by Layla Hagen
“Thank you all for coming here. I seriously can’t believe you’re doing this,” I said.
Reese smiled, covering a yawn with her hand. “Hey, emergencies suck. We’re here for you.”
Luke inspected the pump before joining us. “They’re moving fast.”
"You need to notify your insurance," Declan said.
“The rain last night wasn’t strong enough to warrant this. I think the pump the previous owners installed wasn’t good enough. I’m assuming the house was inspected before you bought it?” Luke asked me.
“Yes.”
“And they didn’t mention any issue with the pump?”
“No.”
“Right. The draining company will draft a report. If it turns out the pump was faulty and the previous owners didn’t disclose that, you might be able to sue them to get back the cost of the draining.”
“Thanks. Good to know.”
Declan immediately began explaining the steps of suing the previous owners. It sounded like it would take a while, and I didn’t know if I had a case anyway. But I appreciated his advice.
"Brother, I know you're the brains of the family, and I'm the brawn," Luke said, "but move that ass and grab a few boxes."
"Yeah. Don't try to just supervise us," Travis said. He was currently taping a box. "He did that all the time as kids, pulled the older brother card and said someone had to supervise us."
"And I did," Declan said, but now he was grinning. "Otherwise, you would have gotten in even more trouble than you did."
Tyler burst out laughing. "I seriously don't even think that's possible."
Travis wiggled his eyebrows at me. "If there was a smart way to do things and a stupid way to do things, we always chose the stupid one."
I smiled back while I was taping a box myself. "And let me guess, you were the one with the ideas, Travis?"
Travis whistled. "I'd like to take credit for that, but actually, Luke here was the one with the ideas. The rest of us just followed."
Luke nodded solemnly. "I had to use my position as second oldest to get them all to listen to me and give this one headaches." He patted Declan's shoulder.
"Okay, so I think this is going to take us a while. We need a better system," Declan said, looking at the boxes. "Most are heavy, so I don't think you're going to be able to do much lifting, are you, Kendra, Reese?"
"Between the two of us, we can do it," Reese said.
Declan looked around. "I have a better idea. Why don't you two tape up all the bottoms so we don't risk anything breaking, and we're going to carry it all out."
I perked up. "Okay. That's a good idea. I think that's going to make this go even faster.”
Reese and I turned every box that looked to have a soft bottom on the side and just put as much tape as possible on it. I debated only taping the ones with books and other solid items, since I planned to take clothes and bedsheets to the laundromat, but it was easier to carry everything out in boxes.
"Thanks so much for coming," I told her. “I don't even know what to say."
I felt like a broken record.
Reese waved her hand. "Oh, come on. It would have been silly for you two to spend a whole day here, and between all of us, we’ll be done in a couple hours. And anyway, I wanted to hang out with you too."
"You did?"
"Yeah. We didn’t chat much at the fair, but I already like you. You make Tyler smile. After the incident, it took the combined effort of all the Maxwells to lift his mood."
I found it heartwarming that they took the well-being of the others so seriously.
"Your family's really something else. I mean, my sister and I are also super close, but I thought that was because..."
"Because?” Reese prompted.
I cleared my throat. "Never mind. I mean, we had a few rough years as kids, so I thought that was why we were so close. I didn't realize normal families could be like this too."
She smiled warmly. "Well, we are. It's something our parents and Gran instilled in us since we were kids, and honestly, I'm happy about it, because lately the only people I feel comfortable with is my family."
"Is this because of what happened with your ex?” I grimaced as we taped yet another box. “I'm sorry, it's none of my business. Tyler told me that he was involved in the fight, but he didn't give me any details as to why the two of you broke up."
Reese jerked her head back. "He didn't? Wow, so there is a Maxwell who respects privacy. He deserves a prize. The rest of us aren't this evolved." She chuckled. "Joking aside, yeah, it is because of my asshole of an ex. We were supposed to get married, but then I found out he was sleeping with my best friend."
"Oh my God. That's horrible."
"Yeah, it is," she said quietly, and I saw her wither a bit in front of me. That was the most appropriate word, wither. I searched for something to say, but I knew some wounds just needed time to heal, or at least not hurt as much, and words didn't help.
"Okay. I think we're good here. Let's move on to the next group of boxes."
We were making real progress. It was much faster than the previous system. The guys didn't have to waste any time taping, so they just carried out box after box, and one short hour later, everything was in front of the house.
"I'm going to call the storage company again," I said and pulled out my phone.
They picked up right away. A woman greeted me.
“Hi! I’m Kendra. I spoke to one of your coworkers today. I need to book one of your storage rooms, and I also need the pickup service.”
“Sorry, our last room was booked half an hour ago.”
I clenched my jaw. “What do you mean? I spoke to your colleague a few hours ago. My name is Kendra. I’m sure she noted it somewhere.”
“We’re first come, first served.”
I pressed two fingers on the spot between my eyebrows, feeling a headache coming on. “This is no way to run a business. Why didn’t the other person tell me that?”
“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.”
I bit my lip, running a hand through my hair. "Okay. Thanks."
