Chapter 19
NINETEEN
PAIGE
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Do you always drive like this? Slow the hell down, Nate!”
I grab the door and gawk at him. He grins mischievously back at me but eases off the accelerator.
The morning sun is bright and beautiful. There’s not a cloud in the sky. After a night’s sleep curled up against Nate, thanks to an impromptu sleepover for Ryder with the Landrys, it’s a perfect start to the day.
And seeing Nate making breakfast in nothing but his boxers? That didn’t hurt anything either.
He reaches over the middle console and squeezes my leg.
Maddox: We have a problem.
I swipe open my phone and type out a reply.
Me: Um, pretty sure I’m problem-less at the moment. But thanks for sharing.
Maddox: You know Mom’s cookie jar—the one shaped like a shoe or boot or whatever?
Me: Yeah. The one that no one is supposed to touch for any reason? The one her grandmother got for her before sliced bread was a thing?
Maddox: Yes. That one.
Me: Mad, I don’t like where this is going.
“Everything okay?” Nate asks. “You’re making a face.”
“Oh, one of my stupid brothers—and when I start a sentence like that for future reference, I always mean Banks—did something to my mom’s beloved cookie jar, I think. Maddox is texting me now.”
“What do they want you to do about it?”
I shrug. “Maybe bring bail money because Mom is probably gonna kill him.”
Nate considers this and, by the look of it, finds that acceptable.
Maddox: Your dumb-as-shit brother was doing God knows what and broke it.
Me: Dude, that’s YOUR brother. You share his DNA. Not me.
Maddox: You know what? I resent you using your adoption status to your advantage in times like these.
Me: How bad is it broken? Does Mom know? What was he doing with it?
Maddox: The lid is in two pieces. No, she does not. I didn’t ask. We’re better off having the least information possible. It helps with cross-examinations.
I laugh. “Oh, Banks is dead.”
Nate grins. “How many brothers did you say you had? Five?”
“Six.”
He whistles through his teeth.
Me: Get some kind of adhesive. Try the craft store by the Mexican restaurant—the one where you sit on the roof. You know where I mean?
Maddox: Yeah. Thanks. I’m too old for this shit.
Me: Then let Banks deal with it.
Maddox: He’s blackmailing me. Long story. Thanks. Love you.
Me: Love you.
I look up as we slow down in front of a tall gate. Nate waves at a man in a security building, and the gate swings open.
“Ryder is hanging out with the right crowd. Wow,” I say as a huge farmhouse comes into view.
“This is Camilla’s family’s place. No one actually lives here, I don’t think. They just have meetings and get-togethers here.”
“Are they nice?”
“The Landrys? Yeah. Some of the best people I know, really. They treat Dominic really well—me too. Ryder and I have come out here for Christmas the past couple of years, and he’s invited to all the birthday parties and shit with the kids.”
“That’s so nice.”
He shrugs like it’s not a big deal, but he likes it. I can tell.
My phone buzzes again as we pull to a stop in front of the house. I glance down.
“This is Hollis. Hang on.”
Hollis: Hey, how are you? I just got home from Nashville. Want to hang out soon?
Me: Yes. I’d love to. I’m busy today, though, and tomorrow, I have to go get my books and stuff for school. How about Tuesday or Wednesday?
Hollis: Wednesday works for me.
Me: Cool. I’ll text you then, and we’ll nail down a time.
Hollis: Great. See you then.
Me: *smiling emoji*
“You and your brothers,” Nate says as he kills the engine.
I take in his handsome profile. The sharpness of his jaw, the slight crookedness of his nose. His high cheekbones and plump lips.
“I really want to kiss you right now, but I’m afraid Ryder will see,” I say.
He turns toward me. “We’re going to have to figure out how to navigate this, and to be honest, I don’t have all the answers.”
I hold my pointer finger up in the air. He makes a face but then touches his lips to it.
“There. That’ll have to do until I can get you alone,” I say.
“Yeah. That totally makes up for kissing you.” He rolls his eyes. “If that’s all it takes to satisfy you, I’m working too hard.”
I look at the house. A man wearing a pair of khaki pants and a blue-and-white button-up comes out onto the porch. He looks so dapper, so debonaire, that I instantly feel underdressed in my casual jeans and black cotton shirt.
“That’s Graham Landry,” he says. “Wickedly intelligent. Not really a social guy, but he’s a great person to know if you know what I mean.”
“Is he like in the mafia or something?”
Nate laughs as he opens his door. “No, but the thought of that is hilarious.”
“Okay …”
I get out of the truck and meet Nate at the front. He places his hand at the small of my back and guides me onto the porch.
“Hey, Nate. How are you?” Graham extends a hand. “I’m Graham Landry.”
“I’m Paige Carmichael. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same.” He nods and then looks at Nate. “They’re wild in there. I’m warning you.”
“Sounds fun,” I say.
Graham grimaces and takes a sip of a dark brown liquid. Tea, maybe? Or bourbon.
