“Dex Hawthorne.”
They shake.
This time, it holds.
Mason moves to the bar, grabbing a soda like he belongs there, like maybe he does now.
“Lexy told me about you,” he says. “So… how are we gonna protect my sister from that bastard?”
Dex leans back against the counter, already answering, and just like that the tension shifts into something else, something steadier.
By the end of the hour, they’re arguing about sports, voices low but easy, like they’ve known each other longer than they have.
And I just stand there for a second, watching them, feeling something inside me finally settle.
“Come on,” I say finally, nudging Mason. “I’ll show you the apartment.”
Upstairs, he takes everything in slowly, his eyes landing on Dex’s Marvel collection with a grin I haven’t seen in years.
We end up on the floor, laughing, Marvel wedged between us, going wild.
The door opens.
“All right,” Dex says, stepping inside, keys in hand, “Mama just called. We’ve got dinner at the ranch.”
I glance at Mason. “I don’t really want to leave him alone…”
Dex smirks.
“You really think Lily Hawthorne would invite you and not your brother?”
I laugh.
Of course not.
???
We pull up to the Hawthorne Ranch just as the last of the sun dips behind the hills, the sky stretched in soft purples and golds.
Even though I’ve been here before, something about it still gets to me. The space, the quiet, the kind of peace that makes everything feel bigger than life itself.
Next to me, Mason lets out a low whistle under his breath.
“Jesus…” he mutters, leaning forward slightly as he takes it all in. “You grew up here?”
He looks at Dex, who nods.
A small smile tugs at my lips.
The car hasn’t even fully stopped before the front door swings open.
Lily.
She comes down the porch steps like a force of nature, apron still tied around her waist as she wipes her hands on it, her whole face lighting up the second she spots us.
Dex barely gets his door closed before she’s pulling him into her arms.
“Missed you, my sweet boy.”
