Braeden rubbed his eyebrow, almost checking to make sure it was still there. “A man singes his eyebrow one time.”
Everyone laughed.
“What can I do to help?” Joey asked.
“Balloons are being delivered too,” Rimmel said. “Maybe you can help me bring those down.”
Arrow stepped forward. “Me and Hopp will do that.”
Joey turned, giving her brother a look. “You think we can’t handle some balloons?”
“Rim would probably float away with them,” Braeden muttered.
Rimmel gasped. “I would not!”
“Your organizational skills are needed to organize the food and table, baby,” Romeo said.
Sighing, Rimmel looked at Joey. “That’s mansplaining for they don’t want us around a bunch of strangers at the gate.”
“They have a point,” Lorhaven added.
Beside me, Ivy straightened. “There’s a lot of stuff to do anyway since the caterers won’t be setting up. We can’t let them do it.” She nodded toward the guys. “They wouldn’t know how to style a charcuterie board even if we showed them a picture.”
“I know it goes in my belly,” Romeo cracked.
“Get in my belly!” Arrow chanted.
Hopper snagged a blueberry donut from a box and shoved it into his mouth.
“Hey,” he said, pointing to the mouthful jammed between his lips. “That’s my favfrite.”
“Thanks,” I said quietly to my sister while everyone else laughed.
“You’re welcome.” She took the whisk from my hand. “If you beat those eggs any more, they’re going to coagulate.”
My nose wrinkled. “Do eggs do that?”
“I don’t care to find out.”
Laughing, I went to grab the sausage and cheese while she added the eggs to two large glass dishes.
A short while later, a birthday breakfast was served, family style. And then it was party time.
“I should go introduce myself,”Braeden announced, staring down the kid currently walking right beside Nova.
“He’s one of your football players.” I reminded him. “Pretty sure you’ve met.”
Braeden pursed his lips, and we all looked back to see the kid say something and Nova laugh. Her long hair floated out around her, and her cheeks glowed a little pink.
The kid seemed happy with the reaction, and he leaned in to nudge her with his shoulder.
“Obviously, he doesn’t know me well enough,” Braeden growled and started forward.
Romeo caught him by the hood and towed him back. “Hold on there, Hulk.”
Nova’s giggle floated over from where the pair sat on a bench near the fire pit with his arm draped causally over her shoulder.
“Oh, hells no,” Romeo said, letting go of B so the pair of them could stalk their way over.
