you’ll never be cooler,” Staci pipes up from her spot at the edge of the pool, where she’s twirling her youngest in a floatie too. “West, you need a nanny? We can relocate permanently to the Piña Colada suite.”
“That one’s caused six accidental pregnancies,” Daisy tells her.
“Dammit,” she mutters.
Keely cackles.
Tyler pumps a fist. “Way to go, Javi, my man!”
My brother-in-law flashes a thumbs-up from across the pool, where he has their second-youngest and is teaching him how to swim.
“More grandbabieeeeees!” Mom crows before she goes flying off the bucking unicorn and lands with a perfect tuck-and-roll on the mats surrounding it.
“Got it!” Allie replies with a laugh.
“Your family is so awesome,” Daisy sighs happily.
“Suspiciously so.” Emily plops down next to Staci. “Do you all really get along all the time?”
“Only when Brit’s not stealing my hairspray,” Staci replies.
Luna sits on her other side, hair braided down her back, bangles covering her slender wrists. “Which one of you watches Bachelor in Miami? Daisy said someone does.”
My sisters all gather around Daisy’s friends, everyone chatting while the Berger twins and Nick Murphy and Ty climb up onto unicorn rafts and each grab one of my nieces or nephews for a squeal-fest of unicorn jousting.
Derek serves up burgers.
Helene sits in one of the pool chairs with a plate of street tacos. “Daisy, I don’t know when Cristoff started making these, but I demand them every week.”
“Costco,” Daisy calls.
Every one of my sisters gasps.
“You replaced Cristoff with a chef named Costco?” Helene asks her daughter.
Daisy grins. “Sure, Mom. Let’s go with that.”
“You shop at Costco?” Staci whispers.
“Street tacos and wine. Fuck, yeah.”
“I love you,” Brit breathes.
“Make way, peasants!” Zeus yells. “Horse with a sword, coming through!”
My niece Mia squeals in delight. Some of the older nieces and nephews leap into the pool to try to knock Tyler off his raft. Elvira circles the pool like she’s thinking of claiming another floatie for herself.
And I wrap my arms around Daisy’s shoulders and lean against the wall of the pool while she leans against me.
Family.
Fun.
Friendship.
This is what I want every day for the rest of my life.
Remy growing up surrounded by love and happiness and having no boundaries on how far he can go. Waking up every morning in Daisy’s bed.
Mom pops up behind us and sits at the edge of the pool along with the rest of the line. “Where’s the baby?”
“Somewhere. We should get him to bed.” I peer around the pool area, looking for him.
“Spoilsport. We have to go home on Monday. And when will I see him again?”
“Anytime you want, say the word, and we’ll send a plane,” Daisy tells her.
Mom bursts into tears.
“Dammit, Daisy,” Allie says, and she bursts into tears too.
“Whoa,” Zeus says.
“Retreat!” Murphy yells.
“Not again,” Oscar and Javi both groan together.
“What? What?” Daisy spins and stares at me. “What did I do?”
“Welcome to the happy tears.” I shrug. “It’s a Jaeger thing. Once one starts, they all start.”
“Oh, god. I think I might cry too,” she whispers.
“This is beautiful.” Luna wipes her eyes. “I love happiness.”
“Daisy, how strong is the chorine in this pool?” Emily asks. She, too, appears to be on the verge of crying.
“Group hug!” Daisy yells.
My mom and sisters cry harder.
Daisy bursts into tears.
All of the hockey players paddle for the deep end.
Except Tyler, who falls off his raft laughing. I catch his eye, and I almost double over too.
I love these women.
All of them.
Even when they drive me nuts, they’re all heart.
And they’re all climbing into the pool for one big group hug. With Daisy at the center.
Finally getting all the love she deserves.
I sweep another look around, peering for whoever has Remy, and I spot Helene instead, who’s also wiping her eyes, and I watch her lips. “I couldn’t give her this kind of family,” she says quietly. “I wanted to, but…it turns out, I have very poor taste in men. I could never spot the monogamous ones.”
“You did something right, or she wouldn’t be who she is.”
I push out of the pool, because I can’t see Remy.
None of my sisters have him.
None of the billionaires.
None of their significant others.
Where the fuck is my baby?
Alessandro meets my eye, sweeps a look around the pool, frowns, and disappears into Daisy’s private wing of the house, lifting a walkie-talkie to his mouth.
My veins ice over.
I don’t stop to towel off, but instead head toward where Alessandro just disappeared, eyes roaming, looking, watching.
“You see the baby?” I ask Jude as I pass him.
He makes a sweep of