Page 227 of The Maxwell Brothers

"Okay. Thanks."

She squealed in delight, plugging in the curler. I liked having her do my hair. It was soothing.

Once she was done, I looked like a million bucks. I blinked rapidly as she sprayed the third product in my hair, feeling like I might go blind soon, or at the very least not be able to see in front of me. My eyes were a bit watery, but the effect was fantastic. I was wearing a blue sweater dress and black wool tights with boots. I’d dressed casually, and my curls went with it perfectly.

“You look great.” Biting her lip, she added, “Let me add a bit of makeup.”

“Let me check the time—oh my God. I’m already late.”

“Shit, you’re right. Okay, then. Go. I’ll stay here and pack my stuff.”

“I thought you needed to get ready for your date.”

She laughed nervously. “Yeah, I meant… I’ll get ready first, then pack everything. Now come on, go. Don’t be late.”

I kissed her cheek, slinging on my coat before heading out of the spa. When I stepped outside, a blast of cold wind made my teeth chatter, but I couldn’t put my beanie on because that would ruin my hair completely.

There was no time to take the subway, so I jumped into an Uber, checking the estimated arrival time every few minutes. I was going to come in so late, and the boys didn’t have a lot of time. Their tae kwon do class was starting in forty minutes. I had fifteen minutes max with them.

When I arrived, Tyler, the kids, and Mr. Dawson were already there, of course, at the huge round table at the back of the room. Early January was far too cold for ice cream, so the parlor now also served cakes and donuts.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” I exclaimed.

Tyler kissed my hand as I sat down. There was already a plate in front of me.

I grinned at him. “You ordered me a donut!”

Tyler winked. “Thought that would make you happy.”

“You know me so well.”

I bit into the delicious treat immediately, sighing before looking around the table. The kids looked utterly happy, and it warmed my heart. They kept sharing details about their past couple of games.

“I’m so proud of you guys,” Tyler said.

His own team was at the top of the rankings too, and I was super happy for him.

“Thank you for coaching us,” Tim replied. Next to him, Rupert nodded vigorously.

“Boys, hurry up. Your tae kwon do class starts soon,” Mr. Dawson said only a few minutes later. I pouted, truly sorry that I only got to spend a few minutes with them.

They all dressed up quickly, chattering about tae kwon do. Tyler and I waved goodbye, and after they left, I savored my last bite of the donut.

“Want to take a walk?” Tyler asked.

“Sure. Let’s ask for the bill.”

“I already took care of it a while ago.” There was an edge to his voice I hadn’t noticed before. There was something different about his eyes too.

Hmmm…

I’d made a small catalog of all my man’s looks.

The sexy glint.

The super sexy glint.

The smoldering one.