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It’s adorable that she uses our last name even though they’re not officially married yet. I think she’s found a home with the family, the same way I did. The way I want for Mia, if I’m being honest with myself. She deserves better than the family the universe gave her.
Bex opens the door, her arms already out to pull the closest of us into a hug. “You guys! You’re early!”
“Hey, Bex,” Cooper says. He kisses her on the cheek. “How are you?”
“Better now,” she says, pulling Penny into a hug next. “Mia, it’s so nice to see you again. We’re so excited for you all to—Kiwi, stay right here.”
A sweet, gangly puppy with a white-and-brown speckled coat pokes its head out of the doorway. Bex blocks the entryway with her body, leaving the dog to bark plaintively. “Babe, the dog is trying—”
“I’m here, I’m here.” James scoops up the puppy, flashing us all a smile. “Sorry, we’re still trying to get him to understand the concept of doors.”
“When did you get a dog?” Cooper demands.
The puppy—Kiwi—squirms, trying to lick James’ face. When we’re all safely inside, he shuts the door and sets him down. He promptly runs in a circle around us, sniffing excitedly at our feet and our overnight bags.
Penny drops to her knees, coaxing the dog into her arms. He licks her across the face, but she doesn’t flinch. “His name is Kiwi? I’m dead, that’s too cute. Mia, come pet him.”
Mia looks wary for half a second, but then Kiwi plops right in front of her and rolls onto his belly, and she can’t resist. I think I catch a flash of a smile as she bends down, thank God. To be fair, there isn’t much that an adorable dog can’t fix, and this one has cuteness in spades. I have no idea what kind of dog he is, but his wiggly energy and bright eyes are infectious.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us,” Cooper says. “I think you broke the bro code by not texting us pictures the moment you got him.”
“Seconded,” I tell James. “I’m personally offended you didn’t introduce him to his uncles immediately.”
“How many pictures of my cat daughter do I send you on a weekly basis?” Cooper says. “At least ten.”
“More like twenty,” says Penny. She gasps. “Wait. I just realized he has a fruit name too. This is amazing.”
“It’s recent,” Bex says, a note of dryness in her tone. “Wait until you hear why we have him.”
“Jumping right into it, princess?” James teases.
Bex reaches up and kisses his cheek. “Drinks first. Can I get you guys anything? I have a cheese plate ready to go.”
“I’ll get everything,” James says. “Show them the living room, honey.”
He leads the way upstairs, continuing, “She’s working on this beautiful gallery wall—you have to see it. We’re collecting some pieces, but of course her work is the star.”
Bex is positively pink by the time we make it to the living room. She tucks her hair, a little shorter than the last time I saw her, behind her ears. She’s not at all dressed up; she’s wearing leggings and an oversized Outer Banks sweatshirt, but she looks pretty as always, her diamond-and-sapphire engagement ring shining on her finger. The way my brother gazes at her before he disappears into the kitchen is how I hope people notice me looking at Mia.
We settle onto the comfortable couches in the living room. I don’t know if they hired someone to do their interior decorating or if they picked everything out themselves, but the whole room is airy, done up in whites and blues. It faces the street, with huge windows to let in light, and across the far wall, the beginnings of the gallery wall are taking shape. I recognize Bex’s work immediately; the photograph of her mother’s old diner, the beach at Kitty Hawk in the morning, a close-up of what has to be James’ hands, holding a football.
I pat the seat next to me, but Mia holds up her bag.
“Hey, Bex?” she says. “Do you have somewhere I can change? I’d love to get out of this dress.”
“Oh, of course,” Bex says. “If you go upstairs, there’s a guest bedroom to the left. We figured you and Sebastian could have that one, and Penny, you and Cooper could have the one on the right side of the hall.”
Mia smiles at her. “Thanks. Your house is beautiful, by the way. I can’t wait to see the rest of it.”
“And I can’t wait to get to know you,” Bex says. “I remember you from The Purple Kettle. You always seemed really cool.”
“Yeah, it’s so funny that you worked there too,” Mia says.
“She is the coolest, can confirm,” Penny says. “How’s the studio going, by the way? Your Instagram totally exploded over the past couple months.”
“I think that’s mostly because everyone realized who I’m engaged to,” Bex says. She pulls Kiwi into her lap, petting him between the ears. “Although—”
I hurry after Mia. I saw her fond eye roll at Penny’s words, but also the way her face fell.
