Page 100 of Sweet Home Louisiana

“Fuck off, Mitch,” Kennedy muttered.

“That’s not a no.”

“There are a ton of beds and couches available between us all,” Sawyer said.“Leo, you can come to my place.”

“I’m good,” Leo said, waving that off.

“Where are you staying?”

“Don’t you all worry about where Leo’s sleeping,” Ellie piped up.“He’ll be fine.”

Everyone turned to look at her—and Leo—as one.

“Oh, he will, will he?”Josh asked his grandmother.

“I see how it is,” Kennedy agreed, nodding.

“Oh, you all shut up,” Ellie told them.“Go on, Maddie.”

It was funny to see their grandmother blushing.And she most definitely was.

So Trevor was staying in New Orleans and they weren’t supposed to worry about where Leo was sleeping.This dinner was interesting.

And it was typical.

Damn, he was going to miss the hell out of all these people.

“Anyway,” Maddie said again.“Bennett is here for the next couple of days and we’re finalizing the deal.”She looked around the table.“He is going to be a part of Boys of the Bayou.”

No one said anything, but the smiles fell away and a few people shifted uncomfortably on their chairs.

Maddie sighed.Owen knew she’d been expecting their reactions but it was hard to disappoint people you cared about.

“I know that you’re worried about bringing in someone new.But I promise you that he has the business’s best interests at heart.He’s excited about this.We talked at length about plans.”She took a deep breath and looked around.

Owen wanted to reach out and take her hand but she was too far away.He wanted to face his family and tell them that change was sometimes inevitable and didn’t have to be bad.He wanted to believe that, too.Life in California was definitely going to be a big change.

“We need his money,” Maddie said, her voice softer.“We need help if we want the business to keep going.That’s just a fact.”

“We’ve always found a way to get through things,” Ellie said.“Together.We figure things out.”

Maddie blew out a breath.“I know.I get that.This is me helping to figure things out.”

“Without the rest of us,” Cora pointed out.

Owen bit his tongue.Literally.He loved Ellie and Cora.But they were each a force to be reckoned with and together they were…impossible.And they were almost always together on things.Owen couldn’t remember the last time they’d disagreed about something.It was either that, or they disagreed behind closed doors.A lot like parents not wanting to fight in front of the kids.In front of the kids, they presented a united front.

Apparently one or the other of them had decided that they were upset about Maddie selling and they decided to be upset together.

He got it.Cora’s granddaughter was home and clearly happy here.They didn’t know about her issues with her painting.And honestly, in Cora and Ellie’s minds, nothing was more important than family and Autre.Having Maddie back had only fueled their belief that this was where she belonged.

“There are other details I want to share with you,” Maddie said.“But it’s really important that you all accept Bennett and understand that this is a good choice.”

She said it firmly, but it was clear that Cora’s comment had hurt.Owen felt his hand tighten into a fist.Maddie didn’t need his help here, and he didn’t want to yell at Cora.But dammit.

“Everybody just fucking listen,” he said.

Okay, so he hadn’t yelled, but he was clearly talking through clenched teeth.Cora and Ellie both looked at him and he met their gazes with eyebrows up.He knew his look saidknock it off.

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