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“Given what I know of the two of you, I highly doubt anyone is going into this on a whim. Go slow, like you said. And let me give you some advice. Just because this thing you have with Mason feels stronger than anything else, and you’re worried it might break more than your heart…take the leap, sis. Take it—because if you don’t, you’re going to have to sit back and watch him move on and know that you might have given up the best thing that ever happened to you.”
My heart dropped when I saw the sadness in his eyes. I squeezed his hand and asked, “Who was she?”
He shook his head. “Someone who scared the living shit out of me, so I pushed her away.”
I smiled. “I heard love can do that.”
He exhaled and laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“I’m sorry, Braxton. I’m sorry you didn’t take the leap.”
His eyes met mine. “So am I, Palmer. So am I.”
Clearing my throat, I said, “Okay, well, enough of that heavy emotional stuff. Do you really think we should drop the search for Ms. Seaside?”
Brax gave me a one-shoulder shrug. “I wasn’t able to find out anything when I tried my little stakeout, but we can still keep digging if you want.”
“Maybe we should let it rest.”
He nodded.
Smiling, I wrapped my arms around him. “No matter what people say, you’re a good guy, Braxton.”
He pushed me away, then put his hand on my face and laughed. “You are such a brat!”
It was supposed to be a small family party at Mason’s, but when his parents left to head back to Boston early, he asked if I wanted to invite anyone over. Sutton and Brody, Addie and Gannon, Harlee and Thomas, and Braxton and his date, Lynn—along with her five-year-old daughter Reese—all showed up. Charlie and Reese were in the same class, so they had a blast playing together. Clarence, Charlie’s puppy, followed the kids everywhere until he finally passed out around ten. I was honestly surprised that both Charlie and Reese were still going strong at nearly midnight.
Sutton walked up to me, Harlee, and Addie, and smiled. “I have to say, a New Year’s Eve party where I’m not drinking any alcohol isn’t all that bad.”
Addie laughed and held up her sparkling water. “I’ll toast to that.”
“I’m not even pregnant, and I’m not drinking,” Harlee said with a frown. “But that’s because I know Thomas can’t not drink.”
“I thought you were going to break up with him,” I said quietly as I looked over to where Thomas and Brax were in deep conversation about the right type of bait for a certain kind of fish.
“We did break up.”
Everyone turned and looked at Harlee. A chorus of “You did?” filled the air.
“Yes, but we still decided to be one another’s date on New Year’s Eve.”
Addie nodded. “That makes sense. Was it mutual then?”
“Pretty much,” Harlee said before she took a sip of her drink.
Sutton leaned in more. “Okay, but what’s the deal with Brax dating a single mom?”
We all turned and looked at Lynn, who was staring at Brax like he hung the moon—even though he was still talking about fish.
“That one is a bit shocking, not going to lie,” I said. “I saw him earlier, and he made no mention of the fact that he’s dating someone with a kid.”
“Interesting,” Harlee mused. “Maybe he’s finally ready to settle down.”
“Braxton?” Addie, Sutton, and I all said at once.
Harlee chuckled, then shrugged. “I don’t know. Or maybe he really likes her and doesn’t mind that she has a little one.”
The look on Harlee’s face was one of utter sadness.
Sutton and Addie must have noticed as well, because they glanced at me with confused expressions.
“Harlee, was there ever something between you and Braxton?” I asked.
She looked me directly in the eyes, and I could see the internal conflict that was waging a war in there. But before she could say anything, Lynn walked up.
“It’s almost time, ladies! Grab ahold of the man you want to kiss at midnight,” Lynn said with a wink.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like Lynn. She was nice enough. It was that something felt off—or maybe it was because she didn’t seem like the type of woman Brax would date.
Harlee gave her a polite smile and headed off in the direction of Thomas and Brax.
Addie leaned into me and whispered, “How much do you think Harlee wants to pick Brax over Thomas?”
I turned to face her. “You see it too?”
Sutton huffed. “Please, it’s hard not to notice how they secretly look at each other when they think no one else is watching. I thought Harlee was going to strangle Jennifer on Thanksgiving.”
“Do you think something ever happened between the two of them?” I asked as I looked back over to where Harlee was now standing next to Thomas. When neither of my sisters said anything, I glanced back at them. “What is it?”
