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on Friday night. Girls only. Meet me here, and we’ll all get dressed and head out together.”
    Ella laughed. “Okay then. I thought I was supposed to plan this, and you said not to bother?”
    “I decided going dancing would be fun. Erin says we can make it her baby shower too.”
    “I’ll grab some red velvet cupcakes then. That’ll be fun. I haven’t been out dancing in forever and ever.”
    “Friday. My house no later than seven. You’d better bring some hot clothes, or I will dress you myself,” Elise warned, and Brody chuckled in the background.
    “You doing all right? Anything I can help with?” Erin was the official maid of honor, but she and Ella had shared a lot of the duties.
    “It’s all good. I’m marrying Brody in a few months. What could be better than that?”
    Ella smiled, truly thrilled for both of them, and for Rennie too. “You’re right. I’ll see you Friday.”

3
    Cope knew exactly what he was doing when he showed up at Brody’s door on Friday night. Brody had invited friends over for a guy’s night while the women would be heading out dancing. Not a bachelor party with strippers or anything. Brody and the rest of the crew were past that.
    He had no intention of sitting around playing cards and drinking beer while Ella was out looking hot and dancing at a club. In a while, he’d make the suggestion that they go out and connect with the ladies to have a unified bride and groom party. The rest of the guys would pretend to fight the idea for all of thirty minutes, and then they’d head out.
    The idea that men didn’t want to be in the company of beautiful women when they were dressed up and ready to dance and have fun was absurd. He found men who proclaimed to want man caves, without the presence of women, hard to understand. If the ladies didn’t want them along, that would be different. He wasn’t a stalker or anything. But from everything he’d ever learned about women, they liked being around their men too.
    “Wait up,” Ben called as he caught up with his brother on the porch. “You can carry this.” He shoved a bag full of chips, dogs and five kinds of dip at Cope.
    “Glad to be your pack mule. I hear that happens to you when you get old.”
    “What? You’re smart enough to con younger people into hauling your shit?” Ben snorted. “Hey, listen, I’m going to support you when you inevitably suggest we go and hang out with the ladies, won’t I? You can carry some chips.”
    Oh. Well, yes then. “Sure.” He shrugged, and they went into the house. The place had been a single man’s paradise a year before, but now a family lived there. Cope liked it better now. He smiled as he thought of Brody’s daughter. Rennie’s backpack was hung on a peg near the door, her little rain boots lined up under the bench. They’d filed all the paperwork for Brody’s formal adoption of Elise’s daughter earlier that week. She was a tough little girl, smart, funny, and his friend loved her fiercely. Watching them grow into a family had taught Cope what it meant to truly love another person. He wanted that, craved that connection and rhythm that was so much bigger than him.
    The sound of laughing women caught Ben and Cope both as they slowly entered the main family room where Brody sat talking to Adrian.
    “They’re jammed into our bedroom.” Brody tipped his chin in the direction of the back hallway leading to the master bedroom. “Women and skimpy clothes all over the place.” He grinned. “I’m a lucky man.”
    Cope grinned right back at him. “I happen to agree with you. Speaking of pretty women, what about the youngest one? Where’s Rennie?”
    “Her grandparents picked her up from school. They’re keeping her this weekend. But she’ll be at the engagement party tomorrow.”
    “Dude, don’t forget to tell them she got an A on her very first essay.” Adrian shook his head at his brother. “She was quite insistent that everyone would want to know.”
    “My kid