The Wright Mistake(39)

“Is she going to come to Fourth of July with us?” Morgan asked just as Sutton, Maverick, and their son, Jason, appeared upstairs.

“What did I miss?” Sutton asked.

Maverick held Jason while still keeping a protective arm wrapped around Sutton.

“Family meeting,” I said. “There’s always something new going on.”

“Julia and Austin are dating,” Landon said.

“Knew it!” Sutton cried.

“You did call that one,” Maverick said, staring down at her with adoration.

“I so did.”

They shared a kiss that wasn’t exactly PG, and Morgan made a gagging noise. Sutton laughed as she pulled back and smacked Maverick’s ass.

“Don’t be jealous, Mor,” Sutton said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Jason reached out his arms for Sutton. “Mommy!”

“Oh, come here, honey,” she said as Maverick transferred their son to her.

“So, Fourth of July then?” Morgan asked.

“I’ll ask her.”

“Well, if that’s settled,” Jensen said, “we should probably head out to the Parade together.”

Every year in Lubbock, a bunch of the construction companies and specialty builders erected over thirty homes in four of the biggest, most expensive subdivisions in town. For two weeks, the houses had an open house to showcase their talents as well as all the big features from subcontractors—interior design, shutters, fencing, and more. The event had grown over the years so that there were huge food-truck events on the weekends, and the builders and sponsors would set up raffles and private events at their locations.

Wright Construction had had a home in the Parade of Homes since its inception over six decades ago. Tonight was our big night with catering, an open bar, and, of course, our entire family on display.

I’d always thought that the idea of the parade was fun, but our part in it kind of sucked. I had never been the kind of person who liked to be on display. Small talk sucked, and it was always impossible to stay sober around all the cling-ons. Tonight would be a different night.

We piled into two cars to head over to the mansion that had been constructed for the parade. Unlike many of the other houses in the parade, the Wright home hadn’t been built to spec—where the home was purchased ahead of time and then built to their specifications. We liked to showcase the best of the best, and by the end of the parade, it always sold anyway. Everyone in the process got to have more fun with the designs that way.

Maverick parked down the street from the Wright home, and the rest of us exited his Lexus SUV. There was already a line waiting to get into the house. I knew most people were probably here for the free booze. How could I blame them? But it felt silly, waiting in line to see a finished house that you weren’t going to buy.

Jensen and Morgan smiled and shook hands with some of the people in line. I knew that, if I wanted to make an impression about the CFO position, I should be up there with them. But they couldn’t actually be enjoying this part of the job, could they?

Sutton took one look at my face and cracked up. “I hate this part, too.”

“It’s the worst.”

“The absolute worst,” she agreed. “Maverick and I have plans to try to christen a bedroom and then leave.”

I cracked up laughing. “You would.”

“I think we have enough time before people get into the house.”

I glanced over at my other siblings and saw that Sutton had already handed Jason off to Landon. Sucker.

“Hurry up,” I said. “I’ll cover as best I can.”

She grinned like a fool, grabbed Maverick’s hand, and then ran through the house.

“Where are they off to?” Landon asked.

“Just checking out the rest of the house,” I lied.

I heard a laugh behind me that I recognized immediately. I turned around to find Julia entering the room with Emery and Heidi. She was glowing and dressed in a short black dress. I considered grabbing her hand and finding another bedroom. There were at least five in this house. Surely, we had time, too.

Julia caught my eye, drawn to me like a moth to a flame. Heidi and Emery exchanged a look between them and then nudged her toward me.

“Hey,” she said, eyeing my suit.

“You look stunning.”

I wrapped a possessive arm around her waist and bent in for a kiss. She was wearing some kind of cherry-flavored lip gloss. I flicked my tongue against her bottom lip to get a better taste. She moaned softly into my mouth and pulled back.

“Careful.”

“Never with you.”

Pink bloomed in her cheeks, and I thought about all the other places I’d made her flush all week. I really, really wanted to cut this entire event short.