Tyler was looking at me intently when I hung up. I felt foolish. Could one thing go right today?
Travis came up to us. "What's wrong?"
"I'm just going to search real quick for some storage companies. The one I called before doesn't have space now."
Travis nodded, but then his eyes lit up. "Wait a second. Don't our parents have that huge empty shed? Mom keeps teasing Dad about it. He had it built, saying it was going to be his man cave, and it's been empty for fifteen years. They use it for storage."
"I'll call them," Tyler said.
"What? No, no, no." I was beside myself. "You all did so much for me already. I'll handle this. I'll find a spot. It's not that hard. Besides, I also have to take some of the things to a laundromat as well as dry out the books."
"Babe, my parents have a couple washing machines and dryers. And I’m sure we can come up with a way to dry your books. They won’t mind."
"They truly wouldn't," Luke said, but there was something interesting in his eyes, like a twinkle of mischief. He had something in mind. "Why don't you give them a call, Travis, and tell them Kendra”—he emphasized my name, for some reason—"needs their shed to store her boxes. And we'd all come over, of course."
"Got it," Travis said with a wink. It was like they were having a secret conversation between the lines.
Tyler pressed his lips in a thin line. Dimples appeared in his cheeks. He was holding back laughter. Wait a second. What’s going on?
I turned to Declan, who seemed thoroughly amused as well.
"Why don't you call Gran too while you're at it?" Declan said.
"Oh, I'm sure your mom will do it," Reese said. She was also grinning.
Wow. Okay. They were all in on the joke, and I had no idea what it was about. I searched my brain for a way to ask Tyler without being obvious, but if I pulled him to one side, they would know something was up.
I was obviously in for more surprises today. I mean, it had already been bewildering, so I decided to just go ahead with it. I wasn't used to doing things spontaneously. I liked to plan things in detail, but where had that gotten me? I'd made contingency plans for moving and for storing, and look what happened. If it wasn't for the group popping up here today, I would have had a lot more headaches.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kendra
Everyone was here with their car, and it took a while to put the boxes in the five trunks. It was double work because of the storage company. I was going to treat everyone to a delicious dinner tonight!
The restoration company still wasn’t done by the time everything was loaded up. I shuddered to think about how much it would cost. I told them to leave the key with my neighbor and email me the invoice.
After that, we all got in our cars. The second we were inside, it hit me that I was going to meet his parents. My palms were sweaty, and I needed a distraction.
"Okay. What was that with your brothers and Reese before Travis called your parents?" I asked.
"What?” he said, but the tone of his voice clued me in that he knew exactly what I was referring to.
"You were joking about something, but I didn't get it. The way Luke told Travis to call your mom, it seemed like he meant more than he was saying out loud.”
Tyler took my hand, kissing the back of it. "Mom is going to be beside herself that she's getting to meet you. I think that even if she didn’t have a spare space, she'd make one so we would all show up there. And yes, Reese is right. She's instantly going to call Gran too."
"For what?"
"So Gran can meet you too. Everyone’s excited."
"No pressure," I murmured.
"There really is no pressure."
"Tyler," I said seriously, "No one's done anything remotely close to what you and your family did for me today, so it is a big deal to me."
As he stopped the car at a red light, he looked me straight in the eyes. "I'm here for you, whatever you need, babe. I meant what I said before."
"I know that now."
He narrowed his eyes, pinching my thigh.
"Hey, what was that for?"
"So you didn't believe me before?" he asked as the car lurched forward once the light turned green.
"I'm not proud to own up to it, but I can't say I did. It's just that when you're used to not being able to trust people around you, you learn not to expect anything from them, not even when they promise it."
"Babe, you can always count on me," he said. His voice was soft, and when he looked at me, so were his eyes.
I was a bit on edge, and I wanted to diffuse the emotional tension.
“Thanks.”
“Now, let’s think of a punishment because you didn’t believe me.” His tone changed to playful as if he’d guessed exactly what I needed. He snapped his gaze back to the road.
“Oh?”
He peeked at me from the corner of his eye. “Undo the top button of your shirt.”
I burst out laughing. “My punishment is taking my clothes off?”
“I just wanted a peek, but if you’re volunteering to take everything off, I won’t say no.” He cleared his throat before adding, “On second thought, I am saying no.”
“What changed your mind so quickly?”
“We’re not alone on the street, and I don’t want anyone to see you.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing again. “So no peek either, then?”
He groaned, looking at me sideways. “I’m weak for you, Kendra. And you’re taking advantage of it.”
Giggling, I brought my fingers to the top button.
We arrived at his parents' house in Forest Glen forty minutes later. At the sight of the mansion, it dawned on me that this was the Maxwell family. Oh my God. Somehow, it had been easy to forget before, when everyone had been carrying around boxes and just teasing each other like they weren’t one of the richest families in Chicago. I was a bit intimidated, especially because there was a welcome committee waiting in front of the house. It was all red brick, with white windows and doors and a gray roof.
