I look like a tool.
Why I let Landen talk me into this, I’ll never know, but I was desperate for any opportunity to ask Magnolia out. At the time, I didn’t consider I’d have to dress up.
And now I’m standing in front of her door dressed in a light and dark green dinosaur onesie.
When my mom and Gramma Grace found out I was taking over the Halloween party for Landen, they were hell-bent on my costume being kid-friendly. Considering the short notice, the stores in town had extremely limited options. It was this or a pink and orange Trolls costume. I picked the lesser of two evils.
When the door whips open, her eyes widen, and her mouth falls open.
“Don’t even say it…” I warn her before she can get a word out.
The bubble of laughter that escapes her is iconic even for her. Full belly wheezing as she grips the doorframe and nearly falls over at my expense.
“Are you done yet?” I cross my arms, fighting back a smile because her laugh is contagious.
Tears stream down her cheeks, and now I know this was the worst idea of all time.
“Wh-what’re you wearin’?” She finally manages to speak between catching her breath.
“You’re lucky this isn’t a date because I’d leave your ass here.”
“Liar.” She steps forward and tugs on one of the dinosaur spikes. “You look adorable.”
“I’m twenty-five. I don’t wanna look adorable.”
“The kids are gonna love it,” she reassures me.
I finally take a moment to look at her outfit. Tight red dress with a slit and a garter around her thigh. Black heels that make her a few inches taller. Chunky gold bracelets and hoops in her ears to finish off the look.
Fuck, she looks sexy.
“Betty Boop?” I confirm.
“Good job, cowboy. I was gonna ask Noah to borrow some of her stuff, but I figured seein’ me in your sister’s clothes might be a boner killer.”
Chuckling, I nod. “Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome. Oh, shit. You’re gonna need a new nickname now. Thor doesn’t quite suit your look anymore.” She pauses and steps back to analyze my humiliation. “Barney’s too old-school. I’m thinkin’ Pebbles.”
My face drops at the seriousness of her tone. “Pebbles?”
“Yeah, you have these little polka dots on your tummy that look like pebbles. Plus, it sounds like a sweet and gentle giant’s name.”
I groan as I contemplate ripping off the damn thing. “First you call me adorable, and now sweet and gentle? You’re fucking killin’ my ego here.”
“C’mon, Pebbles. We’re gonna be late!” She smiles wide and shuts the door behind her, then takes my hand when she leads us to my truck.
“Does this mean I get to give you a new nickname?” I ask when I shift into gear and then blurt out my next words before I chicken out. “Like Mine?”
Her brows shoot to her hairline. “You wanna call me yours?”
I nod once, then reach over and grab her hand. “I know this is new, but I don’t wanna do casual with you. I’m all in. I’ve made us wait long enough, don’t ya think?”
“My inner sixteen-year-old self is freakin’ the fuck out right now.”
Lifting our hands, I bring my lips to her knuckles and brush a kiss over them. “I am too. Trust me.” Then I place her palm flat across my chest so she can feel how hard my heart is pounding.
“You’re nervous?”
The shock in her voice causes a laugh to bubble out of me.
“Always when I’m around you, Sunny.”
“I think that’s sweet. Even though you have no reason to be. We’ve known each other a long ass time.”
“Exactly. Now I gotta find new ways to impress you and this dinosaur costume ain’t helpin’.”
She gasps dramatically. “I disagree. You just went from brooding cowboy to sexy dino. It’s gonna be impossible to keep my panties on all night.”
When her eyes drop to my groin, I quickly readjust myself and she giggles.
“Sunflower, that’s not funny. You can’t say shit like that, especially when I’m drivin’.” This erection is already getting out of hand and painful beneath my jeans I’m wearing under this ridiculous costume.
“I thought you had a new nickname for me?” Her tongue teases her bottom lip like a temptation I’m constantly craving. It’s hard to focus on driving when all I want to do is stare at how beautiful she looks.
“You’ll always be Sunflower and Sunny to me.”
“Is it true you don’t give them to anyone else?” she asks.
“Yeah, I liked the attention you gave me whenever you’d call me out for sayin’ them, so I kept doing it. But after you told me they were your favorites, I stuck to them because I thought they fit you best, too.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because they reflect your energy and the way you light up a room every time you walk in. Made me smile each time I thought of you. Like a warm, sunny day before the hurricane storms enter and cause destruction.”
She snorts. “You just had to add in the hurricane part.”
I laugh, but it’s true.
She’s sunshine mixed with a little hurricane.
Unpredictable but loyal.
Wild but steady.
The best kind of storm to curl up and fall asleep to.
“It was either that or a wildfire of suffocation.”
“Tripp Chattanooga.” She shakes her head as I crack a smile at the made-up middle name she’s given me. “You know how to make a girl swoon.”
I flash her a wink. “I decided it was finally time to tell you these things.”
