Page 16 of Snow

“Yep. Someone took them out of my basket!” she said, waving her arms. “But I’m a detective, and I figured it out. It was my dad!”

“Oh no,” Snow gasped dramatically.

“Yeah. But Uncle Nails said he’s friends with the Easter Bunny’s Internal Affairs Unit and was gonna file a formal complaint.”

Snow nearly choked on a laugh. “Is that right?”

“Yup. But then Dad bribed me with chocolate coins and a few hugs to drop the charges.”

Bear appeared in the doorway, shaking his head and laughing. “She’s been like this all day.”

“I don’t know if you’re raising a future operator or a lawyer,” Snow said, handing him the wine.

“God help me,” Bear muttered, then ruffled his daughter’s hair. “Go find Max before he eats your other candy.”

As Amira scampered off, yelling “Uncle Snow is here!” at the top of her lungs, Snow stepped inside and was instantly hit with the scent of delicious food.

“Look who finally decided to show up!” Duke called from the kitchen as Baby Isadora lay sleeping on his chest, wrapped in a soft blanket.

“Fashionably late,” Snow replied.

“Snow!” Hannah called, waving at him while trying to plate deviled eggs.

“Uncle Snow!” Christian, Ava’s fifteen-year-old son, grinned and bumped fists with him as he passed by with Max trailing behind him.

Playboy strolled over next with Gabby, his fiancée, hanging off his arm. “Dude, you missed the egg toss. Amira nailed Max in the face.”

Snow laughed, then hugged Gabby. “You look like you’re glowing.”

“That’s just sweat from standing near the oven,” she deadpanned.

Clover and Joker were cozy on the couch, her head resting on his shoulder, both waving. Clover was Bear’s sister and just as witty as he was, not to mention just as lethal. That woman had badass written on her resume. Aussie and Ava were tucked in the corner, Ava laughing at Amira, who was hopping around the living room pretending to be the Easter Bunny, nearly taking out a lamp in the process.

And then there were Nails and Riley. Nails was grinning with his arm draped protectively around Riley’s waist. She looked radiant in a pale-yellow sundress, her hand resting lightly over the small bump where their baby grew.

“Hey, brother,” Nails said, pulling Snow into a hug. “Glad you made it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Snow looked at Riley. “You look good.”

“She feels like she swallowed a bowling ball,” Nails quipped, earning him an elbow to the ribs.

“I never said that,” Riley said, laughing.

They all laughed, and Snow felt that squeeze again in his chest.

The feeling of being surrounded by everything you wanted but didn’t yet have.

He stepped back and took it all in as the kids giggled in the hallway, the women chatted in the kitchen, and the men swapped stories and stole bites of ham.

This was what he wanted. He wanted a woman who would meet him at the door with a smile, kids who would tackle him after a deployment, and a house filled with laughter, chaos, and love. Just like the one he grew up in.

Twenty-nine wasn’t old, but it wasn’t young either. Most of his teammates were settling down. He and Jay Bird were the only bachelors left on the team.

Still, he pushed the ache aside and leaned into the joy of the moment. His time would come. For now, he had this family.

“Food’s ready!” Jocelyn, Bear’s wife, shouted.

Snow walked into the kitchen, where the ladies had set up a buffet along the counters and the island. He grabbed a plate and filled it with ham, macaroni and cheese, and some vegetables.