“Now they’re both coming this weekend.”

“Pray for us,” Teesha finished. “One hitch in the plans.” She continued to rub her belly. “TBD’s decided to come tonight. Or by morning anyway.”

Monroe and Adrian spoke as one. “What?”

“No panic, early labor. Still six minutes apart.”

Phineas looked down the table at his mother. “Daddy needs to time them. That’s his job. You have to call the midwife lady when they get to five minutes apart.”

“I know the drill, little man.” But Teesha smiled at him. “Don’t text your mom or mine yet,” she said immediately to Monroe. “We’re all fine here.”

“Babe, it’s going to take them some time to get here.”

Phineas folded his arms—his rebel stance. His dark eyes gleamed defiance. His little jaw set. “I don’t wanna stay home with Gram or Nanny. I want to go to the birthing center. It’s my baby, too.”

“We talked about this, Phin. Your mom’s got a lot of work to do, and I need to help her.”

“If I could make a suggestion?”

Teesha nodded at Dom. “Suggest away. Start the clock, Monroe. I’m just going to get up and walk with this one.”

Adrian popped right up with her.

“Why don’t we—Adrian and I—bring Phineas to the birthing center? They must have a waiting room.”

“They do.”

“We could get whatever Phineas needs from your house, take him there. Wait together.”

“It could be hours—bound to be.”

“I took ten hours and thirty-five minutes to come out,” Phineas said proudly. “I already had hair, too.”

“It would be an honor,” Dom told Teesha. “And a pleasure.”

“Easing off … and done.”

“Twenty-eight seconds long. We’ll see how close the next one is. I could put off the texts,” Monroe considered. “I mean, we wouldn’t want to get them both down here on a false alarm.”

Teesha met his eyes, smiled. “Of course not. We wouldn’t want that. We’ll just wait to be sure.”

“And I can go and wait with Popi and Adrian because babies need to bond with their family.” Phineas gave Dom a sober look. “I read it in a book.”

“We can start that way—thank you. But if it gets very, very late, and everybody’s very, very tired, you can’t complain if Popi and Adrian bring you home to sleep.”

“Can I sleep here?”

“You bet.” Adrian slipped an arm around what was left of Teesha’s waist as they walked.

Eight hours later, with the grandmothers making it in the nick, Adrian walked out to the waiting room, where Phineas curled in Dom’s lap.

They both slept so sweetly, she took out her phone to memorialize it before she went to them, gently touched Dom’s shoulder.

“Popi.” She stroked his arm while his eyes opened, stared blankly, gradually cleared.

“How’s Teesha?”

“She’s terrific. She’s amazing.”

Phineas’s eyes popped open. “Is my baby here yet?”

“You have a baby brother, and he’s perfect. He’s waiting to meet you.”

“Come on, Popi! He’s waiting.”

“I’m not sure I should—”

“Teesha asked for you,” Adrian told him. “If you’re not too tired.”

“Too tired to meet the new baby? I don’t think so.”

In the birthing room, the two grandmothers forged a teary truce. Monroe straightened from kissing the bundle Teesha held.

“Come on, my little man. Come meet your brother.” He gave Phineas a boost so he could sit on the bed.

“He’s wearing a hat. Does he have hair like I did?”

“Yes, just like you.”

“Can I hold him? I have to take my pajama top off ’cause we’re supposed to skin with him.”

Tears ran down Teesha’s cheeks as she nodded. “That’s right. Help him, Daddy.”

As teary grandmothers moved in to take pictures, Teesha laid the baby carefully in Phineas’s arms.

“He’s looking at me! I’m the big brother, and I already know lots of things. So I’ll teach you.”

“We need to pick his name,” Monroe began and shot a warning look at his mother before she could blurt out her choice. “Do you remember the three we decided we’d pick from if you had a brother?”

Phineas nodded. “But he’s not the other two. He’s Thaddeus. You’re Thaddeus, and I’m going to help take care of you.”

Monroe reached for Teesha’s hand as his eyes filled. “That settles that.”

Christmas came easier for Raylan. The new house, new routine, family right there. He made another lightning trip to Brooklyn, and found that came easier, too.

His kids thrived here, he couldn’t question it, so that brought relief, and the assurance he’d made the right choices.

Maybe he felt a pang at Mariah’s holiday ballet recital. But his family was there, watching with him as she danced in her spangly pink tutu.

And though he half hated to admit it, those daily basement workouts did the job.

He slept better, he felt better.

Damn it.

For socializing he had the occasional beer with Joe, dinner at the Rizzos’ with the kids, reconnecting with his old friends when they breezed into town.

The hard turn his life had taken pushed him in a different direction. He could be happy he’d followed it to Traveler’s Creek.

On New Year’s Eve, with the kids passed out on the sofa, the dog snoring under the coffee table, Raylan lifted his beer in toast.

“Another year, Lorilee. I miss you. But we’re okay here. I wouldn’t mind if you came to visit again. It’s been awhile. But I’m here whenever you’re ready.”

At the same time, a short distance away, Adrian sipped a solitary glass of wine as the ball dropped. With the icy sleet falling outside, she’d made excuses not to go out to any of the parties. She didn’t want her grandfather out and about in that weather, so used her own apprehension of her driving skills to convince him to stay home.

Since he’d faded before eleven, she knew she’d made the right call.

Maybe she’d have enjoyed the company, but this suited her, too. Fire crackling, the sleet snapping against the windows, wine in hand.

In any case, they’d gone to and hosted plenty of parties over the holidays. Her mother had come in the weekend before Christmas, and stayed four days—a record.

To be fair, Lina had spent a lot of time with Dom, had even toured the in-progress youth center. If Lina preferred a tropical holiday to the cold winds of the foothills, her choice.

They’d barely discussed another joint project, as both agreed to nail down details early in the New Year.

Since Adrian already had her own ideas, a specific vision for it, she felt keeping it out of the holiday bustle was the smart decision.

When the crowd in Times Square cheered, she toasted them. Sipping her wine, she rubbed her foot on Sadie’s broad back.

“A pretty good year gone by. Let’s have an even better one starting now.”