She sighs, and the blush that covers her cheeks is almost too cute not to tease her about.
The Lodge parking lot is nearly full by the time we arrive. The party doesn’t start for ten minutes, but kids from all over Sugarland Creek are coming. The special events aren’t just for the guests. They’re extended to the community, too. My parents, Gramma Grace, and Mallory are coming as well, so I already know it’s going to be chaotic.
Why limit my embarrassment to kids? Of course my family would be here.
I open Magnolia’s door, and instead of easing her to the ground, I pick her up behind the knees and carefully set her down. But not before appreciating her body molded against mine for those few seconds. Her dress is skintight, and there’s no way she can move in that thing.
“Always the gentleman,” she coos, adjusting herself once she’s on the sidewalk.
“Were you expectin’ anything less from a dinosaur?” I hold out my arm so she’ll take it. “Southern manners are ingrained into us from birth.”
She snickers, squeezing my bicep. “Tell that to your brothers.”
“Oh, they’re straight-up gremlins.”
Speaking of which, from the moment we enter, it’s chaos. Tiny kids in costumes are running around everywhere. They’re already high on sugar from trick or treating, and now they’re chasing each other.
“This is nuts…” Magnolia whispers next to me as we stare in shock at the pandemonium before us.
“Is it too late to run away and hide?” I murmur.
She nudges me. “C’mon, you can do this.”
More like I have no choice. The place is already set up with a DJ booth in one corner, a prize table in another, and lots of activities sprawled out in between. The ceiling is dripping in fake spider webs and sparkly fairy lights. Decorations litter every inch of the space. It’s no wonder the Halloween stores were basically sold out. My mom bought them out.
“Tripp, finally!” Mom approaches with sparkles in her eyes. She holds out her arms and then wraps me in them. “The kids are so excited.”
“Hi, Ma. This is a bit more than I expected,” I tell her truthfully.
“Well, ya know. Once Gramma Grace and I got started, we couldn’t help ourselves. Plus, it makes the little ones happy!”
I grin at her enthusiasm. Mom was always in charge of the parties at school when we were younger and for good reason. She goes all out.
“Magnolia, sweetie.” My mom moves over to her and kisses her cheek. “Landen said you were comin’ to help. You look amazing!”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hollis. I’m glad to assist in any way I can.”
“Magnolia!” Mallory squeals, then grabs her arm and drags her away. She’s in some kind of cheerleader uniform that looks way too short and tight for her age. But I’m guessing that’s the whole point. My parents raised all boys until Noah came along and even then, she was more of a tomboy than a girly girl all through school. Mallory’s the complete opposite, and I think Mom is just happy to have a girl in the house who will wear dresses and bows in her hair without a fight.
When Mallory moved in with us, Noah and Magnolia took her under their wings. They have scheduled weekend sleepovers, and we’ve all taken part in giving her horseback riding lessons. Now at thirteen, she’s full of attitude and dark eyeliner.
“Well, let’s get started!” Mom leads the way as Dad grabs the microphone and announces the event is officially beginning. Squeals and screams echo throughout the room as they jump around.
The next two hours consist of me flailing in the middle of the makeshift dance floor, singing along to Kidz Bop songs with over a dozen children hanging on me. I explain how to play each game, hand out prizes to the winners, and throw out candy like a piñata. The parents sit and drink cocktails as they take photos and gush about how cute everything looks.
Mom and Gramma Grace made dozens of sweet treats: bars, cookies, and cake pops. All spooky-themed, of course. The punch is a mixture of soda flavors with orange sherbet ice cream floating around. If it wasn’t for the fear of getting into a diabetic coma, I’d be splurging right along with them.
Finally, we get to the final event of the evening—the costume contests.
Magnolia offered to judge earlier and now gets to make the announcements.
“Are y’all ready to hear the winners?” she asks, and they erupt in screams. “Okay, there’s gonna be three prizes for the most creative, most unique, and best-dressed costumes. Ready?”
Magnolia dramatically announces the first two winners with the best expressions to get the kids really excited. She tells each one they have to do a fashion catwalk to show off their costume. They giggle and circle around the dance floor with Magnolia strutting next to them, holding their hands and twirling them around.
“And now for the final award for the best-dressed costume…” She unfolds a piece of paper as if she didn’t write them all down herself. “Oh my goodness, it’s a tie!”
Mallory kneels to the ground and smacks her palms against the floor, and soon all the kids follow suit as a drumroll beat echoes throughout the room.
“Carrie Lopez as Wednesday Addams and our very own Tripp Hollis as Pebbles the Dinosaur!”
Cheers erupt and I shake my head in her direction. That little sneak.
Magnolia takes Carrie on her victory walk and makes sure she gets the appropriate amount of attention, then leads her to the prize table. After that, she grabs my hand, and I reluctantly let her pull me into the center.
“I think this is cheatin’…” I whisper.
“How so?”
