Losing Control (6 page)

“Dinner at Mom’s,” Cal reminded pointedly.

Spence flicked his gaze toward the clock and grimaced as he realized he’d zoned out the last couple of hours. “Look, I don’t know if I should crash another family dinner. I can just order in or grab a bite at the diner.”

“Hell, no. Mom would kick my ass. She specifically invited you. So you’re coming.” He straightened to his full height and narrowed his eyes. “Is there a reason you don’t want to come?”

With a sigh, Spence closed the sketchpad and set it aside. “What possible reason could there be?” He bent over and grabbed his shoes to put on.

“Oh, I don’t know. Did something happen with my sister last night? You’ve been awfully quiet about the whole thing.”

“What the hell do you want me to say? Shall I wax poetic over how I drove her home?” He quickly tied the sneakers and stood.

Cal just shook his head in response. “I’ll drive. Let’s go.”

Blessedly, the ride to the Monroe house was quiet and without questions. If it were any other woman, Spence would probably tell Cal everything, but Christ, it was the man’s sister. What would he say?
Dude, your sister gives good head, and her pussy tastes like heaven.
Yeah, that’d go over just great, he was sure.

When they pulled up to the house, he figured everyone else was there by the cars filling the driveway. He took a deep breath and got out of the vehicle. Honestly, he had no idea what to expect with Maggie. It wasn’t exactly his MO to get intimately involved with a woman so quickly. And while, she’d been far from protesting, they didn’t know each other. What little they did know didn’t bode well for anything beyond the physical. Over dinner the night before, she’d made it painfully clear what she thought of his chosen career. That, right there, spoke volumes on how they’d get along. Though, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to get to know her better—in every way. And the old adage “opposites attract” was around for a reason. Well, he just had to see how Maggie behaved and follow her cues.

He climbed the steps behind Cal. As soon as he set foot inside, he heard the loud voices from the rear of the house. Cal chuckled and motioned for him to follow. Entering the large bright room, Spence couldn’t help but wish he had his pad and pencils. The family gathered around while Mom cooked dinner. It was a beautiful sight—albeit a foreign one for Spence as an only child.

“There you are,” Angela Monroe exclaimed, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

“Welcome home, Mom. Sorry we’re late. It’s totally Spence’s fault.” Cal walked up and hugged the older woman, who swatted him with the towel then turned to Spence.

“It’s good to see you again.” She pulled him into a tight embrace, surprising him.

He’d met her once before, in LA, soon after his parents died, when he’d been visiting her sons to escape. She’d been nice to him, but he hadn’t expected such a warm welcome from her now.

“Good to see you too.” He pulled away awkwardly.

“Supper is almost ready. All of you can get the table set while I finish up in here,” she ordered.

Cal laughed and gave Spence a light punch in the arm. “Welcome to the fam, dude.” Then, grabbing a basket with cutlery in it from the island, he motioned for Spence to follow him.

In the adjoining dining room, he started laying the silverware at each place, glancing up when Maggie and Kate came in bearing plates and the other two Monroe brothers entered balancing glasses. They all talked to and over each other, punctuated with laughter and good-natured ribbing. Spence kept silent and just took it all in. He caught Maggie’s gaze when she was directly across from him. She stared at him a moment, frozen. He smiled, but she just flushed and turned away.

So, that was how it was going to be? Cold shoulder. Before he could ponder how he felt about that, Mrs. Monroe called from the kitchen.

“Spence? Could you help me in here please?”

Cal laughed again as Spence strode back into the kitchen.

“Yes, ma’am?”

She planted her hands on her hips and smiled. “I know trying to get you to not call me ‘ma’am’ is a futile task.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her smile grew into to a grin. “All right then. Could you please bring this to the table?” She held out a platter of fried chicken.

“Smells delicious…ma’am.”

“Get on with you, and come back for the other dishes. Sassy as my boys,” she muttered, turning back toward the stove.

