of the group. He stared down into her eyes and what she saw reflected in his warmed her to the bone.

“I’m so glad we’re home,” she whispered close to his ear so he could hear over the din.

He kissed her lingeringly, ignoring the rest of the group. “Don’t you know, Lyric? I’m home whenever I’m with you.”

Love and so much joy flooded her soul. Tears glistened in her eyes as she stared around at the friends—family—who meant so much to her.

“Don’t you dare cry,” Julie threatened. “If you make me cry in front of everyone, I’ll kick your ass, Lyric.”

Lyric sniffed. “I love you guys.”

And then the girls all crowded around her, shoving Connor out of the way as they wrapped their arms tightly around Lyric.

“We love you too,” Faith said in her sweet voice.

“Hey, Serena. So who gets to be the baby’s godmother?” Julie asked innocently.

Serena rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’ll wimp out like Angelina and have to name you all. Poor kid. He or she won’t have a chance.”

Lyric gathered them to her again, or as well as she could. Her eyes were all goopy and she probably had mascara everywhere, but she didn’t give a damn. She was with . . . family.