The house on the hill provided the setting for the biggest fund-raiser Serendipity had ever seen. Faith's wishes prevailed and once the town got wind of the fact that the youth center would be the recipient of the money raised, everyone from every class turned out for the event. It helped that the fund-raising committee insisted on lowering the price for attending, since they had saved money up front by not having to rent space for the event.

God, Ethan adored his wife and her brilliant ideas. And the rest of his family wasn't too bad either, he thought with not the smallest amount of pride.

The house that just one year ago left him empty and cold was now filled with people. And though he didn't want to host this event, Faith was beaming-and that made it all worthwhile.

As if he sensed her, Ethan turned to see his wife gliding down the circular stairs. She wore a royal blue Grecian-styled gown held over one shoulder with a silver clip. The cut of the gown draped over her softly rounded belly, not hiding yet not showing off her pregnancy. Just a little over three months, they'd told family a few days ago, and no one else.

Tonight they'd decided to make it public.

He was going to be a father. Who the hell would have thought it? Certainly not the Ethan who'd hightailed it out of town on his motorcycle a little over ten years ago. And definitely not the Ethan from last year when he'd returned.

Damn, he was grateful.

Faith strode up to him and slipped her hand inside his. "Have I said thank you?"

He looked into her beautiful blue eyes. "For this?" He swept his hand around, indicating the party.

Her lips quirked into a smile. "Well, okay, yes, this. But for everything else, too. You make my life complete."

He grinned. "I feel exactly the same way about you, princess." Before he could kiss her the way he wanted to, a teenage voice interrupted them.

"Don't even think about it," Tess muttered. "You're in public."

Ethan glanced at his sister, taking in her purple dress. He wondered if she'd change her favorite color anytime soon. This particular purple was jewel-toned, she'd informed him haughtily. Apparently Tess had begun reading fashion magazines. Who'd have thought the punk kid dumped on his doorstep had it in her?

"You look gorgeous," he told her.

She beamed at him. "Thanks." She glanced at Faith and crooked her finger.

Faith bent closer and Tess whispered something in her ear.

"Not yet." Faith's eyes sparkled as they talked in conspiratorial whispers.

"I'm going to keep a lookout," Tess declared.

"He won't know what hit him." Faith nodded in certainty.

"You can say that again." Tess ducked away but not before adding a parting shot. "You two behave. PDA is not appropriate."

Faith tipped her head back and her delicious laugh rippled through him. But he hadn't forgotten Tess's earlier side of their conversation.

"He who? What was she talking about?" Ethan asked his wife.

Faith squeezed his hand in warning. "Tess thinks she's in love with Todd Morgan."

"He's eighteen!" Ethan bellowed.

"Not quite yet. Seventeen and he's just going to be a senior this year."

Ethan scowled, not liking seventeen any better than eighteen. "She's a kid."

"I was sixteen when you lured me onto your bike," she reminded him.

Ethan winced. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Evening, everyone." Nash interrupted, walking up to them, Kelly by his side.

"Ahh, the man who hates formal affairs made it. And I'm so grateful." Faith hugged them both, then pulled Kelly away to discuss details of the evening.

Ethan talked with Nash, the brother who once couldn't stand the sight of him. For fifteen minutes, they discussed things personal, professional, and later, sports-related. It was so normal, Ethan couldn't believe the new normal they shared.

"Hey, brothers." Dare strode up to them.

"How's it going?" Ethan asked.

"Pretty damned good, actually." Dare shook his brothers' hands.

"For a cop, you dress up nicely," Nash said.

Dare shrugged. "Faith insisted on tuxedos, right? Besides, how can I propose to Liza if I'm not in my formal best?" he asked with an excited grin.

In that smile, Ethan saw shades of the kid brother he remembered. Lately, the sparkle in Dare's gaze had been genuine, no longer a cover for old pain and guilt. Yep, he'd come a long way too. Liza was damned good for him, just as Kelly was for Nash.

"Congratulations," Ethan said, slapping Dare on the back.

Nash did the same. "I just hope she's still deluded enough to say yes."

Dare glared at him, but Nash followed up the comment by pulling his baby brother into a hug.

"I have news too," Nash said after a few minutes.

"Well?" Dare asked. "You going to share?"

"Kelly's pregnant. Looks like we'll be having kids close together," Nash said to Ethan, beaming with pride. "It's so early we're only telling you guys for a while."

The congratulations and slaps on the back began all over again. Then they talked some more, before dispersing to find their better halves.

Ethan glanced around, more settled than he'd ever been, and he remembered the day he'd pulled up on this long driveway, thinking he couldn't outrun his past. He'd been right. But all three of the Barron brothers had done something better. They'd made peace with it and with each other, enabling them to open themselves up to the future and all Serendipity had to offer.

And that was the greatest gift of all.

Don't miss the cops of Serendipity trilogy beginning February 2013 Sam Marsden and

his family, Cara Hartley, and more!

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Perfection is overrated, Mike Marsden thought, as he approached his childhood home. He arrived in time for dinner, just as he'd done every Sunday since his return to his hometown of Serendipity, New York, almost six weeks ago. The Sunday evening meal at his parents' house was mandatory, and each of his siblings would be there. Nobody said no to Ella Marsden. And since Mike had been in New York City for the last few years, his mother was especially glad to have him back, no matter how uncomfortable the notion of coming home made him.

He shoved his hands into the pocket of his leather jacket and looked up at the white clapboard house with blue trim and matching shutters. Small but well kept, the two-story home on a suburban street was as perfect on the outside as it was on the inside. Maybe that's why he was itching beneath his skin. The idea of perfection made him antsy. It always had, and despite wanting to please his parents, Mike was instead the kid who'd always tried their patience.