Back and forth he went, carrying the steaming bowls and platters in until everything was settled on the table. Once everyone was seated and Mrs. Monroe had offered grace, conversation exploded once again. After a few minutes, Kate, who was seated next to him, leaned over.

“You get used to it,” she whispered. “The volume and the craziness.”

“If you say so,” he drawled, shaking his head. While the family dynamics were fascinating to him, his mind was on the woman sitting across from him. And she wouldn’t even look him in the eye.

He couldn’t deny the disappointment he felt. He watched as she talked to Sean. The way she fiddled with her silverware as she listened had Spence thinking of how those slim fingers had felt on his skin, sliding up and down his cock. He shifted uncomfortably and turned to Kate, finding the woman staring at him intently. She glanced at Maggie then back at him, brow lifted.

He fumbled for something to say. “How have you been feeling?” he asked. “Any morning sickness?”

She pressed her lips together briefly. “A little bit, but not too bad, thankfully. Mostly, I’ve just felt really tired.”

“Doesn’t help that you have a wedding to plan, I suppose?”

She laughed. “Luckily, I haven’t had to stress out about it. Between everyone in the family, I’ve had it easy.” Narrowing her eyes, she added, “Maggie, especially, has been a total blessing with the planning and pulling everything together.”

He shifted his gaze toward the woman in question and found her watching her friend with a frown. “Lucky for you.”

“Isn’t it?” Kate said happily.

“So, Mags, got any hot dates lined up yet?”

Maggie looked at Gabe, startled, then glared at Kate.

“What? You didn’t say not to tell him about it,” Kate pointed out. “If you had, I’d have kept my mouth shut.”

“About what?” Cal asked curiously. “You seeing someone?” He glanced at Spence, and Maggie felt her cheeks heat.

Sometimes she hated being part of a large,
involved
family.

“No, I’m not seeing anyone,” she answered tightly.

“Not yet, but just wait, you’ll have them lined up in no time. You’re a catch,” Gabe teased.

Through her annoyance, Maggie couldn’t stop the happiness she felt that her oldest brother was teasing her. They hadn’t been close at all, and when he’d moved back home the year before, things between them had been anything but cordial. But, over the past year, they’d actually become friends. That he felt comfortable enough to rib her was almost enough to erase the irritation. Almost.

“What are you talking about?” Cal exclaimed.

“Maggie’s decided to find a guy online,” Gabe informed, chuckling.

“Gabe,” Kate said wearily.

“Is it a secret?” he asked innocently. “Why wouldn’t she want her family to know what she’s doing?”

Maggie drew in a deep breath and counted to ten. She shifted her gaze toward Spence and met his. He leaned back in his chair and simply stared at her, mouth curved into a small smile. Her cheeks heated even more.

“It’s not a secret,” she snapped. “I just didn’t feel the need to announce my plans to everyone. It’s hardly your business who I date and how I get those dates.”

“Of course it’s our business,” Cal said with a laugh. “Any man who ends up with you has to deal with us.”

“Damn straight,” Gabe agreed.

“And gain our approval.” Sean nodded.

“Boys,” their mother said in warning. “Leave your sister alone.”

“But, Mom,” Cal protested, “you don’t want her ending up with some loser. People lie on those profiles, you know?”

“God, Cal, give me a little credit.” Maggie tossed her fork onto the table with a clang. “I’m not going to marry the first person who responds or anything.”

“Cal, Sean, Gabe, you can clear the table,” Angela said. “There will be no more discussing Maggie’s love life unless she brings it up.”

“Yes, Mom,” the three brothers chorused as they stood.

Maggie rolled her eyes. Yeah, that would last until their mother wasn’t around. Dumbasses.

“Sorry,” Kate said sheepishly when they guys had left the room.

