I was a bit of a mess over the next few days to the point that I didn’t even participate in the Halloween celebrations at the hotel. I just kept thinking about Malcolm’s message. He hadn’t sent me a follow-up, but I wasn’t kidding myself. If he’d taken the trouble to write to me in the first place, he wasn’t going to give up just because I didn’t answer.
No matter how much I wanted to protect my family, I couldn’t keep them in the dark. This affected them just as much as it did me. I considered telling just Travis and Kimberly at first. As the owner of the hotel, Travis would be the one most directly impacted, although Kimberly and I were also co-owners of the Aspen Hotel. But I felt as if this affected the whole Maxwell legacy. I couldn’t imagine telling everyone at once. But if I told them separately, I’d have to relay the story several times, and I didn’t have it in me.
‘Knock, knock. You here?’ Kimberly asked.
‘Hey, how long have you been standing there, staring at me like a creep?’
‘Just a few minutes. Everything okay?’
Everything was decidedly not okay. I leaned back in my chair.
Her eyes widened. ‘Oh shit. What happened?’
‘Think we can get the family together for a dinner?’
Kimberly stilled. ‘Reese, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?’
‘I have some things to share with everyone.’
She practically ran across the office and sat in front of me. ‘I need to know now.’
‘Look, don’t worry. It’s just not something I want to keep repeating over and over again. That’s why it’s best if I rip off the Band-Aid when I tell everyone at the same time.’
‘It’s about Malcolm, isn’t it?’
I winced. ‘How did you know?’
‘Because it’s the only time you get all cagey, and I can practically see you shrinking in front of me.’
I sighed. ‘Every time I think I’ve gotten rid of him, I’m wrong.’
She stood up abruptly, nodding. ‘I’ll get the family together, but not at your place. There’s no space for everyone to sit down. I’ll call Aunt Lena. I’m sure she’d love to have everyone for dinner.”
‘Thanks, Kimberly,’ I said.
‘And I heard through the grapevine that a hunk picked you up from the office the other day.’
My face lit up. I could practically feel my features going from stressed to relaxed and then to happy. ‘Yes, he did. And you’re going to get the details about that, just not right now.’
She scoffed. ‘What’s the point of working together if we can’t gossip whenever we want to? I have some time now.’
‘Me too. My next meeting isn’t until ten.’
‘Perfect. I’ll bring coffee.’
I stood from my desk chair. ‘I’ll come with you to the kitchen, see if we have any sweets.’
‘We don’t. Trust me. I already checked.’ She paused for a moment, obviously thinking about something. ‘Maybe we could make a contract with Liz or something that she could supply us with goodies twice a week.’
‘Hey, that would be cool,’ I said. ‘We love sweet treats, and it would mean more business for her.’
We went to the break area, making two coffees. As Kimberly said, there were no treats—I checked all cupboards to make sure—but that was more than fine. We had an excellent machine, so the coffee itself was a treat. We sat with our drinks, and I kept my voice low as I told her about my night with Dom.
‘Holy shit. I haven’t even met the guy and I like him. I never thought I’d say that.’
‘What? That you like someone I’m going out with?’
‘Well, a guy I haven’t, you know, scrutinized first, and someone I didn’t make jump through hoops or something. Are you going to see him again soon?’
‘I hope so. I mean, we haven’t made plans. But the evening was so amazing that I refuse to believe it was a onetime thing.’
She grinned. ‘Attagirl. I like seeing you optimistic for once.’
‘Yeah. I can barely believe that I am, to be honest.’
The office became crowded as more people arrived. Gossip hour was over almost before it had started. I didn’t want to broadcast my personal life to everyone.
I’d almost forgotten that Kimberly said she’d take care of the family meeting until I saw a message in our WhatsApp group.
Aunt Lena: Hey, everyone. How about a get-together? I want to cook beef bourguignon.
She also sent us several dates to choose from, including tonight.
Ten minutes later, we’d all agreed on Friday at lunch. I loved that we were all so close and could meet up in a heartbeat. I had no idea how Kimberly and Sam had lived away for so many years. I could never do it. I’d once vacationed in London for a few weeks, and while I was happy to be with Dad and his new family, I’d missed everyone this side of the ocean terribly and couldn’t wait to be back.
My phone vibrated again. I wondered who else had messaged, but then noticed it was a notification from a conversation with Dom.
