“Did Sawyer show you the gifts out in the parking lot that Reid bought his granddaughters?” she asked, tilting her head back to look at him.

He understood what she was doing. With the music about to come to an end, they needed to concentrate on unstimulated bodies. “Yes. I don’t know who was more excited about those new cars, the girls or Sawyer.”

She chuckled and he loved the sound. “According to Vashti, the cars were supposed to be Christmas presents, but Reid couldn’t wait to give them to Jade and Kia.”

“That’s what I heard. I can’t imagine having a grandfather who’s able to afford not one, but two Tesla sports cars. Must be nice,” he said.

“Yes, he spoils them, but Sawyer and Vashti, along with the Harrises, help keep Jade and Kia pretty well grounded. They’d already told the girls the cars won’t be parked on any college campus, but will remain here to drive whenever they are home.”

“And I guess they know what happens if their father—who happens to be sheriff—catches them speeding.”

Bryce smiled. “Yes, they know.”

The dance came to an end, and Bryce moved to head back to where they’d been seated, when he tightened his hold on her hand. “Take a walk in the garden with me, please.”

She looked at him and he wondered if she would deny his request. Nodding, she allowed him to lead her toward the set of double French doors that led outside.

* * *

“ANY REASON YOU wanted me to come outside with you, Kaegan?” Bryce asked the man walking by her side. So far they’d checked out a number of various plants known to grow in Louisiana soil. The night was filled with the sounds of crickets, frogs and katydids, and the scents of begonias, zinnias and birds-of-paradise.

“I needed some air and wanted you to join me.”

She nodded, remembering another time he’d said those same words. It had been at her sixteenth birthday party and the first social event he’d ever attended off the bayou. Typically, the Pointe-au-Chien tribe kept to themselves and didn’t feel the need to socialize with the townsfolk. There was nothing written in stone but it had been a practice evidently understood. Unfortunately, she and Vashti hadn’t gotten the memo when they decided to make Kaegan their new best friend in first grade.

Bryce had been aware that a few people had frowned upon their close friendship, but neither her parents nor Vashti’s parents and Aunt Shelby had cared what those few single-minded people thought. She had to say it was one of the few times Vashti’s parents had shown they really had spines. Most people in the cove genuinely liked Kaegan and had accepted that the three of them were inseparable as they were growing up. However, both she and Vashti had known Kaegan was uncomfortable attending social events. That was why he’d avoided such things in the past and she was surprised that he had shown up tonight.