Chapter 13
DOVE
My brain is so full of plant pests and problems and measures to protect them. The last two days we spent touring a fig farm and discussing the various pests that impact them. A professor from Purdue University did an entire session on sampling and identifying spider mites.
It was all fascinating to me, since fig trees are a type of tree resistant to Armillaria. Also fascinating was how they referred to figs as inside-out flowers rather than fruits, and most U.S.-grown figs do not require a wasp to ripen.
That part always made me gag at the thought of eating one.
Gazing at the passing landscape as we drive back to Los Feliz, I think about bringing all this information back to Louisiana.
In addition to Maverick, I texted Uncle Leon everything I learned and sent him the contact information for two professors I met who specialize in Armillaria and peach production.
With every breath, my chest expands with optimism and hope… and anticipation at seeing Maverick again. I swipe back to the picture he sent me of Kelani asleep on his chest.
His large hand is on her back, practically dwarfing her puppy body. My eyes drift to the lines in his muscular forearm, the bulge of his bicep. Resting my cheek on my hand, I exhale a sigh.
Corey
Looking forward to seeing you at Beverly’s wedding. Perhaps I can be your escort for the weekend.
Exhaling a little growl, I roll my eyes. How is it possible for one man to be so irritating? He knows as well as everyone my best friend has never gone by the name Beverly a day in her life. I wish I could roll him up and stick him in a fig.
Dove
I don’t need an escort. It’s all taking place at my home, in the orchard, and Boo has us all booked up with activities and preparations.
Corey
Ah, yes, champagne and mani-pedis. Still, it’ll be lovely to see you again. Perhaps it will give you ideas.
Dove
If by ideas, you mean ways to preserve my family’s heritage, that’s the whole reason I’m here.
Corey
There are more ways than studying to preserve your family’s heritage.
Dove
Agree to disagree.
Rolling my eyes, I’m ready to throw my phone across the backseat when another text lights up my screen. One that makes me smile and scooch down in my chair.
Maverick
ETA?
I look at the trip calculator on my phone.
Dove
About 45 minutes
Maverick
Perfect.
I put a thumbs up on his message and chew my lip as I look out the window, counting down the minutes as we make our way through the traffic on the interstate.
I must’ve dozed, because the sound of the door slamming shut makes me jump awake. I sit up quickly, reaching over to grab my purse and my messenger bag. The door opens, and I look up to see the hazel eyes I’ve been thinking about all week looking down at me.
My breath hitches, and I slide my hand into his, stepping out as he lifts me effortlessly onto the sidewalk then bends down to engulf me in a hug.
He’s still hard as a rock, but I’m surrounded by his familiar scent of woodsy leather and soap, and I close my eyes as I wrap my arms over his shoulders. Warmth floods me from my chest all the way down to my toes, and for several beats of my heart, we don’t move.
It’s like we’ve been apart for years rather than weeks, and every muscle in my body relaxes. Happiness washes over me in sparkling waves. I feel so silly, my eyes heat. A smile splits my cheeks, and I want to laugh.
Then he releases me, stepping back and smiling down at me so big. “Let me get your bags.”
I follow him into the house, and he puts my suitcase at the foot of the stairs. Looking around, the place seems freshly cleaned. I even notice a fresh bouquet of white roses in a crystal vase on the table.
“These are beautiful.” I walk over to take a deep sniff of the fragrant blooms.
“I noticed you had fresh flowers when you left.” He rubs the back of his neck, causing that bicep of his to flex attractively. “I thought you might like to have them when you got home.”
“The place is so clean… Didn’t you just get back from Seattle?”
He shrugs. “I have this service.”
“I had no idea.” I remember how I’d wanted to scrub everything before I suddenly had to leave. Boy, would I have felt dumb. “You have a cleaning service?”
“No…” A little yip draws our attention, and he holds up a finger before hurrying into his bedroom.
Seconds later, the rapid scuffing of puppy nails on hardwoods precedes Kelani running into the room, her little ears flapping as her front legs do a sort-of hoppy jog.
“Kee-Kee!” I cry, dropping to my knees and scooping her up as she reaches me.
