“Way to keep it together, man,” I say.

“I want to see those results,” he seethes. “There’s no way America liked Helen more than me. You should have heard the things they were saying about her beehive hairdo.”

“Settle down,” Naomi says, tugging on his arm. “It’s okay, Thad.”

“It’s not. Have you seen our baby archway? Christ.”

Team Rossi comes over to us, and I give them a sympathetic smile. “You truly had the prettiest wedding.”

Cohen and Declan nod but don’t look upset at all—their new project is going to be more fun for them to tackle . . . more them.

“She’s a monster. She paid people off. There’s no way she won.”

Luciana and Amanda come up to us as well, hand in hand. “Sorry you guys didn’t win,” Amanda says. “I know how much this meant to you.”

“Dammit,” Thad says under his breath. Then he turns to Amanda. “How you grew inside that beast of a woman, I have no idea.”

“Thad,” Naomi reprimands, but Amanda just laughs.

“I ask myself that question every day.”

“Luciana, Amanda, interview room!” Diane calls out. “Helen, you too.”

Helen pops up from the workbench as if she never felt faint in the first place. She brushes off her dress as she walks by our little gathering, flashing us an evil grin. “Never underestimate the lesbians—they always find a way to be on top.” And with that she walks away.

“Lesbians,” Thad whispers, clenching his fist.

I wrap my arm around him and give him a squeeze. “I’m sorry, dude. I really thought we were going to win. It felt like we had a good chance.”

“People loved the flamingos. Where were all the flamingo voters?”

“I voted for you,” Cohen says.

“Me too,” Declan announces.

Luna raises her hand. “So did I. Your wedding was the most magical to me.” I pull her against me and kiss the top of her head. It was the most magical to me too, because that’s when I got my girl back.

“Oh wow.” Thad waves his hand in front of his eyes. “That . . . that means a lot to me.”

“And hey,” I say, “I know you really wanted the new place, but you did get more than a wedding out of the competition. You got a family.”

Thad looks around our little circle and smiles.

Every Sunday, without fail, we all get together and have brunch. The host changes, but everyone’s there, my family and Luna’s family, forming one big ball of love. We had a small gender-reveal party, Thad has already claimed Cohen and Declan as “guncles” (gay uncles), and he’s grateful for the number of people who are willing to babysit, even Luna and Cohen’s parents—who are the parents I’ve always wanted but have never had. Luckily for me, they told me to call them Mom and Dad, and fuck . . . I do.

“I have the best family,” Thad says, clutching his chest.

We all hug, and when we pull away, Luna says, “And now that I’m moving in with Alec, my apartment is going to be available. Farrah is moving into a studio to live her single life, and I’m good friends with our landlords, so they’ll rent to whoever I suggest as a replacement. It’s a two-bedroom with plenty of space, and it’s only a few blocks from me and Alec—and it’s rent controlled.”

“Bless my nips, rent controlled?” Thad screams and claps, then lifts his fist to the air, pausing as if he’s frozen. Beside him, Naomi’s eyes begin to fill with tears, and from her reaction alone I feel my heart swell inside my chest.

Luna frowns. “Thad, are you—?”

He unfreezes himself and looks at the both of us, tears now in his eyes. “Seriously? I could live close to my brother and have room for my baby girl?”

“As long as you stop buying things,” I say, just before Thad nearly tackles me to the ground with a hug.

If you told me a few months ago that I would be in love, have a solid relationship with my brother, be expecting a niece, and count myself as part of an actual family, I would have said you were crazy.

But here I am, a family, a partner, and a niece, all blessing my life with love . . . love I didn’t think I wanted, but love I desperately needed.