Page 85 of The Maxwell Brothers

Travis rented an entire restaurant at the lake for his party. I’d never been on this section of the lake. The restaurant was nestled between huge oak trees, and the garden was large and full of all sorts of flowers in bloom. It looked heavenly. The weather was hot and so humid that my hair was already curly, but the breeze between the trees was pleasant. It felt amazing against my skin.

I was on pins and needles because this was the first time I was at a family event strictly as Tate's girlfriend and not Paisley's nanny. In fact, that description hadn’t been used after me calling myself nanny at the store, making me feel even more a part of this family than I’d ever hoped for.

I couldn't help but smile when Paisley ran off to Lena the second she saw her.

Tate whispered conspiratorially, "I'll bet anything we won't even see her until the party ends. It's the same every time Mom and Dad are around."

"Hey, she missed them. They were gone for quite some time."

"True.”

“Where is Beatrice?” I asked, not seeing her anywhere.

“She’s got a cold. Mom and Dad checked on her this morning.”

“Oh, okay. Poor Beatrice. I’m sure she didn’t want to miss this.”

“It’s not serious, but Dad thought it best that she rest up.” He grabbed my hand. “Come on. I want to introduce you to Travis. And then to Sam and Kimberly. They both flew in for the party."

I knew Kimberly and Sam were both overseas, working. They’d flown in for the occasion? Wow, that was sweet.

"I can't wait." The three of them were the only ones I hadn't met yet.

I racked my brain, trying to remember the last time I’d met the family of anyone else I’d dated, but I came up blank. Then again, none of the guys I ever dated were in Tate’s league. No one had ever made me feel the way he did.

“I want my whole family to know you and how important you are to me.”

I swooned. This was Tate to a T. All he needed were words—or sometimes one look—to make me feel so happy that I could barely contain it.

I’d seen pictures of the family in the house and on Paisley's phone, so I immediately recognized Travis. He was a carbon copy of his father, even more so than Tate or Declan, but his hair was longer than it had been in the pictures Paisley showed me.

He grinned as Tate and I approached, holding his arms wide open.

"Brother, congratulations on not letting her slip through your fingers." Focusing on me, he added, "If he acts like an ass, call me. I'll talk sense into him. By the way, I'm Travis."

"I know. I'm Lexi. Nice to meet you."

"You act like you have your shit together. You're not exactly the sensible brother," Tate teased.

Travis patted Tate's shoulder. "But I’m so good at pretending I am. Besides, I like having different skill sets. I've been working on becoming more sensible. And I'm proud to say that I'm making progress."

Reese and a woman I assumed was Kimberly approached us, and by the amusement in their expressions, it was obvious that they’d eavesdropped.

"So that's why you rented out this huge space and are going to have fireworks?" Reese asked.

Kimberly nudged her shoulder before moving over to Travis, lacing her arm through his. "Hey, it's a big reason to celebrate. A huge party is more than warranted. I'm proud of you, cousin."

Travis kissed her temple, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Finally, someone who doesn't give me shit."

“I’m Kimberly, by the way,” she said to me.

“I thought you might be.” She looked very similar to Reese.

I liked watching their interactions, and Ilovedhow everyone liked to tease everyone. And I realized Lena was right: Tate did like to egg everyone on.

"Lexi, what's your stance on this?" Tate asked. He had a hand at the small of my back, tipping me so our hips touched like he couldn't bear to let go of me.

"I agree with Kimberly. Travis just sold his company. If this isn't a reason to celebrate, I don't know what is."