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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.
