Page 78 of The Maxwell Brothers

Looking in the fridge, we found ingredients for roast beef and mashed potatoes. It was only ten o'clock, but roast beef needed time in the oven, so we started cooking lunch right away.

Lena was peeling potatoes. I was washing thyme and rosemary. Tate was crushing garlic while his dad oiled the beef. We all worked around the kitchen island, and the collaborativeeffort was so coordinated that it was obvious they’d done it before.

“You cook together often?” I asked no one in particular.

“When the kids were young, we did almost all the time. There’s no other way to feed so many people,” Lena said. “We made it a point to be home at dinner, but we often came late, so we only had time to whip something up quickly. Dinner with the kids was a tradition. I called it tornado time because all the kids had an energy boost in the evening, driving us crazy.”

I glanced at Tate. That explained why he wanted to cook dinner for Paisley as often as possible. I focused on chopping the herbs, smiling to myself.

It was easy to be around Lena and Emmett. They chatted about wine and a special collection Maxwell Wineries was bringing out this year. To my astonishment, I relaxed pretty quickly. Tate’s parents had welcomed me with open arms, making me feel like I was at home. Since leaving for college, I’d never felt like I belonged anywhere—until now.

"Okay, nothing more for us to do," Lena said once the beef was in the oven. “Who wants to take a walk through the vineyard?”

I nodded while Tate and Emmett answered, “Yes,” at the same time.

With one last look at the oven, we all headed outside. The air was even chillier than last night, but I didn’t want a jacket as the sun was keeping me warm. Lena led the way, and I realized she and I were probably going to walk alone because Tate and Emmett had already stopped, inspecting the new crop.

“Those two always get like this when we’re here. They can talk about wine for hours,” Lena said, looking at the two of them fondly.

“It’s awesome that they have this in common.”

“They’ve always bonded over it. Emmett was over the moon to share his passion with one of the kids, and Tate was always interested. He’s got a talent for finding common ground with anyone. And he’s always been so full of energy. I’m not sure where he gets it from. He used to wake up the earliest and was the last to go to bed.”

“So before, when you meant that everyone had a burst of energy at dinner, you actually meant Tate?”

She chuckled, and something in her facial expression reminded me of Tate. “Mostly, but Tyler and Luke were also balls of energy. Luke was always the one with the bright ideas. He had no problem talking Tyler and Tate into his shenanigans. Luckily, Declan balanced them out. Sam was caught in the middle all the time, and Travis changed sides according to whatever he was up to at that moment.”

“And Reese and Kimberly? Beatrice told me they were here a lot.”

“Those two were a godsend. The first few years after they lost their mom was hard, especially because my brother-in-law wasn’t in a good place. Poor man was brokenhearted. Reese and Kimberly were here daily after school for years. Kimberly resembled Declan the most. And Reese is a lot like Tate. They’re both fierce and strong, but they also hold themselves to high standards.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as we slowly started to move through the vineyards.

“Tate has been very hard on himself since the divorce.”

“I wondered about that.”

“I’m afraid he thinks that happiness isn’t meant for him anymore. That it's not in his grasp. Maybe even that he doesn't deserve it."

My heart sighed at that. I’d wondered if that might be the case but questioned how an amazing man like him could think that.

Lena winked at me. "But I think you're starting to change his perspective."

"Really?” I responded, not sure what else to say.

"Yes. The fact that you’re here, that he brought you here, speaks volumes. And Beatrice told me that he's left work early a couple times to be with you."

"Oh, he likes spending time with Paisley,” I said, because that sounded like a reasonable explanation.

The corners of her lips twitched. "He always did, but until you, he never came home from work early.”

Lena's words stirred something powerful inside my chest. Hmm… so he really was changing his old ways because of me? That made mesohappy.

“What are you two gossiping about?” Tate asked, startling me. He and Emmett were heading toward us with quick strides.

“About you two, of course,” Lena replied in a sassy tone. “I thought you were going to let us walk alone.”

“No can do.” Tate came up next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders. “Need to protect Lexi here from snakes and all that.”