“What is she saying?” I ask, and she swats me to shut me up.
“Mama.” Maddie waits. “Mama,” she says louder when Mrs. Cunningham quiets. “We will talk about this tomorrow. This is my decision, and you will respect it. I love you, good night.” Maddie hangs up and exhales loudly.
I sit here shocked at the tone she’s taken with her mom.
I’ve never seen or heard Maddie stick up for herself to her mother…ever.
“You okay, Mads?” I unbuckle her and pull her into my side.
“I am. Can we deal with it another time? I’m too tired to talk about it.”
She looks so forlorn; I’d give in to anything she wants right now. “Of course, anything for my goddess.” I reach into my briefcase, knowing exactly what will put a smile on her face, and pull out a cherry lollipop. “Will this help?”
Her chest shakes against me, silently laughing. “As a matter of fact, it will.”
“We’re here.” I open the gate from the app on my phone.
Our driver pulls into the long, tree-lined driveway, lit in a soft glow, leading up to the house.
Maddie sits up straight and gazes out the front window. “Holy hell.” Her eyes are wide as saucers as she takes in our property.
“Leo and I built the house a few years ago. All the brothers share it, which is why it’s so big. Mom and Dad have a house on the beach five minutes away.”
She looks at me in disbelief. “Nate, this could house a small army.”
Maddie doesn’t wait for me to open her door; she’s out of the car the second it stops, and her head is on a swivel.
I thank our driver and take our bags from him, then walk up behind her, letting her have her moment.
It’s dark out, but the lighting, strategically designed around the house, provides enough glow to see its beauty.
The house was built to mimic the classic Hamptons style with shaker shingles. Still, we designed it with a modern feel, featuring large, oversized slate-gray windows, copper piping, a glass breezeway connecting the second wing of the house, and organic wood and metal elements that are visually beautiful but also double as balconies or shutters when needed.
I get comfortable next to Maddie as she continues to admire our hard work.
“Our families will eventually be larger than a small army if everyone has kids and gets married. There’s room for everyone to live comfortably.”
“This is…I don’t have words. This is right out of a magazine, Nate. It’s stunning.”
“Thanks, we worked hard on it. Wait until summer, the gardens are spectacular.”
“They already are.” She points to the hydrangeas, which have dried and darkened, the tall grass, which has blossomed this fall, and an abundance of mums lining the walkway.
“Juliette must have planted the mums. They weren’t here last time.” I take her other bag from her hand and lead us to the front door.
“She’s heavily pregnant, I doubt she planted all these.”
I roll my eyes. She has no idea. “Clearly, my brother and I have similar tastes in very stubborn women.”
“You mean a strong, independent woman,” she corrects me, laughing. “I can’t believe I finally made it to the Hamptons. Do you remember when I was the sheltered, shy girl who knew no other world but her own?”
“I do. She was very endearing.” I kiss the top of her head, then lead us into the house. Maddie yawns behind me. “Let’s go to bed, Mads. I’ll give you the tour tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She doesn’t put up a fight, and that’s how I know she’s more exhausted than she’s let on. She glances down at my hands, which are weighed down with our bags. “Where did those bags come from?”
I hesitate to tell her, knowing she’ll freak out that it’s excessive.
“Addie packed a bag for you.” I turn my back on her and switch on low ambient lighting. “A helicopter delivered it before we arrived. They were waiting in our car.”
