Maggie was on the verge of tears. Happy tears.
Annie glanced around, and her throat closed. So this was what an awesome family looked like. Her parents had divorced when she was small, but she remembered very well that their household hadn’t had anything to do with this relaxed, loving atmosphere. For one, showing emotions hadn’t been acceptable, and two, the only occasions they were together was for unavoidable formalities. It was a miracle her mom, with her free spirit, had lasted any time before taking her daughter and moving to Alden. Even now for Annie, going to her dad’s house or her grandmother’s was like stepping into the Arctic, never mind how high-class everything was or how well everyone behaved. Heck, the Bowen family had talked and showed more affection during this barbecue than all her paternal family had in the last decade.
She’d come to terms with that, but she was damn sad her baby was going to miss out on this too. On having a terrific, supportive family. The part of the nutty grandparents was covered by her mom and Larry. And Annie was going to love her or him wholeheartedly and try to be the best possible mother. As for the rest of the baby’s family? She had serious doubts.
* * * *
Annie had been lying on the hammock for a while before she heard Max coming in. He’d been intercepted by one of his fans right at the door on their way back from the barbecue, so she had gone in and left them chatting. Well, him talking, her swaying her hips so exaggeratedly she was going to displace them.
“What are you doing out there?” Max asked from the patio doors.
“Watching the stars.” After that display of family affection, she needed…alone time. She was feeling a bit blue.
He had other plans. “Scoot over,” he said, already sitting down.
“You are not going out? Today’s Saturday.”
“Nah. I had an early start. I’ll watch some movie and hit the sack pretty soon.”
“Your groupies are going to be so disappointed.”
He turned to her, a playful smile on his face. “They’ll get over it. What about you? Any plans?”
Annie shook her head. “I’ll put some music on and continue with the puzzle.”
They lay in the hammock for some time before Max talked again. “What’s wrong?”
“What makes you think something’s wrong?”
He snorted. “Please. That blonds-are-stupid thing is just a myth.”
He was going to think her a petty, egotistical person, but she blurted it out. “I’m jealous.”
“Tate and James, right?”
His response surprised her. “How did you guess? Oh God, don’t tell me it showed.” She was very happy for them, but whenever she saw James’s hand on Tate’s belly, which was pretty much always, Annie’s gut clenched.
“No, it didn’t, but I’m observant. I’m not a buff who’s all fluff.”
Annie smiled. No, he wasn’t. “It’s not only Tate and James. It’s the family togetherness. That, at your aunt’s, was amazing, Max.”
“That was because with the commotion, my aunt forgot to take out the Trivial Pursuit and torture us with it. Everything that glitters isn’t gold.”
She ignored him. She knew he was just kidding. “You are very close to your aunt and your brothers.”
“I am. Aunt Maggie is like a mother to me. To the three of us. Cole and James are a serious pain in the ass on the best of days, but I love those fuckers. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them. Or my dad.”
It showed. They had each other’s backs. These people had down pat what a family should be like.
“I was fucking ecstatic when Cole came back home for good,” he continued. “I actually thought he would never leave the Marines.”
“You were in the Marines too, right?”
He nodded. “Marine recon. At the end of the tour, my unit was ambushed. I didn’t re-up. Cole was there for twelve years. I don’t have a frigging clue how he managed that. Guys like him are made of a different material than the rest of us humans.”
The air had
Annie glanced around, and her throat closed. So this was what an awesome family looked like. Her parents had divorced when she was small, but she remembered very well that their household hadn’t had anything to do with this relaxed, loving atmosphere. For one, showing emotions hadn’t been acceptable, and two, the only occasions they were together was for unavoidable formalities. It was a miracle her mom, with her free spirit, had lasted any time before taking her daughter and moving to Alden. Even now for Annie, going to her dad’s house or her grandmother’s was like stepping into the Arctic, never mind how high-class everything was or how well everyone behaved. Heck, the Bowen family had talked and showed more affection during this barbecue than all her paternal family had in the last decade.
She’d come to terms with that, but she was damn sad her baby was going to miss out on this too. On having a terrific, supportive family. The part of the nutty grandparents was covered by her mom and Larry. And Annie was going to love her or him wholeheartedly and try to be the best possible mother. As for the rest of the baby’s family? She had serious doubts.
* * * *
Annie had been lying on the hammock for a while before she heard Max coming in. He’d been intercepted by one of his fans right at the door on their way back from the barbecue, so she had gone in and left them chatting. Well, him talking, her swaying her hips so exaggeratedly she was going to displace them.
“What are you doing out there?” Max asked from the patio doors.
“Watching the stars.” After that display of family affection, she needed…alone time. She was feeling a bit blue.
He had other plans. “Scoot over,” he said, already sitting down.
“You are not going out? Today’s Saturday.”
“Nah. I had an early start. I’ll watch some movie and hit the sack pretty soon.”
“Your groupies are going to be so disappointed.”
He turned to her, a playful smile on his face. “They’ll get over it. What about you? Any plans?”
Annie shook her head. “I’ll put some music on and continue with the puzzle.”
They lay in the hammock for some time before Max talked again. “What’s wrong?”
“What makes you think something’s wrong?”
He snorted. “Please. That blonds-are-stupid thing is just a myth.”
He was going to think her a petty, egotistical person, but she blurted it out. “I’m jealous.”
“Tate and James, right?”
His response surprised her. “How did you guess? Oh God, don’t tell me it showed.” She was very happy for them, but whenever she saw James’s hand on Tate’s belly, which was pretty much always, Annie’s gut clenched.
“No, it didn’t, but I’m observant. I’m not a buff who’s all fluff.”
Annie smiled. No, he wasn’t. “It’s not only Tate and James. It’s the family togetherness. That, at your aunt’s, was amazing, Max.”
“That was because with the commotion, my aunt forgot to take out the Trivial Pursuit and torture us with it. Everything that glitters isn’t gold.”
She ignored him. She knew he was just kidding. “You are very close to your aunt and your brothers.”
“I am. Aunt Maggie is like a mother to me. To the three of us. Cole and James are a serious pain in the ass on the best of days, but I love those fuckers. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them. Or my dad.”
It showed. They had each other’s backs. These people had down pat what a family should be like.
“I was fucking ecstatic when Cole came back home for good,” he continued. “I actually thought he would never leave the Marines.”
“You were in the Marines too, right?”
He nodded. “Marine recon. At the end of the tour, my unit was ambushed. I didn’t re-up. Cole was there for twelve years. I don’t have a frigging clue how he managed that. Guys like him are made of a different material than the rest of us humans.”
The air had
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