Dom: Our night together is on repeat in my mind.
My heart rate picked up, and my stomach was doing cartwheels.
Dom: I want to spend another evening with you. I’ve got meetings until late every day except Friday. Are you free?
Reese: I’m meeting the family on Friday for lunch. I’m free after that.
Dom: Text me when you’re ready, and we’ll take it from there.
I licked my lips, smiling from ear to ear. I was going to see him again. I couldn’t wait.
***
On Friday, I was at my aunt and uncle’s at one o’clock. The house smelled amazing when I stepped inside.
‘You’ve already cooked?’ I asked Aunt Lena.
‘Yes. It needs three hours in the oven. Besides, I got a lot of help. John, Beatrice, and Paisley spent the day here, as well as Lexi.” Lexi, Tate’s wife, was taking it easy since she’d had her little one and was spending a lot of time at Lena’s home.
She raised a brow at me. ‘When Kimberly said we should get together, I got the impression that it was more for your sake.’
‘Yep, it is,’ I replied.
It was a good idea to meet here. Even though it wasn’t the house where my cousins grew up, it was still Lena’s house. I always felt safe and happy around her.
‘Okay, you tell us when you’re ready,’ she said.
Another thing I loved about her was that she didn’t push. She waited for people to open up.
I went into the living room and sat next to Lexi, taking the baby in my arms.
‘You and Kimberly are absolutely adorable when you’re around kids,’ she gushed.
‘They’re too cute for me to resist.’
‘Should we get started with the drinks?’ Uncle Emmett asked, stepping into the living room.
‘Yes, please,’ I said. ‘I’ll have white wine.’
“I’m good for now,” Lexi replied.
‘I’ll be right back,’ he replied before heading out of the room.
The rest of the clan arrived minutes apart from each other.
‘Well, this is great,’ Gran exclaimed once we were all in the living room.
Declan and Liz were sharing one of the armchairs, her sitting in his lap. I was worried about his reaction when I told everyone. I knew he would want to take the lead on this, and it simply wasn’t fair because he had enough work. On the other hand, I trusted him implicitly.
Travis and Bonnie were standing by the window with their little one, who seemed fascinated with the windowsill.
Tate was in a deep discussion with Paisley over by the bar. By the frown on my cousin’s face, I was pretty sure Paisley had brought up one of the topics that gave him the most headache recently: boys. Tyler and Kendra were next to Luke and Megan, chatting in low voices.
Kimberly was staring at me from where she sat next to Gran and John. Drake stood behind my sister. It was a good thing he was here too; since he worked with us, it would affect him as well. Drake surreptitiously massaged Kimberly’s shoulders. That’s where she held her stress.
I was so happy that she had found someone. Some days, I still couldn’t believe it.
Sam and his fiancée, Avery, were sitting on another armchair. Sam looked exhausted. He’d had a night shift yesterday, which was why we were meeting today.
‘So,’ Declan said, startling everyone, ‘I’m assuming that this isn’t just a normal get-together, since you seemed to want it to happen urgently, Mom. What’s wrong?’
Damn, he could read the room.
‘It’s not Lena who needs this to happen. It’s me,’ I said.
The energy in the room shifted instantly. It was completely silent. Even Paisley and Tate had stopped bickering. I felt like I was under a microscope.
Declan trained his eyes on me. ‘Is Malcolm up to something again?’
I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. ‘Yes,’ I admitted, a bit relieved that his mind went directly there. At least it wouldn’t come as a shock. ‘First, I’d like to say that this doesn’t directly concern everyone, but I don’t like secrets. It concerns Travis, Kimberly, and me.’
‘I thought Malcolm moved out of Chicago,’ Tyler said. His voice was steely. Considering he’d once been benched because of Malcolm, he had every reason to hold resentment. That had been my fault too.
Damn it, I feared this was never going to end.
‘He wants to prove that I acted out of ill will when I got out of the spa business because I already wanted to do the hotel.’ I explained.
‘Forward me whatever info you have,’ Declan said.
‘Are you sure? Because if you recommend a lawyer, I’d be happy to take this off your hands.’
‘Fucking hell, Reese.’ He closed his eyes, looking over his shoulder at Paisley, who just waved her hand. Sometimes we forgot she wasn’t an innocent little girl anymore. ‘No one else will take care of this. I will.’
