Too Complicated (The Lewis Cousins 2)

Laurel let out a startled laugh and said, “Okay, Chlo, I will.”

I watched the guys for a few more minutes, smiling and waving when Reardon felt my eyes on him and looked up.

“Ready to take everything to the dining room?” I asked. We’d decided to serve family style on our brand-new dining room table, which had two leaves that enabled it to open up and seat twenty.

It was crazy and it was huge, but it would allow all of us to sit together today, and that’s why I’d wanted it so badly.

We placed dishes, serving plates, and utensils down the center of the table, which already had been set for twenty. Once we were done, I shouted out to Reardon to let him know everything else was ready.

“Everything’s ready, just waiting for the meat,” I called out the back door.

“I’m holding my tongue on that one,” Dillon said, causing Gabe to hit him with the back of his hand.

“Shut it,” Gabe said, but Dillon just chuckled.

“It’s done,” Reardon replied. “We’ll be in in a second; you can get everyone settled.”

“You got it, babe.”

Everyone filed into the dining room and grabbed a seat, leaving the head of the table for Reardon while I took my seat beside him, and his father took his place at the other end of the table.

Once everyone was seated, dishes were passed and people began filling their plates. I caught my sister’s eye and gave her a watery smile.

Zoey grinned and winked, understanding how much this moment meant to me.

I felt Reardon’s hand squeeze my leg underneath the table, and felt his breath on my neck.

“You good, Chlo?”

“Never been better,” I said truthfully, turning my head to brush my lips softly against his. “Thanks for making all of my dreams come true.”

“Ditto, babe,” he said, brushing my hair off my face and pushing it behind my ear.

Now, please enjoy the first chapter of book 1 in The Lewis Cousins Series,

Too Tempting

Gabe

* * *

I took a deep breath as I walked out of my cabin and onto the wooden deck overlooking the lake and forty wooded acres of my camp.

I’d built Camp Gabriel Lewis over three years ago, after I’d retired from the NFL and decided to make my dream of working with teens a reality. My camp was not just a football camp, and not just your traditional sleepaway camp; it was a combination of both. It was the culmination of a vision I had when I was a young kid, and the only things I gave a damn about in life were football and my annual camping trip with my cousins.

“Son of a bitch, it’s good to be back here!” I grinned over my ceramic coffee mug at my cousin, Reardon, who’d just pulled in.

Crazy tall, blond, and charismatic, he was the person I’d been closest to growing up. My best friend. Now he was a lawyer in the small town he grew up in.

“Happy to get away from the hustle and bustle of Cherry Springs?” I asked with a chuckle.

“No, man, things there are quiet as usual,” Reardon responded as he pulled his duffle bag from the trunk of his Mercedes. “I’m just looking forward to kicking your ass at family sports day this year.”

“You wish, cupcake,” I responded wryly, feeling ridiculously happy to see him again.

“Hey, I’ve been working out,” he countered with a grin.

When he reached the top, we came together in a quick hug, each giving the other a sharp clap on the back before pulling apart.