Her light blue wrap dress hugs every curve perfectly, making her eyes shine.
“Thank you.”
Ethan hugs me next. “Glad you’re here, Lexy,” he says quietly.
“Thanks.” I glance down, not used to being so welcomed and… accepted.
“Is that my big brother?” a voice calls, and I turn to find Grace.
I’ve only seen her on video calls, but in person she’s like a burst of sunlight.
Dex walks over, lifts her off the ground, and spins her.
“I missed you!” he says, then looks her over. “That dress is too revealing.”
Grace waves him off and turns to me. “Oh my, I see it now. Tinker.” She nods, then pulls me into a hug. “So nice to meet you!”
She steps back, green eyes scanning me. “Gorgeous!”
I blush. “Nice to finally meet you in person too. You look absolutely stunning.”
“She looks like she needs to change,” Cas mutters as he joins us.
“Oh shut it. I’ll be twenty in a few months, and I’m allowed to vote now. Time to put that overprotective brother act to rest,” Grace shoots back.
“You got that wrong, little sister. We’ll be overprotective bastards till the day we take our last breath,” Dex says.
Grace sighs, glancing at me. “See what I have to deal with every time I’m around them?”
But the small smile she gives them says everything.
She loves her big brothers.
For a split second, something tightens in my chest.
What if I had a big brother when…
Nope.
Not going there.
I glance toward the bar they set up, about to head that way, but Dex’s hand lands on my shoulder, stopping me. When I turn, he’s holding out a glass of champagne with a strawberry.
“Thank you.”
He just smiles and takes a sip of his beer.
There are a lot of people here, and as I look over the tables, I notice some of the women who always flirt with Dex… including one in particular.
Cynthia.
And she is staring straight at me.
Oops.
“There are a lot of people here,” I say, turning slightly away.
“My mama is known and loved by the whole town, so… the whole town was invited,” Ethan says.
