She could have kissed every last one of them. And Evan, too, not just for his simple apology, but also for the way he’d stepped in to end Whitney’s harangue before it got even worse.
As Matt joined the others in the pool for a game of Marco Polo, Will held out his hand to her and together they headed over to take care of getting food on for everyone. The barbecue was an entire counter with two grills, one with a curved top, the other a simple metal grill. A pot of water for corn on the cob bubbled on the range. The fridge held steaks, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, green salad, and all the fixings, which was way more food than they could possibly eat, even if Evan, his wife, and Paige had stayed.
“What do you want? Steak, hamburger, or—” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows up and down in an exaggerated fashion. “—hot dog?”
She laughed, glad the sensation washed away a lot of her anger and frustration over what had just happened. As if he could read her mind, he turned serious again.
“I apologize for that, Harper. I should have warned you about Whitney and made sure not to put Jeremy in that position.”
“He isn’t your responsibility. I should have been watching. And I was the one who said it was okay.”
He shushed her with a kiss. “Stop. Evan’s wife’s attitude isn’t your fault.”
Finally stopping to take a breath, she realized he was right. Just as he was right about so many things when it came to her brother. She hadn’t had anyone to bounce things off in so long. Even though she knew this thing with Will wasn’t going to last forever, did that mean she couldn’t appreciate him while he was here?
“Is she always like that?”
Will began turning knobs on the grill. “In the beginning of their marriage? Maybe not. At this point, it’s pretty hard to remember how things used to be. All I know is that in the past year or so, she’s been worse than ever. Honestly, I don’t know how he can live with her. Whatever happens between them, though, we’ve got his back.”
She’d seen that—the way the men had surrounded Evan, making it clear that they were there if he needed them.
“We’ve all known each other a long time,” he told her. “Matt and Evan were ten. Daniel, Sebastian, and I a year older. Some bullies were picking on Matt.” He shrugged. “Something had to be done.”
Harper glanced at the huge muscles in Matt’s arms as he chased down Sebastian in the big pool. “Matt needed help?”
Will grinned. “He was a scrawny kid.”
She had a hard time picturing it. “So you rescued him.”
An expression she couldn’t quite read flashed across his face, but he wasn’t smiling anymore as he said, “Evan ran for the principal.”
“Smart boy.”
“That’s why he’s the money man.” But his face darkened even further. “We all eventually ended up living with Daniel’s parents. Susan and Bob raised us.”
“All of you?” Wonder laced her voice.
“It wasn’t a great neighborhood. Things happened.”
His answer was so understated, his features so expressionless, that she felt a little hitch in her chest. She wanted to ask what things, but at the same time, she didn’t want to make a mistake by pushing too hard. Not when Will had just revealed more to her about his past than he had at any time in all the weeks she’d known him.
“So we stuck together.” He blew out a hard breath, and then the cocky grin was back. She’d never been happier to see it. “The Mavericks.”
They weren’t brothers, not by blood the way she and Jeremy were. Yet she knew they would do anything for each other.
Meeting them shed new light on Will. He’d once said his word was his bond, that he always kept his promises. Seeing him with his closest friends showed her that it was no boast or throwaway phrase. He’d clearly been through hard times with these men, and he was there for them no matter what. Just the way he’d been there for Jeremy time and time again.
And though she kept trying to tell herself that this thing between them was just a casual thrill ride, she couldn’t help but hope that he’d be there for her, too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“So,” Susan mused on the phone, “I hear things are progressing nicely with you and your new lady.” She’d waited a couple of days after the Memorial Day barbecue to call him, but Will had guessed it was coming after every one of the other Mavericks had already weighed in on the subject of Harper.