Chapter 3
3
MAVERICK
" M av," Cara says, tapping her knuckles on my open door. "Have a minute?"
"For you? Always." And it’s true. She’s ruthlessly efficient to the point that Ransom would probably drop to his knees and beg her to stay if she ever decided to quit. So if she’s here, it’s important.
She grins and strolls in, dropping gracefully into the chair in front of my desk, leaning forward to drop a folder on my desk. She still looks exactly the same as she did this morning. Hair perfect. All her buttons in the right place - no small feat considering Declan's in the habit of dragging her into his office for a nooner on the daily.
"Does that lipstick stay on all day, or do you have to reapply it all the time?"
One brow arches, and she leans back in her chair. "Where did that come from?" Her grin is slow, and knowing. "Nevermind. I know. And yeah, it stays there until I take it off. Makes things easier, you know?"
"Right," I mutter, face hot. Not going there. Don't want to think about ways to wear it off. Stop it stupid brain. A slightly hysterical giggle escapes, and I clench my teeth together to stop any more from escaping.
Cara laughs, letting me off the hook. Not that I think she'd try to make me uncomfortable. "Relax. I know what it does to men's brains. It's fine. You're fine. Red lipstick is a thing, I know."
"Right. A thing. Fuck. Sorry." I reach for the folder, sliding it toward me. "What's this?"
"All the information on that building. The one that might work for executive offices?"
"How do you feel about this plan? You seemed pretty on board with Ransom's original plan to build a new headquarters." We’re overflowing this building. It’s served us well for years, but we need a fuck of a lot more space. Plus, there are kids coming. It’s bound to happen. Mia and Noah are just the tip of the baby iceberg, and Ransom is determined to have the perfect daycare for them.
"I was on board. Anything he wants, it's my job to help him get it. That's the executive assistant's role."
"Fuck the role. You know what I'm asking."
"Yeah, I do. I'm okay with it. I think it's smarter. We can be in there by the end of this year, and let's face it, we need the space. I just…" she trails off, wincing.
"What?"
"He really liked the idea of building something for all of us. I hate seeing him disappointed."
"Me too. But this is logical."
“When has logic ever mattered? It wasn't necessarily logical to build a forty story high rise and live there. It was long and slow, but he had a vision."
"He always has a vision. I guess the problem is that now, our family has competing visions. It's an adjustment." It's bound to happen with all of the women who've joined our family. My brothers are prioritizing their women, as they should, but all of us are still trying to recalibrate.
"He's afraid he's going to lose all of you," she says softly.
Her words hit me hard. "Lose us? Why would he think that?"
Cara's eyes are sad. "You're all coupling up. Having babies. Building your lives with your women. Moving out, moving on, is inevitable. And I think he must worry that he's going to get left behind." It's nice of her to include me in that when we both know there's no relationship on the horizon for me. Unless Cadence—. Nope. Nevermind. Not going there.
I shake my head, a lump in my throat. "That's not possible. He's our brother. Our family. That doesn't change just because the guys fell in love."
"I know that. And logically, so does he. But emotions aren't always logical, are they?"
I lean back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. "No, they're not." It's weird to think about Ransom as emotional. Not that he's a robot. But he's always so together, always knowing where we're going, knowing the path.
"He had to have known that we wouldn't stay single forever."
"I'm sure he did, but you have to admit, this is fast. In a year, eight of you have found love. I mean, that's crazy, right?"
"A little." Or a lot. "It's a little weird. Some nights, you guys are all busy doing your own things, and it's just Ransom and I."
She frowns and bites her lip. "Do we need to find him a girlfriend?"
I can't stop the physical recoil.
Cara laughs. "Jesus. Are you expecting him to stay single forever? It sure looks like it."
"I…fuck. Maybe I am. That's fucked up. He deserves happiness more than anyone." But in a weird way I do want him to stay single forever. He's the head. He's like the dad, even though he's only a bit older than I am. And I can't picture him not focused on us.
We're fucking co-dependent.
"And what about you Mav? Don't you deserve to be happy?"
I shoot her a grin. "I kneel next to my bed every night, begging the Baby Jesus to send me a woman to love. So far, nothing. I think he must be asleep. I should try praying earlier."
She slaps a hand over her eyes. "Oh, my poor pathetic guy. That's your whole plan to meet someone? Pray? No wonder you're single! Do you want me to set you up?"
"On a date?" I ask blankly.
She groans and flaps a hand at me. "You're hopeless. Listen, just promise me that if you ever meet someone who lights you up, even just a little bit, you'll explore it. It's okay if it's not forever. But you have to put yourself out there."
I grunt and tap the folder on my desk. "Thanks for this. I'll look it over."
"Fine," she mutters, standing, "be like that. But it's going to happen one of these days, and I can't wait. I hope she puts you through the wringer."
