Page 74 of Pucking Your Best Friend

Relieved, her shoulders sank.

Not only did she avoid confrontations — she was also bad at them. At least when it came to her feelings. What Matt apparently didn’t understand was that arguing for others was a safe bet. Acting confrontational on your own behalf ran the risk of ruining relationships.

If she hadn’t confronted Clemens back then, would they have gotten together properly?

She had no idea. The bottom line was that she didn’t want to argue with Matt. She wanted to sweep it under the rug and forget about it. Was that too much to ask?

Her phone vibrated with a message from Matt.

This conversation is not over.

Sighing, she sat down on the single bed and fell back.

Evidently it was.

Chapter 19

Matt's family was huge — and Maddie was glad for this, because it meant that neither of them would be alone for a single moment. Maddie actually only knew Matt’s oldest sister, Nell, and his parents. His other three sisters welcomed her warmly, though, giving her as big a hug as their partners did until, finally, Maddie was introduced to all of their children. All told, there were nine of them. Matt was the only one who wasn’t yet married and had no offspring, something he’d been reminded of several times in the first ten minutes.

Nevertheless, Matt was his easy-going self. He kept reminding them he wouldn’t invite any of them to his wedding if they kept it up.

Maddie wondered if he honestly wanted to get married one day or if he was just saying that.

“Matty, if you make it to the playoffs this year, you’ll get us tickets, right?” his youngest sister, Cassidy, asked as she placed flower vases on the numerous beer tables in the garden. Since she was a guest, Maddie was not allowed to help. Meanwhile, Matt was forced to carry stones from one side of the terrace to the other, which were supposed to form a wall around the property at some point, but had not yet been put to use because “Who has the time to build their own wall? I told Jeff that right from the start, but the stubborn guy wouldn’t listen to me.” At least, that was what Mrs. Payne said.

“Of course he’ll get us tickets,” Matt’s father piped in immediately. “And this time, we don’t want to go to that silly VIP lounge, Matthew. We want to be right in front of the action.”

Maddie suppressed a grin. Fans usually fought over the sillyVIP lounge.

Matt made a face as he carried the stones. He was dressed in a white shirt and suit trousers (“Put on something sensible, Matty!”). He didn’t break a sweat. That was probably the only reason his mother had suggested it: She knew her son’s strength was boundless — and she obviously didn’t care about a few stains on his white shirt. The main thing was that he made an effort. “Ah, I don’t know, Dad. You’re bad luck. The last game you attended, we lost.”

“Bad luck?” Nell exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. “You only lost the game because Dax Temple couldn’t tell his stick from the boards.”

Maddie grinned. She’d have to tell Dax that one. Matt’s eyes met hers. Her grin was reflected on his face…because he was thinking the same thing. She knew that. And, for a moment, everything was normal again. Everything was in harmony. Her heart was light simply because he was smiling and they had reconnected.

“Well, okay,” Matt replied slowly. “I’ll think about it again. But only if you all bring a sign that says,Matt, you’re the best of us and we’ll never make fun of you for not doing laundry again.”

“Oh,” said Jen, the second oldest, and shook her head. “Then we’ll have to rethink that. Mom doesn’t like it when we lie. And, Matty, you let enough women touch your boxers. No reason to make an employee at the dry cleaners one of them.”

The other sisters laughed loudly and Matt looked grim, but there was no sharpness in his expression. It was so obvious his sisters adored him and that Matt loved them more than anything in return. Maddie’s heart ached sweetly at the sight. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been in the same room with Lucy and Rachel, or the last time they had talked about their lives, not just about their father.

It must have been before their mother died. So, years ago. They used to be…close. They had discussed everything together and shared their worries.

“Okay, you’ll get tickets,” Matt finally said with a sigh. “And, Mom, I’m starting to sweat.”

“Oh, then you better stop right now or else you’ll stink,” she replied promptly. “And you have dirt on your cheek. Why don’t you go freshen up. The guests will be arriving soon.”

“You made me haul rocks!”

“Yes, and I paid for you to have muscles like that, so I bought your labor,” she replied with a smile.

“Darn right,” her husband agreed seriously. “So, don’t complain.”

“Yeah, Matty, don’t complain,” Cassidy agreed.

“It’s so nice to be home,” he murmured with a sigh. But as he went in to wash, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Maddie bit her lip to keep from laughing. As the only boy among so many controlling women, he must have had a difficult childhood.

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