Gracie came running toward us wearing what looked like some sort of wedding flower girl dress with a pair of pink cowboy boots. Gracie Reynolds was my spirit animal. Equal parts bougie princess and small-town cowgirl.
She lunged into her uncle’s arms and kissed his cheek. “I’m happy you came to my tea party, Uncle Finny. Now let me hug Ree Ree.”
He rumpled her curls and laughed before passing her over. She put a hand on each of my cheeks as she settled on my hello. “Thanks for coming. You look real pretty.”
“And you look like a real live princess.”
Her jaw fell open. “That’s what my Bossman and Links said. They thinks I am a real live princess.”
She wiggled out of my arms and clapped her hands together. “Everyone is here, Miss Matilda.”
I made my way around the table, hugging every member of the Reynolds family and their significant others. Finn motioned for me to take the seat between him and Brinkley. Gracie sat at the head of the table between her grandma and grandpa, and I glanced around, taking them all in. The guys all looked way too big for their chairs, but there they were, showing up for this little girl.
Matilda and two teenage girls who worked for her came around to fill our teacups. Gracie stood up and patted her dress into place. “Bossman, thank you for giving my family this special party. All of my favorites are here. I thought you’d never come home, Ree Ree. I waited forever and a few days for you to come back.”
I held up my teacup and smiled. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Gracie sat down, and everyone started talking all at once.
Maddox, whom Gracie called Bossman, stared at the platters of tiny sandwiches and picked up his teacup. “So, this is the big experience, huh? Little sandwiches and a few drops of liquid in our cups?”
“Yep. Every little girl in Cottonwood Cove wants to have a tea party here,” Georgia said, leaning against him. “You killed it, Bossman.”
“Didn’t Brinks sneak a frog into her tea party, and a few dishes got broken when he escaped, and all her friends freaked out?” Cage asked, raising a brow, while Gracie was talking a mile a minute to her grandparents.
“I wasn’t really the tea party type. Mom insisted on me throwing my seventh birthday party here. I wanted to have a pirate party.” She shrugged.
“Of course you did. That’s why you’re marrying Captain Jack Sparrow.” Lincoln barked out a laugh.
Everyone chuckled, and Finn leaned over to fill me in that Captain Jack Sparrow was Lincoln’s pseudonym when he travels and doesn’t want to be recognized.
“So, I think you guys have a real shot at the Super Bowl this year.” Maddox studied the tiny triangular sandwich, and his gaze narrowed like he’d never seen such an odd piece of food.
“Baby, it’s cucumbers and cream cheese,” Georgia whispered.
“Hmmm… do five-year-olds eat that?” He raised a brow.
“It’s the experience,” Hugh said, reaching for a triangle of his own and popping the whole thing into his mouth, and Lila laughed.
“It is all about the experience,” she said.
“So, what’s going on with the lovebirds?” Cage looked between me and Finn, and my cheeks burned.
“All is going well.”
“Yeah? I heard Jessica made quite a scene last night,” Brinkley said. “I’d like two minutes alone in a back alley with that girl.”
My head fell back in laughter because she wasn’t joking, which made it funnier.
“Miney handled her just fine. She didn’t back down at all, which probably bugged Jessica more than we can even imagine.” Finn piled several sandwiches onto his plate.
His hand came around my shoulder, and he grazed his thumb along my collarbone. I didn’t miss the way Cage watched the movement and then smirked when his gaze locked with mine.
He freaking knew something was up because the Reynolds brothers always knew what was going on with one another.
I looked up to see Alana smiling at Gracie, and I was grateful that at least she didn’t know what was going on.
Siblings were one thing. Parents would be another. They would never understand what we were doing. Hell, I didn’t understand it.
But I knew one thing—I couldn’t wait to do it again.
“I’m not sure if Georgia let you all know, but she’d like to host Thanksgiving this year at their home,” Alana said.
“Oh, man. She doesn’t cook as good as you do,” Cage groaned, shaking his head.
“Hey. I’m a great cook.”
“Your specialty is gummy bears,” Finn said over his laughter.
“I love Aunt Georgie’s gummy bears. She gots all the colors at her house.”
“Yeah, my dentist just said I have my first cavity, and I’m fairly certain it’s from all the jars of candy you keep at the house,” Hugh said.
“You do know that you don’t have to eat handfuls every time you come over, right?” Maddox smirked.
“Mom is coming over to do most of the cooking. I just thought it would be fun to have a pickleball tournament.”
“It’s freaking Thanksgiving. Can we not turn it into a competition? I just want to eat good food and watch the game.” This came from Cage again, and Brinkley balled up her napkin and tossed it at him.
“First Thanksgiving as a couple,” Finn said, grazing his lips against my ear, and I sucked in a breath. “I know what you’re going to be thankful for after tonight.”
“Finn,” I hissed over my laughter, looking up to meet his gaze. “You talk a big game.”
“How about we get out of here soon?” He waggled his brows.
I nodded slowly before feeling eyes on me. I turned to see Hugh and Cage watching us with big, goofy grins on their faces as everyone else was involved in their own side conversations.
I raised a brow and looked between them. “You two are up to no good.”
“I was going to say the same to you,” Cage said.
“You do seem like you’re in a hurry to get out of here.” Hugh barked out a laugh.
“We’re anxious to get home and take the horses for a ride,” I said, reaching for my teacup and taking a sip.
“That’s not the only thing you’re going to ride,” Finn said against my ear, and I spewed tea all over the table.
I coughed hard, and Finn rubbed my back as I reached for my napkin.
“Ree Ree, are you okay?”
“Yep. It just went down the wrong tube.”
“Don’t talk about boobs at the table. It turns me on,” Finn whispered in my ear again, not a care in the world that I’d just embarrassed myself after the last thing he’d said.
“I said tube.” I turned to face him and shook my head.
“Well, I guess you can’t say words that rhyme with boob either.”
“You’re ridiculous. No more crazy talk until we leave here.” I cleared my throat just as a loud ruckus had us all turning to see Mr. Larson walking into the back room, carrying what looked like a small version of a wedding cake.
It was three tiers with white icing and pink flowers running around each layer of cake. There was a figurine on the top with brown curls, wearing a princess gown.
“Hey there, y’all. Miss Gracie, your uncle Finny sent over a special cake in honor of your tea party.”
“You dicknut,” Cage hissed under his breath. “You got a five-year-old a wedding cake. You know I don’t like her to eat too much sugar because it always makes her cry after.”
“She pointed it out to me a few weeks ago in the window at Larson’s bakery.”
“So, you just bought it for her?”
“Yes. Exactly. And so what if she cries a little after? You can get in touch with your feminine side, brother. Plus, everyone loves cake. So, let’s cut the cake and get a move on.” Finn stood and moved around the table to hug Gracie while everyone gaped at the sweet monstrosity. My chest squeezed as I watched him. He’d always been that guy. If we were with a group of friends in high school and someone said they were hungry, Finn would appear out of nowhere with a sandwich for them. He genuinely loved to do things for others, and it was one of my favorite traits about him.