Glancing at Spence again, she was slightly disappointed that he didn’t seem at all upset at the idea that she was intent on dating other men. Other men? She shook herself mentally. It wasn’t like they were involved or anything. They’d fooled around, and from his lack of reaction, he obviously thought as she did—that it had been a mistake. Hell, he’d probably been relieved to hear about her plans, knowing she wouldn’t be trying to hang on him.

“Really, Mags, I had no clue he was going to just blurt it out like that.” Kate shook her head. “I’ve never seen him tease you like that before.”

“It’s okay,” Maggie said begrudgingly. “It was bound to happen whenever they found out, so it’s better to get it all over with now.” Though she knew full well it was far from over.

When the guys came in to gather more dishes, Gabe gave her a little nudge and grin, and she chuckled. Dumbasses, she thought again, but they were
her
dumbasses.

“Gabe, start the coffee, please.” Their mother stood. “Let’s go sit outside; it’s a gorgeous night. Kate,” the older woman wrapped an arm about her shoulders, “you can bring me up to date with the wedding preparations.”

Maggie stayed where she was a moment then rose as the other women left the room. Spence followed suit. For the moment, they were alone.

“Do I need to apologize for…” she gestured at the table, “any of that?”

“Why would you need to?” he asked.

Why indeed? She kicked herself.

“You shouldn’t have to apologize for someone else’s behavior. Besides, they seemed like they were just acting out of concern. In a brotherly fashion, yes, but out of concern.” He smiled broadly. “And I know several couples who met online and are very happy together.”

With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Maggie gaping at the empty doorway.

* * * *

Maggie slid into the booth across from Cal, weariness weighing on her. They’d made it through the wedding rehearsal and the dinner that followed. She stifled a yawn. She’d have one beer then head back home. Gabe was dropping their mom and Kate off before meeting the guys here for his last night as a single man.

“You’ll be lucky if Kate’s still awake by the time you get home,” Sean said, setting three beers on the table before sitting beside Cal. “She looked exhausted.”

“That’d be fine by me. We have to get up early anyway.” Maggie took a long draw and hummed in pleasure as the cool liquid hit her throat. “You guys have anything big planned tonight?”

“Nah, Gabe doesn’t want a wild stag night.” Cal shook his head with a pout. “So we’ll just hang here, have a few, maybe play a few games of pool then go crash at his place.”

“Spence coming by?” Sean asked.

Maggie’s heart skipped. She hadn’t seen Spence since the night he’d come to dinner with the family. That night had been insanely awkward—at least for her. He, on the other hand, had looked absolutely at ease with everything and everyone. Maggie had forced herself to have a cup of coffee and dessert out on the patio before begging off to go to bed. The past few days she’d done a pretty awesome job of avoiding him. At least in person. He managed to invade her thoughts, and even her dreams, often enough.

“Yeah, he’ll be here in a bit.”

Maggie took another long drink. With any luck, she could finish her beer and head home before he showed.

“In a hurry there, Mags?” Cal pinned her with a stare.

“Hmm? Just tired, that’s all. My bed is calling me,” she said lightly.

“Yeah, right. You’re going to have to see him eventually,” he commented knowingly.

Sean looked between the two, opened his mouth then seemed to change his mind. Instead, he leaned back and lifted his bottle to his lips.

“What are you talking about?” she snapped.

“Please. Try it on someone who doesn’t know you. You’ve been avoiding Spence. I don’t know why, but I know you have. If you care to know, he’s none too happy about it.”

“I’m not avoiding him,” she lied. “And what he is happy about has no bearing whatsoever on me.”

“You’ll have to see him eventually,” he repeated.

She knew he was right. There was no way she could avoid him at the wedding, but she certainly didn’t have to say more than a few words to him to be polite. Then she could go back to her evasion until he left town and headed back where he’d come from.

“He isn’t going anywhere, Mags,” Cal said, as though reading her thoughts. “He’s moving here.”

“What?” She shook her head. “Why would he—” Cal’s grin had her stopping short.