“Crap! The gift!”

Lord reached into the backseat of the car and retrieved a blue bag with tissue. “Like I’d forget that.” With his other hand, he grabbed what looked like a fifth of whiskey, much like the one in my hand.

“Great minds,” I said, raising the bottle in Lord’s direction.

“Smart man,” he replied.

“Come on. We gotta get inside. I promised I’d help set up, and I totally lost track of time. She’s going to kill me.”

“I’m pretty sure she could stage a foreign invasion, so . . .”

Elle shot Lord a look. “Don’t tell me my best friend doesn’t need me.”

Wisely, he held back his answer, grabbed Elle’s hand, and followed Ari and me up to the house. We passed an Aston Martin, which meant the Titans were already there, and the BMW that Simon and Charlie Duchesne drove. Delilah and JP’s Vespas were parked next to Bishop’s woman’s ride, near the steps that led up to the raised lake house, which meant the entire crew was here.

For a couples baby shower.

Elle must have been thinking along the same lines because she giggled as we climbed the stairs. “I really hope Vanessa planned some ridiculous games. I would pay good money to have you guess what kind of baby food was in a diaper.”

Ariel’s eyes widened. “Oh God, is that what happens at baby showers? I googled, but everything sounded too ridiculous to be true. How could anyone think it would be a good idea to cut a piece of string to guess how big around Valentina is? I mean, what if your string is a foot too big? How embarrassing.”

I wrapped an arm around Ari, wondering what exactly she’d gotten as a gift that fit in the envelope she carried. She’d been in charge of it, and I hadn’t asked questions. Knowing her, there was probably information to access a bitcoin account with the equivalent of college tuition or startup capital inside.

“It’s a couples shower, so that means no dumb games. I made Con swear it on his life,” Lord said, and I hoped his answer eased Ari’s anxiety.

“It’s going to be all right, Red, I promise.”

We reached the top step, and the door flew open before she could answer.

“Good deal. Now we can get started,” Con said as he ushered us into the house. He looked like he’d stepped off the set of Vikings with the shaggy hair and beard he was growing.

Across the wide-open space, Vanessa was pouring Valentina a glass of what I assumed was non-alcoholic champagne.

“That better be the fake shit,” Rix said as he stepped up beside her.

She shot him a look. “You have no room to talk. This kid isn’t playing soccer with your bladder.”

Rix’s expression softened as he lowered himself to his knees and put a hand on either side of her belly. “Come on little rock star, take it easy on your mama. She looks so damn beautiful, waiting for you to make your appearance. But when you kick her organs, she gets this little frown, and we know you don’t want to make your mama frown.” He pressed a kiss to his wife’s belly, and Valentina’s eyes turned shiny.

I clutched Ari tighter against my side. She knew the whole story about Rix and Valentina. “Things worked out exactly the way they were meant to,” I said, my voice low as I looked over at her.

“I might be biased, but I have to agree.”

There was no doubt in my mind.

Vanessa spun toward the door, looking like she might cry over the scene happening in front of her. Her expression turned into a vibrant smile, warding off the tears.

“You made it! All of you!” She pointed at Elle. “You’re lucky I hired a cleanup crew. Otherwise, I’d be sticking you with that job since you bailed on setup.”

“It wasn’t my fault. I swear. Blame Lord and his—” Her words cut off as soon as she saw Charlie readjust the baby on her hip. “You brought her!”

Elle rushed toward the baby girl Charlie held with Simon beaming down at her. I could swear the guy had been wearing that same expression for months. Ari had missed that baby shower, but I had a feeling, from the slight bump Eden was sporting, that Ari would get more chances soon. There was clearly something in the water.

I scanned the room, taking in the people who’d all come into my life because of the badge I’d given up. They’d all become as close to me as family. Sometimes life worked out the way it was meant to.

“Just to give you fair warning, I need to steal your genius fiancée for a few minutes before this is over. I have a problem that I think she’d enjoy helping to solve.”

The voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked over at Lucas Titan.

“Steal?”

“Borrow,” he said, correcting himself with a smile.

The billionaire wasn’t as big of a prick as I’d originally thought. Even though I wasn’t as close to him as I was to Lord, Con, and Rix, I wouldn’t hesitate to call him if shit went down again—which it wouldn’t, I hoped. Rome had promised to take care of any blowback from Carlos’s death, and he’d given us the all clear a few weeks ago.

Regardless, I kept an eye out, and I felt better that Ariel and I spent most days locked down in her lake fortress, working. I was already at max capacity for missing-persons investigations, and had a waiting list. Word spread quickly that I was the guy to call, and I had a certain Vietnam POW to thank for it.

“Borrow is better.” I looked at Ari. “If she’s game.”

She was practically salivating at the chance. “You’re joking, right? Lucas Titan needs an extra brain to solve something? I’m in. But I don’t work cheap. There better be crawfish involved.”

“I’m sure we can make that happen.”

Yve returned to his side, coming from Vanessa’s direction with two champagne flutes. “I got the good stuff. None of that fake sparkling-cider crap.”

Titan turned an indulgent look on her. “You just say the word when you’re ready to change that, love, and we’ll get to work.”

Yve rolled her eyes. “Get to work? I’m sure you’d just have to snap your fingers to impregnate me. He wills it, it shall be done.” She clinked the champagne glasses together for emphasis.

“Mmm, I think I’d rather enjoy the work part more.”

Yve handed off the extra champagne flute to Ari instead of Titan. “Don’t listen to him. We’re too busy conquering the world to have babies yet. I figured you two would understand that better than anyone else here.”