"Nannanan," Jeremy says, tugging on Anne's sleeve. "Juice?"

"Daddy?"

"Sure," Kevin says, glancing at his watch. "Your mama baked some cookies this morning, too, if you want some."

Anne picks her baby brother up and starts towards the kitchen. "Anyone else want a snack?" David and Adam immediately abandon the sandbox. Janie tugs on AJ's hand and he kisses the top of her head.

"Go on."

Baylee and Susan don't even wait to ask, hustling the stragglers inside. As they slide the door shut, the grown-ups can hear Anne faintly, "Hup, two, three, four" marching them all to the kitchen.

"She's good with them," Howie says.

"You should see her when it's bedtime," Kevin says. "Bossy little thing."

Nick grins. "Like some people I won't mention."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course not." AJ smirks. "The fact that we've all congregated in Kentucky to record means nothing."

"If you bothered to put a studio on your property, we'd go to LA," Kevin says. Brian, Howie, AJ and Nick all start laughing, and he shoots them a glare. "I'm not gonna leave Britney alone with four kids while she's pregnant."

"No," Britney says, coming into the yard with Sarah and Leighanne. She presses a kiss to Kevin's cheek, and lets him tug her into his lap. 47, and his legs protest a little at the extra weight, but he pulls her closer. "Of course not," she says "Having been pregnant so many time already, there's no way I could *possibly* handle it alone."

"You don't want me around anymore?"

"Oh, sweetie," Britney says.

AJ coughs. "I think," he says, "I might want some juice and cookies too."

"Yes," Brian says. "Juice and cookies sound good. For all of us."

"I'm not hungry," Nick says, but Howie pulls his arm anyway.

"Nicky," he says, "you're always hungry."

"Well, yeah," Nick says, "for *you*... oh..."

"He's nearly forty," Britney comments. "Is he ever going to grow up?"

"I hope not." Kevin wraps an arm around her waist, and the baby kicks his hand. "But either way, I have other things to worry about right now."

"Yeah?" she says, and he can her the smile in her voice.

"Well, for starters, Annie told me in no uncertain terms that if this one is a boy, she's disowning us."

"Even," Britney says, "if we promise faithfully to keep on trying?"

Kevin nuzzles her neck. "I'll have to ask," he says.