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“It’s probably a defense mechanism,” Mom says as she checks the lasagna in the oven. “Your dad has that sometimes, too. It’s a wall they put up because they don’t trust people. Too often, people act like they want to be their friend or whatever, but it’s only because of their name or because of what they can do for the other.”
“I get that,” I reply with a nod. “I would hate that. And, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Vaughn isn’t a big, arrogant, cocky asshole, after all.”
“That’s so sweet,” Vaughn says as he and the other guys walk through the door. He’s grinning, his eyes full of humor as he strolls over to me and plants one on me, right in front of my family. “And back at you, babe.”
“Ew. No PDA,” Haley says, shaking her head. “We get enough of that from our parents.”
“Your dad’s a smart man,” Vaughn says.
“I might like him, after all,” Dad adds with a grin. “Just a little.”
“I’ll grow on you. You’ll see.”
“He knew the difference between the three-hundred-fifty-cubic-inch engine versus the more common three-hundred-eighteen that usually came in the Fury, so he has my vote.” Keaton eyes the lasagna.
“Impressive,” I say as if I know what any of those words mean.
“It is impressive,” Keaton replies.
“I’m going to talk you into selling me that car,” Vaughn tells my brother. “I need it.”
“We’ll see,” Keaton says with a grin. “I just started on her. We’ll see how she holds up. There’s a lot of rust on that back end.”
“As thrilling as it is for us to talk about cars,” Chelsea says, rolling her eyes, “can we please eat now? I’m wasting away.”
“Let’s eat,” Dad says.
Chapter 11
~Vaughn~
“I like them,” I say to Olivia after the front door closes behind us, and I walk her to her car. “More than I expected to, honestly.”
“Why?” She leans back against the car and looks up at me with those gorgeous green eyes.
“I’m not used to families.” I shrug a shoulder and brush my fingertips across her cheek. “But it didn’t feel forced. It was…easy.”
“They’re pretty laid-back when they aren’t being completely annoying.”
“I didn’t think they were annoying,” I assure her. “Even when Chelsea asked if she could have my babies during dessert.”
She shakes her head but can’t help but laugh, and I join her.
“Well, if you don’t ask, the answer’s always no, right?” she says.
“True. You know what I do find annoying?”
She cocks a brow. “What’s that?”
“That I’ve never seen where you live. We always go to my place.”
The worry lines clear from her forehead, and she smiles softly. “You picked me up there before we went to the airport yesterday morning.”
“I’ve seen the outside, yes,” I confirm. “But I haven’t seen your home.”
“You’re right. Why don’t you follow me over there, and I’ll give you the grand tour?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” I kiss her forehead and then walk over to my Mercedes. Shortly after, we’re on the road, driving through a side of Seattle I’ve never been to. Not even ten minutes later, Olivia turns into a driveway, and I park on the street before joining her at the front door. The house is a decent size in a nice neighborhood, lined with normal upper-middle-class homes. And if I’m not mistaken, we’re not too far from the water.
“Nice place,” I say as she unlocks the front door.
“Thanks,” she says with a smile. “My parents own the house. My mom lived here when she met my dad. She and my aunt Jules were roommates. Mom never sold it, and it’s come in handy for the family over the years. Now, I live here with Jules’s daughter, Stella, and two of my other cousins. But it looks like no one is home right now.”
She leads me through the living room to the kitchen and out back, where there’s a nice-sized pool in the backyard.
“I love the pool, even though we only get to use it half of the year,” Liv says with a sigh. “That building there is the guest house where Drew sleeps. And I hear that my uncle Will just bought the property over there, so they’ll tear down the fence that divides the two homes, and we’ll have a Montgomery kid compound.”
I raise my eyebrows at that. “How many are there?”
“Kids? A lot. And most of us are in college or older now. The older generations want us to have a safe place to live while being out on our own. Drew’s been looking for a place to buy, so he’ll move out soon, and someone else will move in here.”
“It’ll be party central,” I say.
“Not likely,” she replies, and we walk back into the house. “We do have cousins’ nights about once a month, and we drink and get silly, but none of us are party animals. We’re just too career-driven for that. And we don’t let the underage kids drink.”
