By the time they finished the song together, Mia and Ava were peering over their shoulders, singing along.

“Again!” Sophie shouted.

“How about I teach you to play it instead?” Lance plunked out the first few lines of the melody.

Sophie picked the tune up fast, and after fifteen minutes, was content to practice on her own. She played the notes over and over with a determination and patience Lance would not have expected of a three-year-old.

“OK, girls, bath time,” Gianna called.

The room emptied out, and Morgan and Lance spent the next fifteen minutes clearing the clutter. But with so little room and so much stuff, there was only so much they could do.

Lance took advantage of the empty room. He tugged Morgan to him and planted a kiss on her lips.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ve never heard you play happy music before.”

“I guess I do lean toward the moody and broody when it comes to music.” Lance glanced around at the jumble of pink in his house. “I’m feeling pretty happy.”

He was an only child, and after his father had disappeared, his life had deteriorated. He didn’t remember ever feeling the sense of family that being with Morgan and her girls gave him. The kids added fun and wonder to his life. He was loving every crowded, glitter-bombed moment of having them at his house. The idea of stepping in as a parent to three little girls was daunting, but they were worth the work. His house was going to feel empty when they were gone.

And he couldn’t quantify everything Morgan meant to him without choking up.

Tomorrow, he’d go over to her place and meet with the alarm company to check on the progress. She wanted to be home when her grandfather was released in a few days. There was no way one more person was going to fit in Lance’s two-bedroom ranch.

“You really don’t mind us all invading your house?”

“Not at all.” He wasn’t looking forward to them leaving. If she’d have asked him that question the year before, his answer would have been entirely different. But only because he hadn’t realized what he’d been missing.

“Still, I can’t thank you enough. Stella and Mac’s place is much smaller than yours.”

“It’s fine. I’m enjoying it. Bachelor life is boring.” He silenced her with a kiss.

“This case was so horrible.” Morgan reached for Lance’s hand. “I don’t know how I would have handled it without you.”

Lance closed his fingers around hers. He wanted to say something romantic back, but the words stuck in his throat. He wasn’t skilled at expressing his feelings, especially to her. But he had to get better at that.

“No matter how complicated our personal lives are, we need to prioritize our relationship from now on,” she said. “That is, if you want to.”

Lance smiled down at her. Finding his voice, he said what was in his heart. “There’s nothing I want more.”

He’d been waiting to hear those exact words.

“All right, then.” She rose onto her toes. “From now on, we are officially us.”