She licks me all over the face excitedly, and Mav’s deep chuckle thrills my insides. “I think she remembers you.”
It’s all so perfect and homey, I don’t even know what to do with my feelings. A knock on the front door makes me stand, and Gina runs into the room.
“You’re back!” She pulls me into a hug. “How was your trip? I hope you learned so much. I’m not even going to fuss about all the newsy texts I never received…”
She gives me the squint-eye, and I put my hand over my face. “I’m the worst friend. I was so busy texting Leon and doing my best to absorb all the knowledge, and…”
“Don’t even worry about it.” Gina waves her hand. “You can tell us about it at dinner.”
I glance over at Maverick, knowing all of my non-school-related texts were to him. He stands back, grinning sheepishly with his hands in his pockets.
“I came over to invite you both to dinner at our place. Haddy and Gavin will be there, and we all need a good catching up.”
“Oh…” Maverick’s expression is worried, and I look from him to her. “I already planned something.”
“You did?” Gina’s mouth twists. “Can it keep?”
He begins to answer when the front door opens again, and a deep voice calls through it, “Bradfords in da house!”
We all turn to see three giants entering the room, and Gina squeals loudly before running to greet them.
“Oh my gosh, Knox—and Austin and Edward?” She bounces on her toes, hugging all three of the massive guys. “What is this? Christmas?”
“Geeg,” Knox replies, hugging her and lifting her off her feet.
Knox is the only actual cousin in the group. Austin is Knox’s non-Bradford half-brother, and Edward is their aunt Rachel’s brother.
They’re each over six feet tall, and they’re all professional football players, like every Bradford boy except Maverick.
“Who do we have here?” Knox walks over to where I’m bending down to catch the puppy before she escapes out the front door.
“Knox, Austin, Edward, meet Kelani!” I hold her up. “Maverick’s foster puppy.”
“Hey, pup.” Knox gives her head a quick scrub before turning his blue eyes on me. “I was talking about Dove Rhodes. What are you doing here, girl? I haven’t seen you in years!”
“Oh, I thought you meant the dog.” I drop my chin, exhaling a laugh. “I know! It’s been at least… I don’t even know how long it’s been!”
I rise onto my tiptoes, and Mav’s cousin bends down to give me a hug. Just like Mav, he’s solid as a rock, and smells like sexy man, spicy and clean.
“Are you living in LA, too?” Knox’s large hand is still on my upper back, and he looks at Mav curiously. “What’s going on out here?”
“If by LA, you mean Louisiana,” I tease, poking his chest. “I’m just here for a semester.”
“I’m sure Mav’s enjoying your company.” He grins at his cousin.
Mav’s eyes narrow, and he shakes his head slowly, but Austin steps in between them.
“How’s the family rebel doing?” He holds out his hand, then pulls Mav in for a hug. “Still got all your teeth?”
“Actually, I thought I was going to lose this one last season.” Mav lifts his upper lip, showing one of his canines. “Caught a stick to the face.”
“Jeez.” Austin shakes his head, scrubbing Maverick’s long hair with his hand, which makes me smile.
All the Bradfords are handsome men, but I confess, my attention keeps pulling to Maverick like he’s a magnet and I’m steel.
I love that I’m here with him, that we get to see all our old friends together.
Thinking of him having the house cleaned, buying fresh flowers for me to come home to, warms me all the way to my toes.
“It’s a good thing I wasn’t in Newhope when y’all were sneaking around,” Austin scolds. “I’d have told Dylan and put a stop to all that.”
“You would’ve?” My nose wrinkles as I look up at him.
Austin is the oldest of the “children,” although he was practically grown when we were born. He was in college when our mothers met, so he never visited Louisiana. But I saw him a few times when we visited Newhope. He was always handsome, mature, and way too busy for us “littles.”
“He wouldn’t have told.” Knox gives his big brother’s shoulder a shove. “You were too busy making a name for yourself in Knoxville.”
“Hi, Edward!” I wave to the third man standing quietly near Gina.
Edward is neurodivergent, and in true Bradford fashion was recruited to be a kicker for the NFL team in Maryland.
He’s neatly dressed in jeans and a maroon long-sleeved shirt, and he regards me with curious gray eyes. “Hello, Dove. Is your family still growing peaches?”
