“You got it, Lex,” he said with a dazzling smile. “Anything for my favorite sister.”
“Hey, I thought I was your favorite,” another voice said with mock hurt as Taryn and Jake joined them.
“She’s nicer to me than you are,” Michael said seriously, but his eyes were dancing.
Taryn laughed, stretching up onto the tips of her toes and giving him a kiss. “I love you, too, big guy.”
Maggie smiled. Apparently these women were quite fond of Michael. A slight stab of jealousy went through her at their obvious closeness to him, but one look at the total possession in their husbands’ expressions and their unquestionable love for each other and she knew she had no reason to feel that way.
“Maggie, I need to get something for Lex. You’ll be okay for a few minutes?”
“She’ll be fine, Michael. We promise we won’t corrupt her while you’re gone. Much.” Turning to Maggie, she said, “I’m Taryn, by the way. This is Jake.” Maggie shook the hand of the large man next to her, recognizing him as the man she’d first seen at Ian’s bachelor party.
“We’ve met,” Jake said, his eyes twinkling. Now that she wasn’t completely stricken, she could assess him more accurately. He looked remarkably like Michael – and Ian – with blue-black hair and clear blue eyes, but he was a bit stockier and probably had a good twenty pounds of lean, hard muscle on both of them. This, Maggie knew instinctively, was not a man to trifle with. Yet as he greeted her, he had a boyish grin that she couldn’t help but like.
Michael looked a little uncertain about leaving Maggie, but she mustered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. Go.”
Very deliberately, Michael leaned down and kissed her. Then he looked pointedly at Taryn. “Behave yourself.”
Taryn’s eyes opened wide and in the span of a heartbeat her face became the picture of innocence. As soon as he had taken two steps, Taryn plopped down next to Lexi and winked at Maggie. “But seriously, if you ever have to get a shot in the ass, Michael’s your man.”
“Amen to that sister,” Lexi said, giving her a high-five.
“Taryn!” Michael growled in warning, but she shooed him away with a light-hearted wave as Lexi succumbed to a slight fit of the giggles. Maggie was sure she caught the hint of a smile on his face as he turned away once again. She had the distinct impression that this was a recurring joke among them.
“Did you hear what your wife just said?” Ian asked Jake in feigned disbelief.
“Yeah, and your wife agreed with her.”
“I think we should kick his ass.”
“Agreed.”
“Be nice, boys,” Taryn warned as the two men followed Michael toward the exit. “I think Maggie likes him.”
Boys? That was the last word she would have used to describe the Callaghan brothers, Maggie thought. Even “men” seemed a little too mild a word for them. The phrase “lethal alpha males” was more accurate, though that didn’t quite capture the dark, natural beauty that seemed to surround them. Or their innate intensity and power. Or their base, raw sexuality.
Maggie forced herself to take a slow, deep breath. Clearly the brandy Michael had ordered for her was more powerful than she’d thought.
Since Michael had just finished telling her, she knew about Lexi’s condition. Looking at her now, though, she never would have guessed it. The woman was strikingly beautiful. True, every woman looked stunning on her wedding day, but Maggie sensed that Lexi would look just as breathtaking in jeans and a T-shirt.
“Thanks,” Lexi said to Maggie. Maggie was caught off-guard. “For what?”
“For surrendering Michael for a few minutes. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without him. Has he told you about my challenges?”
“A little. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Lexi told her. “It is what it is. If you’re going to be a part of this family you should know.”
Maggie blinked, stunned. Taryn chuckled. “Uh-oh, Lex. She’s got that ‘deer caught in the headlights’ look. I don’t think she knows.”
Before Maggie could respond, two more women made their way over to the table. One was a gorgeous blonde with multi-hued hair in streaks of gold, platinum, and bronze; the other was equally attractive, with dark hair and cherry red streaks. The dark-haired one walked with a cane.
“Is this the girls’ table?” the petite blonde asked, sinking down before waiting for an answer.
“Oh, thank God,” the brunette said, joining them. “I think I’m OD’ing on male hormones here.”