Mav saw the surprised elation in the other woman's eyes, and it nearly broke his heart. How long had it been since Lindsey had allowed her family to show her affection? He didn't want to think about it.
She kissed her father on the cheek, and then she moved right back over to Mav's side, her hand finding his. He squeezed her fingers, but he didn't fail to notice the suspicious look her brothers were sending his way.
"Thank you for having me over for dinner, Mrs. Helm. I truly appreciate it," Mav said to break the tension.
"I'm glad you're here, Maverick. Lindsey told me all about you the other day on the phone and of the fun adventures the two of you are having. I will have to correct you, though, because I don't like being called Mrs. Helm. You just call me Ma or Leila. Your choice. All the kids' friends have always called me Ma 'cause I think I fed an army while they were growing up."
Maverick instantly liked the woman. His manners wouldn't allow him to call her by her first name, though, and he was a bit too uncomfortable to call her Ma, so he just tilted his imaginary hat at her and didn't call her anything.
"I'm Darren, this clan's dad. It's a pleasure to have you over, son. This here is Brett, Kellan, Dante, Erik, and Seth in order of ages," the man said as he pointed to each of the boys, all of whom were looking at Maverick with suspicion despite Lindsey remaining plastered to his side.
"Why don't we go inside and get something to drink?" Leila said. Maverick was grateful for the invitation. Standing on the large porch being eyeballed wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing, though he was sure it wasn't going to get much better inside.
Then again, it was rare for Mav to ever meet someone he couldn't get along with. Lindsey's family was just being protective of her. As soon as they figured out he meant her no harm, they'd be his new best friends, he was sure.
"Want a beer or something harder?" her father asked as they made their way into a large family room with ample seating and a burning fireplace.
"A beer would be great," Mav told him. "I rarely break into the whiskey."
"I like a good bourbon myself, but I usually only have one on Friday nights these days. The wife doesn't like too much drinking."
"No I don't," she said with a smile. She sat down next to her husband after getting him and Mav a beer.
"I do have some excellent cigars if you're up for one after dinner," Darren said. Mav wasn't sure if this was a test or not. "A man who didn't appreciate a good cigar just wasn't trustworthy" was something his own father used to say.
"That sounds like a pretty dang good dessert to me, sir," Mav told him.
And just like that, most of the tension left the room. Lindsey stayed by his side for the first half hour, but eventually she got up and went somewhere with her mother. He was left alone with all the guys. He was sure they'd been waiting for just this moment.
Though Lindsey was back to showing physical affection with her mother, and a little bit with her father, he'd noticed she hadn't touched her brothers. Maybe it was just harder with guys. Why she was so much more open with him, he didn't understand.
It wasn't something he was going to question, though. He wanted her to feel comfortable with him. He wanted her to feel a lot with him, if he were honest.
"I've noticed Lindsey seems to be clinging an awful lot to you," her father said, pulling Maverick from his thoughts. The words weren't exactly spoken with malice, but there was a trace of suspicion in the protective father's voice.
"I care about Lindsey. I think she understands that . . ." He stopped. He wasn't sure what to say to her family about their touching-innocent and not so innocent.
"I'm glad to see she's trusting someone. I sure as hell hope you don't hurt her." Now there was the threat he'd been waiting for.
"She's not a plaything," her oldest brother, Brett said, but he'd toned down the alpha-male routine.
"I know that. I respect her. I've been through some of my own stuff during the war and I just want to . . . to help her," Mav told them as sincerely as he could.
"From what I've seen in the past hour, it appears you're doing just that. That makes you a pretty hell of a guy in my book," Darren said.
With the approval of their father, the five brothers relaxed. The final bit of tension that had been left in the room evaporated, thankfully.
"Dinner is ready," Leila called.
Maverick walked into the massive dining room with Darren and Lindsey's brothers. He took a seat next to Lindsey and the sweet smile she sent him made his heart race.
"What do you do for a living, Maverick?" Leila asked.
"I fly F-18s for the Air Force," he told her.
"Dang! That is cool," Lindsey's youngest brother Seth said from the other side of the table.
"I thought so, too, which was why I decided to make the military a career instead of a hobby," Maverick told him.
"I bet you've been to some great places," her next to oldest brother, Kellan, said as he wolfed down enough food for three.
"Yeah, I've been on tour twice. I pretty much stay at home base now teaching the new recruits. I'm lucky that I'm based near my family. I was away for several years when I first joined," Maverick told them. "I might be retiring soon."
"You're pretty young to retire," Brett told him. They had to be close to the same age.
"I've made some smart decisions in life. It might just be time to focus on other things."
Lindsey squeezed his hand. He watched her brothers look at each other. It was obvious they were trying to analyze him. Maverick wasn't going to bring up his wealth. It was no one's business, but he also could understand how her family wouldn't want her with a man not willing to take care of her.
"If you do stay in, do you plan on moving bases?" her dad asked. That was a loaded question if ever he'd heard one. Lindsey's father was fishing on how serious their relationship was and if Maverick was planning on taking her away.
"It's highly unlikely, sir," Maverick told him.
What he should probably say was there was a good chance he'd be shipped off at any minute. That way her family would discourage her from dating him and there wouldn't be a messy breakup at the end. He couldn't make himself say it, though. He couldn't say anything that would jeopardize his time with Lindsey.
The inquisition slowed down after that, and the rest of the evening was actually enjoyable. They finished the delicious home-cooked meal, laughed, had another drink with their cigars, and then reluctantly pulled themselves away.
They were both quiet as they made their way back to Lindsey's cottage. Maverick was worried about what their future together held, and he was sure Lindsey was thinking about her evening at home with her family. They were a bit overwhelming. But they were obviously loving as well.
Mav didn't want to hurt Lindsey, didn't want to hurt her family. He'd best figure out what in the hell he was doing and figure it out soon. If this was nothing more than a fling to him, then it would be best for him to walk away. But even having that thought nearly ripped him in two. He didn't know what to think or what to feel, so he sat there silently, focused instead on driving.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Rain started pouring down as Maverick and Lindsey drove on the freeway away from her parents' home. She hated to see the evening end, but she didn't hate being alone with Maverick again. She didn't even need conversation to feel comfortable with him. She just needed to be in his presence. She enjoyed their drive together as she sat back and listened to the sound of water splashing off the windows of Mav's truck.
"Want dessert?" he asked, and she immediately perked up.
"I wouldn't mind ice cream." She considered ice cream to be a meal, not a dessert. So many people didn't take ice cream seriously enough.
"My philosophy has always been that no matter how full a person is, there's always room for ice cream because it just melts anyway and slides around all the other food," Mav told her. Such insightfulness made her think he must be her soul mate.
"I would have to agree with that," she told him. "Of course, when you add the peanuts, hot fudge, and cherries, it becomes a little less liquefied."
"Nah. As long as it's touching the ice cream, it's all good."
They pulled up to a Dairy Queen. She got the Peanut Buster Parfait, while he got a chocolate-dipped cone so he could still drive.
Then he surprised her. Instead of turning toward her cottage, he drove up the mountain and pulled off to park. The rain had tapered off, so they had a view of the city with all its lights sparkling below them.
"I've never been up here before," she told him, enjoying the warmth of the truck and the coolness of her sweet treat.
"Over the years, I've come up here a lot with my brothers to go hiking and skiing. I like this spot because of the view."