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The exact opposite had been true. She had held her own and then some, almost better than me. She spent time with my mother, Bailey, Hope, and Morgan, even talking to Morgan about some great venues for her to check out for her and Walker’s upcoming wedding.
She teased and talked to Luke and Walker about baseball and who had a better chance in winning the World Series. I had no idea she was such a huge baseball fan and it made me think it would be fun to go and see a game with her and my brothers. Considering how competitive and heated the conversation got, it might not be the best idea.
I found I liked looking over and seeing her as she talked to my family, or even better when I was sitting next to her and could take her hand in mine as we talked to my family around the firepit.
We had sat there after dinner and talked late into the night. With both Luke and Bailey’s announcement about her being pregnant and Walker and Morgan telling us they had gotten engaged, there was a lot to celebrate. I was glad that Lexi was there with me. Having her there only made the moment better. I wasn’t sure what that meant and I wasn’t ready to think too much about it.
“We’re happy. Don’t try to make it more than it is,” I said to Bailey.
She gave me a look but didn’t push me. I could tell she wanted to but knew that I wouldn’t tell her anything more. “Luke and I were just having fun too. And look what happened with us,” Bailey teased.
“I’m a long way off from where you are. If you keep that up, I’m going to start calling you Mom,” I teased her back.
“Jerk,” she replied, but with a smile on her face.
“You should get home. It’s late. I love you,” I said and hugged her one more time.
“Love you too,” she said.
I walked over to Lexi who was still talking to Mac and Hope. My father had gone to talk to Morgan and Walker as they headed out the door.
“Can I steal this woman back? Some of us have work in the morning,” I said to Mac and Hope.
“You mean at the butt crack of noon?” Mac asked me.
“Actually, I have a shipment coming in at 5 am, so I have to be there to help supervise and unload,” I replied.
“You didn’t tell me about that,” Lexi said.
“It was supposed to come in on Tuesday but they bumped it up. We need it so I’m not going to say no.”
“Then we should get you home,” Lexi said and turned to hug Hope and then Mac.
“It was good to see you. Thanks for sharing those stories about JD and his childhood,” she said to Mac.
“It was the popular look, I swear! I’m never going to live that down, am I?” I asked.
“Nope,” they all said at the same time.
“On that note, goodnight,” I said as I took Lexi’s hand and we waved at my parents and walked out the door.
It was late and the sidewalk was practically deserted as Lexi and I headed back to my apartment, just a few blocks from where my parents lived. Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. My mind was full of the evening, not just how nice it had been to have Lexi with me, but the fact that my little brother was engaged and my sister was going to have a baby.
“That was a big night for your family,” Lexi said.
I squeezed her hand and looked over at her. She looked beautiful in the soft glow of the street lights. She smiled up at me and I could see a bit of concern on her face, as if she was making sure I was doing okay.
“Yeah. It was wonderful. I’m still trying to process it all,” I admitted.
“You, okay?”
“Yes. Totally. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Your family is very close. I can see how much you all care about each other. It’s understandable as you’ve been through a lot together. I think even without that you would all be tight. That’s changing slowly. It did when Bailey and Mac got married and with Walker doing the same and now with Bailey and Mac having kids, it will cause even more changes.”
“Life is all about changes. Walker doesn’t sit in his room and play video games anymore. Bailey doesn’t try to put makeup on me. Dad is no longer the CEO of our family company. Everything changes, but hopefully in a good way, one that allows us to grow. I couldn’t be happier for Walker and Morgan; they are so good for each other. Walker is like a different person since he got together with her. She opened up his eyes to the world and what he can do with it. He isn’t all about work and proving himself to our father,” I said.
“Do you think that’s what he was doing?”