Impulse control issues, his teachers called it and Mike figured they were right. He couldn't stick with one thing very long, be it relationships or a monotonous job. Simon Marsden, Mike's adopted father and the man who'd raised him, had been the police commissioner of Serendipity. Mike's brother, Sam, had followed in his footsteps, becoming a homegrown cop. Their sister, Kimberly, was Serendipity's assistant district attorney.

And Mike? Well, until recently he'd been a detective in New York City, where he'd made a name for himself by skating around the rules instead of strictly following them. He liked his life, choosing career, women, and even friends who were easy enough to walk away from when the impulse for something new or different kicked in.

Yet here he was, back in his small hometown, having taken over his father's job as chief of police while his dad fought cancer. The doctors said it was treatable and Mike forced himself to believe it. Coming home and taking over was the least he could do for the man who'd both raised him and treated him no differently than his biological children-even if Mike hadn't always deserved it. The job was temporary, while Simon recovered, or Mike didn't think he'd have been able to say yes to sticking around.

He knocked once and let himself inside, the smell of his mother's pot roast assaulting his senses made his stomach grumble.

"Michael, is that you?" his mother called from her post in the kitchen. When he was a kid, he'd thought she had a sixth sense that told her which child had walked in the door, but as an adult he realized they each had their own arrival time, and his mother intuitively knew their routine.

"It's me," he yelled back, bending to give his parents' new dog, a small fluff ball that resembled a dust mop, a pat on the head. He still marveled that they'd named the furry thing Kojak.

"Well come give me a hug," Ella called out, as if she hadn't seen him in ages. In reality, she'd stopped by the police station yesterday to say hello.

He grinned and his shoulders eased downward. The insecurities that always followed thoughts of perfection fled at the warmth in his mother's voice and the comforting smells of home.

"Come on, little man. Let's go say hi to Mom." He headed for the kitchen, Kojak by his side.

Along the way, he passed the family room where his father lay snoring in his recliner, football game on the big-screen television Mike and his siblings had bought their parents for Christmas last year. Knowing Simon needed his rest, Mike let him sleep.

"Hey, Mom," Mike said, entering the kitchen and giving her the requested hug before turning to the oversized pot on the stove. "Smells delicious." He lifted the lid only to have his mother smack his hand with her wooden spoon. "Hey!"

"No sampling." She waved her weapon in front of his face, a knowing smile lifting her lips.

Despite his father's illness, she'd managed to retain her cheery disposition and if a few more lines creased her beautiful face, it didn't affect her good looks at all. Wavy auburn hair curled naturally around her face, adding to her youthful appearance.

"Hey, family!" His sister Kim's voice sounded from the entryway.

"In here," Mike called back, then winced because his father was sleeping.

"Dad's snoring," Kim said, striding into the kitchen with a box in hand. "A hurricane couldn't wake him."

"That's because I gave him a painkiller a little while ago. His back was hurting." Ella said.

Mike pushed past the fear in his throat. The old man was strong. He would pull through. "What kind of cake did you bring?"

"Angel food. Dad's favorite."

Of course. Kim was always the good girl, doing the right thing without being asked. Mike could barely manage to get himself places on time, let alone remember to bring something with him.

His sister placed the white bakery box on the counter. "Hi, Mom," she said, pecking her cheek. "Big brother." She grinned and pulled him into a hug.

"Hey, pest."

She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Jerk."

"Squirt."

"Enough!" Ella yelled at them like they were naughty kids and Kim grinned.

"It's just so easy to fall back into it." She shook her head and grinned. Kim was a true mixture of both parents, with their mother's reddish brown hair and Simon's hazel eyes. Eyes that now danced with laughter. "So where's Sam?" she asked.

"Your brother isn't here yet." Ella glanced at the clock on the oven and frowned. "He's late and that's not like him. Is he working a shift today? Maybe he got held up." She looked to Mike for the answer, since he was now his brother's boss.

"Not that I know of, unless he switched with someone."

"Well, let's sit down in here for a little while and wait. Give your father some more time to sleep." Ella gestured to the Formica table and they each sat in the same chairs they'd eaten in growing up.

"How's Dad doing?" Kim asked. "You mentioned back pain?"

Ella nodded. "The doctor said he might try and do radiation this week instead of waiting until later on. It's supposed to help shrink the tumor and help with the pain. But he's handling the chemo well enough. And his spirit is amazing," she said with obvious pride.

"What about you?" Mike asked his mother, reaching for her hand.

She immediately waved him off. "I'm fine, Michael. I'm not the one who's sick."

Mike shot his sister a knowing look. Their mother acted like Superwoman, stepping up and handling everything without complaint. Perfection personified, Mike thought. But he knew she had to be exhausted. He opened his mouth to argue that she needed rest too; but Kim shook her head, telling him to let it go.

Fine, he'd listen for now but at some point his mother would have to give in and let someone else help her out for a change.

Suddenly the telephone rang and Ella rose to answer it.

"Don't pressure her. She likes feeling needed," Kim whispered as their mother spoke on the phone. "I'm coming over to sit with Dad one day this week so she can go get her hair done. Sam promised to play chess with Dad one afternoon this week. She's getting breaks."

"Why didn't anyone ask me to help out?" Mike asked, too petulantly for his liking. But the fact that he hadn't thought to relieve his mother had him feeling out of sorts and selfish. As usual, he'd fallen short compared to his siblings. So what else was new?

"We figured you had your hands full taking Dad's place and getting up to speed," Kim said.