"These are my parents, and... Oh hell. What did Mom do? How is Gran already here?" Tyler asked as he parked the car in the huge driveway.
I assumed Gran was the older woman with white hair pulled back at the base of her head.
I laughed nervously. "Who's that next to Gran?" I asked.
"That's my brother Tate."
"Oh, wait. I recognize him. He brought you to the first meeting, along with the woman standing next to him."
"That's right. His fiancée, Lexi. And that's my niece, Paisley. She’s Tate’s daughter from his previous marriage and one of my favorite people on the planet.”
Who’s melting hearing this sexy hunk talking like this about his niece? Not me.
“Come on, let’s get out of the car,” he said.
My legs felt like spaghetti as we walked up the front porch.
“Hi, everyone," Tyler said. "This is Kendra."
"Hi," I said before pressing my lips together. My voice sounded so high-pitched, like I was a young girl.
"Hey, Kendra," Tyler's mom said. "Nice to meet you. Call me Lena."
“Emmett,” his dad offered, shaking my hand. “And this is my mom, Beatrice.”
“Everyone calls me Gran,” Beatrice said with a warm smile.
I shook everyone’s hand, including Paisley’s.
"Thank you so much for doing this,” I told his parents. “I hope it's okay. I'm going to check again with the storage company where my sister had her stuff before, and as soon as they have something open, I’ll take my stuff there."
Lena smiled. Emmett was looking at Tyler, who put a hand around my shoulders, pulling me toward him. "Babe, relax. My parents are cool with your stuff being here until the house is ready."
I smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little bit intimidated," I said, deciding to lay out all my cards before they thought I was a weirdo. "Today was tough, and I wasn't expecting your sons and Reese to all show up and help me."
"Oh, they'd better," Emmett said in a deep voice. "That's how we raised them.”
He looked toward the driveway, where four more cars pulled in, and Travis, Declan, Luke, and Reese got out.
“Dad, we’re gonna need the keys to the shed,” Travis said.
“It’s already open,” Emmett replied. “Let’s get a start on the boxes. I already put some fans in there.”
It took us about half an hour to lay the books out on the floor to dry. I took my clothes and bedsheets directly to the basement of the house, where they had two sets of professional washing machines and dryers.
“I think we can get all the loads done today,” Lena said. “There’s a quick-wash and quick-dry program.”
“That’s great.” I smiled. “Do you have any trash bags? So I can put everything in them afterward?”
“Yes I do. Come on, let’s go up.”
The house was even more spectacular on the inside. The ceiling was high, and the interior was a mix of classic and modern. I’d never seen this design before—modern light fixtures, but ornate molding on the ceiling and Persian rugs. There were pumpkins everywhere.
“I like the Halloween decor,” I said.
“Paisley had a party here for Halloween with her friends from school. She asked us to keep them for a while longer.”
"It's so fancy but at the same time cozy," I said.
“Thanks,” Lena replied. “We upgraded it a bit once the boys were older. When they were kids, we had all sort of pictures hanging up and drawings they brought home, so they could play around and touch everything.”
I loved that they did that instead of just telling them to behave so they wouldn't ruin anything. Whenever I thought of the Maxwell family, I'd figured they’d be... different. And yet they were so down-to-earth, all of them.
We went into the living room, and Lena stepped behind their beautiful mah
ogany bar. Lexi, Paisley, Reese, and Gran were already here. The guys were still outside, it seemed. We all sat on the bar stools, except Gran, who sank into a plush armchair right next to it.
“What’s everyone having?” Lena asked.
“White wine for me,” Lexi replied.
“I’m with Lexi,” I added.
Reese tapped her palms against the counter, saying in a singsong voice, “I’m always up for wiiiine.”
“So am I,” Gran exclaimed.
Lena opened a white wine by Maxwell Wineries, of course, pouring it into five glasses. Paisley got orange juice. It felt like I’d barely sipped once from my drink when the guys returned, and they were a sight for sore eyes.
"Okay. Who's hungry," Travis said, "because I'm famished. Is there any food?"
"No. Your dad and I were just going to have a light dinner," Lena said.
"I can treat everyone to takeout," I exclaimed, coming down from my bar seat. "If you like that."
"We sure do," Luke replied.
There was a chorus of yeses, and for some reason, I felt less intimidated when they started to fight over whether to order pizza or sushi.
“We can order both,” I said in a slightly raised tone to make myself heard.
Luke grinned at me. “No, no. The whole fun is to get to agree on something.”
“It seems like it might never happen,” I replied.
Travis came up next to me. “I’m with you on this one. We never agree on food, but we always try. I don’t know why. But they better hurry up, or I’ll eat up everything Mom’s got in the fridge. I haven’t eaten anything today.”
“Thanks again for coming and helping me."
"No problem. I have lots of free time anyway, so I can help out with anything my family needs." He spoke like this was a common occurrence.
"How come you have so much free time?" I asked.
"I just sold my company, and I'm in no rush to start something else. I've been working on it for years, so now I'm just catching up on everything I missed. It's a bit weird, honestly, but it did come in handy when Tyler needed company."
