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Charlotte taps her foot as she waits for the dog to finish his business. “Is Haven really your girlfriend now? I asked Dani and she said she didn’t know. But she didn’t say that I shouldn’t ask you so I’m asking.”
Total squats down and takes a dump. He looks like he’s grinning at me the whole time.
“Yes, she is,” I tell Charlotte.Girlfriend.Yup, that is a first.
My little cousin gives this some thought. “I guess she’s all right then. You wouldn’t have a terrible girlfriend. I helped Dani bake a birthday cake and the painted rock I made for Haven came out awesome.”
“That’s nice of you. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
Dani drifts into the backyard next. She’s the apple-cheeked picture of summer in a fluttery white dress. “There you are. My favorite quarterback.”
“And here you are, radiant as always, my friend.” I wrap my arms around her with care.
Dani waits until she pulls away to flatten a hand on her belly. “If I’m glowing there might be reasons.”
It takes a few seconds for the meaning of her words to penetrate my thick skull.
“No shit?” I peer over the top of her head and find Gage standing in the doorway.
The dopey grin on my cousin’s face is a rarity. He nods.
And now he gets no choice about being tackled with a bear hug. At least he knows it’s pointless to resist.
Micah makes the mistake of drifting into the backyard so he gets enveloped too. I’m a hugger. I make no apologies for that.
When I’m finished inflicting affection on my boys, I look up to find Haven standing in the middle of the living room.
“The front door was open,” she says.
She’s makeup free and breathtaking. A loose ponytail hangs down her back. She wears denim cutoffs with a long purple tee that casually slides off her right shoulder.
I’d marry her on the spot.
There’s a kid standing beside her with his hands awkwardly stuffed in his pockets. His mop of light hair, along with his height and his high cheekbones, mark him as a member of the Marchenko family. I remember seeing Haven’s father around a few times over the years and the kid is a clone.
Haven puts a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Conner, this is my little brother.”
“Hey, Robert.” I stick my hand out. “I’ve been hoping to meet you.”
His smile is shy but he firmly pumps my hand. “Hi, Conner. It’s an honor.” He swallows and looks at his sister, like he’s unsure what to say next.
She gives him a nod of encouragement. “Robert is a huge football fan.”
“Right, you’ve told me that.” I want her to know that I listen to every word she says. “Robert, if you feel like braving the heat in a little while, we could go toss a ball around in the grass.”
His eyes practically light up with stars. “Yeah, totally. That would be great.”
Haven is now taking note of the decorations. She scans the flowers spilling all over the place and her eyes linger on the huge banner above the doorway. I’m dying to put my hands on her and taste her mouth but it’s not exactly appropriate with her kid brother standing nearby.
“Happy birthday.” For now I settle for planting a kiss on her lips and giving her waist a quick squeeze.
“This is all for me?” She asks the question as if she’s truly stunned.
“Of course it’s for you.”
“Haven! Happy birthday.” Tess shifts Dash to her hip and stretches to embrace her friend.
Haven seems like she’s still trying to process all this attention. Her eyes keep flicking up to the banner hanging over the door.
