was a cherry on an already loaded sundae. To ask for anything else would be greedy.
Besides, I didn’t need a piece of paper to know I belonged to Auggie. His kiss told me daily.
I would just hang on and trust our happy days would last. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
His kiss made words redundant.
Still, I couldn’t shake a feeling of foreboding, even as we traveled to Maggie Farms. I couldn’t wait to see my folks, but things were a lot more complicated now than they had been mere months before. I knew that for sure when I saw the paparazzi lined outside the walls of the farm. My heart sunk.
Another guard opened the gate for us, letting us through and holding off the horde of photographers that snapped our photos, trying to get a shot of us together in the car. I turned to Auggie.
“I put guards on them,” he explained. “It was the right thing to do.”
I thought about that crush of vultures at the gate. I nodded in agreement, but it still made me sad.
The fam was quick to meet us the minute I got out of the car. Dad picked me up in a big bear hug while Dash clamored at my feet. Dallas stood nearby, chattering excitedly. Mom cut through the noise to give me a hug the minute Dad let me go.
Then it was Auggie’s turn. Prince or no, he got the McPhee family greeting. We shared a smile over their heads.
Gav and Fern were already there. They saved their hugs for last, along with a special guest I wasn’t expecting: Archer. He wore his business casual as he stepped forward to give me a big hug. “Hey, sis,” he whispered.
“It’s a family reunion!” I declared. “What’s the occasion?”
“You tell us,” Archer quipped. “I nearly had to have my hand stamped to get past the gate.”
“Oh, hush,” Mom said with a playful brush. She turned to me. “You look beautiful, honey. Absolutely radiant.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I smiled.
Dash hopped up and down at my feet. “What did you get me? What did you get me?”
I laughed and nodded at Sean, who hoisted a big box from the back seat. Mom linked one arm on one side, and Dad on the other, forming a line as we headed towards the house.
Inside was a huge colorful banner that said WELCOME HOME. There was food everywhere, including my favorite: red velvet cake. With so many people talking at once, it was complete pandemonium. But it was also home. I couldn’t help but burst immediately into tears. Auggie was quick to take me into his arms.
“What’s wrong, Pea?” Dash asked.
I bent to give him a big kiss. “Nothing at all, Dashie. Nothing at all.”
We shared about the tour as we distributed the presents. Mom made sure we all had cake and bubbly ginger ale. (I no longer had to drink the flat stuff.) Dash immediately got into my lap and wanted to stay there. I wasn’t about to let him go.
But, like all five-year-old children, his candor knew no bounds. “You’ve gotten fluffier,” he said, touching my tummy.
I glanced up at Auggie. I didn’t know what to say, but he certainly did. He knelt to my young brother. “That’s no fluff. It’s a baby.”
He punctuated the announcement by touching my belly with his hand, indicating to all present that he claimed responsibility.
Dash’s eyes widened. “Really?”
I nodded. “I’m due on Halloween,” I said.
Dash clapped his hands with excitement. “You should name him Jack!”
I laughed. It wasn’t a bad idea. “Jack McPhee,” I said. “Kind of has a nice ring to it.”
My brother looked at Auggie. “It’s not going to be Quinn-Agassi?”
I was instantly mortified but Auggie just chuckled. He put his hand on my shoulder possessively. “Peaches is doing the hard work of delivering new life. I say she gets to name him whatever she wants.”
“How progressive of you,” Archer commented. Mom just nudged him.
“Tell us more about the tour,” she said, getting us off the subject entirely.
As night fell, we moved outside onto the patio for more barbecue under the twinkling lights. This, of course, led to another karaoke competition. Dallas and Dash were quick to show off to our new friends with some of their best songs. Fern and I sang and danced to ABBA, because that was our go-to. Archer even got into the festivities, singing a Pitbull song that was quite fitting for my alpha brother.
Auggie, however, came to win. He took the microphone from Archer and cued up