“Shit.” We all race downstairs, the stain in the carpet quickly forgotten, to get to the young girl.

By the time we burst into the back yard, Caleb has a crying Josie in his arms, wiping her tears.

“Where does it hurt, jellybean?” he asks.

“My ankle,” she cries. “Dad, if it’s broken, I won’t be able to dance. I have to dance.”

“It’s okay,” he croons as Meg, the nurse of the family, checks Josie out.

“Jose, I’m going to ask you to try to stand on it, okay?” Meg asks. Josie shakes her head no, but Meg takes her face in her hands so Josie listens. “We have to see if it hurts too badly to walk on it so we know if it’s broken. It might just be badly bruised.”

“Okay,” Josie whispers and with Caleb’s help, she stands on her good foot, then gingerly tries to take a step. She doesn’t crumple to the ground. “It’s not too bad.”

“I don’t think it’s broken,” Meg says to Brynna as she sits back on her haunches. “But you’ll want to take her to the ER, just in case. Get an X-ray.”

“Let’s go, guys.”

“Oh, man,” Michael, their youngest, says. “I was having fun with Liam.”

“He can stay,” Stacy offers with a smile. “The boys can play together. I’ll bring him home later.”

“Thanks, Stace,” Brynna says to her cousin, kisses her cheek, and then Brynna, Caleb and the girls are out the door to the ER, after promising to let us know what the X-ray shows.

“Never a dull moment around here,” Meredith says with a sigh. She’s holding our sleeping son to her chest while Lucy plays with Olivia and Stella. It never fails to steal the breath from my chest when I see my wife holding one of our babies. This life with her is a dream come true.

A dream that I was never brave enough to think of for too long before she and I rediscovered each other a few years ago.

She’s everything I’ve ever wanted in my life, and the fact that she’s mine, along with these amazing kids, is a blessing that I’m sure I don’t deserve, but I’ll never question.

I don’t know what I would do without her.

“Why are you watching me like that?” she asks softly.

“Like what?”

“All mushy like,” she says with a laugh.

“I’m pretty mushy whenever I’m around you, M.” I press a kiss to her cheek, near her ear. “Because I’m so fucking in love with you.”

“I’m sorry I’m late!”

Jax, Meredith’s best friend, rushes out the back door, a frown on his face. “I tried to get here earlier, but I ran out of gas. I mean, how does that happen to a man over thirty?”

“You said you put gas in the car,” Logan, Jax’s husband, grumbles as he follows him outside and heads straight for Mer and the baby. “I’m sorry. It’s Jax’s fault. Now, let me at that baby.”

With a chuckle, Meredith passes Hudson to Logan while Jax marches back inside.

“I’m getting food,” he announces.

“He’s been an ass today,” Logan says, settling in a chair with Hudson on his shoulder. “Seriously, did you fire him or something?”

“I can’t fire a partner,” Mer says with a laugh. “I’ll go talk to him.”

She saunters into the house, and I can’t take my eyes off of her.

“I hope Isaac still looks at me like that,” Stacy says, catching my attention.

“Like what?”

“Like he can’t wait to get his hands on me.”

“He does,” Isaac replies as he joins us. He pulls his wife out of her chair, then sits and tugs her into his lap. “I can’t wait to get my hands on you.”

“Good answer,” she says with a laugh.

“I just got a text from Brynna,” Meg announces. “Josie’s ankle is not broken.”

“Thank God,” I say.

“What happened to Josie?” Logan asks.

“She fell and hurt her ankle,” I reply. “But it sounds like she’s okay.”

Jax and Meredith return, with Jax carrying a loaded plate.

“Did you bring me some?” Logan asks.

“No,” Jax replies with a frown. “I don’t like you right now.”

“Nah, you love me,” Logan says confidently and reaches over to steal some of Jax’s food. “What would you do without me?”

“I wouldn’t have run out of gas today,” Jax mutters.

“You said you got gas,” Logan repeats, making the rest of us snicker.

“Well, when you got in the car and saw the gas gauge was on E, that was probably an indication that I didn’t.”

“I didn’t check it,” Logan replies calmly. “And we’ll discuss this later.”

“Ah, marital bliss,” Meredith says with a happy smile. “I’m glad you don’t take any of Jax’s crap, Logan.”

“I don’t give anyone crap,” Jax says, looking offended.

The rest of the afternoon passes without another incident of injury or destruction. The kids are exhausted, and go down easily after their baths.

It feels like I haven’t been alone with my wife for days when we finally collapse on the couch next to each other, staring straight ahead in an exhausted stupor.

“So, today was an adventure,” I begin.

“It was a shitshow,” she says with a sigh and rubs her hands over her face.

“No, it wasn’t.”

“How can you say that?” She stares at me with wide eyes. Her hair is a mess. Her makeup is smudged.

And I’ve never seen anything as beautiful in my life.

“Josie is hurt, our carpet is ruined and I forgot dessert. I never forget stuff like that.”

“Mer, cut yourself a break.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and tug her against me. “It’s been a busy few months.”

“Few years,” she mutters and I nod in agreement.

“Exactly. Josie’s fine, the carpet can be replaced, and you figured the dessert out. Everyone had a great time, and they got to see our new digs, which is exactly what our goal was. We have a huge family. Things are going to happen.”

“I know. I guess I’m still getting used to it,” she admits. “I mean, I thought I was used to being a part of the family, and there are many days that I am. I love them all, you know that.”

“I know.”

“But for a lot of years it was just me and Mom, and Jax. Now that Mom’s gone, there are still days that I feel lost, even though your family has been amazing about making me feel welcome and a part of them.”

“You are part of them,” I reply. “Is Jax okay? What did he say when you went in the house to talk to him?”

“He and Logan have been fighting.” She shrugs. “They’re going to be fine, but I think they’ve been wearing on each other’s nerves.”

“When do you two go to LA to work with Starla?” I ask.

“I don’t have to go,” she begins, but I press my finger to her lips, hushing her.

“Yes, you do.”

“I don’t want to leave you and the kids.”

“We’re going to be great. You’ll only be gone for a week. As you know, I have an army of women at my disposal if I need help, which I won’t because I’m the dad of the year.”

“You really are,” she says with a soft smile. “You’re the best daddy, M.”

“See? I got this. When do you go?”

“In two weeks,” she says. “Maybe it’ll be good for Jax to get away for a few days.”

She sighs, leaning into me even harder. “I’ve been in a funk this week.”

“I know,” I say, kissing her head. “It’s okay.”

“I miss my parents and Tiff,” she says softly. “They would love this house. And they would love being with the rest of the family.”

She swallows hard. I hate that my wife has been through so much pain in her life. I wish I could wipe it all away. I wish that she was still surrounded by her family.