“It’s not about the gifts. I want to show the new house to our families and friends, and doing it all in one day is the easiest. I already told everyone not to bring anything.”

“Like they ever listen to that,” he replies. “You’ve met them. Giving gifts is like breathing.”

“Oh, God, I hope they don’t bring anything.”

“Stop stressing out about all of this,” he says and kisses me again, soothing me the way he’s done since we were teenagers. “The house looks great, the food’s going to be great, and if they want dessert, they can go to Nic’s after this. In fact, why don’t you just send me over there and I’ll buy five dozen or so. That should tide Will over.”

“She’s busy, and I’m not going to inconvenience her with this short notice.” I chew my lip just as Mark’s phone rings.

“This is my brother,” he says. “Hey, bro. What’s up? Yeah, you guys can come over anytime. Sounds good.”

“Let me talk to Natalie,” I say, hope springing in my chest.

“Hey, Mer wants to talk to Nat. Is she nearby? Great. See you in a bit.”

He passes the phone to me. There’s shuffling in the background, and then Natalie’s soothing voice comes over the phone.

“Hey, Mer. How’s it going over there?”

“I’m having a crisis, and I need your input.”

“Always happy to help in a crisis,” she says with a chuckle. “Tell me.”

“I don’t know how I did it, but I forgot all about serving dessert today. I don’t want to bug Nic. Do you have any ideas?”

“Actually, yes. Jules and I made a ton of these chocolate covered peanut butter truffles yesterday. They’re made with Nutter Butters and should be illegal in every state. I’ll bring those.”

“Oh my God, those sound amazing.”

“You’ll gain five pounds just from looking at them,” she assures me. “And Luke and I went to Montana last month, and I brought back a ton of huckleberries to put in the freezer. I’ll call Jenna in Cunningham Falls and ask her for a quick recipe.”

“I haven’t tried huckleberries yet, so that sounds fantastic. Thanks, Nat. I owe you.”

“Trust me, eating all the calories today will be payment enough. I’ll call Jenna, and hit the store for ingredients on the way to your place. Luke called to ask if we could come over early and let the kids play outside for the day.”

“Of course, you’re always welcome here. You know that. Mark built that play yard for the whole family, since we all seem to breed like we’re solely responsible for populating the earth.”

Nat snorts and assures me they’ll be here soon. We hang up and I take a big breath, letting it out slowly.

“Okay, this is handled. Nat’s taking care of dessert, and they’re coming early so she and I can get it ready.”

“See? It’s working out,” Mark says as he takes Hudson out of his bouncy seat and cuddles him in the crook of his arm. “Now that these two have had a snack, I’ll take them up to change their clothes.”

“You’re the best husband in the history of husbands.”

“I know.” He flashes that cocky smile and takes the kids upstairs to get ready for the party. I finish with the BLT cups, the hot crab dip, artichoke dip and bruschetta, so when Natalie arrives, we can focus on the dessert.

Natalie is true to her word. Less than thirty minutes later, Luke, Nat, and their whole brood of four kids come bustling into the house. Luke and Mark immediately take the kids outside, and Natalie and I get to work.

“God, I love your backyard,” Nat says as she stares outside, holding a cup from Starbucks. “We might be over here all the time from now on.”

I stand next to her, taking in our husbands laughing and playing with our kids. Mark is carrying Hudson in a carrier on his front.

“I always melt when we watch them with the kids.”

“It’s hot to watch handsome guys be good dads,” she agrees. “Okay, enough ogling. We have work to do. Jenna gave me the recipe for something called huckleberry delight that sounds, well, delightful.”

“I love anything delightful,” I reply with a laugh and we dig in.

“Mom, Aunt Mer!” Olivia yells, barreling through the back door. “Stella’s here!”

“Let them in,” I say to my niece as I measure out the sugar. “Thanks, honey.”

“I brought balls,” Jules announces, carrying a bag and holding it high, making us giggle. “Thank God you saved me from eating them all myself.”

“Nat brought some, too. You made a million of them.”

“I was PMSing,” Jules says with a shrug. “I was convinced that I wanted to eat all of them. What can I do?”

“Stir these berries,” Nat says, passing the spoon. “We’re cooking them down and making them thick.”

“Can I just eat these with a spoon?” Jules asks.

“I agree,” I say. “They smell so good.”

“We need to take everyone to the Montana house,” Nat says with a smile. “It’s awesome there. Maybe this fall we can all go.”

“I’m in,” I say immediately. “We could use the time away.”

“Are you okay, honey?” Jules asks me.

“Oh yeah. I’m just stressed out. Whoever said having two kids is the same as having one was a dirty liar.”

“I’m not having any more,” Jules says, shaking her head. “This one can pump out a dozen, but one is enough for me.”

“We’re done at four,” Nat says with a grin. “And you’re right. Having two is a ton more work than one. But more than that and it’s really not so bad.”

“I’m finished,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m happy with the two we have.”

“They’re pretty adorable,” Jules admits after Nat takes the cooked berries and covers the desserts in the pans, then sets them in the fridge.

“These just need to set up for a bit. In the meantime, I want a tour.”

“Me, too,” Jules says.

“This is my favorite part of today.” I do a little shimmy in the kitchen, then gesture for them to follow me.

And for the next several hours, I give tours of our new home to our friends and family. I can’t even begin to describe how proud I am of Mark and Isaac and the whole team who brought this house to life.

“I didn’t think I’d ever want to leave our other house,” I confide in Sam and Leo later when we’re standing in the master bathroom. “I loved it there. But with the kids, we just needed more space.”

“Well, you got it,” Sam says. “And I love the rustic farmhouse style, with the exposed beams and reclaimed wood.”

“I do, too.” I grin. “I might have driven Mark nuts with all of my Pinterest boards and constant texts to show him photos of ideas that I liked. But I think it paid off.”

“It’s beautiful,” Leo says with a smile. “Now, I think I’ll go outside with the guys and the kids.”

“That’s the other part I love,” I say as I walk with them down the stairs. “Mark built that house that’s a tiny replica of this one, along with the jungle gym and swings for the kids, and I think it’s perfect for get-togethers like these.”

“It definitely keeps them all busy,” Sam says with a laugh.

We step outside to find utter chaos.

Wonderful chaos.

Children are scrambling about, laughing and chasing our golden retriever, Lady, and Dom and Alecia’s new puppy, Cabernet.

“These BLT cups are just delicious,” Gail Montgomery says as she takes another bite of one. “So clever and perfect for a party like this.”

“Thank you. They’re a favorite around here.”

“Aunt Meredith,” Stella says, “We want to go see Lucy’s room.”

Stella’s standing with Sophie, Olivia and Lucy, along with their cousins, Michael and Liam.

“Okay, but no food in the house, okay?”