She walked out to the living area, surprised at all the food that covered the coffee table and kitchen counters. “Are we feeding an army?”
Noah turned around and smiled. “Nah, but the guys all have big appetites. They will eat from the time they get here to the time they leave.”
“What would you like for me to do?” Lexi wandered over to the kitchen sink.
“If you could get the fruit ready, I’d appreciate it. I think I’ve got everything else under control. They should be here soon.”
Lexi was thankful to have a job to do. She tried to concentrate on the task at hand since she was working with a knife as she didn’t think a trip to the emergency room was on tonight’s agenda. She dropped the knife in the sink when she heard the front door slam open and what could only be described as a herd of elephants entered. She spun around and her eyes grew large as three children launched themselves at Noah. He easily caught them in a big hug.
Lexi just stared, watching him embrace the kids, hugging them tight and closing his eyes. She was so enraptured with him she didn’t notice the look that passed between the wives. Noah turned to look at her over one of the girl’s heads with a huge smile on his face that took her breath away.
Suddenly, he was surrounded by adults giving him hugs and pounding him on the back. They were all talking at once. Lexi moved back as far as she could from the commotion. A little boy about three came up to her and held his hands up for her to lift him. She hesitated before lifting him and resting him on her hip. They stared at each other for a moment before he leaned over and gave her a sloppy kiss on the lips, then rested his head on her shoulder. Instinct made her rock back and forth from one foot to the other. She put her hand on his back and rubbed, then looked up noticed everyone was staring at her. “Um… hi.”
Noah walked over and put his arm around her. “Everyone, this is Lexi. Lexi, the little guy you’ve got in your arms, who doesn’t like any other women but the ones in this room, is Brandon. His parents are the big, tall, stupid one, Ren, who plays the guitar like nobody’s business, and his lovely wife, Kenyon. The one who’s got his feet on the furniture, channel surfing, is Rob. Plays the wickedest bass you’ve ever heard, and that’s his lovely wife, Dre. The twin girls are theirs, the one in the purple is Jennifer, and the one in the pink is Julie. That’s their boy, David, who takes after his father, with his feet up on the chair and the video game attached to his hand. And last but not least, we have Dylan, master of the drums, his lovely wife, Sam, and their baby boy, Rafe.”
Lexi smiled shyly at them and gave a small wave. “I hope I can keep everyone straight. It’s very nice to meet you all.”
*
The men wandered out onto the terrace by the barbeque with beers in their hands, grinning.
“Bottoms up! The boys are back in town.” Ren held his beer up and clinked his can to the other guys. “So what’s up, Mr. Last Man Standing?” He nodded to where Lexi stood by the other women. “You going down for the count or what?”
“Sure looks like it to me.” Rob grabbed Noah’s chin and moved his face from side to side. “Yep, she’ll be leading him around by a ring in his nose. He’ll look so sexy.”
Noah slapped his hand away. “You want to add to the teasing Dylan?”
Dylan rocked back on his heels. “Nope, I think they’ve got it covered. Although I must say she’s not your typical fuck buddy.” He held his hands up as he saw the fire leap into Noah’s eyes and his fists clench. “Well, that answered the question quite nicely, don’t you think, boys?” He looked past Noah to the guys and when they nodded he continued. “Just seeing her for a couple minutes it’s pretty obvious she’s not groupie material. You’d better make sure you aren’t playing her.”
Noah shook his head. “Guys, how long have we known each other? Forget about what happened when I was younger. I know she’s different, she’s special. This is it for me.”
*
While the men were outside talking, the women stayed inside to get the rest of the food ready and take care of the children. Lexi wasn’t sure what to do or where anything was, got to feeling like she was in the way, and started looking for an escape.
She jumped when Sam came up and put her arm around Lexi. “Don’t worry, hon,” she whispered. “You’ll get used to this. Dre and Rob have been married for eleven years, Ren and Kenyon five, and Dylan and I only just over a year. I’m the newbie here and completely understand how you feel. It can be a lot to take in when they all get together.”
Lexi let out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. “So, it’s always like this?”
“Oh yeah. We call it the Last Stand Tornado. We all blow in at one time, and then all leave together. You look around the house at the mess and say to yourself, ‘What the hell just happened?’ It gets easier, not less messy, just easier. Just relax and go with the flow.”