Brooks, in his mom’s lap, squealed with glee.

“Iz?” he called when she just stared at him.

“I’ve always wanted a pair of Louboutins,” she said softly.

He grinned, bent his head and kissed her hard.

He got goo all over his mouth and chin.

But she tasted great.

After dinner, Johnny stood at the back door in the kitchen looking out the window.

Izzy was on the porch, standing as well, directly opposite him, and watching what was happening in the backyard through the screen.

She was goo-less, in a pretty sundress, arms and legs tanned, no shoes, no makeup, hair in a ponytail at the base of her neck streaming down her back, and he only had her profile but he saw a small, happy smile on her face.

He looked beyond her to what was making her happy.

In the yard under the tree that still was hung with crystals and strung with Christmas lights that were not yet turned on because the sun was just beginning to set, Toby had hold of Brooks and was swinging him around, dipping him down, lifting him up, like he was flying.

The kid had a look on his face like he was frozen in laughter, experiencing bliss.

Addie was ass to the grass close by, Frisbee in hand, winging it, after which Swirl, Dempsey and Ranger took off after it.

But she didn’t watch to see which dog got the Frisbee.

She looked right at Toby and her son.

Shit.

“I don’t know who’s falling faster. Her for him or him for that baby boy,” Margot said from his side.

Johnny turned to her.

“Or him for her,” she finished. “It’s a tossup.”

“She’s in the middle of divorcing her husband, who it’s my understanding she loved,” Johnny informed her.

“Time moves on, my sweet Johnathon,” she replied. “And love never really dies, but it does fade, as you well know.”

He looked back at Izzy.

“And when it fades, the part that remains teaches us how to love better the next time,” she said softly, putting her hand on his forearm.

He pulled it away but only to catch her fingers and lift them up to press to his chest.

But he didn’t reply.

He set his eyes back to the yard.

“Tobe doesn’t do relationships,” he said.

“People change.”

Johnny looked back to her. “He’s not going to take his first test drive with Adeline.”

Her gaze drifted to the window. “He’s going to do what Tobias has always done. Whatever he wishes.”

“Margot—”

She cut her gaze back to him. “My love, he would tear out his own heart before he did anything that might harm yours.” Her fingers squeezed his. “You have nothing to fear.”

“I don’t like it,” he shared.

“Well, first, it’s your job as his big brother not to like pretty much everything he does until he proves to you that he can do it well. It’s both your lots, I’m afraid, and there’s no escaping it. And second, you’re so blind in love with Eliza it’s taking everything you have not to hammer a wall made of iron around her to protect her from anything that might hurt her. And something that might hurt her sister will hurt her. So you’ve got twice as much to get over when that,” she tilted her head to the window in the door, “takes root.”

“He doesn’t even know if he’s staying in Matlock,” Johnny said.

She raised a brow. “And he can’t take her and Brooks with him should he decide to go?”

“That would devastate Izzy. She loves having her sister close.”

She smiled. “Ah, there’s that iron wall.”

Johnny felt his lips hitch, but he shook his head and looked back to the yard even as he pressed her hand closer to his heart.

After a turn around the yard, probably just to get some alone time since they hadn’t seen each other most of the day and Johnny had noticed the two were not just a married couple, but a couple, Deanna and Charlie were strolling up to Toby. Deanna had again worn heels that day, but she was walking barefoot in the grass now, though the straps of her sandals dangled from her husband’s fingers.

Johnny took note of that.

Dave was latching the gate on the stables. He’d just brought in Izzy’s horses while Margot and Johnny did the dishes and the rest Margot had ordered, “Had done enough . . . so get.”

This, even though she didn’t let anyone do anything. She’d pushed out the women so she could cook, and then she’d pushed out everyone except Johnny so they could clean up.

No one said dick. Even if most of them knew her a short time, they’d all learned this was Margot’s way.

Toby now had Brooks around his neck, walking toward Dave with Deanna and Charlie closing in.

Addie was watching Johnny’s brother and her son go.

Izzy was pushing through the back door.

He felt it as Margot moved closer to him and he felt it as she curled the fingers of her other hand over both of theirs.

“It will be just fine.”

“When we were camping, she told me a lot about her mother and father. I already knew he beat her mother and her mom’s parents refused to let her come home so they were on the run and had nothing. They never got anything either, no matter how hard Iz’s mom worked. They only had each other. Daphne, Izzie and Addie. That was all they had.”

“That’s terrible,” Margot murmured her understatement, the timbre of it sharing just how terrible she thought it was.

“Thank God for you,” he whispered.

“Pardon?”

He turned his head and looked her direct in the eyes.

“Thank God for you. Dave and you. Thank God Dad had you so he could give you to us. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have a lot of things, Margot. Too many to name. It’d take a week just to get through table manners. But there’s a new one now. And that would be, if I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t know how to love her like she needs me to do it.”

Tears brightened her eyes and she tried to slip her hand away, because Margot was the kind of woman who left the room to have her emotion in private, probably because she’d spent most of her life around men and she thought they had no clue how to deal with it.

Except those men had her too so she was wrong about that.

In other words, Johnny’s hold only got tighter so she wouldn’t slip away.

“She lost her mom and mourns her like that happened yesterday. She blossoms when she’s anywhere near you. You try to act the diva, sweetheart, but you can’t help but just give and give. Thank you for giving that back to Izzy.”

“Stop,” she whispered.

He didn’t stop.

“Mother-son dance,” he said softly.

Her eyes got brighter.

“You’ve already done it three times, you up for a fourth?” he asked.

She swallowed.

She sniffed.

She squared her shoulders.

Then she declared on a tight squeeze of his hand, “Most certainly.”

She gave him that and it was not the first time she gave him something for which he’d be forever grateful.

But she was Margot.

So she wasn’t done.

“However, as I also intend to stand in for another important role, you best prepare Eliza. Because everyone knows, a girl’s wedding is not her own. It’s the dream wedding her mother always wanted, and if not that, it’s the wedding her mother determines she should have. And I birthed three boys and helped raise two more. The first three’s women had mothers. Now, it’s my turn.”