Page 24 of Playboy Husband

CALLUM

It had been a long week with way too many late nights at the office, too many phone calls, and too many people pulling at me from every direction, but all of that faded as I turned up the long drive toward my family’s estate.

I’d been looking forward to this all week, seeing Maisie again and getting to spend some time with her and Brody. If it had been up to me, we would have been at the courthouse today, signing papers and making it official, but I’d promised my dad I’d bring them to dinner first.

Tonight, my family would meet them and hopefully start to understand this wasn’t just some impulsive move on my part. Once that was done, we would talk timeline again. Maisie had seemed onboard with this new plan, too.

In the back seat, Brody smooshed his face against the window. His breath fogged the glass as his wide eyes tracked every house and tree.

“Whoa,” he breathed, craning his neck as we rolled past the sprawling lawns and stone driveways. “This place is huge. Is that a castle?”

I couldn’t help but smile as he pointed toward the older, stately manor house tucked among the trees. I had to admit, its steep rooflines and ivy-covered stone did give it a fairytale sort of vibe.

“That one’s my brother, Jameson’s, place. He lives there with his wife, Sadie, and their dogs.”

Brody pressed closer to the glass, as if trying to catch a glimpse of a fictional creature between the trees. “It’s so cool. Does that whole lake belong to you, too?”

I chuckled, knowing which lake he was talking about without even having to look. “Yep, that one and a few more like it on the property. Although Jamie likes to think of that one as his instead of ours.”

We drove a little farther and rounded a curve in the road. A sleek, modern home came into view, all glass and clean lines, perched like it belonged in a magazine spread. Brody’s jaw dropped. “What about that one?”

“That one’s mine,” I admitted, catching Maisie turning sharply toward it in the passenger seat. “Technically. I don’t stay there very often.”

Brody leaned forward between the seats, his eyes huge. “It’s yours, but you don’t live there?”

“Not really,” I explained, smiling as I glanced at him in the rearview. “I used to, but these days, I mostly crash at my place in the city. This house just exists at the moment. Traffic, you know?”

He looked like he was trying to process someone telling him they sometimes forgot they owned a rollercoaster.

My gaze slid to Maisie, curiosity about her reaction sliding through me.

She didn’t say anything at first, just sat there in a pretty, floral-patterned dress and a light jacket, with her spine ramrod straight and her eyes wide.

I caught the flicker in them, though. To me, it looked like part disbelief, part wariness, and part something else entirely, and I grinned. This was exactly why I’d been looking forward to the weekend so much—to see her again, to be near her, and to be able to gauge her reactions to things.

As we passed the sleek lines of my house, I leaned closer to her and muttered low enough that Brody wouldn’t overhear me. “I’ll show it to you soon. Just in case we ever feel like we need more space.”

Her gaze flicked toward me and she blinked rapidly, like she was startled. We hadn’t talked about living arrangements again, but I already knew how that was going to go. She was set on her little home, which meant if this marriage was going to work, I would be the one moving in.

Fine by me.

We rounded the last turn and the Westwood mansion came into view, sprawling and intimidating even to me—and I’d grown up there. The car crunched over the gravel, and before I could even cut the engine, Maisie’s hand touched my arm.

“Callum.” Her voice was tight and quiet, so soft that I could barely hear her, but I saw the shimmer of nerves in her eyes. “I haven’t talked to Brody yet.”

I exhaled, relieved that was all it was about, and nodded. “It’s fine. Don’t stress. My dad’s good at keeping secrets. I doubt even my mom knows for sure just yet.”

She pressed her lips together and sat back just as Brody bounced in his seat, already eager to leap out and explore. “This place is so cool. Did you really live here?”

I laughed. “I did, buddy. Wait until you see the backyard. There’s enough space for several football teams to kick a ball around.”

Brimming with excitement, he opened his door and we followed. The front doors opened before we’d even knocked. My family had always been like that, loud and present. Garvey appeared first, naturally, and I spoke to Maisie and Brody under my breath.

“That’s our butler. Garvey. He’s been with us forever. He’s super judgmental and uptight. It’s best to just ignore the disapproving looks you’ll get from him.”

Maisie’s footsteps faltered but only for a beat. My mom came gliding out of the house then, practically flying down the steps like the most graceful rocket that had ever been shot. “Maisie! Welcome, darling. We’re so happy you could join us.”

