I glanced back at my brothers, who weren’t saying anything but weren’t making eye contact with me either. I wanted to give Maya the benefit of the doubt and assume that the pregnancy hormones were altering her better judgment. She was all but throwing me to the wolves with this line of questioning.
“We had drinks and talked. We’re getting to know each other better,” I said, aiming for the most diplomatic answer I could. It beat admitting that the man had spent half the night dedicated to pulling multiple orgasms from me.
“Sounds promising. When are you seeing him again?”
I shrugged. “I let him know I had plans tonight, so I’m not sure.”
Maya clapped her hands. “Oh, we should have him over for dinner one night. That would be perfect.”
Cameron approached the table, serving dishes in hand. “Probably not the best idea to mix business with…family.”
Maya frowned. “Ironic, don’t you think? Since we’re all family and half of us work for the family business.”
“That’s different,” he answered tightly before sitting down beside her.
“How?”
The way Maya was glaring in his direction told me Cameron wasn’t going to win this argument tonight. His lips formed a thin line, and he plated up his food. The rest of us followed suit, and I was grateful for the moment to have something to do with my mouth other than discuss Will.
Darren dropped down into the seat beside Vanessa. He leaned toward her and kissed her square on the mouth. She smiled under the kiss.
When she returned to her food, he whispered in her ear, “Beautiful.”
Her cheeks colored a lovely shade of pink, and she nudged him back with her elbow. We ate in silence for a few minutes before Vanessa spoke up.
“Liv, are we all set for the shower next weekend? Do you need me to do anything?”
“No, I think I have it covered,” I said.
We both glanced to Maya, who shot us a smile. She knew we’d been arranging a baby shower for her, but other than the date, everything else would be a surprise.
“Boys invited?” Darren asked between bites.
Vanessa nudged him again, harder this time. “No. Girls only.”
“Ah, that’s too bad.” He shot her a wicked grin, like he was pretending to be disappointed.
I’d almost welcome the comic relief he’d bring. He had a way of softening my mother. She loved her sons, and even though I knew she got under Darren’s skin too, he seemed to absorb the blows better than the rest of us did.
“Speaking of celebrating,” Maya said playfully. “Now that you two skipped out on the usual wedding drama, we can expect some baby news soon, right?”
I widened my eyes, anticipating Darren’s discomfort on the subject, but he seemed unaffected. Maya was on a roll tonight, but I was glad the focus had shifted away from me for the time being.
Darren pointed his fork in Vanessa’s direction. “Talk to her. I keep trying to knock her up, but she wants to wait until she has a year in at Youth Arts.”
“It’s a nonprofit. If I’m out for any length of time, it’s going to take a toll on the organization. I took on a lot of responsibility when I accepted the job, and obviously there’s been a lot to manage in recent months.”
He shook his head. “Never met a woman so damn committed to work.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “We had a four-month engagement. I think you can be a little patient.”
My mother had vetoed just about every wedding plan they’d suggested and subsequently sucked the romance out of the entire planning process. Deciding that one Bridge wedding in a year was enough, they’d opted for something quick and simple. Darren had whisked Vanessa off to Spain for a romantic, albeit unexpected, elopement followed by an incredible reception in New York that even my mother couldn’t complain about.
Maya rubbed her hand over her belly. “Well, hurry up. Baby Bridge is going to need a cousin.”
“Noted,” Darren said.
The conversation moved to less touchy topics, from the rapidly progressing renovation to fresh stories from Darren’s calls on the fire department. After an hour, I was full, slightly buzzed from the wine, and ready for my bed.
Maya stood up with her dish, but Cameron rose quickly, taking it from her. “I’ve got it. You go sit and relax.”
She smiled, and he bent to give her a peck on the lips.
“Love you,” she whispered.
One by one, everyone started moving to clean up, but Cameron exiled everyone to the living room. I cleared my plate and went to join them, when he called my name.
I circled back. Cam was leaning against the counter, arms crossed, with a dishtowel slung over his shoulder. We shared many of the same features, the dark hair and blue eyes, but he was nearly twice my size. Tall and padded with muscle from years of dedicated hours at the gym. If I didn’t know him so well, I’d be frightened of him, from his size alone. Especially now when greeted with his stony expression.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“You tell me. What’s really going on with Will Donovan? Should I be concerned?”
I hesitated a second. “Concerned about what?”