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Cat raises an eyebrow then turns to Grace. “How come you won the lottery? I’ve got three brothers, and they’re all rubbish, but you’ve just got one, and he’s a gem. And Emily”—she shifts her attention to her—“an only child? What I wouldn’t have given to switch places with you some days. At times, all I wanted was a bit of peace and quiet.”

“Charming!” Lewis grumbles. “And here was me thinking I was a pretty good big brother.”

“You must have had plenty of peace and quiet around Bannock, no?” Emily says. “I think it’d be a magical place to grow up as a kid, and I’m excited about raising our boy here.” Her gloved hand goes to her belly, almost like it’s an instinctive reaction to the mere mention of her baby. “It’ll be a very different upbringing from my own.”

“Bannock is a wonderful place to raise a family,” Maw agrees, her expression growing nostalgic. “Your wee one will be very happy here, Emily. And Grace, your wee one will love visiting. I’m going to spoil her rotten every time she comes up, so she’ll always look forward to coming back.”

It’s a sweet sentiment, but it reminds me that Grace lives six hundred miles away in London, as will our wee girl when she’s born. As much as I’d like to move closer to them, I’ve just started a business with Ally, and even if I were to chuck that in, I’m an outdoor instructor. London is a bustling metropolis with endless employment options, but when your job is literally working in the great outdoors, it’s not the best place to be.

Would Grace ever consider moving here? I’ve no idea.

We continue on, choosing a path that will take us on a circular tour back through the woods. We’ve been going for a while when Grace suddenly stops.

“Wait, it looks different in the snow, but . . . isn’t this where I fell?”

This question brings the rest of our group to a halt.

I chuckle. “Aye, you’re right. It was there I picked you up.” I point with my free hand, my other still intertwined with Grace’s.

“You carried Grace all the way to the hotel from here?” Iona blinks. “That’s quite a distance.”

“It is!” Cat chimes. “That’s so sweet, Aidan.”

“And romantic,” Emily adds.

I shrug like it was nothing.

“Still, you’ll be glad it happened when it did,” Jamie comments. “You wouldn’t want to be carrying Grace now, not with that big bump. No offence, Grace.”

She offers an unconvincing laugh, but I grit my teeth.

“Jamie, you can’t say whatever you like then add ‘no offence’ after it, as though that somehow makes it okay. That was out of order.”

He raises two gloved hands in surrender. “All right, jeez, sorry! I take it back.”

He turns and walks on, but I’m not done with him yet. I bend, scoop up some snow, press it into a snowball, then hurl a belter that gets him right on the back of the head. He staggers in surprise, and for once, it’s Jamie who’s the butt of the joke. Even Maw can’t resist a wee giggle.

He spins around, and far from being annoyed, his expression is one of delight. “This is war!” he proclaims.

“Aye, it is.” Lewis tosses a snowball of his own and gets Jamie square in the face.

This is met with even louder laughs, and the next second, all the men—and Cat too—are scrambling to make snowballs. They’re chucked left, right, and centre.

“I’m waving a white flag, and so are the pregnant ladies. Over here, girls!” Maw leads an amused Grace and Emily to a safe distance.

Dodging a snowball meant for me, Iona frowns. “Aren’t we too old for this?”

“Nope.” I hurl one back. “When else will you get to hit Jamie without consequence?”

“Good point!” She kneels, gathers together her first snowball, and—like most of the rest of us—aims for the youngest McIntyre brother.

From the sidelines, Maw says to Grace and Emily, “Just a few minutes ago, they were reminiscing about being children. I’m not entirely sure they’ve grown up! Would you guess by looking at them we have here a vet, a hotel manager, a teacher in training, and two dads-to-be?”

Scoring a good hit on Jamie, Iona makes me her new target. I see it coming, though, and get her first. This only spurs her on, and Ally joins sides with her, going for me too.

Jamie, whose gaze is darting left and right as he watches out for incoming snowballs, calls to Maw, “You only mentioned five people—you left off me!”

“No, I didn’t,” she retorts. “You, Jamie, are acting exactly as I would expect you to.”