Page 57 of Buckle Up, Buttercup

Jasper stomps into the kitchen and thumps Petra on the nose. “Your bro just called. They’re about done with practice, and he’s gonna come meet us.”

Petra grins at him. “So should we wait until he gets here to eat?

“Hells no,” Jack barks as he follows Jasper into the kitchen. “There is literally no reason on this planet that we’d delay dinner. Not even for skyball, and like we told you, the Tuckers are the Punishers’ biggest fans.”

Dinner’s as raucous as ever with the Jays and my parents. Per usual, Jace is a quiet presence next to me, reading a book in his lap while picking at the macaroni.

I nudge him when I see the textbook he’s holding. “Whatcha learning tonight?”

He looks up and smiles at me. “You see that vine I grabbed Petra with?”

I nod.

He winks at me. “I’m learning to pull them up out of the ground no matter how far away the nearest plant is. Basically, stretching my magic past what I can immediately see, which is surprisingly hard to do. Jasper can already do it, of course, but I’m learning fast.”

“You’re the best Tucker,” I whisper to him, squeezing his hand.

He turns it over and rubs my fingers with his. “I know.”

I snort as I pinch his wrist. His quiet wit is my favorite thing about any of my brothers. It’s not cool to have a favorite, but Jace has always been mine. Maybe I should remember that next time I worry about how Jasper might respond to Hadrian and me dating.

Looking around the dinner table, I feel like things will work out. Mom and Dad are joking with Petra. Jack and Jasper are bickering with one another. But then the door opens, and quiet footfalls reach us.

My breath hitches when Hadrian appears in the doorway wearing a black-and-gold Punishers tee that highlights his enormous arms and shoulders. The coloring I did has worn off and he’s back to that gorgeous purple hue. It must be an older tee; it’s not one of the ones I had made, so it’s tight…everywhere. Dark gray sweatpants do nothing to hide thick thigh muscles. When he reaches down and scratches at his hip, I can’t stop staring at the thin sliver of purple skin visible between the top of his pants and the lifted shirt.

A smile ghosts his face.

Oh fuck him, he’s doing that on purpose.

“Hey, brother!” Petra leaps out of her seat, slapping Jack on the head with her spade as she jumps into Hadrian’s arms. She’s obviously picked up the Tucker dynamic quickly.

He picks her up awkwardly, although her arms snake right around his neck, tail flopping happily. When she finishes her hug, he sets her down and runs a hand through his hair. Black waves hang around his ears and neck, and my fingers ache to reach up into that beautiful hair and tug that head back.

Hadrian’s nostrils flare, and he looks over at me from beneath hooded brows. Petra returns to her seat next to me, patting the empty one next to her. “Here, brother. We saved you a spot.”

“Not much mac left, though,” Jasper says with a shrug. “Show up late, and that’s how it goes.”

“I gotchu,” I mutter, leaving my seat and heading for the kitchen. I’d already made a plate for him and put it in the oven.

When I return and set the plate down, he looks up with a big smile. “Thanks, Bluebell. You’re speakin’ my love language with food.”

I barely withhold a smirk. “You’re welcome.”

“Ewwwuh,” Jasper shouts from across the table. “Don’t you two start.” He tosses a dinner roll at Hadrian. “You know she’s off-limits.”

Cheeks blazing, I return to my seat as I struggle to get my mind off the way Hadrian talked to me last night. And this morning. The way I want him to talk to me all the time. It’s weird sitting here in the room with my entire family with this secret occupying my heart.

“It’s so nice that you all have one another,” Petra says. Her comment stops all the side conversations.

My mom throws her hand over her heart. “Aww, sweetie, we’re just so glad you’re here with us now.”

Petra nods but looks down at her hands clasped on the tabletop. “I never had friends in Brazil, not really. The group we lived with had a few children, but we weren’t ever super close. It’s hard being…different, you know? Mostly I was alone a lot after Mom died.”

The table is utterly silent. I can’t think of a single thing to say to that.

“You come to our ranch anytime, young lady,” Dad says with a fierce look. “Once the Tuckers accept you, you’re literally a family member for the rest of your life.”

Jasper nods. “We’ve already got one little sister we love; a second one might help even out the vibe, ya know? Hadrian’s pretty much our brother.”