“Kace!”
Kacey, who is whoa-pregnant, waves as we hug tightly. I used to work out with her all the time, but then she got pregnant and decided to take a break. I grab her belly as Ella, their daughter, runs past us to go play with the other kids. “He’s gonna be here soon, right? Like real soon?”
“A week or two,” she gushes as Jordie, her magnificent husband, kisses her temple. He’s got the sexiest beard I’ve ever seen, and he’s all rugged and rough. He also just celebrated ten years clean. It’s amazing, and we’re all still so proud of him.
“I think she’ll pop next week,” Karson King, her brother, says as he comes in with his younger daughter, Rose, on his back, his eldest, Mena Jane, running in and around him to get to the backyard. His wife, Lacey, walks with their son, Braden. “And who has a kid damn near ten years after the other is beyond me.”
Kacey gives him a dark look as Lacey laughs. “It’s called a surprise.”
Jordie holds up his hands, waving them. “Surprise!”
Everyone but Kacey laughs, and I hug her once more. “Either way, you’re gorgeous as always.”
“You’re a good girl, Shelli.”
Soon my mom’s voice is carrying through the room, and they walk toward her. I go to shut the door when Jayden Sinclair blocks me. “Whoa, coming in.”
Baylor, his wife, comes in first and grins happily at me. “I can’t get over how pretty you are! Welcome home.”
I hug her and then Jayden. “Thanks! Where are the boys?”
“We left them with my brother Jude and his wife, Claire. They’re practicing since they should be getting their new baby soon. I think the adoption is almost final. Right, Bay?”
Baylor nods. “Almost. We’re so excited for them!”
“I am too, but they should have come. I love Claire. She used to watch me.”
“It was a surprise they came in. They didn’t want to impose.”
I wave her off. “Tell them to come if they want! Bring your boys. We have plenty of food and drinks.”
Jayden grins. “I will.”
I once again try to shut the door, but again, someone blocks it. “Are we not welcome?”
Ugh. Benji Paxton. While Aiden was my for-real crush, Benji was the guy everyone was in love with. He is by far the nicest and kindest man I’ve ever met. “Of course you are!”
He hugs me tightly. “I cannot believe you’re twenty-one and we’re having a party welcoming you home from being on Broadway. You’ve done big things, Shelli.”
I beam up at him. He’s so much hotter with his dusting of gray. “Thanks, Coach,” I say with a wink, and he grins. He helped coach the pee wee hockey team I played on with his daughter Angie.
“Where are Angie and Lucy?”
He shakes his head. “They’re off in Kentucky, doing tours for college. They left me with the twins,” he says, and just like that, their twin eight-year-olds, Max and Ryder, run past me. “I’m not sure the boys’ll be alive before those two get back. Charlotte’s with Autumn and River this weekend for some peace and quiet. I’m jealous.”
I laugh as I pat his arm. “You’re silly. Go have fun, grab a soda. The boys will be distracted for a while.”
“Great. Good seeing you. Welcome home.”
“Thanks,” I gush, and I watch as he walks away. Lucy Paxton is one lucky woman. I let out a long sigh before I go to shut the door once more, and again, it’s blocked. “That’s it. It can stay open for—”
My words fall off when I see Aiden gazing back at me. He looks delicious in a pair of fitted maroon slacks and a black button-up. He wears an adorable maroon bow tie, and his hair is down, curly and luscious. “Oh.”
He tips his lips up at the side. “Hey, Shelli.”
Fire fills my gut in seconds. “Hey.”
“You look really good,” he says, and my heart jackhammers in my chest. I’m just wearing a simple maxi dress, but under his gaze, I feel like I’m in a ball gown.
“Thanks. You too. I like the bow tie.”
He grins as he reaches into his pocket. “You left this.”
He hands over my ID and money, and I sigh with relief. “I thought I’d lost them!”
“Nope, they were in my bed,” he says, and when our gazes meet, both our faces are flushed with color.
He swallows hard, and I look away. “I thought I had tucked them in my bra well.”
“Yeah, I didn’t feel them when I grabbed your phone and key.”
I look up at him with a sneaky grin. “You grabbed my phone and key?”
Aiden’s face reddens even more. “In the most respectful way,” he promises, and I flash him a wide grin. “I really didn’t want you to get stabbed by your key or get cancer from your phone. But I didn’t feel your other stuff, and I wasn’t digging. Didn’t trust myself.”