After she leaves, I sit for a long time, staring at the wall. Thinking about family, and about change. About the bonds that tie us together. And how I hope, no matter what changes, those bonds will always remain.
But maybe they have to loosen a bit.
Or maybe we just lasso the new people and tie them up with us. Then we can all move through life as one living mass.
It's not the worst idea.
Thoughts of Cadence force themselves in, memories flashing. To the way she looked at me last night. To that moment when she nailed me with that sexy smile, and flirted her ass off.
Christ, the wave of hope that washed over me was like nothing I've ever felt before. Then Jonas had to open his fucking mouth and ruin the whole damned thing.
Did she light me up? Is that what that was? I don't have anything to compare it to, but maybe that's what it was. I know for damned sure I'm attracted.
And I also know for damn sure she's closed that door. Though maybe, if I want, I can try and push it back open.
But I don't know how. Or if it's even possible.
Or if it's even ethical.
I'm an attorney. I know damn well it's easy to cross the line between appropriate and inappropriate. Even if I made sure to not cross the line, it doesn't make it right.
And yeah, I'm okay with breaking the law if it suits me. But not when it comes to this. It would be so easy to get her info from her personnel file. I'd have my hands on her number and address in seconds.
Then what?
That way lies madness.
With a sigh, I open the folder Cara dropped off, forcing myself to focus on work. On the things I can control.
The rest will have to wait.
Hours later, I grab that same folder from the stack on my desk and head down the hallway to Ransom's office, yawning. It's been non-stop since I arrived this morning, barely a moment to breathe between phone calls.
I rap my knuckles against Ransom's open door before entering. He's seated behind his desk, his brow furrowed as he stares intently out the window.
"Hey, got a minute?" I ask, holding up the folder. "Need your eyes on this before I can call it a day."
Ransom blinks and leans back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. "Sure, Mav. Toss it over."
I hand him the folder and collapse into one of the chairs opposite his desk. As he flips through the pages of documentation on the building, I loosen my tie and unbutton the top of my collar.
I know I don't have to wear them. A lot of my brothers don't wear suits. But I've always followed Ransom's lead in this area, and I see the benefits. People approach me differently when I'm wearing a suit. There's a level of respect and confidence that a man in an expensive suit commands, and I use that to my full advantage.
"Looks good to me," Ransom says after a few minutes, closing the folder. His face is impassive, but I still see the turmoil in him.
"Is it? Good, I mean?"
He taps a finger on the top of the blue folder, looking pensive. "Yes, it's a smart move. More space, quickly is good. We need it."
"But it's not what you imagined." Ransom’s original vision, of a brand new executive headquarters for us, complete with a garage space for Micah's custom work, was pretty epic. But it would be years before it was ready to move into.
He smiles, but it's weary. "No, but that's to be expected. Things are changing quickly. We have to pivot."
"Lots of change," I echo. "That doesn't even begin to cover it. It feels like we've dropped into an alternate universe."
He chuckles, the sound low and soothing. It's a sound that's always meant everything is going to be ok. "The women are a bit of an adjustment. Especially Becca. But that was bound to happen. Now we have a chance to build our new family all at once, rather than trying to integrate one person at a time over the next few years."
"One big painful adjustment period instead of a series of smaller ones."
"Exactly."
"My ass is twitching," Colton announces from the doorway.
I turn in my chair to get a look at him. He's still wearing his custom suit. He pulls off the look but it's grudging. And of course there's no tie. The scowl on his face makes my lips twitch. "There's medication for that. And just saying, keep that shit to yourself."
He looks at me like I'm the dumbest person on the planet. "Something is up. It's my spidey sense. Twitching ass equals shit's about to go down."
"Last time you complained about a twitchy ass, your favorite Chinese place closed down," Ransom says, like people talk about twitchy asses all the time.
To be fair, in our family, it's not that unusual.
"See! Catastrophe." He drops onto the couch with a heavy sigh, then immediately stands and shrugs out of his suit jacket, tossing it across the room. Then he sits again. "What are we drinking?"
Ransom raises a brow at me. "Fine," I mutter, standing and moving to the bar cart in the corner. I pour us drinks —the rest of the guys are going to have to get their own — then hand them out.
Colton proceeds to explain to us exactly how twitchy he is, describing the length and severity of the spasms. Gradually, the rest of my brothers file in. Nick strolls in, straight to the mini fridge and grabs himself a beer.
Zach enters right after, stops halfway to the bar cart, bends, and picks up Colton's jacket, folding it carefully and laying it over the back of a chair. Then he pours himself a finger of whiskey.
