Page 253 of The Maxwell Brothers

The guys started protesting at the same time. It was comical to watch them. Travis and Luke were both talking loudly, using their hands. Sam raised his voice even higher, but he was grinning. I couldn’t make out who was saying what. Declan was silent, eyes trained on Reese.

“Oh, this one is going to glare me to death,” she said, waggling her finger at Declan. “They can deny it all they want, but it's true. Anyway, we’re brainstorming how to tell her. And the rest of the family. It’s just us who know so far.”

I looked at all of them sympathetically. My God, they were adorable. Something shifted inside me at the sight. They were seriously debating how to best break the news to their family.

I mean, my family was close too, but this took the meaning to a whole new level.

“What are your thoughts so far?” I asked, completely engrossed in this.

“We thought about telling my uncle first, our dad’s brother—these doofuses’ father—who lives here in Chicago, and then having him tell Gran,” Reese suggested.

“Except we still have to tell Dad,” Travis said. “That on its own will be… interesting.”

“We hold a family dinner and tell everyone,” Declan added. “I’ll do it.”

Luke chuckled. “That’s going to go down well. ‘Hey, everyone. Welcome to dinner. By the way, Uncle Harvey got married and will have a daughter soon. Dig in.’”

Declan cocked a brow. “What’s wrong with that?”

Travis patted his shoulder. “The fact that you can’t even tell makes you a lost cause. No point explaining it to you.”

“Cousin, since I’ve been gone, you seem to have become even more insensitive,” Kimberly replied.

“Impossible,” Sam said. “He was at rock bottom to begin with.”

“Hey, I don’t think that’s a bad strategy. It’s honest,” I pointed out. “It does lack a bit of tact though. I mean, this is huge news.”

Declan cocked a brow. “Whose side are you on?”

“No one’s. I’m the objective third party, remember?”

His eyes zeroed in on my lips. I fidgeted in my spot, fixating on Reese, trying to ignore the sudden spike in my pulse.

“The other option is for me to take Gran for a walk and tell her. I think she’d appreciate it,” Reese said.

“That sounds much better,” I agreed. “More intimate, and she’d probably like that.”

“Excellent. And it lets us off the hook,” Luke added.

Reese stared at him. “You were fighting me on it before Liz came in. Said it’s better to do it as a group.”

Luke shrugged. “I changed my mind.”

I grinned. “My donuts are known to have a pacifying effect.”

Travis bit into a donut, giving me a thumbs-up. “These are delicious. Do you have a website where people can order?”

“No, but I will be opening my own bakery. Hopefully this century.”

"I'll keep that in mind," Travis said.

“I still think we should do it as a group over dinner,” Declan said.

Glancing at my watch, I realized time was flying, and I really did want to see Helen and spend some time with her. “I really should go,” I said.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Declan said in that low, dangerously sexy voice.

“No need. I mean, the door is just there.” I jerked my thumb behind me. He was looking at me so intently that I felt his presence as if he was standing right next to me.