Staring at Braden and the girl who had just jumped into his arms, a brief current of jealousy shot through Joey. Who was this girl anyway? Joey surveyed the girl's long blonde hair, her petite figure, her bright brown eyes, trying not to feel intimidated but not quite succeeding.

"How are you?" the girl asked Braden excitedly. "You look a lot better than the last time I saw you."

"I'm doing great," Braden replied, setting the girl down on the carpet again. "I missed you so much!"

The girl turned and that was when she noticed Joey standing there as though rooted to the spot, Socks cradled in her arms like some bizarre baby. Every nerve in Joey's body screamed at her to run and hide, but she stayed where she was, staring between the girl and Braden.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" the girl chided teasingly then, not waiting for Braden to reply, she stuck out her hand. "I'm Alex, Braden's sister."

Joey let out a long breath of relief, a smile spreading across her face. So she wasn't an old girlfriend. Now that Joey got a good look at her, she could see slight resemblances—they had the same mouth, the same nose.

"I'm Joey," she replied, shaking Alex's hand. "The girl dating your brother."

Alex's mouth quirked up in a smile. "Ah, so you're the unfortunate one dating Braden," she said, patting Joey's shoulder with mock sympathy. "My condolences."

"Hey now," Braden laughed, picking his sister up and holding her upside down. "Take it back or I'll have to shake an apology out of you."

Alex gave Braden a defiant look as she hung upside down. "Do your worst."

Braden shook his sister who shrieked and giggled until he finally dropped her gently to the floor and sat on her.

"Had enough?" he grinned, but Alex just laughed and shook her head. Braden adjusted his position as though he was making himself more comfortable, but he was really just squishing Alex even further.

"Alright, alright," Alex giggled. "Fine, I give up."

Braden laughed, tipping Joey a wink. "I'll let you up, but let me hear you say 'Braden is the best' first."

"No way," Alex stuck her tongue out at Braden. "I'm not saying that."

Braden leaned back on his hands with a grin. "Fine—then I'm staying right here. What are you doing in Mobile by the way? I thought you were in Virginia."

"I was," Alex laughed, giving up and just letting Braden sit on her stomach. "But Sam had to go on an assignment and the apartment felt too big without hi—"

She trailed off at the look on Braden's face, her cheeks heating up. "I mean...oh forget it. Fine, we're living together. Happy?"

"Not really," Braden said, crossing his arms in a way that made him look so intimidating that Joey subconsciously squeezed Socks tighter. "I might have to have a little talk with Sam when he gets back."

Joey watched the exchange wistfully, wishing that she got along with her siblings like this. Jack had always treated her like his annoying kid sister and didn't want her hanging around with him and Magnolia—well Joey flat out didn't understand Magnolia at all. This was the kind of family relationship she craved. Even though their childhood hadn't been the best, Braden and Alex were obviously close. It warmed Joey's heart watching them interact with each other.

"So who is this little guy?" Alex asked, scratching Socks behind the ears and under his chin. Socks closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the attention. "He is just too cute!"

"Thanks," Joey said shyly. She wasn't sure what made her so shy around Braden's sister, but the fact that Alex clearly adored Socks thawed her out a little. "His name is Socks. Do you want to hold him?"

Alex's eyes lit up with excitement, pausing mid scratch. "Can I?"

Socks strained toward Alex, clearly wanting her to scratch him some more. Joey laughed as Socks practically jumped out of her arms into Alex's.

"I think he likes you," Joey said, smiling as Socks nuzzled Alex's neck. Alex giggled, stroking the goat's sleek sides.

"I like him too."

Braden leaned against the wall, watching them with quiet pleasure. Joey caught his eye and he smiled at her, reaching for her hand.

"It's so hot here," Alex said, setting Socks on the floor. "I had forgotten how miserable the summer out here could be. It's not this hot in Virginia."

"Let's go get ice cream," Braden suggested. "I'll buy."

Joey held up a hand to stop them, a smile spreading across her lips. "Ooor, we could go back to my house and make ice cream. Trust me, when you've had homemade peach ice cream there's no going back."

"Mmm," Alex smiled, taking Joey's other hand and pulling her toward the door. "I knew I'd like you. Let's go!"

They climbed into the cab of Joey's truck, Braden in the middle and Alex on the other side with Socks in her lap. As Joey drove, Braden's hand slid up to the upper part of her thigh, giving it a brief squeeze. Joey glanced over and caught a look of longing in his eyes and she knew he was thinking about what had almost happened at his apartment. Blushing, she turned his hand over and laced her fingers with his. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking about it too. She felt disappointed they had gotten interrupted, but she had to admit, she loved that look on his face. That sweet look of regret. It felt so amazing to be wanted for herself and not for her trust fund.

Joey wanted to lean over and kiss Braden, but with Alex there, her shyness stopped her and instead she contented herself with squeezing his hand, letting their entwined fingers rest against her leg as she drove. When they got to the house, her parents were gone so they had the kitchen to themselves. Joey picked some of the early peaches out on the tree outside while Alex mixed the cream and sugar together.

"Can you get the ice cream freezer down?" Joey asked Braden. It was on the very top shelf in the storage room downstairs, but she was too short to reach it herself.

"Sure," Braden grinned, popping a peach slice into his mouth. Joey swatted his hand teasingly as he disappeared down the stairs.

"I saw that by the way," Alex giggled, helping Joey chop a peach. Joey flushed, wondering what exactly Alex had seen.

"Saw what?"

Alex grinned, dumping a handful of peach slices into the cream mixture. "I saw the way you looked at him. How long have you been in love with my brother?"

Was she that obvious? Joey looked down at her cutting board again, slicing the peach carefully. She felt a smile creeping onto her face as she worked, realizing that she truly did love Braden. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

"I don't know," Joey mumbled. "I think I fell in love with him before I even knew what was happening. He crept up on me."

Alex smiled but didn't say anything as Braden came back up the stairs with the big silver ice cream maker. They went out onto the back porch and poured the ingredients into the drum. Joey had always loved the rumbly noise of ice cracking, the salt crunching. The sound was delicious, making her wish for some ice cream now, but it wouldn't be ready for another twenty minutes.

Alex and Joey sat together on the porch swing, watching while Braden sat on an upside down bucket, knees on either side of the machine, turning the wooden crank with gloved hands. Steam rose from the well of ice into the golden evening sunlight. The porch floor vibrated with the efforts of the ice cream maker as Braden looked over at them, a teasing smile on his face.

"You know, one of you could take a turn," he joked, cranking the handle around and around and around.

"Nah, looks like you're doing just fine," Alex grinned, rocking the porch swing lazily with her foot. "We'll just enjoy watching you work."

When the ice cream was finally ready, Joey scooped it into bowls, handing one to Braden and one to Alex before taking the last one for herself. Alex took a bite, her eyes rolling back in her head as she made a little yummy noise.

"This is amazing! I definitely don't think I'll ever be able to go back to normal ice cream after this."

Joey laughed, scooping a bit of ice cream out for herself. "I told you. This stuff is definitely better than store bought."

They sat together eating ice cream as the sun went down, staining the sky gold. Joey nestled back against Braden's shoulder, sighing contentedly. At this moment, she was perfectly happy and she never wanted it to end.