I do. Drop a line from Hamilton just one time and he gets the wrong idea real quick."
"You're an amusing guy, Max," I said, watching as my wife made her way across the room with our daughter. Dressed in a turtleneck sweater and Christmas-y plaid skirt with dark green tights, her soft skin was completely hidden—and I couldn't tear my gaze away from her. She was beautiful but that had nothing to do with it. She'd always been more than a pretty face. She was the one who'd held space for me, even when she hadn't wanted to. She was the one who'd allowed me to drop everything I carried at the door and crawl into her comfort. She was the one who'd held me and my siblings together when we hadn't realized we were falling apart. She was the one who'd taught me true lessons about family and love and everything else that mattered in this world.
She was the one, the only one.
Lauren dropped down beside me on the bench seat and I pressed a kiss to her temple. "Sweetness," I murmured into her hair.
"Caveman," she replied softly.
I let out a low growl. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and squeeze that plaid-covered ass but we kept it chaste in front of her staff. Boundaries and all. "This skirt. And the sweater."
"Shush," she replied.
Madeleine interrupted us with a screeching coo and I held out my arms to her. She wiggled toward me, but did it while clutching her mother's necklace. Prying Madeleine's fingers free, Lauren said, "Clark's today-girlfriend might know someone for our science teacher opening next year. It sounds like this guy has been teaching middle grade science in a bunch of different settings and he's super wonky about his content so he'll be perfect for us. Isn't that fantastic?"
"So fantastic," Max murmured, focused on the shaky tower. "Almost makes up for Clark bringing someone he met last night to an intimate gathering of friends and colleagues."
I stifled a laugh as I shared a glance with Lauren. "Could be worse. He could've met her this morning."
"Either way, I really wish Drew was here." She tucked a hank of Madeleine's wild blonde curls over her ear but they didn't stay.
Drew Larsen was the first person Lauren had hired and one of her most trusted team members. The guy had a lot of strong opinions and temperamental behaviors but he respected the hell out of my wife and that was all that mattered to me.
"He'd be all about this science person," she continued. "He loves content wonks. They're his people. He'd call the guy up right now and insist we conduct a video interview in the pantry. I mean, he's been worried about finding the right person since Micaela announced her husband was being transferred out-of-state and she'd be leaving at the end of the year. So much more concerned than about the fourth grade vacancy."
Max glanced around, asking, "What do you mean, Drew isn't here? He hasn't tasked himself with shoveling the snow off your roof or organizing the attic? He hasn't put himself to work somewhere?"
Lauren shook her head. "He texted me a couple of hours ago saying he couldn't make it."
Max frowned at the remaining blocks. "There goes his perfect attendance record."
Shifting Madeleine to my other side, I looped an arm around Lauren's waist and pulled her closer. "This is fun," I said, my lips on the crown of her head.
"Which part?" she teased, a soft laugh puffing over my cheek. "Having forty people in the house? Better yet, forty empty bottles of wine? Or the cookie crumbs everywhere? My mother muttering to herself because she's annoyed about something I did but won't tell me what it was? Or the assortment of crying babies and snoring men?"
"All of it," I replied. "It's crazy and I never thought I'd bear witness to such a thing, let alone invite it into my house, but I stand by my original statement. This is fun."
She nodded. "You're right. It is. I'm happy this is our life."
"Me too," I said. Madeleine must've agreed because she pressed her face into my chest and laugh-shrieked for a full thirty seconds. "The baby hyena too. She's here for it." I glanced up to see Stella Allesandro approaching and I motioned to the seat beside Max. Stella was engaged to Cal Hartshorn, my brother-in-law Nick's heart surgeon buddy. "Hey, Stella. Happy New Year."
Lauren stood to hug the other woman, saying, "It's so good to