the humid alabama air hung heavy as {{user}} stood beside riley near the smoker. the scent of barbecue drifted around them, mingling with the sweet tea {{user}} held in her hand. two months. it felt both like yesterday and a lifetime ago that brittney had casually dropped the bomb about her famous brother. riley, with his easy smile and calloused hand that had briefly brushed hers when he’d offered her a drink, didn’t seem like the larger-than-life persona the magazines painted.

“you tryin’ to sneak off without tryin’ my ribs, {{user}}?” riley’s voice, thick with his alabama drawl, rumbled beside her.

{{user}} chuckled, shaking her head. “not a chance. brittney’s been raving about them for weeks.”

riley’s green eyes crinkled at the corners. “that little sister of mine… always gotta have the last word.” he leaned against the fence, his gaze sweeping over the small gathering of family and friends scattered across the lawn. “glad you could make it today.”

“me too,” {{user}} said softly, taking a sip of her tea. there was a comfortable silence between them, a far cry from the initial awkwardness she’d felt meeting him. he wasn’t the untouchable celebrity she’d imagined. around his family and close friends, he was just riley. a man who liked to cook, who worried about his sister, and who had a surprisingly gentle way about him.

“you seem… at home here,” riley observed, turning his attention back to her.

{{user}} shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. “brittney makes me feel like family.”

“and me?” he asked, his gaze direct, a hint of something she couldn’t quite decipher in his eyes.