“I had an in with the judge. They’re gonna call me a phony.”
She pats my arm with faux sincerity. “I wouldn’t worry much about that. They’re the ones who told me you needed to win something.”
“They did?”
“Yep. Now go strut your stuff, Pebbles.” Her teasing tone has me smiling as she encourages me to do my own victory walk. After a minute of being silly and getting laughs out of the kids, I go back to Magnolia and yank her toward me.
“You walked with the others. Don’t leave me feelin’ left out.”
Her heated gaze lowers to my lips as she smiles. “Can’t have that now, can we?”
She takes my dino paw in her palm and leads me around the dance floor as music fills the air. The kids jump up and down to an old remix, but my attention is on Magnolia. Her long dark hair is halfway pulled up, with curls spiraling down her back. That red garter on her thigh has me grinding my molars and wishing I could tear it off her body with my teeth.
Ever since I confessed I liked her a few days ago, we’ve been texting in between our work schedules and throughout most of the evenings. I still can’t wrap my head around this being a reality, but I’m done questioning it. I spent years giving excuses and getting into my own head about my feelings.
But now, I’m ready to go all in and see what happens. During one of our texting sessions, we agreed to explore things between us privately before announcing it to everyone. We both know how obnoxious my family can be, and I’d rather not have their unsolicited input until Magnolia and I decide we’re ready to go public. I never considered how Noah would react because I didn’t think Magnolia was an actual option for me. Whether or not we dated, our lives are forever intertwined by hers and my sister’s friendship. If I fuck this up, Noah would never forgive me, and I’d never be able to escape the heartache of losing her.
I push down the familiar overwhelming tightness in my chest as my dad thanks everyone for joining us tonight. It’s after nine and most of the kids are crashing from their sugar highs as their parents load up their things and slowly drag them outside. Overall, it was a successful event. I’m glad Landen talked me into this even if he knew all along Magnolia liked me, too.
“You two did wonderful!” Gramma Grace approaches me with a hug. She’s at least a foot shorter than me, so I envelop her in my arms.
“Thanks. It was fun.”
“Magnolia’s a natural. The kids love her.”
“That she is.”
Whereas I’m mostly introverted, Magnolia’s an extrovert when it comes to being social and spontaneous. Never afraid to blurt out what’s on her mind or threaten to sock you if you say something inappropriate. I’ve always liked that about her.
“You should bring her to family supper on Sunday.”
“Why’s that?” I ask cautiously.
“Well…if she’s gonna be a part of the family, she should be included.”
One could argue she’s already part of the family considering how long she’s been in Noah’s life, but by the suspicious twinkle in Gramma Grace’s eyes, I don’t think that’s what she’s referring to.
“What’re you sayin’?” I keep my expression blank so I don’t give any of my own secrets away, but if I’ve learned anything over the years, she’s always aware of things before everyone else.
She gives me one of her knowing smirks and shrugs. “Don’t let her get away now that you finally have her.”
I blink a few times as if that’ll change the words she just blurted out. Maybe tonight it could’ve been a little obvious we were acting a bit friendlier than usual, but how in the world does she know I’ve wanted her? I’d never told anyone and pretty sure it wasn’t that obvious if Magnolia didn’t even know.
Before I have the chance to ask her, Mallory comes over and asks her questions about the leftover desserts, and then they leave to put them away. My eyes scan the room for Magnolia, who’s chatting with my dad and laughing.
“Can I get out of this costume now?” I grumble to my mom, who’s sweeping. I could hardly drive in it, let alone help them pick up this mess.
“Oh, lemme grab a picture for the scrapbook first! Magnolia, Mallory! Stand next to Tripp.”
Just great. Now there’s going to be photographic evidence of this humiliation.
They stand on each side and wrap an arm around me before Mom instructs us to smile. Once she’s gotten a few shots, I stare down at Magnolia. A bright smile is plastered on her face as she tightens her fingers on my waist. After a few more clicks of the camera, she looks up at me, and her smile widens even more.
“Perfect! Can’t wait to get these printed!” Mom gushes, and Mallory nudges me before walking off.
“I’m gonna change out of this, and then we can go once everything’s cleaned up,” I tell Magnolia.
“Sounds good.”
I give her arm a little squeeze before moving toward the bathroom. Luckily, I was able to wear jeans and a T-shirt underneath, so I didn’t have to bring any extra clothes with me.
Once I help Dad put away the DJ booth and tables and The Lodge is put back together, we say our goodbyes. Magnolia and I didn’t make any plans beyond the Halloween party, so I rack my brain for what to do before taking her home.
“You wanna go for a drive?” I ask before shifting my truck into gear.
“In the dark?”
“You afraid?” I muse.
“No, just…cautiously aware. There are murderers in the dark.”
I grab her hand and pull it close to my mouth before dropping a kiss along her knuckles. “I promise to keep you safe.”
