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“Oh my goodness, look at you,” Nia squealed, taking my hands and spreading them so she could give me a once-over. “You’re growing up so much lately.”
“She’s growingtoofast,” Julian grumbled, reaching out to shake my shoulder in greeting. “We’re going to have to put a brick on your head, kiddo.”
I didn’t tellhimthat I’d stopped growingupover a year ago and he should therefore probably put the brick on my boobs or waistline instead; I just grinned at him because I could nevernot-grin whenever Julian paid attention to me. I absolutely worshiped my oldest sibling. And I couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever been mean or picked on me…
LikeTrickconstantly did.
It was probably just the larger age gap that had kept us from any sibling arguments, but I adored Julian anyway.
I didn’t get much time to talk to him, however, before Bentley and Bella, along with Beau’s younger sister, Lucy, appeared and grabbed my arms to drag me over to take pictures with them in the photo booth.
My eyes widened as I stumbled along behind them. “There’s a photo booth here, too? Wow.”
“I know! Isn’t it awesome?” Lucy shook my arm excitedly. “I’ve taken about a gazillion pictures already with Rory and Haven and anyone else I can drag in there with me.”
Lucy was a year below Trick in school but infinitely more mature.
As I squeezed back on her arm, telling her I had my work cut out for me, then, if I wanted to catch up, my gaze wandered around the room until I spotted him.
There...
His back was to us, but I could tell it was him. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Teagan, he was playing a basketball toss game with her, rushing to gather miniature basketballs and make more shots than she currently was.
Teagan was thirteen, about half a year younger than me, and still in middle school. She wasn’t related to Luke, but she’d always followed along behind the Hamilton brothers as if she were their little sister. So I wasn’t particularly worried about her spending time with him.
Actually, her presence with Luke was going to give me a good excuse to go over there and talk to him myself.
After I posed for about fifty shots with Bentley, Bella, and Lucy, I meandered my way across the room toward the basketball game, bumping into the birthday girl along the way.
But Rory was so overwhelmed and busy with everything and everyone that she barely had a chance to give me a hug before she was ripped away by someone else.
And I was once again free to make my way to the game wall.
Luke and Teagan had just finished a round when I finally approached, and Luke must’ve won because he was pounding his arms into the air in victory and shouting his war cry.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” he crowed into Teagan’s face. “Beatthat, Tenning.”
Scowling back, Teagan set her hands on her hips and sniffed. “Wow. Big tough senior beat an eighth grader. You should besoproud.”
“Hey, you’re a savage competitor, T,” I told her. “I think an NBA player would be hard-pressed to beat you.”
“Thankyou, Ryan,” Luke answered, splaying a hand toward me in gratitude as he continued to face off with Teagan and lift an eyebrow at her.
Teagan, however, glanced my way. “He’s still too cocky of a winner,” she complained, only for her gaze to fill with surprise as she took me in. “Wow, Chloe. You look amazing.”
Luke finally tore his gaze from the thirteen-year-old to look at me.
My entire body flushed under his perusal.
But this was it. This was the moment I’d prepared for all morning. Forhimto see every little detail I had painstakingly gone through to look nice for him.
Except he didn’t say anything about how I looked. He didn’t agree with Teagan or even disagree with her. He just looked, and then looked away again, scanning the crowd as if seeking something better to gain his attention.
And I faltered, not sure how to react. “Uh…thanks.” I turned to Teagan blindly, trying to concentrate on her and not the crack forming in my heart.
She reached forward to play with one of the springy curls in my ponytail and asked, “Can you do this to my hair sometime? It’s super cute.”
“S-sure,” I told her, my gaze shifting back toward Luke. “No problem. Hey, you guys need a new contender in your game?”
