As the day went by, I watched my woman enjoy my family. She wasn’t just making small talk or smiling politely; she seemed genuinely happy to be here and to meet everyone.
Lexi mingled with everyone in the family, even Tyler’s girlfriend, Blair. I only exchanged a few words with her before she took out her phone and posted a photo of her cocktail on Instagram, tagging Tyler. Unlike Lexi, she didn’t seem very happy to be here. In fact, she reminded me of Nora, who always complained during every family gathering that it was too much, that everyone was so high-energy and always had something going on. She’d liked the idea of being married into the Maxwell family, but not the reality of it.
In the afternoon, Tyler approached me.
‘Should I be worried that you’re not teasing me?’ he asked.
‘Why, are you expecting me to?’
‘Obviously.’
‘I thought I’d go easy on you. Everyone else already pounced on you and your woman. I can do it another day.’
He nodded. ‘Very generous of you, thanks.’
‘How long has this been going on? Why didn’t you say anything to any of us?’
‘Bro! I thought you weren’t going to pounce.’
‘I’m not. I’m just curious.’
‘We only started going out recently, but I like her, and I thought, why not? A party is a good opportunity to introduce her to the clan. Besides, I knew Lexi was going to be here today and she would be the main attraction.’
I scoffed. ‘Don’t let Travis hear that. He still thinks he’s the center of attention today.”
‘He really does, doesn’t he?’ Tyler asked in an amused tone. ‘Where is your girl, by the way?’
“She was with Reese around here somewhere.” I looked around, locating both of them next to the entrance of the restaurant. I instantly realized something seemed off. Reese had her shoulders slumped, and Lexi was patting her back.
Next to me, Tyler straightened up. Clearly, he realized the same thing.
‘Know what’s going on?’ he asked me, voice tense.
‘No. Let’s go find out.’
Lexi and Reese stopped talking abruptly when Tyler and I approached.
‘What’s wrong?’ Tyler asked.
Reese looked from Lexi to me, then to him and said, ‘There’s no point keeping it from you. I’m a basket case.’
‘I know. You look upset. That’s why we came over,’ Tyler said.
‘Malcolm is here. He kept bugging me about wanting to talk to me, and I kept blowing him off. I’m guessing it’s about the fact that the neighboring building also joined the lawsuit. Something neither you nor Declan shared with me.” She gave me a halfhearted glare.
I closed my eyes, feeling guilty as hell. Why did I never learn? Protecting them always backfired.
“Reese—”
“It doesn’t matter. I know you meant well. But I feel a bit stupid for giving him the address.’
‘You’re not stupid,’ Tyler said in a strong voice.
‘He won’t make a scene knowing everyone is here. I’ll meet him in the parking lot and talk to him so he won’t bother everyone else.’
‘Alone?’ I asked. ‘Hell no. We’ll be there.’
‘Exactly,’ Tyler said. ‘Anything he wants to tell you, he can say in front of us too.’
‘You don’t need to come out. Stay here and enjoy the party,’ Reese said.
Lexi patted her shoulder again. ‘I don’t think it’s a bad idea if they come with you. It’s good for him to see that you’ve got the support of your family. Just be firm with him, okay? Don’t let him put you down again.’
“Put you down again”? What the hell? Reese never told me that. It was the first time it dawned on me that perhaps she didn’t tell me everything in detail. But clearly she trusted Lexi, who looked concerned for my cousin. This woman never ceased to surprise me.
‘Okay. Okay. Maybe that makes more sense,’ Reese said. ‘I bet he won’t stay too long.”
‘When is he coming?’ I asked.
‘He must be arriving right now.’ Reese’s voice was a bit high-pitched.
‘Come on. Let’s go out and see,’ Tyler said.
‘Okay. But don’t tell anyone else. I didn’t want to ruin Travis’s party. He’s worked so hard for months, and now I want him to be happy on his big day instead of worrying about my bad choices.’
Tyler and Reese headed toward the gate. I deliberately didn’t follow them, waiting until they were out of earshot to ask Lexi, ‘What’s going on? I haven’t seen Reese this out of sorts in a while.’
‘I think she’s probably feeling overwhelmed and tired of fighting. And I think that, deep down, she might still care about him, and that makes everything even harder.’
‘That thing about him putting her down. What was that about? I’ve never heard of it until now.’
Lexi shook her head. ‘That’s not important right now. Just be with her, okay? Being with family will give her strength.’
‘I’ll protect her from that moron.’
Lexi flashed me a heartfelt smile. ‘That’s right. Be my hero. You’re so damn sexy when you do that.’
‘Hold on to that thought,’ I said before following Tyler and Reese.
We walked outside the restaurant, heading to the parking lot. Since Travis rented the whole space, there were only a few cars there.
Malcolm stepped out of a Mercedes. There was another guy in the car, but he stayed inside. Malcolm looked from me to Tyler, clearly not pleased to see us. Well, tough luck. I was not fucking happy to see him either.
‘I asked to speak to you alone,’ he told Reese. ‘Without these two or anyone else.’
