Page 318 of The Maxwell Brothers
"Can't I ask my own family to breakfast?" I said.
"Yeah, you can," my brother said, tilting his head, still a bit unsure.
"Oh, come on. Everyone, let's eat."
"I'm betting he wanted to brag about Liz. No offense, Liz, that we're talking in the third person."
"None taken," Liz answered.
Mom bristled. "Everyone, stop giving Declan a hard time. He'll never ask us here again."
"You're always welcome, Mom. The jury's out on the rest of them," I said with as much seriousness as I could muster.
While we all had breakfast, Gran stood next to Liz, throwing question after question at her about her family and hometown. My woman was taking it all in stride, and I couldn’t be prouder.
I kept an eye on Reese, so I could find the best moment to talk to her. One hour into breakfast, I realized it wasn’t going to happen all by itself. I needed a reason to take her away from the group.
As I handed her the third cup of coffee for the day, I said, “Reese, want to come with me outside? I need your opinion on the outdoor furniture.”
Travis stared at me, shaking his head in disapproval, and Luke grimaced. Yeah, it was a lousy excuse, but I couldn’t think of anything better.
I gave Reese a meaningful look, and her eyes widened.
“Sure.”
She held her coffee cup with both hands as we headed to the patio. She said nothing until we reached the seating area. Neither of us sat down.
"Tyler is right, isn't he? You did ask us here for a purpose. Or at least me."
I hated this. I knew how she’d react, and I wanted to shield her from it, but Liz was right. She needed to know.
"First, I want you to let me talk until I finish. Don't interrupt me."
"When do I do that?" she asked.
"All the time."
She pressed her lips together, sighing. "Fine, I won't."
"Malcolm is suing me." She opened her mouth. I pointed at her. "You said you wouldn't interrupt me."
"Okay, go on. What for?"
"There's something I didn't tell you. Remember that the Halsey Group fired him?"
"Yes. Karma got him right in the butt."
"It wasn't karma. I spoke to the Halsey Group, sort of made them see my point of view."
She set the cup of coffee on the rattan table, putting her hands on her hips.
"Oh my God, Declan. What did you do? How did you even get them to do that?”
“I can be very convincing when I want to."
"So, wait, why is he suing you now?" Her voice was shaking. Her shoulders dropped.
"He said defamation.”
