Page 75 of Maverick

Thomas considers this for a moment, then nods slowly. "That might work. I'll have to run it by her, but if she agrees, we can probably avoid charges."

Relief washes over me. "Great. Let's do that."

I turn to Kade and Declan, fixing them with a stern look. "You two are going to apologize to that woman. Profusely. And then you're going to do whatever the hell she needs to get her store back in order. Got it?"

They nod, looking properly chastised. "Got it," they mumble in unison.

I turn back to Thomas. "So, can we take them home now? I promise, they'll be on their best behavior."

Thomas sighs, then nods. "Yeah, alright. But if they step one toe out of line, it's back here and I will file charges. Understood?"

"Understood," I say, shaking his hand. "Thanks, Thomas. I owe you one."

He grunts, then gestures for us to get out. I help Cadence up from the floor, where she's still trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. As we walk out, I can hear Kade and Declan whispering behind us.

"Dude, we almost lost our snack spot," Kade hisses.

"I know, man. That was close," Declan replies.

I roll my eyes, but I can't help the small smile that tugs at my lips. My brothers are idiots, but they're my idiots. And I'll always have their backs, no matter how much tomfuckery they get into.

Kade and Declan wave to a bunch of cops as they leave, and get a variety of waves, middle fingers, and glares as they walk out. The cops are annoyed they have to waste time on shit like this, and I get it. Unfortunately, Hilliard wasn't wrong. Like fucking clockwork, every month, one or more of my brothers end up in here for something stupid.

I hold the door open for Cady as she settles into the passenger seat, still snickering at the way my brothers had to wedge their bean-covered asses into the back of my car. Even with the unexpected detour, she seems to be enjoying herself. Maybe this night isn't a total loss after all.

As I start the car, I glance over at her. I don't want this night to end. "I'll drop these guys at home, then you and I could continue our date, if you're still up for it."

Before Cady can respond, Kade and Declan start whining in the backseat like a couple of overgrown toddlers.

"But we're hungry, Mav!" Kade complains, his voice taking on a wheedling tone.

"Yeah, man. We never got our burritos," Declan chimes in, sounding equally pitiful.

I roll my eyes, glaring at them in the rearview mirror. "You two just got out of jail for blowing up a microwave with frozen burritos. I think you've had enough food-related excitement for one night. You're going to be cleaning out burrito from the back of my car for the rest of the night."

"I can't work on an empty stomach," Kade says with a heavy sigh.

"I think my blood sugar is low. See, my hand is shaking," Declan says, shoving his hand over the seat and as close to my face as he can. And of course, there's a very dramatic, very deliberate shaking happening.

"You know, I'm a little hungry too," Cadence says, falling for their drama. "I wouldn't mind going through a drive-thru."

Kade and Declan erupt into cheers from the backseat, their earlier complaints forgotten in the face of potential fast food. I look at Cady, raising an eyebrow. "You sure about this? You're enabling their bad behavior, you know. Look at them. They're not going to starve."

She shrugs, still grinning. "I didn't get to finish my pasta. I could use a burger."

"You hear that?" I ask my brothers. "I will take you through the drive thru, because Cadence is hungry. That's the only reason. Neither one of you deserve a treat after the shit you pulled tonight.

"The microwave was faulty," Declan mutters. "Maybe you can sue the company."

I shoot him the middle finger, and turn right into the parking lot of a fast food place. Kade and Declan start chanting "Burgers! Burgers!" like a couple of frat boys at a tailgate. I shoot them another glare in the mirror, but it's half-hearted at best. Cady's laughter fills the car. Head tossed back, eyes closed, belly laughs pouring from her lips, she's stunning.

We pull up to the drive-thru, and my brothers lean over the seat, the smell of old beans wafting ahead of them. They both start talking at once, giving me their orders. I'm prepared for it though, thanks to decades together. I already know their go to orders. Twisting in my seat, I use one hand to shove them back. "Cadence, what would you like?"

Still grinning, she gives me her order, and in a matter of minutes we're parked in the parking lot, diving into bags.

"You know, when I agreed to go out with you, I didn't expect the night to end up here. You're an interesting date," she says.

"It wasn't part of my plan either. Thanks for sticking it out. I wouldn't have blamed you for bailing. We're a lot, even on our best behavior. You add in food, and shit goes sideways sometimes."

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