Page 45 of Craving You

“He did?!” Sloane went on. “And what did you say?”

“I said no! It seems weird to say yes this soon.” Pausing, she had to admit that her gut reaction was to say yes. It was crazy, and it would basically be for practicality’s sake, but…she didn’t hate the idea. “This is why I never do anything impulsive! It’s all just too much!”

Sloane stood and stretched. “Okay, okay…relax. I’m just trying to help you figure some things out.” She looked around the room. “This is kind of a great space. How far away is Max’s place from here?”

“The other side of the driveway.”

Her sister’s eyes went wide. “Seriously? Then why are you here and he’s there? After being away for the last few days, you’d think you’d just move into his space!”

“Sloane?”

“Hmm?”

“You are seriously giving me a headache. Can we please just…chill for a little while? We have about three hours before everyone shows up and I’d really love to talk about something other than me and this pregnancy. I know I asked to focus on me, but…right now, I think I’d rather focus on you. Can we do that?”

Sighing dramatically, Sloane walked back over to the bed and sat down. “Did I ever tell you about the cute guy working the kissing booth at the last festival I was at here?”

“Trust me, you’re going to be fine. All the Donovans genuinely like you.”

“Clearly not all of them…”

“Okay, fine. Get me on a technicality. All of the Sweetbriar Ridge Donovans—and Hailey—genuinely like you,” Marcus said with a huff of annoyance. “Happy?”

“Too bad we didn’t have more time to coordinate a ‘Max is Great’ campaign. I could really use the support right now. I wasn’t expecting Hailey’s parents to be so hostile. She warned me how they could be dramatic, but…”

“To be fair, you weren’t expecting them at all. And neither were we,” Marcus stated, frowning. “Imagine my surprise when they showed up here this morning demanding to know where you were.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal—certainly not big enough for people to get on a plane and fly a thousand miles.”

“Welcome to the family. The Donovans are very different from the Calloways. Trust me.”

“I guess I’m gonna have to.” They were standing outside the side door to the main house, and there were already several cars in the driveway. “Are they always this early?”

“No. Billie put out the call for everyone to get here a little sooner than planned so you wouldn’t have to face Hailey’s parents alone.”

“Well…Hailey’s going to be here.”

“It was for her protection too. It’s a wild dynamic; the siblings are almost ridiculously close, and they are the same with their cousins. I guess since we didn’t grow up with a big extended family, it’s all foreign to us. Once Kevin and Bridget left, my wife rallied everyone, so it might not be a ‘Max is Great’ campaign, but it’s still a support network.”

Feeling oddly touched by the gesture, he gruffly said, “Thanks,” before they walked into the house.

And immediately were met by Ronan and Kevin Donovan.

Here we go…

“Max!” Ronan jovially shouted. “Good to see you! I hear my brother gave you a bit of a hard time earlier!”

“Um…”

“Come! Sit and have a drink with us! I was telling him all about our plans for the bar!”

Oh, no…

“Our family has been in the pub business for a few generations,” Kevin said stiffly. “None of us ever thought of doing one on our own. The one our brother Shane owns was originally started by our great grandfather, so I’m a little intrigued by the thought of what it would take to start one from scratch.”

Clapping him on the shoulder, Ronan led Max toward the living room. “Levi, Reid, and Tanner are all interested in investing too! We can make it a real family affair! This town needs a place that’s just a casual space to hang out that maybe isn’t geared for families.” His bark of laughter almost made Max jump. “Kind of funny how in one breath I’m saying it’s a family affair and then in the next saying it’s not for families! Ha!”

“Is that the sort of thing you’re against, Max? Families?” Kevin asked.

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