“Good!” Ella smiles.
“Can’t complain yet, she doesn’t do a whole lot.” Jesse shrugs.
“When do you think we can teach her how to use a duck call?” Cody asks. Laughs sound from around the table. “What? I’m serious,” he adds.
“The correct way? Cody, I think you were about ten, Jesse was eight,” Leonard says with a chuckle.
“Sounds right,” Jesse says.
“Whoa, whoa, wait. Why was I such a late bloomer?” Cody argues.
“Because you lack patience,” Addison mutters.
“Then how ’bout Mason? He’s not that patient either,” Cody says.
Maureen looks to Leonard, thinking, but Mason interjects. “I think I was eight or nine. I remember taking it for show-and-tell in third grade. Ladies liked that,” he jokes.
Everyone can’t help but laugh, including me. I glance at Addison. She’s smiling but it doesn’t quite meet her eyes. When I look down at her plate, I realize she’s barely touched any of it. I lean over to catch her attention, brushing my hand against her leg nonchalantly and quickly, and she looks up at me. I see it in her eyes…she just wants to get it out there so she can relax.
I glance back around the table, the conversation about duck calls winding down, laughter fading. I wait for a beat of quiet, then take in a breath.
“So,” I begin, all eyes turning to me, “Addison and I have some news.” I rest my arm on the back of her chair, feeling the nerves roil in my stomach.
My gaze meets Jesse’s. He’s the only one I think might know what’s coming. He lifts his chin slightly, trying not to grin. Waiting. I glance at Addison. She’s holding her breath, but thecorners of her mouth twitch up a bit.
“We’re…dating,” I say. The words are out, but the weight in my chest doesn’t quite lift.
Her mom lights up. “Oh wow!”
Cody huffs. “Well, it’s about frickin’ time.”
Her dad gives a proud smile and nods. Ella throws her hands in the air. “Yay!” she exclaims, and pushes on Jesse’s shoulder. Like they’d been talking about it privately.
Jesse jabs a finger towards Mason. “You owe me ten bucks.”
“You still owe me twenty from two months ago!” Mason shoots back.
“Wait, wait,” Addison cuts in, pointing around. “You guys were all makingbets?!”
“I wasn’t,” Cody says. “But if I was, I’d be rich right now. Why didn’t you ask me?” He looks at Jesse, who just laughs.
“You guys bet on mybreakup?!” Addison retorts.
“No.” Jesse shakes his head. “We bet on Wes losing his mind being in the truck with you all day though.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “You guys are—”
“Great big brothers?” Jesse finishes for me, then stands, holding his hand out for Mason’s money.
“Well, wait! Mason, what was your bet?” Addison asks.
“I said he’d be fine.” He shrugs.
“Sorry to disappoint.” I nudge him.
“Hold on, how long has this been going on?” Mom asks.
Addie looks at me, like we’re fact-checking ourselves. “Since New Year’s,” she says with a smile before looking back to Maureen.