Reese stood ramrod straight. “I don’t have to listen to your demands. Not anymore, Malcolm.’
‘When the fuck did I get anything I wanted? It was always you, you, you.’
‘Yes, of course. It’s my fault you cheated on me. Everything is my fault,’ Reese said. And for the first time, she sounded beaten, like she didn’t want to continue this fight with him anymore. That wasn’t a problem, because I could finish for her. This schmuck didn’t know who he was messing with. I could do nothing about his cheating, but I sure as hell wouldn’t let him talk down to Reese or take over Gran’s building.
‘Whatever you have to say, I suggest you do it quickly,’ I said coldly. ‘Our lawyers are in contact. All information is being passed between them. There is no need for personal meetings.’
‘That’s why I didn’t want to meet with you,’ he spat. ‘I wanted to talk to her.’
‘Why?’ Reese said. ‘You thought you could intimidate me into reaching an agreement?’
Malcolm looked again from me to Tyler, who was completely silent. That wasn’t a good sign.
‘You listen to me. You don’t want to do this. Your precious Maxwell name isn’t as intact as you think. I need the building. My job in the Halsey Group depends on that fucking spa being built.”
‘Guess what?’ Reese said. ‘You’re not getting anything. Gran is like my mom, and she’s the best person I know. That building is the first one she bought with Grandpa, and it means a lot to her. You won’t take over the upper levels and upset her.’
‘I’m so tired of this family and your sentimental crap. It’s business, and I want it. And none of your cousins or your bitch of a sister or you will stand in the way of what I want.’
Tyler stepped right in front of him. ‘Go away, or I swear to God—”
‘Swear to God what, pretty boy?” Malcolm sneered. “You’re going to get your hands dirty? Your reputation? What exactly are you worth without it? Nothing. That’s right.’
‘Guys, don’t get into trouble on my behalf,’ Reese said, sounding distressed.
I stepped forward, intending to stop whatever this was before it escalated. Malcolm’s only weapon was provoking us, but it was too late. Because one second later, he pushed Tyler back, punching him in the stomach.
The next minutes were a blur. Tyler threw a punch square in Malcolm’s jaw, and then Malcolm hit back with a vengeance, throwing himself at Tyler. They both dropped to the ground, and they didn’t stop. They rolled right into the ditch between the gate and the parking lot, which looked to be newly dug, knee deep, and really wide.
Reese shrieked.
‘Stop it!’ I yelled, jumping in the ditch with them. I pulled Malcolm off Tyler, throwing him far away before extending a hand to my brother. He had a bloody nose and shook his head, refusing my help. I turned to Malcolm, pointing at him.
‘Stop right the fuck there, or I start where my brother left off.’
‘Leave, Malcolm,’ Reese said, standing straight up. ‘You’re not going to get what you want.’
He snorted. ‘The fuck I won’t. I bet if I tried to get back in your good graces, you would have accepted me.’
Reese closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath. “You’re such a piece of shit.”
I wanted to punch that moron, but I had to be mindful of Tyler or he’d jump back into the fight.
The guy in Malcolm’s car was holding his phone up. Fucking hell, is he filming everything?
‘What’s going on?’ came a familiar voice from the gate. Declan was jogging toward us, exasperated as he took in the scene, from Tyler’s bloody lip to Malcolm’s red face.
‘Leave now, or I’m going to file a complaint,’ Declan said.
‘Tough luck, big boy,’ Malcolm said with a shit-eating grin. ‘I’ll be the one filing a complaint. And then we’ll see how the lawsuit goes.’
‘You came here to provoke us,’ Declan said. It always amazed me that he could keep a calm tone even in situations like this, but it was why he was one of the best lawyers in the whole state. ‘If you call your lawyer now, he’ll tell you that what you’re doing is not going to help your lawsuit. Know what? I’m going to call him right away, as well as the police. And we’ll see what they have to say.’
I didn’t like the smile Malcolm flashed. ‘No need. I have what I came for.’
I didn’t have time to dissect his statement. Reese was close to losing her composure. She was a strong person, but even the strongest of us needed a break from time to time.
Tyler was standing unnaturally still. I instinctively knew something was wrong.
But he didn’t say anything. We watched Malcolm get back in the car and pull away.
I went to Tyler immediately, and so did Reese. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked him.
At the same time, Declan asked, ‘What the fuck were you thinking? We knew he might pull something like that. It was exactly what I warned you all about.’
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Declan. Just be reckless and stupid like all the rest of us for once.” Tyler spoke through gritted teeth.
‘Declan,’ I said harshly, ‘we don’t have time for this right now.’
‘Really? Why? What do we have better to do?’
‘Well, I, for one, need to get to the hospital,’ Tyler said, and I was shocked at how strained his voice sounded. ‘Something’s wrong with my shoulder. Let’s get Sam out here, but I’m sure I need a hospital.’
At that precise moment, I realized Tyler must have been in a whole lot of pain. Hockey was a brutal game, and I’d seen my brother fall on the ice plenty of times, but he’d never reacted like this before.
