“Did you just feel that? Did they just kick for the first time?”

Sophie’s smile was radiant, and so full of love it stunned him every time.

“Yes,” she said as she lifted her face to his and kissed him, “they did.”

Epilogue

Zach Sullivan yanked at his tie. Damn, he hated wearing ties, but he figured he could suck it up for an afternoon, considering it wasn’t every day one of his little sisters got married.

The past year had churned out a seemingly endless supply of Sullivan weddings and babies. First Chase had gotten married and had a kid on the way in a matter of weeks, then Sophie pulled the same thing from out of the blue. Even Gabe and Megan were now engaged. Only Marcus and Nicola were still slightly sane, but Zach wouldn’t be surprised if Nicola showed up sporting a huge diamond ring one of these days.

He’d expected Sophie to want a big wedding, a splashy Sullivan celebration where every relative and friend on the planet would be invited. Instead, here they were in his mother’s backyard, like so many other Sundays. The only real difference from their usual Sunday brunch was his sister’s long white dress and Jake’s monkey suit.

When, Zach wondered, had Sophie grown up? And how long would it take him to see her as anything other than the baby sister that he needed to protect with his life?

Five months pregnant, she was prettier than ever, especially in her wedding dress. He could see how happy she was, but Zach still had a hard time thinking of Jake with Sophie. Even though the bride and groom looked like the most mismatched couple on the planet—the big guy with the tattoos and the classy brunette—Zach was starting to realize that Sophie gave as good as Jake dished it out. Better, usually.

“Wanna make a bet on who’s the last one standing?” Lori asked as she handed him a beer. “You or me?”

Zach dug his twin sisters equally, but he’d always understood Lori better. She thrived on speed. Excitement. Breaking the rules. Just like he did.

“You looking to give away your money, Naughty?”

She stared at him over the rim of her glass as she took a sip of Marcus’s finest bubbly. “Haven’t you learned yet, it’s always the cocky guys who think they’re so safe that fall the farthest?”

Zach rarely backed down from a challenge. Especially not one that was this easy to win. Knowing there wasn’t a chance that he was going to fall in love with someone against his will, Zach Sullivan held up his bottle of beer to clink it against his sister’s champagne flute.

“Game on.”

~ THE END ~