Chapter 21 #2
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.
“She’s something special.”
“No woman like my mama,” Jace adds, slipping an arm around my shoulders.
Dex immediately pulls him off and replaces Jace’s arm with his own, his body close behind mine, his breath brushing my ear.
“Don’t let him put his paws on you, Tinker.”
I tilt my head up at him. “Why not?”
His eyes darken, dropping to my lips for a second before lifting again.
“I don’t like it.”
Something in my chest stumbles at that.
“We need to take our places,” Penny calls, and the brothers move toward the pastor.
Guests begin to sit, and I’m about to follow when Grace stops me with a hand on my shoulder.
“Mama didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
She smiles. “You’re standing next to me. As Dex’s date.”
My stomach flips. “But I’m not his date.”
Grace’s smile only widens as she pulls me along. “Aren’t you?”
And suddenly I’m standing across from him.
Facing him.
Like it’s real.
Like this means something.
My heartbeat picks up, and I hate that I don’t know if it’s because of the ceremony… or because of him.
Grace stands on my right, Summer on my left.
In front of Jace stands a girl I don’t recognize.
She has long brown hair, bangs and wears glasses. She’s staring at her feet, quiet, while Jace is staring at her like the rest of the world disappeared. No teasing, no flirting. Just… locked in.
That alone tells me everything.
There’s a story there.
“Who is she?” I ask quietly.
Grace smiles. “Cassie. Our neighbor. My best friend.”
I hold out my hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Lexy”
She takes it softly. “Cassie, nice to meet you too.”
Yeah… she’s really shy.
The music shifts, and we all turn.
Josh steps out first, just as handsome as his sons, taking his place beside them.
I glance at Dex and find him already looking at me, that smirk in place.
And I blush.
Bastard .
Then the music changes to “To Make You Feel My Love,” and Lily walks out in a golden gown, white roses in hand.
She’s breathtaking.
Josh’s eyes fill instantly. “Thirty years, and this woman still manages to take my breath away.”
And that’s it.
Tears blur my vision before I can stop them.
Lily reaches him, smiling like she holds the whole world in her hands, and pulls him into a hug that feels like something sacred.
This is what love should look like.
I glance around, and not a single person is untouched. Tears everywhere, soft laughter, quiet sniffles as they exchange vows again, reading words that feel too real to belong to anyone but them.
I glance at Grace, but she’s staring somewhere else.
At a man with dark blond hair and amber eyes, a small boy in his arms.
The seat next to him is empty.
He doesn’t look at her once.
Yeah.
There’s a story there too.
And it doesn’t look like a happy one.
The ceremony ends, applause and laughter filling the air as Penny captures every second.
Dex finds my hand again, guiding me toward the table.
I notice my name next to his.
And I don’t know what to do with that.
Twelve seats.
His entire family.
And me.
Dex pulls my chair out, and I sit.
? ? ?
Dexter
The party is in full swing. We ate, we laughed, and now the band is calling my parents to the dance floor for their first dance. “Your Love” by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill starts to play. It is their song.
I look at Lexy next to me, and her eyes are fixed on my parents in wonder.
“They’re beautiful,” she whispers.
“Yeah…” is all I say, because I am not looking at them, but I am still telling the truth. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on. I keep trying to shut it down before it takes root, and yet she draws it out like a flame pulling moths from the shadows.
The song comes to an end, and I am about to ask her to dance when a hand appears in front of her. I look up and find Jace, a flirty smile on his face.
“May I have this dance?” he asks.
She looks at me as if I can stop her, and I know I can, but I don’t. I shrug.
She turns back to him and takes his hand, and something tightens in my chest, sharp enough to make me want to chase her and stop this.
Instead, I stand and walk to the bar, where I spot Cas and Ethan leaning against it, beers in hand, their knowing smirks aimed straight at me as I watch my baby brother flirt with Lexy while holding her close.
I have never, ever wanted to kill one of my brothers.
But the urge to drag Jace away from her, to stop him from making her smile and blush, is so strong that I turn around and stop looking at them.
“Another one bites the dust,” Ethan sings under his breath as I grab a bottle of beer, his smirk sharp. It is a reminder that not long ago I sang the same damn song to him when he followed Summer around like a lost puppy.
“Fuck off,” I growl, taking a long swig.
“You know fighting it will only make it worse, right?” Cas says, his knowing eyes pinning me in place.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, but my voice betrays me, tight with anger.
Cas’s smile widens, while Ethan just shakes his head. I can’t help it and turn back to look at Tinker in the arms of my little brother.
“You mean you’re not looking at Jace and imagining your hands around his neck while he shamelessly flirts with Lexy?” Ethan asks, brows lifting.
“Lexy is free to do whatever, and whoever, she wants,” I snap.
“Really?” Cas sets his beer down and steps closer. “So you wouldn’t mind another man tasting those lips?”
I force my face into stone.
Cas doesn’t stop.
“You wouldn’t mind another man pulling her close, feeling her body against his, touching her like that…”
“Fuck you!” I cut him off, fury burning through me, my expression finally betraying everything I have been trying to bury.
Cas smirks. “No point fighting it, little brother. That kind of passion… there is no avoiding it.”
Ethan nods. “Why would you want to anyway? Summer is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I don’t answer. I just turn and walk straight toward Jace, who now has a hand on Lexy’s shoulder while she laughs at something he said.