“Trying to!” I lift the puppy’s paw, not really wanting to go down that path. “This is Kelani, Mav’s foster puppy.”
Edward walks over to where I’m standing, and he pets the small dog. “She looks like a Siberian Husky.”
“That’s exactly what she is,” Gina answers, walking over to pet her as well. “Mav’s helping us give her a good home until we can find her a forever home.”
“Why can’t this be her forever home?” Edward looks around the place. “Is it because he wants to give her to Dove?”
“Aw, you remembered I had a husky.” I tilt my head, smiling up at him. “That’s really nice of you.”
“It’s true, isn’t it?” Edward frowns over at Mav. “Maverick said it was the best dog in the world because it saved your life.”
Mav steps forward quickly, clapping his hands together. “Hey, so I wasn’t expecting all the guys for dinner tonight. I need some more supplies. Who wants to go with me to the store? All of you? Okay!”
“I don’t want to go to the store,” Edward answers flatly. “We just got off a three and a half-hour flight.”
“Oh, where did you fly from?” I ask.
“I started from New Orleans.” Knox walks over and rests his hand on my shoulder. “They started at Austin’s place in Dallas. Did you know I’m in New Orleans now?”
“I did not!” My eyes widen happily. “Are you there full-time?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He straightens his shoulders. “Starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, and for the first time in years, we made it all the way to the playoffs.”
“How did I not know about this? I’ll have to go to a game next season.”
“I’ll get you a seat in my box.” Knox hugs me closer. “We can get you a Bradford jersey, and—”
“She’s already got a jersey.” Mav’s tone is sharp, and Knox lifts his arm off me, holding up his hand.
“Or not,” he says, backing away slowly.
My brow furrows, and I look between the two of them. “I need a Bradford jersey, too…”
Austin’s deep chuckle cuts my confusion. “Don’t you have enough trouble on your plate, little brother? You looking for more?”
“This is fun!” Gina hops onto the couch on her knees facing us. “I’ve never seen Maverick so jumpy. He’s not going to have to work out this weekend with you here.”
I bounce the dog, doing my best to follow along. It’s like they’re all talking in code, and I don’t know the code.
“Back to dinner,” Mav says, glaring at Gina. “I probably have enough mashed potatoes, but I need to run to the butcher and pick up more steaks. Gina, are you and Owen still doing your thing?”
“Yeah, it’s too late to uncook all our stuff.” She hugs Mav’s waist. “We’ll come after dinner and hang out. You’re going to have to buy a month’s worth of groceries to feed all these guys.”
“I can help!” My weariness from the week and the travel has vanished, and I’m adrenalized seeing so many good old friends.
Mav blinks over at me, and his tone is warm. “If you’ll just keep an eye on Kelani, that’ll be enough.”
A long pause stretches between the group, then all of a sudden Knox busts out laughing. “Oh, brother,” he groans.
Mav punches him in the shoulder, and Austin grabs Knox’s arm.
“How ‘bout we run grab some beer,” Austin says, dragging his brother to the door. “You good, Eddie?”
Edward looks around the room. “Where do I put my suitcase?”
“Here, you and Austin can crash in my room.” Maverick steps forward, taking the hard case. “I’ve got a California King, so you should have plenty of space. I don’t mind sleeping on the couch.”
“You don’t have to do that…” Austin begins.
They break into a debate over who’s going to sleep where, and Gina waves me over as she heads for the door. “If Austin and Edward are in Mav’s room, you might want to put Kelani’s crate in your room again.”
“Good idea.” I nod.
“And if it gets to be too much testosterone in this house, you can always stay with Owen and me til they leave.”
“But you have Maddie and Heather,” I counter. “It’ll be fine. You forget I grew up in a house with two former Marines and Leon.”
“We’ll be back after dinner.” She steps forward and hugs me. “Don’t let them give Mav a stroke.”
Shaking my head, I look back at them all arguing and horsing around. “I have no idea what they’re even talking about!”
“Yeah.” Gina smiles at me in a sweet way. “I know you don’t. See you in a few hours.”
She slips out the door before I have a chance to make her explain.