She pulled a very surprised Maisie into her arms, brushing a kiss to each of her cheeks before she let go and turned, a huge smile on her lips. “You must be Brody. It’s wonderful to meet you, honey. Tell me, are you allergic to ice cream?”

“No,” he said softly, glancing at Maisie, then at me, and then his gaze darted back to my mom and he grinned, like our lack of admonishment meant he could eat only ice cream for the rest of his life if he wanted to. “I’m not allergic at all. Have you got any?”

“Well, young man.” CC slung her arm around his shoulders and started leading him to the stairs. “I don’t just have any. As it happens, I have a secret stash of the best ice cream in the world. I’m willing to share, but only if it’s okay with your mom and you eat all your vegetables at dinner.”

He groaned. “I knew there would be a catch.”

Maisie glanced at me, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. I held my arm out to her and she took it. “He’ll be okay with her, right?” she asked.

“Well, all four of us Westwood boys are still standing, but it’s been a while since we were seven. She might need guidance on appropriate ice cream serving portions, but he should be alright otherwise.”

Jameson and Sadie said hello to Brody at the top of the steps when he and Mom reached them. Then Harrison appeared with Laney in tow. That meant only Sterling and Dad were waiting inside instead of coming out to greet us.

I introduced everyone, ignoring the way my brothers were grinning like they knew this was more than just an arrangement for me. Of course, Jameson knew she and I had a history because I’d told him, and from the looks on Harrison and Sterling’s faces, the asshole had blabbed about everything.

We walked into the dining room. Dad gave Maisie a quick, polite onceover and gave her hand a gentle shake. “Welcome to the Estate, my dear. Just let Garvey know what you’d like to drink and he’ll have it brought to you.”

She was a block of tension by my side, but she managed to smile at him as she withdrew her hand. “Thank you, sir. Thank you also for having us over.”

Mom ushered Brody into a seat at the head of the table opposite Dad, lowering herself into the chair next to his. Dinner was a blur of noise, conversations from all around the table overlapping with the clatter of plates and cutlery in the background.

Underneath it all, however, I could’ve sworn I felt something sharper.

I knew it was because for once, all eyes were on me.

Dad’s assessing gaze, Jameson’s amused glances, Sadie’s knowing smile, Laney’s sweet, understanding attempts to draw Maisie into conversation, Sterling’s arched eyebrow, and Harrison’s smug fucking smirk.

They all knew, and they were being damn loud about it without saying a word. I wasn’t used to being on this side of it. I was never the center of attention at the table, but now, the spotlight was on me. For once, I didn’t hate it.

Mostly because Maisie was sitting right there beside me and Brody was across the table, holding court with a story about his last game. If I was being honest, I’d admit that in this moment, the weight of my family’s expectations didn’t feel like a burden. It felt like possibility.

“Brody, I’d like to hear about your game too,” Sadie said warmly.

Laney was on her other side and she leaned over as well, already asking about hockey, his school, and all of the rest of his hobbies. In no time at all, the two of them had him giggling, distracted from the fact he was surrounded by strangers in a house too big to be real.

That left CC free to lean forward, her eyes bright and curious as she turned them on Maisie.

“I’m so happy you two could join us tonight, darling.

Tell me everything there is to know about you.

Where did you grow up? Do you cook? Are you a coffee-in-the-morning person, or one of those crazy people who skip it? ”

Maisie blinked, laughing softly before an overwhelmed smile spread across her lips. “Oh, uh, okay. Well, I grew up in Michigan, I do cook, and I’m not human until after my second cup of coffee.”

“Excellent,” CC said seriously, nodding like she was taking mental notes. “Those are important qualities. A love of coffee means you’ll survive in this family.”

Sterling was seated beside Mom, and he gave Maisie a polite smile as he tuned into the conversation. “What about your family? Are they still in Michigan?”

“They are,” she said. “They even all still live in the same neighborhood where I grew up, except for one of my brothers. He moved across town for his job.”

Harrison perked up instantly, suddenly grinning at her like he’d just met a celebrity. “Yeah, Carter Morgan. I’m a huge fan.”

Maisie chuckled, her head shaking slightly as her cheeks flushed. “He’d be mortified if he heard you say that. To us, he’s just Michael.”