Page 29 of Thrown Off Balance

“It’s really subtle, right? No one would guess this is a gender reveal party,” Peck murmurs from behind me.

I snort with laughter and shake my head. I love his personality and how he fits in so well with our family. It feels like he’s always been a part of Mulberry Lane.

“Cody!” Bree, Peck’s niece, shrieks my name as she runs towards me and leaps into the air. I catch her easily and she wraps her arms around my neck tightly.

Since we met Bree, she’s had a crush on Jax and me. I love it. She’s seven years old and always looks forward to seeing us. She’ll hang around us for her entire stay on Mulberry Lane. Most of the time, we stay at Mom and Dad’s house when her family is in town, just so we can spend more time with her.

“I swear, I'm never going to get used to her running into a boy’s arms.” Maverick frowns at me as he approaches us.

“On the bright side, he’s too old to marry your daughter.” Peck smirks.

“Thank goodness for that. I'm not ready to think about my little girl getting married. I have at least another decade before that will happen.” Maverick shakes his head.

“Eh, you’ll lose her well before that,” Dad grumbles under his breath as he comes up next to me. “Charlie was only a little bit older than Bree when I knew I wasn’t the one she loved anymore.”

“Yeah… Nikita and Peyton were around twelve when they broke my heart,” Uncle Blake adds as they join our little group.

“Wow, you guys sure know how to make a man depressed.” Maverick frowns.

“It’s ok, we’ll create an emotional support group.” Uncle Blake smirks, patting Maverick on the back.

Maverick married Peck’s sister and adopted her kids soon after. They’re so good together and Maverick is a great dad to Bree and Danny.

“Where’s my girl?” Jax bellows over the noise of everyone starting to gather in the pavilion.

Everyone laughs as Bree scrambles out of my arms and races over to Jax. He squats down just in time to catch her and spins her in a circle.

“I missed you, Jaxy!”

“I missed you too, baby girl.”

He hugs her tightly against his chest and squeezes his eyes shut. He loves our pseudo little niece. We keep telling Sydney since both of our brother-in-laws are her brothers, we might as well be her kids’ uncles too. She laughed at us and said why not. Since she visited Mulberry Lane, she knows family is so much more than blood.

“How is he so cute with kids?” I glance over my shoulder to find Bella speaking in hushed tones to Emma.

Emma chuckles and shakes her head. She says something too quietly for me to hear her and Bella’s cheeks flame red.

I'm just about to go over and tease Bella, when someone catches my eye.

“Is that Sloan Weathers?” Dad asks as I take in the woman I haven’t been able to get off my mind.

I glance in his direction, finding his gaze already locked on me. I know what’s running through his head. He’s wondering how I'm feeling seeing her again. He’s wondering what she’s even doing here. More than anything, he’s probably wondering why there’s a strange man standing at her side.

A man who isn’t me.

Because she wants nothing to do with me anymore.

Chapter 16

Sloan

I tried to convince Jude we shouldn’t go to Mulberry Lane. I explained to him it was going to be awkward. How we’d be surrounded by dozens of people who consider Cody their family. People who would do anything to help Cody and will always have his back.

I tried to get him to understand how uncomfortable I would be. How I haven’t seen these people in years and I didn’t really want to face them.

“Can’t you just do this for me, Sloan?” He stares at me like I'm being the ridiculous one.

I want to growl with frustration and want to shake him until he gets out of this Jax Robinson obsession and realizes what a jerk he’s being to me.