Chapter 6
SAM
"Remind me why no one in this family believes in hiring movers," Travis said one week later. I was moving into the loft, and I'd enlisted the help of all my brothers.
"I think our family policy is great," Declan said seriously. Dad had drilled into us at a young age that you don't pay anyone else to do something you can do yourself. We all lived by it, even Travis, although he did so grudgingly.
"Why pay a moving company when I can ask you all to do it for free?" I teased as Luke and I carried the couch inside.
“I agree,” Tyler said. He was carrying a huge box.
"Maybe because we all have much better things to do. I have a wife and a newborn," Travis grumbled.
He and Tate were each carrying trash bags containing clothes and other odds and ends over their shoulders. I didn't have many things to begin with, since I’d been gone for so many years. The couch had been in storage. I'd had it in the first apartment I shared with friends in college.
"The couch smells old. I think I might change it soon," I said after positioning it by the wall.
Declan stared at me. "Dude, I think we should add an addendum to the family policy. Don't make anyone work just for fun."
"It's not for fun," I said. “I knew I had a couch, and I didn't bother looking for another one.” The loft had furniture except for a couch. I'd asked Avery what she thought about it, and she’d liked it.
"The place looks good," Luke said appreciatively, glancing around. "Modern."
“I like the neighborhood too,” Tyler added.
"Yeah. It just has one problem," Travis said.
I snapped my head at him. "What?"
It seemed good enough to me, but I wasn't an expert on buildings. Neither was Travis, though.
He grinned. He was about to give me shit.
"I don't think it's big enough to cut through the sexual tension between you and Avery."
"Man, what are you talking about? There's nothing going on," I said.
"For now," Luke said with a wink.
Tyler chuckled. “I’m with Luke on this one.”
My brothers were unbelievable. Declan was the only one who didn't seem intent on making fun of me.
I carried the trash bags into my room. I was going to deal with them later. Everything I owned in terms of clothing was in them; it would take no time at all to put them in the dresser.
Going back to the living room, I planned to ask my brothers if they wanted to stay for dinner.
There were a bazillion hip restaurants around.
We could order something in, or I could take them out for a drink.
But when I came in, Tate was on the phone with Paisley.
Travis was also on the phone, probably with Bonnie.
Maybe Travis wasn't just teasing me; my brothers had their own lives to go back to.
A bout of guilt hit me that I'd made them all come here. Dad's rule was reasonable, but my intention hadn't been to take my brothers away from their families.
"Guys, thanks for your help. I think we're all done here."
Declan cocked a brow. "You sure?"
"Yes.”
"When is your girl moving in?" Tate asked. He’d finished his conversation and was pocketing his phone.
"She's not my girl, she's my roommate, and she should've been here ten minutes ago, at seven o'clock."
“See? We need to give you shit now so we get it out of our system before she arrives.”
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Travis winked at me. "We can't very well let her carry her stuff in on her own, can we?"
"She wouldn't be on her own," I remarked. "I'd help her."
"Yeah, but the more the merrier, that's what I say.”
“Unless, of course, we're interrupting something. Are we?" Tyler asked.
"I forgot you're such a buffoon."
"I'm always glad to remind you," he replied with a wide grin.
We all headed downstairs. Avery was by the entrance with a huge suitcase and five boxes.
I reached her first. "Where's the rest of your stuff?" I asked.
"This is everything I have."
"My brothers will be disappointed."
Her eyes widened. "They're here?"
"Yes." I had a hard time keeping my eyes on her face.
She was wearing short cutoff jeans, and her legs seemed endless.
Her skin looked so soft that I barely bit back the impulse to move closer and find an excuse to touch her.
I remembered the way her skin felt under my fingers.
It was all Travis's fault that I was fantasizing.
The next second, my brothers came down.
"Hey, all the Maxwells are here," Avery said with a laugh. "Let me guess, honoring the family policy. 'Don't hire someone to do stuff for you,' right?" She frowned, running a hand through her hair, and bit her lower lip. My cock twitched. I was on a dangerous slope already.
"No, it's 'Don't pay anyone to do stuff you can do yourself,'" Luke explained. He nodded at her boxes. "That's all you have?”
"Yep. That's all I own: my suitcase and these five boxes."
"Do you still have stuff in storage?" Tate asked.
Her eyes dimmed. "No."
“Then this will be quick,” Tyler said.
I trained my gaze on her. She looked vulnerable, hurt, and I needed to know why.
"Come on. Don't stand around, make yourselves useful. Each of you grab a box. I'll take this suitcase," I instructed, and everyone followed.
Avery whistled appreciatively. "Wow. Has the chain of command changed in the family? I don't remember Sam ordering you all around when we were kids."
Declan winked at her. "He doesn’t. We're just playing nice because you're here."
"Okay. Duly noted," Avery said as we went up the staircase. "It's so surreal to see you all again."
