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A beautiful redhead appears beside him, rescuing the wet collar from the baby’s mouth.

“Stop eating Daddy.”

Penny.

I remember seeing her in pictures Damiano sent when he visited the last time.

“And I’m Penny.” She smiles before glancing at Cas. “Although apparently Damiano already did our introductions for us.”

“Years ago.”

Something about being able to say that without the entire conversation dying makes my chest feel lighter.

My attention drops to the baby.

He has a tiny scruff of reddish hair on top of his head and enormous blue eyes that are currently studying me with the same intensity his father did.

“And who’s this?”

Cas’s entire face softens.

“Noah.”

Penny touches the baby’s little foot. “Noah Joshua Hawthorne. Seven months old and already convinced the entire family exists solely to entertain him.”

“They do,” Lily calls.

Cas sighs. “Mama.”

Noah reaches for me.

I blink.

“Oh.”

Penny laughs. “Apparently you’ve been approved.”

Before I know what I’m doing, I hold out my hands, and Cas carefully passes him to me. Noah immediately grabs a fistful of my hair.

“Ow. Okay.” I laugh as I try to free myself. “Strong approval.”

“Hawthorne grip,” Cas says seriously.

“That’s not a thing,” Penny tells him.

“Is now.”

“Nora!”

I turn toward the female voice and almost lose my grip on my hair again.

Holy shit.

The young woman walking toward me is gorgeous. Light brown hair catches the evening sun, and her green eyes are bright with an energy that seems to reach me before she does. She looks like someone somehow managed to trap sunshine in a bottle and then gave it legs.

“I’m Grace.”

“I guessed.”