Jace, Lexi, and Ava were splashing around in the pool.
Correction. Lexi and Ava were ganging up on Jace, and he was taking the brunt of it in perfect stride.
“Huh,” Jeremy said beside me.
I looked up at him through my sunglasses. “Huh, indeed,” I replied. I gripped his arm and laid my head against his bicep. “I think we did good.”
He grinned down at me, his glasses falling just a bit so I could see his eyes. “From the looks of things, I’d say we did great.”
They didn’t even notice us. Ava was hooting and hollering. Lexi was laughing in a way I hadn’t seen her do in so long. And Jace? Jace was smiling wide. He looked like a man in love.
I was pretty sure that’s exactly what he was.
As Jeremy laid our towels out, I tore my cover up off and scampered across the pool, splashing the three of them with a cannonball.
Jeremy was laughing his ass off at the drenched trio. He held his hands up in Jace’s direction. “I’m glad they’ve found another man to torture. So much so that I think I’ll sit this one out.”
“Daddy, come in the water so we can play!”
“Sorry, baby, but Daddy’s staying out of the water this time,” he said, causing her to frown from Jeremy to Jace. “You’re no fun! I need you to come in here and play sharks with me. Jace tried to but he didn’t make a very good one. He was kind of slow.”
I couldn’t help my snicker. “Getting slow in your old age, eh, McAllister? I’ve heard you’ve been having issues with…your speed.”
Lexi, having heard me, shut me up with a splash of water to the face. Ava decided that it was time for another water war, so the three of us went at it. I barely noticed Jace make his escape because Lexi’s smile was so bright that I was nearly blinded. She was radiating happiness, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride that I’d helped put it there.
I was still laughing when Jace joined me on the patio. The girls were up in arms, splashing each other incessantly. I couldn’t miss the happiness radiating from Lexi. Happiness I hadn’t seen in nearly two years.
“I don’t know how you do it, man. Those three are crazy,” he said.
I couldn’t really argue, so I nodded, all the while smiling widely. “Dude, they’re a handful, but I couldn’t imagine my life without them. It’d be so boring. They’re my girls and I love ’em.”
Jace continued to stare after them while we sat in silence, watching as the girls continued playing.
“So, how’s everything going, man? Sierra’s pretty excited you and Lexi have been hanging out so much.”
He tore his gaze from the pool and glanced at me, trying to figure out what to say. How much to say. “Things are going really well. It feels like nothing’s changed, like we weren’t just apart for so many years. We’ve been able to catch up on the last decade of our lives, and it’s just been great to be around her again.”
“That’s good to hear. We always wondered what the hell happened, but she’d never tell us. I know Sierra planned out this whole thing so you two would have to interact again. I have to admit I was nervous because I wasn’t sure if Lexi was ready. But I gotta tell you, man. I haven’t seen her this happy in a really long time.”
So I was embellishing a little. I hadn’t been nervous at all, but I wanted to gauge his reaction. Which was a huge smile—and it told me all I needed to know.
“It’s nice to hear you say that. She seems like she’s been happy, and that’s all I want for her.”
He returned his gaze to the pool, and I knew that that was all he was going to give me. So I switched tactics.
“Good. Now, Sierra told me you haven’t hit it yet. What gives?”
He choked on the water he’d just downed. “Seriously, Banks? That’s your sister-in-law.”
“Come on, man. She was married for seven years. I know she’s no virginal flower. Speaking of…” I couldn’t help myself. I gave him a bro-tap on the shoulder. “You freaking dog. We had no idea you took her virginity until the beginning of this trip. That. Is. Awesome.”
Jace’s mouth dropped open, so I quickly continued.
“I mean, everyone knew you two had a thing for each other. We had bets on how long it was going to be until you guys started making out at the lunch table. I didn’t think you’d make it past junior year with the way you followed her around like a lost puppy.”
He protested even though it fell on deaf ears. “We were best friends who hung out all the time. That’s natural.”
I laughed and slapped him on the back. “Whatever you say. All I know is that I’m glad you’ve reconnected. She needs a good man in her life again, and I know Ty would approve.”
I wasn’t lying. No man wants to think about his woman moving on after he’s gone, but I had known Ty. Lexi’s happiness had been everything to him, and he’d be thrilled if she found it again. Then I cursed under my breath. Had I spoken out of turn?
“Has she talked to you about that at all?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yeah, we’d actually just finished talking about it when you two came back last night,” he said.
The night before Jace and Lexi had spent the night in our condo, watching Ava while Sierra and I were at the bar. When we got back, I’d found them out on the balcony and it’d looked like they were in a pretty serious discussion. Apparently, that’d been about Ty.
“Damn,” I muttered, and Jace’s mouth quirked into a half-smile.
“She was really open with me about him. Look, I know you probably know that I’m going to try to pursue some kind of relationship with her. Whatever she’ll give me. But also know that I’ll never ask her forget all the years she spent with him. I’m not that kind of guy. I want her to have those memories and to cherish them. In a way, I’m thankful that he was there to love her and take care of her. She deserved that. She still does, and I’m going to try my damnedest to be that guy if she’ll let me.”
If Sierra had been there, she would’ve sighed, swooned, and possibly melted. As Lexi’s brother-in-law, I was ecstatic for her. As a dude, I wasn’t up for the tug of the emotional heartstrings.
“Okay, dude. Now, you’re just getting heavy with me, and I’m not the best person to talk to about this chick shit. Just be there for her like you’ve been and it’ll all work out. Oh, and one piece of advice. Don’t let her leave here without getting laid.”
He threw a water bottle at my head.
“What the hell, man? That’s good advice! You need to lay claim to that and, you know, actually come back this time.” I sobered up at the end, joking but still meaning every word.
That’s when Jace leaned in and told me his plans.
Lexi was well on her way to finding her sun. I just hoped she didn’t get burned.
After my talk with Jace, I felt more confident than ever that Sierra had done the right thing. Watching the two of them together, after they’d gotten over their initial nervousness, was amazing. It was like nothing had changed, and for the first time in over two years, Lexi was finally smiling. Real, true, genuine smiles. It was obvious they both still harbored feelings for each other, and there was no way in hell I was allowing the two of them to go another day without admitting it.
“What was that about?” Sierra asked when I walked back to where she and Ava were playing.
“Just wanted to make sure they were on the same page,” I told her.
“And?” she prompted.
“They’re not only on the same page, but they’re in the same freaking sentence.”
Sierra’s grin grew wide, and we both watched in silence as Jace joined Lexi in the pool. Without hesitation, he grabbed her hips, pulled her in close, and laid a big one right on her lips.