My phone buzzes, and I check it to find a text from Rowan.
Rowan: Have fun tonight! Don't do anything I wouldn't do (which leaves plenty of options)
I shake my head, typing back a quick response.
Me: What do you know that I don't?
Her reply is immediate.
Rowan: Nothing! Just being a supportive sister. Love you both
Now I'm really suspicious. Rowan and Axel have gotten close over the past two months, forming an alliance that's equal parts touching and terrifying. They text each other memes. They have inside jokes. Last week, I caught them huddled over coffee, conversation stopping abruptly when I approached.
"Did you talk to Rowan today?" I ask casually.
Axel's eyes flick to me, then back to the road. "Nope. Why?"
"No reason." I turn to look out the window as we leave the main road, heading toward the lake where we had our first real date. The late afternoon sun filters through the trees, casting dappled shadows across the dashboard.
"I thought we could have a picnic," Axel says, his voice just a touch higher than normal. "Watch the sunset. Just us."
"Sounds perfect," I reply, though a strange flutter of nerves has taken up residence in my stomach. There's an energycoming off him that I can't quite place, anticipation mixed with something that feels almost like fear.
We pull into the small clearing by the lake, and my breath catches. Someone, Axel, obviously, has transformed the space. Tiny lights hang from the trees, waiting for dusk to be switched on. A blanket is spread on the ground, a wicker picnic basket sitting in the center. Wildflowers, the same kind he brought me the night after we first said I love you, are arranged in a small vase.
"Axel," I breathe, taking it all in. "What is all this?"
He comes around to my door, opening it with a flourish. "Just wanted to do something special."
As I step out, Poppy starts fussing in her car seat, arms reaching toward us.
"I'll get her," says a voice, and I whirl around to see a man approaching from a nearby truck, tall, dark-haired, with the same strong jaw as Axel but a more serious set to his mouth.
"Sadie, this is my brother Aiden," Axel says, his hand finding the small of my back. "He just moved back from Texas."
"The famous Sadie," Aiden says with a warm smile, shaking my hand. "It's great to finally meet you."
"You too," I manage, surprised. Axel's mentioned his brother often, but always with the qualifier that he was settled in Texas for good. "I didn't know you were visiting."
"Not visiting," Aiden corrects, already moving toward Poppy, who's watching him with curious eyes. "I'm back for good."
He unstraps her with surprising expertise, lifting her into his arms. "Hey there, beautiful. I'm your uncle Aiden."
Poppy, usually wary of strangers, studies him for a long moment before reaching out to pat his face. It's the same thing she does with Axel, some instinct telling her this man is safe.
"She likes you," I say, surprised.
"Of course she does," Aiden replies, bouncing her gently. "It's the Slade charm. Irresistible to women of all ages."
I glance at Axel, who's watching us with a soft expression I can't quite read. "Did you know he was coming back?"
"Found out today," he says, his eyes never leaving mine. "Surprised me at the ranch."
"And now I'm going to take this little lady for a walk," Aiden announces, settling Poppy on his hip. "Show her the ducks. Give you two some privacy."
"Wait, what?" I look between the brothers, confused. "You don't have to?—"
"Yes, he does," Axel interrupts gently. "Just for a little while. I promise he's great with kids."
