Page 80 of Maximum
“Wow, whoareyou?” Lucille gaped. “Can I do an article with you?”
“Depends on what kind of article you want to write. If it benefits the animals I work for then sure, but if you want to tell the story of how I linked Megan and Laura, then no thank you. It was a one-time thing and I don’t want to be contacted by families across the world. There are plenty of empaths that can help with that sort of thing. I’ve dedicated my life to helping animals.”
“Can I have yer number?” Liam held his phone in his hands.
“Why?” Maximum asked and I instantly picked up on his protective energy.
“Because I’m goin’ to store Fleur in my phone under emergency contact. If I’m unable to speak, she’ll still be able to communicate with me.”
“She’s not going to be your emergency contact. If you end up in a coma, I promise I’ll tell her so she can connect, but you don’t need my woman’s number in your phone.”
Liam had a smug smile on his lips. “Why not? Fleur and I became friends at River’s weddin’. Is that a problem?”
The tension emanating from Maximum made me put my hand on him. “It’s all good. Liam knows that I’m with you.”
Maximum’s jaw tensed when he muttered, “He’d better.”
Liam didn’t look fazed by the situation and chuckled. “Bloody hell, Robertson, ye’re a lost cause, but I don’t blame ye. If ye weren’t here, I would have proposed to Fleur on the spot.”
As if to visibly stake his claim on me, Maximum pulled my back against his chest and although I couldn’t see his face, I had a feeling he might be scowling at Liam.
“Do ye have any sisters, Fleur?” Brody asked with a wink.
“You and Liam both better back off and stop coming on to my woman,” Maximum warned them.
“They’re just givin’ ye shite because they see how jealous ye get,” Jacob told him and pushed a box across the picnic blanket. “Here, have a piece of cake and calm your nerves. I reckon Fleur isn’t goin’ anywhere. If she’s brave enough to walk among lions, she’s the right woman to tame the Mammoth.”
When I gave Jacob a questioning look, he arched an eyebrow.
“Didn’t Maximum tell ye that his nickname on the field is the Mammoth?”
“No.”
“Have ye ever seen him play?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Jacob grinned. “When ye watch us play next season, ye’ll see how he earned his nickname. Yer man is a beast and very hard to stop when he doesn’t want to be. That’s why we love playin’ with him.”
“Listen.” Maximum’s chest rumbled against my back as he spoke. “I won’t be able to play with you next season. It’s a three-hour drive from Fleur’s farm and that’s where I live now.”
“Ye’re not serious.” Brody gaped. “Ye always leave between seasons, but ye’d better be back in September.”
“Not this time. I’m already talking to Munster.”
“Is that a joke?” Brody crossed his arms but when a ball rolled onto our picnic blanket, he picked it up and threw it back to the three teenage boys who were playing nearby.
“Actually, I’m thinkin’ about not coming back either,” Jacob said. “Last season was hard with my ankle injury, and Lucille and I are talkin’ about movin’ in together.”
“Awk, for fock sake.” Brody threw his hands up. “I love women, but ye can’t give up rugby for them.”
“I’m not giving up rugby, I’m just going to play closer to my new home,” Maximum pointed out. “And I’ll still see you when we play each other.”
“What if Munster doesn’t want ye?” Brody asked, but then he sighed. “Of course, they’ll want ye. They’d be bloody fools not to sign ye on right away.”
“It’s not gonna be the same as playing with you lot, but I’ll give it a chance. If I don’t like it, my body will thank me for retiring next year.”
Brody leaned back and plucked some grass that he threw away with some force. “Aye, but then ye never played for money like the rest of us.”