Declan and Kade come in next, arguing about some MMA fight they saw. Jonas is last, entering with hair standing straight up. I wonder what he's been working on? He's got a habit of tugging on it when he's working through a problem. My brother is brilliant, scattered, and persistent as fuck, so I’m sure whatever he’s working through will get figured out.
I sit, sipping my drink, listening to the chatter. It's familiar, the sound of home and family, and it's easy to let my mind drift aimlessly as my brother's voices rise and fall.
Then my attention snaps right back to the room when I hear Ransom ask Nick "Are you going back to the shelter? When is she coming home?"
Nicks brow raises and he takes another sip. I look between him and Ransom, and yeah, I hold my breath a bit. It's loud in here, I don't want to miss anything.
"What do you mean?" Nick asks innocently.
Ransom's not buying it. "The dog? You've been spending a lot of time at the shelter. And with one dog specifically. When are you bringing her home?"
Nick screws up his face. "How the fuck do you know everything all the time?"
Ransom chuckles, but doesn't reply, relishing his man of mystery role. It's not really a surprise, though. He makes the rounds, checking on all of us, and on the women. And since the women are going to the rescue, I wouldn't be surprised if he's heard all about the dog Nick's been working with. He's been working to help her out of her shell, and he's already paid the adoption fee. The dog is his, as soon as she's ready.
"She's not ready to come home yet. She's still a little shut down, but she's starting to trust me."
"Someone hurt her?" Kade asks gruffly.
"Yeah. I don't know all the specifics, but she doesn't really trust people anymore. But I'm taking my time. I'll get her there."
"Yeah you will," Zach says firmly. That's what I love about my brothers. We're always here for each other, supporting each other. We give each other shit all the time, but when it matters, I have no doubt they'll be there.
Or in this case, for that dog.
"You going back tonight?" Zach asks. He's been to the rescue a bunch of times. He got his little dog from there, and his girlfriend Maya is the one that first introduced us to the rescue.
"Yeah. Bree's heading there, so I thought I'd meet her."
"Maverick should go with you. He can see Cadence," Jonas adds helpfully.
All eyes turn to me and I resist the urge to squirm in my seat.
Or curse out Jonas.
"What's this about Cadence? The waitress from your club?" Ransom asks, his eyes narrowing on me. "Did I miss something?"
I shoot Jonas a glare, but he's oblivious, too excited to share. "Maverick was flirting with her last night at the club. And she was flirting back. Until she found out he was her boss."
"I wasn't flirting," I mutter.
"You so were," Declan chimes in. "You couldn't take your eyes off her."
"And she couldn't take her eyes off you," Nick adds. "Until Jonas opened his big mouth."
"Hey!" Jonas protests. "I did not know it was a secret. Why would it be?"
Ransom leans forward, his elbows on his knees. "You like this girl?"
I run a hand through my hair, feeling like I'm sitting under a spotlight. "I don't know her. But yeah, I'm attracted to her."
"And she's involved in the rescue?"
"She started it. She runs it. It's all her, and a bunch of volunteers when she can get them."
"She's driven," Ransom murmurs, nodding approvingly.
"So why don't you go down there with Nick tonight?" Zach suggests. "Spend some time with her. Get to know her."
God. They find themselves women, and now they want everyone else to have one too. "I can't do that."
"Why not?" Colton asks.
"Because I'm her boss. It's not ethical."
Kade snorts. "Since when do we care about ethics when it comes to dating?"
Again. He's not wrong. But I can't go there. "Since always, when it comes to shit like this. I'm not going to put her in an awkward position. And besides, even if I did go down there, I can tell she's not interested anymore."
"How do you know if you don't try?" Nick asks.
"Because I saw the way she looked at me when she realized I owned the club. She shut down faster than Colton's sex life after he got married."
"Hey!" Colton protests, but he's grinning. "I'm going to tell Evie you said that. Plus…we are banging all over the place. All the time. Multiple times a day."
"Don't you dare." I try to make it sound threatening, but I fail. Evie's a little scary. She puts that tough, no-nonsense mom and nurse energy into everything she does, and I admire it as much as I fear her.
"Look, I appreciate you guys trying to help. But this isn't going to happen. She's not interested, and even if she was, I'm not going there. End of story."
Ransom studies me for a long moment, then nods. "Okay. We'll drop it."
"Thank you."
"For now," he adds, and I groan.
"Interfering assholes."
"We just want you to be happy," Jonas says earnestly.
"I am happy."
"You'd be happier with a woman in your life," Zach says.
I flip him off, and he laughs.
The conversation moves on, but I can't quite shake the feeling that this isn't over. My brothers are nothing if not persistent. And when they get an idea in their heads, they don't let go easily.
I just hope they'll let this one go. Because as much as I might want Cadence, I know it's not going to happen. And I'm going to need more than a few weeks to get over the disappointment.