“No, I’ve been out all day,” I reply, and he nods his head.

“Did you want to come?” he asks me, and I’m not even sure if I do. Usually, it’s a no brainer to hang around my friends especially now after they have a baby. But, Sam will be there. Chrissy will be there, and I’ll be stuck somewhere in the middle between the two.

“Sure,” I agree, because I can’t deny myself from being around Chrissy.

“Good, now go get the rest of the shit from the house. The three of us have been slaving all day.” He claps me on the back, and I step forward.

At the backdoor, Chrissy’s coming through with another bowl in her hands when I open the screen door. She waits on the other side for me to enter, but I usher her through with a wave of my hand. Once she exits, I take the bowl from her grip to shuffle and place it in Brady’s car. Working like an assembly line, we complete loading the car in a few minutes. “I’m going to hop in the shower. Did you want to wait and go with me?” I ask Chrissy, unsure of where we start to become normal again, but I would love her in the passenger seat of my truck where she belongs.

“Nah, I’ll go with them.” She acts casual in her answer even with her eyes darting in a million different directions, never once landing on me. A sign of how much I’ve hurt her.

“All right. I’ll see you over there,” I reply, trying to match her careless attitude. Damn, this is going to be harder than I’d wished.

Separating from her, I retreat into the house, and she walks down the drive to Brady’s car. From the kitchen window, I can’t help but watch her go. Sadie pushes the seat up and rests her hand on Chrissy’s arm. The two of them sharing a look before Chrissy climbs in the back. Brady backs out, and I catch Chrissy’s eyes glancing over to the house while the car inches away. I can’t remember a time I wished I was somewhere else more than right now.

I jog up the stairs, stripping as I go. Jumping into the shower, I quickly shampoo my hair and soap up my body. When I exit, I catch a glimpse of myself, thinking I need to get my ass to the gym. I swear I’m losing muscle. Tossing on some clothes, I grab my keys and wallet to head over to the cookout. No idea why I feel the urge to rush, especially since I’m almost positive no one cares if I show up or not.

THE CARS OF my friends are scattered around Grant and Jessa’s. Pink balloons fly high in the air, anchored down to their mailbox. A giant stork staked in their small well-manicured lawn with a great big It’s a Girl written on a pink star. Parking behind the Michaels’ minivan, I get out and hear the laughter flowing from the backyard. Knocking first and then entering, Chloe’s the first one I find.

“Hey, girl,” I say, picking her up and tossing her over my shoulder.

“Dex!” she yells, hitting my back, “let me down.”

“Magic word?” I joke with her, and she continues to beat my back. For a six-year-old, she’s pretty damn strong. “Damn, girl.” I place her down before my back is full of bruises.

“You said a bad word,” she says, inching close to my face, pointing her finger at me.

“Sorry.” I place my hands out to the side. “Let’s keep it between us.” I crouch to her level.

“Hmm …” she taps her foot and places her finger to her lips.

“You’re watching way too much television. Who taught you that move?” I ask.

“I did.” Kailey walks into the living room, placing her hand over Chloe’s head. “Of course that was before Jen …”

She doesn’t finish, and I don’t expect her to. We all know how Kailey’s role in her nieces and nephew’s lives has shifted over the months. “I think she was ready to blackmail me there for a second.” I laugh, and Kailey joins.

“You should have seen what she used to get from Trey when we started dating. A stash of candy under her bed that would last her a month.” She waves it off, though. “How are you, Dex? Stirring up trouble I hear.” She closes the gap between us and embraces me in a hug.

Placing my hands in my pockets, my eyes shift from side to side before relaxing on Kailey. “I’ve never been good on the girl front.” I give the first excuse that comes to mind.

“Oh, Dex, I’m pretty sure that’s not true.” She smirks and then bends down to Chloe, whispering something into her ear.

“Let’s go, Dex.” Chloe comes over and grabs my hand, tugging me to the back.

“Take my turn at cornhole. I gotta help them with the food,” Kailey calls out to me.

When Chloe opens the patio door, the guys are tossing the beanbags toward opposite boards. Brady, Grant, and Trey in a small circle, chatting with each other while the girls mingle together on the patio furniture. The first set of eyes I find are hazel, and I’m not surprised that they’re focused on me. Taking her in at a table with my friends, my heart beats faster. In my environment, she’s fitting in better than me. Her legs up against her chest with her arms wound tightly around them. She turns her attention back to the conversation without acknowledging me, and my eyes circle around, coming across Sam, who obviously witnessed the exchange between us. She too ignores me, quickly rattling off a joke, making everyone at the table erupt in laughter.

“Come on. You’re so slow.” Chloe tugs harder, and I pretend she has the strength of a man, propelling me to the yard. She laughs. “I’m not that strong.”

Taking the last steps to my friends, they all focus on my fake act for Chloe. “Hey, she’s getting too old for stunts like that,” Trey tells me, shaking my hand and then pulling me into a hug. “You’re the talk of the group. Sorry, man,” he sympathizes for me.

“It is what it is,” I mumble back.

“So, are we still going with the whole ‘friends’ thing?” Grant tilts his head with a grin splashed across his face.

“Smartass,” I cough out, but they stand there, staring at me, waiting for me to divulge some super-secret. “I’m not getting into this.” I pick up a beanbag, tossing it up and down in the air. “Kailey says to take her place.” None of them say a word or move an inch.

“You can tell us. We’ve all been there.” Trey’s the first one to speak. “You saw firsthand between Kailey and me.”

“Jessa and I didn’t exactly fall instantly in love. Sometimes, it’s a difficult road,” Grant chimes in. But, he’s wrong, I’m pretty sure I fell for Chrissy the first time I saw her.

“Sadie and I were perfect, and we never let shit get between us,” Brady shrugs his shoulders, portraying a sarcastic smile I’d like to punch off his face.

“Not everyone can be so perfect,” I sneer, and he shrugs a second time.

“Fucking talk to each other,” Brady adds. “Tell her how you feel, because we all know, and I’m fairly certain she does too.”

“Ugh.” I take my hands and link them behind my neck. “She needs me as a friend a lot more than she needs me as a fucked-up boyfriend.”

“I don’t agree,” Trey adds, but he doesn’t know. None of them do. They don’t know anything about her family or my dad for that matter. The fact she deserves someone who will better her life not make it worse.

“Can we please just play?” I beg, and they each slowly nod their heads, retreating back to their positions.

I try to remain focused on the game. Toss the beanbag, sip a beer, raz the guys … repeat. But, every so often, my eyes unconsciously veer her way. Each time I do, as though she senses me, her vision follows her instinct, meeting my gaze. A silent understanding takes place between us.

EVERY SO OFTEN, that sense that someone’s watching me has me seeking out the source. I never have to search far, because it’s Dex’s eyes that I discover fixed on me each time. Not sure what the hell he expects me to do. His girlfriend is two seats over, carrying most of the conversation at our table. She’s friendly and out-going, but the way she talks about sex and guys, I’m positive she’s never had a true relationship. I can’t say much, though, I haven’t either. The closest thing was Logan last year, but that was a disaster from the very beginning. Clues I should have figured out well before it got to where it did.