She was walking in front of us all, and I was the first one behind her. Keeping my eyes away from her ass was becoming more difficult with every step. It looked perfect from this angle. Avery had filled out, and I loved it—lots of curves with a slender waist. Yeah, she was perfect.
She looked over her shoulder. "Any of you married now? Wait, I think I read that Tyler is engaged, right? And Travis too. There's been stuff in the media."
That last statement earned a collective groan.
She gasped, looking over her shoulder. "What?"
As we stepped inside, I said, "We're not on friendly terms with the media."
Avery sighed. "I remember you were never fans. They were vicious when you were younger. It's like they kept expecting you all to mess up because your family was well-off. But you didn't."
Had she kept tabs on my family? Then again, it wasn't hard. The press didn’t write about us often, mostly because we didn't give them any fodder. But when they could sink their teeth into something, they made a spectacle out of it. And the name Maxwell was still a magnet for gossip.
Avery put her fingers on her lips as if zipping them up. "Sorry I brought this up. Consider it forgotten."
"Where do you want the boxes?" Tate asked.
"Just take them up to my room. Thanks, guys."
I went up with the suitcase first. It was heavy as hell. What did she pack in it? It didn't matter; it was none of my business. I put it next to the dresser, and my brothers stacked the boxes on the desk opposite the bed.
"Man, she's still smoking hot," Travis said. "And I’m saying that in a completely objective way because, as we all know, I'm a very happily married man.”
"Yes, we know that, Travis. You rub it into our faces every chance you get," Declan said.
Travis shrugged. "It's not my fault you're dragging your feet about setting a wedding date."
"No one's dragging anything," Declan said. "Liz is busy establishing the bakery, and I respect that."
That was a mark of how much he cared about Liz. Declan was impatient, and he certainly liked things done his way.
Tyler cleared his throat. “We’re all doing things at our own pace.”
Tate was looking at me suspiciously.
"What?" I asked.
"I saw the way you looked at her."
Tyler chuckled. "I wasn't going to say anything, but since Tate brought it up, I agree with him."
"I didn't ask anyone," I reminded them.
"Fair enough," Luke said.
"That means we’ll abstain from giving our opinions," Declan said. He was surprising me more and more.
We all headed back downstairs and into the kitchen. I stopped midway because my phone beeped with a message. It was from Paisley.
Paisley: Uncle Sam, would you say being a nerd is COOL?
I pondered this. She randomly sent me texts from time to time, and I always made a point to give her a smart answer, not just a brush-off.
Sam: Being yourself is cool. Don’t try to pretend for others.
Paisley: Are you sure? What if people stop liking me?
Sam: Then they aren’t true friends.
Paisley: Thank you, Uncle Sam.
I was slowly realizing that I wouldn’t be her favorite uncle any time soon—my brothers had spoiled her for far too many years, and I couldn’t match that—but I liked being her confidante. I shoved the phone back in my pocket and joined the group in the kitchen.
Avery was gulping down a glass of water. Damn, she was sexy. Her chest was rising and falling in quick beats. Her throat was pulsing with the effort of swallowing the large amount of water quickly.
She smiled sheepishly at all of us. "I'm sorry. I was just so damn thirsty the whole way over here. Do you guys want something to drink?”
"No, we're good," Tate replied.
"We're just curious about you," Travis said.
Avery smiled playfully. "Still straight to the point. I remember that about you."
Since Travis was closest to my age, she'd dealt with him more than the rest of my brothers. "How come you came back to Chicago?" Travis asked, and I practically saw Avery shrink in front of my eyes. She didn't want to talk about it, which meant it was still a raw wound.
I wanted to get to the bottom of it and find out what she'd been through the past sixteen years, but I was definitely not going to let my brother corner her into talking. Not that that was his intention. He probably thought he was just making conversation.
"Travis, weren't you just telling me earlier how much of an asshole I am for taking you away from your wife and daughter? Why don't you all call it a night, and we can catch up another time after Avery and I have time to settle in?" I suggested.
“You have a daughter?” Avery asked, eyes wide and warm.
Travis nodded, smiling widely. “Yeah. Newborn. Barely two weeks old.”
“Oh, that’s lovely. What’s her name?”
“Rose.”
“I love it. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” He was still looking at Avery, but he'd noticed the change in her expression. He didn't push. Instead, he looked around the group. "Okay, gang, let's go and let these two get settled in."
"Call us if you need anything," Declan said.
Luke glanced around. "Yeah. Any issue you have, let me know. I can help. I can find professionals to deal with everything."
"Thanks, man," I said. "I really appreciate that." I had a high tolerance toward broken stuff—I’d lived in all sorts of accommodations while abroad—but I wanted Avery to have all the comforts possible.
As soon as my brothers left, she poured herself another glass of water, drinking it up. It was impossible to ignore how damn sexy she was. Her body was like a dream. She had curves in all the right places, and I remembered exactly how they felt in my hands.