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Annie nodded again.
Then Rosa started to sing the same song that she'd sung to Phoebe when she was growing up. Phoebe joined in, and after a moment, Annie did too. Then Henry joined in, and the sound became louder and more raucous, until they were all laughing and in hysterics. Annie was shrieking with laughter as she high-fived Rosa and Henry. "Lucas brought me a unicorn!! Maybe he'll bring her again for you!"
Phoebe and Jacob smiled at each other. When Jacob had been in the hospital, Lucas had come by every single day with Rainbow Sparkle to distract Annie, unicorn horn and all. That was the kind of family she was marrying into, and she knew she was the luckiest woman ever.
"A unicorn?" Rosa raised her brows at Phoebe, who nodded. "Wow. That's exciting."
"I know!" Annie tugged on her arm. "Come see my pony!"
"You bet!"
Phoebe set down Annie, her heart full as she watched Annie lead her parents over to the field where pony Rosa and Freedom were grazing. "Holy cow," she whispered as Jacob put his arm around her. "That is the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. I thought I'd never get to see my parents again, and now, they're here, playing with my daughter."
Jacob kissed the top of her head. "I have a confession to make."
"What's that?"
"I might have offered to build them the house of their dreams on the ranch, if they wanted to move here."
Phoebe spun around to face him. "Shut up."
He grinned. "I did."
"What did they say?"
"They said they'd love to."
Stunned elation leapt through Phoebe, and she flung her arms around Jacob. He'd given her everything. Freedom. Family. And now…her parents. She pulled back, searching his face. "Thank you. For everything."
He locked his arms around her waist. "It's just the start, sweetheart. We have a huge life to lead."
She beamed at him. "We do. I'm so excited to do it with you." Then she heard the roar of trucks, and she looked past Jacob and saw a line of vehicles heading down the driveway. Lots of Hart trucks plus what looked like two catering trucks. "What's going on?"
He grinned. "It's your surprise engagement party. We had to wait until your parents arrived, but no one would wait any longer."
"Seriously?" She couldn't believe it. Every Hart was there. She knew everyone's trucks by now, and they were all there.
"We're family now," Tatum said, grinning. "And the Harts like to celebrate family at every possible moment." She threw up her arms. "It's party time!"
Then the trucks arrived and all these amazing Harts started pouring out, laughing, joking, hugging, each other, Phoebe, her parents…
She looked over at Jacob, and he grinned at her.
She was home.
* * *
The party was well-underway a few hours later. "Congrats, Jacob." Chase Stockton, the oldest sibling in the Stockton family, walked up. "I'm so happy for you."
The Stocktons were related to the Harts by marriage, when a former under-the-bridger had married a Stockton, a group of cowboy brothers who had shared the same dad, an alcoholic monster who had nearly destroyed the boys. Only by coming together had the Stocktons survived, finding their place on the massive Stockton ranch, a story that shared many similarities with the Harts.
"Yes, all of us are," Chase's wife Mira said, beaming at Jacob. "You Harts are like the Stockton men. You all are wonderful, amazing people, but you need the right partner to love you exactly as you are. I can tell Phoebe loves you that way. She's a treasure."
Jacob grinned. "Thanks. I feel lucky every day." As he spoke, his gaze went back to Brody's pool. Annie was playing with a few of the Stockton kids, while Phoebe sat on the edge of the pool with Bella and his other sister, Meg. A few of the Stockton wives were with them, including his sister Hannah, whose marriage to Maddox Stockton had brought the families together.
He used to avoid these big gatherings with all the Stocktons and their kids, but he felt differently now. He loved seeing Annie thrive with her cousins, and it made him happy to hear Annie's laughter.
Phoebe's parents were sitting under an umbrella, watching their daughter and granddaughter with so much joy.