Her eyes flick up to mine for half a second, wide and startled, before she looks at my hands, clenched into fists at my sides.
“Hands off. Now,” I growl.
Jace turns slowly, that familiar, infuriating little brother smirk firmly in place.
“Dex, you never told me she was funny and smart too.” His eyes flick to her. “I should come home more often. Grab a beer, steal a dance or two.”
He winks at her.
Lexy looks down at her feet.
There is no thinking. My body moves before my head can catch up.
My hand closes around Jace’s collar, and he bursts out laughing as I drag him away.
“Hands and eyes off my Tinker,” I growl.
Jace cackles, the sound carrying as I drag him off the dance floor, and loud laughter erupts from the bar behind us. It hits me then, too late, that the laughter is not just from my brothers. Every head in the place has turned toward us.
“Fuckers never know when to mind their own business,” I mutter as I shove Jace away and walk toward my parents’ house.
I need to calm down.
I walk out the front door, drop onto my bike, and pull out a cigarette, already bringing it to my lips before I stop.
A curse slips out under my breath. I can’t even smoke anymore, not when I know she hates it.
I stare at it for a second, then toss it to the ground and drag a hand over my face, exhaling hard.
“Son.”
When I look up, my dad is standing there. “Can we talk?”
I take a deep breath, then nod.
“Come to tease me too?” I ask.
He steps closer, no smile on his face. “I see the way you look at her.”
I look away. “So?”
“Is she your one?”
Just three words, one simple question, and my heart is screaming yes. Yes, she is. She stole my heart like a professional thief without me noticing.
“What if she is? It doesn’t change anything anyway.” I shrug.
“That is where you’re wrong. Tell me, son, how many women have you been interested in since Lexy came into your life?”
His question makes me bite my cheek, because I know what he means, and the answer is none.
Not one.
“What does that have to do with her?” I ask.
“I know you and your brothers laugh about it and make jokes, but when Hawthorne men meet their one, all others cease to exist.” He gives me a sad smile.
“So she is the one. That doesn’t change the fact that I can never have her,” I say.
“Why the hell not?” My dad steps closer and puts his hand on my shoulder, making me look up. “I see the way she looks at you too. She follows you around the room. She trusts you. You’re not the only one feeling this, son.”
I shake my head. “Even if she does, Dad, she is…”
I exhale and decide to be honest.
“She is gorgeous, funny, smart, fierce. She deserves a man who would never put her in danger, who would love her the way she deserves. I am… I am damaged, Dad. I did things that…”
I shake my head. I don’t want to think about that.
“She should marry a lawyer or an accountant, not a damaged cowboy running the local rodeo bar.”
I look up and find my father smiling.
“Why are you smiling?”
“You just told me all I needed to know,” he says.
“What?”
“You’re thinking about her, not yourself.” He watches me for a second. “That is all I needed to hear.”
He rubs the back of his neck.
“And stop talking about yourself like that. You're not damaged goods. Anyone who made you believe that didn’t really know you. I do. I know my children, and I know you have the biggest heart. You take care of your own. You always have.”
I look away.
“We all make mistakes, son. Every single one of us. But the worst thing you can do is let your past decide your future. It’s meant to teach you, not break you. You went through hell and came out stronger. That’s not weakness. That’s the kind of man people hold on to when life gets hard.”
His voice softens. “I might not say it enough, but I am proud of you. Damn proud to call you my son.”
He pulls me into a hug, firm and steady, then lets me go.
“Think about it. A life without your person… that’s not living. That’s torture.”
He nods once, then turns and walks back to the party.
I let out a slow breath. His words settle deep, hitting places I have kept locked up for years.
I knew she was different the moment she walked into my bar. My heart stuttered the second she walked in and never found its rhythm again.
What Dad said is true. She has taken up every part of me, and no other woman will ever come close.
I drag a hand through my hair.
I found my one.
Fucking Hawthorne men curse.
But is it really a curse to love her?
No. It’s fire and hunger and something wild I can’t control. And even if I could never have her, I would never wish I hadn’t met her.
So what is left to do?
Pressure builds under my ribs, like I cannot get a full breath in. Something has shifted, and there is no going back from it.
I push off the bike and walk back inside. Lexy is at the bar, laughing with Grace, Penny, and Summer.
I head straight for the band, request the song, then turn toward her.
She looks up and spots me, her expression cautious, unsure after I walked out. But when I tilt my head, she understands. Somewhere during the snowstorm, our communication shifted from words to looks, and she can read me like an open book now.
I’m not mad at her. I never could be.
Her shoulders relax, and she smiles.
I start toward her but get stopped by a hand on my arm. When I turn, Cynthia is already there.
“How about a dance, cowboy?” she asks, leaning in.
I step back. “Not interested.”
I don’t give her another glance as I walk straight to Lexy and hold out my hand.
“Dance with me, Tinker?”
She searches my face for a second, questions in her eyes, then nods and places her hand in mine.
“Worst Way” by Riley Green begins to play, and I pull her against me, close enough that nothing exists between us anymore.
Her breath catches.
The scent of orange blossom fills my lungs, and having her in my arms feels like something in me finally settles into place. I can feel the weight of every stare in the room, but I don’t care. Let them talk.
I lower my mouth to her ear.
“I chose this song for you,” I whisper.
She stills for a heartbeat, like she feels it too, then melts into me, and I hold her tighter as the song puts words to everything I have been trying not to feel.