Matt’s scowl deepened, but I caught the way his lips twitched. “You’re impossible.”
“Yet here you are, impossibly fond of me.”
Mia made a gagging noise. “Get a room, you two.”
“We have several,” Matt replied smoothly. “Penthouses, actually.”
I felt my face heat up. “And on that note, I think my sisterly duties call. Mia needs her rest, and you”—I pointed at Matt—”need to stop terrorizing the hospital staff with your brooding billionaire act. I saw three nurses practically dive into a supply closet when you walked past.”
“They were being efficient,” Matt defended.
“They were hiding,” I corrected. “Though I can’t blame them. Your resting murder face is particularly murderous today.”
Days passed in a blur of hospital routines and steady recovery until Mia was finally cleared for discharge. The Maxwell mansion would be her new home—a fresh start wrapped in luxury and protected by the most sophisticated security system money could buy.
That evening, the mansion’s grand living room had been transformed into something between a five-star restaurant and an exclusive club lounge. James had spared no expense celebrating Mia’s return, though I was learning that the Maxwells never did anything by halves.
The room buzzed with conversation and laughter. James hadn’t left Mia’s side all evening, his protective stance softened by the gentle way he kept touching her—a hand at her waist, fingers brushing her arm, like he needed the constant reassurance she was really there. His brothers, Scott and Eric, had taken over one corner of the room, turning it into an impromptu gourmet tasting station. William lounged nearby with Savannah, both of them looking impossibly elegant as they sampled the endless parade of dishes.
“Try this,” Eric insisted, appearing at my elbow with a plate of something that smelled divine. “The chef’s signature dish.”
“If I eat any more, you’ll have to roll me back to Vegas,” I protested, but took a bite anyway. “Oh my God. Okay, Matt needs to poach this chef immediately.”
Scott materialized with champagne, his movie-star looks made even more dramatic by the crystal chandelier light. “Don’t even think about it. I already tried. James threatened to have me excommunicated from the family.”
“He did not,” Eric snorted, his half-Asian features dancing with amusement.
“Fine, he just gave me that patented Maxwell death stare.” Scott shuddered dramatically. “The one that makes mafia bosses look like kindergarten teachers.”
“The one that saysI’m not angry, just disappointed, and by the way, I know where all the bodies are buried?” I offered.
“Exactly!” Scott clinked his glass against mine. “I like this one, Matt. He gets it.”
Matt, who’d been hovering nearby like my own personal security detail all evening, actually cracked a smile.
Aria, James’ adorable daughter, bounced over. “Andy! Andy! Come see what Grandpa brought me from Japan!”
“Lead the way, princess.” I let her drag me toward a mountain of presents that would make Santa’s workshop look understocked. “Though I think your uncles might need to build you a new wing just to store everything.”
“Don’t give them ideas,” James called from where he stood with Mia. My sister looked happier than I’d seen her in years, despite the fading bruises. She belonged here, among these people who’d become more than just allies—they were family.
“Too late,” Eric chimed in, joining us by the present mountain. “I already have the contractors on speed dial.”
Aria beamed, pulling out what looked like an entire anime merchandise store worth of plushies. “Look! Uncle Eric helped Grandpa pick them all!”
“Of course he did,” William drawled. “Eric’s basically a kid in a designer suit.”
“Says the man who bought her an actual pony last Christmas,” Scott shot back.
“It was a show horse,” William defended, but his lips twitched.
The playful bickering was interrupted by the Maxwells’ butler, Ms. Lane, announcing Liam Maxwell’s arrival. Theatmosphere shifted subtly—not tense exactly, but more alert. Even Matt straightened slightly.
But Liam Maxwell, for all his reputation as a ruthless business titan, melted the moment Aria launched herself at him. “Grandpa!”
I watched as Mia held her own against the Maxwell patriarch, her spine straight and her smile genuine. Pride swelled in my chest. My sister had always been the strong one, and now she had an entire family of protectors to match that strength.
“Your sister’s something else,” Matt murmured, appearing at my side with a fresh drink.