‘But you’ve got a lot going on.’
‘Reese.’ This was Gran. She spoke in a low, strange voice. ‘This is not the time for you to be brave, okay? Let us all help.’
‘We’ll get through this,’ Tyler said. “As a family, okay?”
My eyes became glassy, and I breathed in deeply through my nose and out my mouth, trying to calm down. God, I loved these people fiercely. There was nothing more important than family, and my cousins proved that time and time again.
‘I just feel so guilty for dragging all of you into this.’
‘Again, don’t worry about it, okay?’ Lena said. ‘We’ve all dealt with a lot over the years.’
That was true. A weight lifted off me, as if I’d been carrying it with me for the past few days, and now I could finally put it down. I wasn’t expecting the family to do the heavy lifting, but knowing they were behind me made all the difference.
‘All right, I think we need to know a few more details,’ Declan said. ‘Did you talk to him? When did he contact you?’
I told them about running into him at the charity event, carefully retelling the story so I wouldn’t mention Dom. I didn’t want to keep him a secret, but I just didn’t want to talk about him today.
Once I finished, Lena asked us all to move to the dining room. I was surprised when Declan sat next to me. I showed him the message.
‘What do you think?’ I asked after he read it.
‘If he contacts you again, let me know right away.’
I felt sick to my stomach. ‘You think he’s got something?’
‘I think Malcolm doesn’t know when to back off. I’ve got it, Reese. Now come on, let’s eat.”
“Yeah. I’m starving.”
***
We stayed at the house until early afternoon. God, it was amazing to run your own business. We could slow down on Fridays if we felt like it. It was four o’clock by the time I left.
Once I was in my car, I texted Dom.
Reese: Hey, lunch lasted a bit longer than I thought.
He didn’t reply. I closed my eyes, enjoying the silence in my car. My screen lit up, and then my phone started vibrating. I answered immediately.
‘Hey,’ I said.
‘Hi,’ he replied. I loved that deep, sexy baritone voice. ‘How was lunch?’
‘Absolutely delicious. And it was good catching up with the family.’
‘Was it a special occasion?’
I hesitated, then decided not to lay all the drama on him. ‘No, we just like to get together.’
‘You sound off. Is something wrong?’
I closed my eyes. ‘I realized something today.’
‘That sounds like it’s going to be bad news.’
My voice shook as I spoke. ‘Not necessarily. I just had a light bulb moment. Dating has been very hard for me since the breakup, and I think it’s because I wasn’t fully healed.’ I paused, trying to gather myself.
After a few seconds, he added, ‘Take your time, Reese.’
I sighed. ‘I still don’t know if I’m healed yet. And it’s not that I have feelings for him. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just feel so empty inside. I’m not sure what I have left to give.’
I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel.
‘Reese, you’ve got a fucking lot to give. The fact that you doubt that is a crime. But I understand what you’re saying.’
‘You do?’
‘Yes. In a way, I’m in the same boat.’
‘Is that why you took pity on me and pretended to be my boyfriend that evening? Because you knew where I was coming from?’
‘Yes. But also because I needed a good excuse to touch you, to be next to you.’
I suddenly felt so awake, you’d think I’d just had three coffees. ‘What?’
‘You heard me. The second I saw you—’
‘You were annoyed as hell.’
He chuckled. ‘That, too, but it was more than that. Something inside me told me I needed to be around you.’
I sucked in a breath. “I’m not sure what to say.”
‘I don’t think this will be easy, Reese, but I sure as hell am not going to give up.’
And just like that, my heart filled with joy.
‘No, that’s not what I meant. I don’t want to give up either.”
“Good. Now, I have a question for you. Want to go away for the weekend?” he asked.
“Where?”
“I have a house near the lake. What do you think?”
‘Yes.’ I didn’t even hesitate.
Could this day be even more amazing? First the family rallied around me, and now I was going to spend some quality time with Dom. He didn’t seem at all fazed about my revelation. Of course, he could always change his mind and run, but I didn’t think he’d do that.
‘Good. Then go home and pack. I can’t wait to see you, Reese.’
‘I can’t wait either.’
I had a feeling the rest of the weekend was going to be epic. I might not be ready to explore what was left of my heart yet, but I was ready for whatever Dom had planned.