Nate opens the door for me, and I walk inside. Instantly, the noise level is intense. Kids are everywhere.
“Hi!” A heavily pregnant woman comes over to us. “How are you, Nate?”
“Good. Dani, this is Paige Carmichael. Paige, this is Dani Landry.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say.
“It’s nice to meet you too. I think Ryder had a good time with us—or Mallory and Ellie, rather. I get too tired too fast with the baby on the way.”
“Congratulations,” I say. “What are you having?”
“A little girl.” She beams. “That little guy in the Arrows baseball hat is my little one, Ryan. He never stops moving.”
“Like his dad,” Nate says.
Dani laughs. “Absolutely.”
I take in the chaos unfolding in front of us. “Who do all these kids belong to?”
Dani takes a deep breath. “Okay, the teenager over there reading a book to the little girl? The boy is Huxley. He belongs to Barrett and Alison. They also have a little boy, Harrison, playing trucks with Ryder.” She points at a blond toddler with gorgeous eyes.
“And the little girl Huxley is reading to is Caroline. She belongs to Ford and Ellie. She’s their only child. ”
“I love that he’s reading to her,” I say.
“I feel sorry for him.” Nate grins at Dani. “Long story. Go on.”
“Umm, let’s see. Where are the twins?” She looks around.
“Okay. Vivian is in the kitchen with her grandma. And her brother, Julian, is over there at the table with the paper and crayons. He’s probably trying to figure out how to make his first million like his dad.
” She turns to me. “His parents are Graham and Mallory.”
My eyes go wide. “Mallory Landry? The one who owns Stretch?”
She laughs. “That’s her.”
“Oh, my gosh. I go there. I know her. How weird is that?”
“It’s a small world. She married into the family like me.”
I give myself a minute to make the connections.
It’s fascinating how these people have come together and filled this house with so many people. It’s such a nice feeling to be surrounded by so much love.
“This will be what my parents’ house looks like one day,” I say, laughing. “I’ll have to warn them.”
“I was an only child,” Dani says. “My childhood was pretty cold. It wasn’t until I met Lincoln that I realized what a family could look like. And I wanted that for myself and my children someday.”
I get that.
“Dani! Can you help Vivi wash her hands? I have cookie dough all over my fingers!” a voice shouts from what must be the kitchen.
I start to put my hand in Nate’s back pocket but realize Ryder is watching.
“Hey, buddy. You ready?” Nate asks him.
“Yeah. I guess.”
“Go thank Mrs. Landry for letting you stay.”
“He already did! I’d come out and say hello, Nate, but I have a mess in here!”
I laugh.
“Thanks, Mrs. Landry,” Nate calls out.
“Oh, my gosh. Will you stop calling me that, Nate? There are too many Mrs. Landrys in here.”
He grins. “Let’s go, kid.”
Ryder says goodbye to Harrison and races over to us. He wraps one arm around his dad and the other around me.
My eyes meet Nate’s over the boy’s head.
“Did you have fun?” Nate asks as we head for the door.
Ryder rambles on about pizza and a movie they watched about cats and dogs all the way to the truck. Nate gets him buckled up in the back, and then we take off back to the road.
“What did you do while I was gone, Paige Stage?” he asks.
Nate smirks.
How do I answer this?
“Well,” I say, thinking fast. “I met my friend Kinsley, and we did some yoga. And then I came back home and worked out a little more.”
I grin triumphantly at Nate. He tries not to laugh.
“You know what I think we should do?” Ryder asks.
“What?” Nate replies.
“Do you have to go to work today?” he asks. “I need to know that first.”
“Not today. Maybe later, but not before bedtime. Why? What’s up?”
“Well, I think we should get hamburger buns and pizza sauce and cheese and pepperonis and the green strip things that I love and make those for lunch. Okay?”
I look at Nate. “Green strip things?”
“Green bell peppers. He likes them on his pizza burgers.”
“I love them!” Ryder says from the back seat.
I look at him over my shoulder. “I’ve never had a pizza on a hamburger bun before. Is that a real thing?”
“It is when you’re poor.” Nate chuckles. “We love them. It used to be our Sunday dinner every week before things started working out better for us, huh, Ryder?”
“It was so fun. I miss them. Can we do it today? Please?”
I can’t help but play along with him. “Yeah. Can we do it today? Please?”
It’s not until I’ve already said the words that I catch the innuendo. Man, I didn’t even try for that one.
Nate looks at me, his eyes darkening. “All you have to do is ask.”
“That means we can? Yay!” Ryder yells from the back.
Nate flips on the turn signal and pulls onto a side street. “Guess we need to stop at the grocery store then.”
“Turn it up. I love this song,” Ryder says.
I reach over and turn the volume up. But before I pull my hand back, Nate’s fingertip touches mine.
A flood of warmth cascades through my body as I look up at him.
I don’t know what’s happening here, but it feels nice.