Page 94 of Taming the CEO

Cami

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The second the three of us entered Jeannie's house, I immediately felt overwhelmed. There were a lot of voices coming from what I assumed was the living room. When we joined the group, my eyes bulged. There were a lot of people. I knew there were many brothers, and that they almost all had a significant other, but I hadn't realized this place would be so full.

Jeannie came up to us. "Darling, it's so good to see you again." She hugged me right away. I was surprised but returned the hug.

"Let me introduce you to everyone," she said when she pulled back.

"I already know Gabe and Leo," I said.

"This is Jake and Natalie. Cade and Meredith."

Cade was grinning. Actually, now that I was thinking about it, so was Jake. He was fighting it but was losing fast. Natalie frowned at him, shaking her head.

Meredith groaned. "Oh, you guys."

"What's going on?" I asked.

Maddox replied instead of them. "I told you they’d enjoy this a lot."

"I always feel awfully proud when another one of us bites the dust," Cade exclaimed.

"Cade! What sort of expression is that?" Jeannie asked.

Everyone burst out laughing.

"This is Spencer and Penny," Jeannie continued.

"And this is Ben," Penny said, kissing the toddler who Spencer was holding. “Nice to meet you, Cami. Don't mind these two."

"Don't you act like you're better than me," Cade cut in.

"Well, no. Jake is usually better than you and me put together," Spencer said, "but clearly something's gotten into him today. Not even he’s behaving. But at least you can count on Colton"—he pointed his thumb at the man standing next to him—"to behave."

Colton shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, Cami. I think today is going to be a bit much for you. Just take it as a very enthusiastic welcome into the midst of the Whitleys. This is my Zoey."

"Nice to meet you, Zoey," I said.

"And I'm Nick," another guy added, coming from across the room. "You’re probably feeling ambushed by now,” he said lazily.

"Not at all," I confessed. "A bit overwhelmed, but not ambushed."

Nick looked crestfallen, then glanced at Maddox. "All right. This is a good sign. If she can brave all of us Whitleys on such a short notice, this girl is made of steel."

"Yes, she is," Maddox said. He sounded so proud, and that warmed my heart.

He came to me, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Right. Cami might not see it as an ambush, but I know damn well what it is."

"I just wanted us all together," Jeannie said.

"Where's Granddad?"

"On the phone in his study with one of his fishing buddies. His friend broke his hip, and now Abe feels compelled to listen to how much he struggles every day." She shook her head. "I have all the sympathy in the world for him, but I don't like that he's bringing my Abe’s mood down."

My heart fluttered. The way she said "my Abe" was so sweet and romantic.

"I'm going to see what he's doing," she stated.

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