Millionaire Hero (Freeman Brothers 4)

“Hey, Linds,” I said.

She turned around and grinned at me. “There you are! I was wondering if you were going to come tonight.”

I threw my hands up and let out a sigh of exasperation. “One family night. I missed one family night and now everybody’s acting like I have completely shunned everyone.”

“Well, you know how everybody is,” she said.

With a smile, she headed to the doors again. I was still trying to get used to having her at these dinners not as my buddy coming along with me. There were plenty of dinners over the years when she would come to hang out, and my entire family embraced her as one of our own. Now that had shifted over. She was here with Vince and most likely her son, Remy, was outside with everybody else.

I stepped outside with her and immediately heard Remy’s cheerful giggle followed by another from Darren and Kelly’s daughter, Willa. The children were very close in age and had both taken a strong liking to Quentin’s dog, Rosie. Being blind didn’t hold Remy back from developing into a rough-and-tumble boy, the kind who needed a dog companion in his life. Since Vince only had a spoiled and very opinionated cat named Frankie, Rosie was his chance to roll around with and get his face licked by a dog.

It wasn’t Lindsey’s very favorite of his newfound favorite activities, but she would deal with it. She was just so happy to see her son blossoming as a welcome and loved part of a real family.

I walked to the edge of the upper level of the elaborate, several-level deck and looked out over the lawn. The gathering of our family for dinner on Sunday used to just be the four of us brothers and our parents. Then we started adding in friends like Lindsey, or Quentin’s and Darren’s best friends. Then it started to get elaborate. Merry joined up followed by Kelly and Willa. Then we added Remy. Then Merry and Quentin added their little girl to the mix.

When we had everybody there, it felt more like a sprawling reunion than just a simple dinner. And that’s just the way I liked it. It was good to have everybody there together being able to enjoy hanging out and relaxing. I liked watching the little ones play with the dogs. Sometimes my brothers would get in on the action, and my parents would just shake their head as two generations tumbled around in the grass.

Sometimes I caught them looking at each other and smiling in a soft, misty way that seemed filled with so many memories and so much love. There was an unspoken longing in that smile. Both were hoping they were young enough that they might have the chance to see another generation spring up and join in on the fun. But until then, I was going to take every opportunity I got to pick at my brothers who were sturdily domesticated.

Of course, that came with a price. I couldn’t just get away with teasing them. As soon as she noticed me there, Mom hopped up from her lawn chair sitting beside my father and rushed to meet me as I walked down the steps into the yard.

“It’s so good to see you,” she said like she hadn’t just seen me a few days before when I stopped by her house after dinner to snag a slice of her famous lemon meringue pie.

She threw her arms around me in a tight hug, and I squeezed her back. Mom held my face between her hands and smiled at me.

“How are you doing, Mom?” I asked.

“I’m doing wonderfully. How are you?”

“Um. Well…” I started, and she realized she was still holding on to me. Her hands dropped, and I smiled. “I’m fine. Glad to be here. I’m starving.”

She did what I was sure she thought was a subtle look around. “You’re here alone?”

“Yes,” I said.

“No one else coming?”

“No. Who else would be coming?” I asked, though I had a sneaking suspicion I already knew the answer to that question.

“I was hoping we’d get a chance to see that nice girl you brought to the picnic again,” she said.

And there it was.

“Technically, I didn’t bring Bryn to the picnic. You invited her and she drove herself.”

“You certainly spent a lot of time together there though,” she said.

“Yes. Because I’m the only person she knew there,” I said.

“And that’s the only reason? She’s a beautiful girl. And the two of you seemed to get along well. There was chemistry. You don’t see any possibility there at all?” she asked.

“Bryn is one of my clients, Mom. She’s very nice, we do get along, and, yes, she’s beautiful. But she is still my client. And even if she wasn’t, I am still not ready to settle down. Not to mention she just got out of a relationship with a not so trustworthy guy,” I said.