Stay With Me (The Montgomery Brothers) (9 page)

And then she kissed him.

Chapter Seven

“Are you sure they aren’t going to mind?” Gina asked, fidgeting with her skirt, her hair, her necklace…anything she could get her hands on to keep her from focusing on the fact that she was spending the day with the entire Montgomery family.

“The whole family is going to be here and you were invited.  Of course they aren’t going to mind.”

“But it’s a family thing, Mac,” she said, feeling a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of intruding on such an important event.  

Reaching for her hand, Mac gave it a gentle squeeze.  “Gina, relax.  You are like family to us.  Lucas is excited to see you and Emma can’t wait to meet you.  It’s all okay.”

She wasn’t sure if she believed him but just then the door opened and there stood Lucas with a big grin on his face.  He pulled Gina into his embrace and lifted her off of her feet and spun her around. 

Mac wanted to punch his brother in the face. 

“It is so good to see you!” Lucas said.  “I’m sorry for the circumstances that brought you here but Emma and I are thrilled that you’re here with all of us today.”

He put her down and gave Mac a quick hug before ushering Gina inside to meet the rest of the family.  Mac stood in the doorway unsure of what he was supposed to do.  It had been three days since he and Gina had
first made love and no one knew of the change in their relationship.  As far as everyone was concerned, he just offered to drive her over for the family barbecue.  He wasn’t ashamed of their relationship but he wasn’t sure he was ready to let everyone know, either.  What he and Gina shared was private.

And incredible.

Just thinking about the last couple of nights was almost enough to make him blush.  Gina was his every fantasy as well as being a kind and considerate friend.  He loved talking with her and hearing about her day.  They spent a lot of time talking about her relationship with her parents and he found that he never knew what to expect when he showed up at the guest house. 

Music was always playing and her taste was quite eclectic; one time she’d be listening to seventies rock, the next night it was Motown.  The Jackson Five were her personal favorite but then he’d find her with head-banging metal on five minutes late
r.  She wore cowboy hats and yet hated country music.  He smiled at the image of her wearing nothing but that cowboy hat last night while they made love in the hot tub.

“Mac?  Are you going to join us?” he heard Emma call from the next room.  He loved his family and spending time with them but right now he’d rather have Gina all to himself instead of sitting through an afternoon with everyone. 

In the kitchen
,
Mac found his parents with his mother holding Lily, Jason and Maggie and then he saw Lucas and Emma talking with Gina.  Lucas had his arm around Gina and even though Mac knew it didn’t mean anything, he still wanted to go and push his brother aside and be the one holding her.  The thought of any man with his hands on Gina filled him with a rage that he didn’t think he possessed. 

“What are you scowling about?  Surely you aren’t mad that your brother invited Gina over, are you?”  Mac turned his head and saw his father standing beside him.

“What?  No.  What made you think that?”

“Well the way you’re looking at them for starters.”

“No, it’s not that; I was distracted, that’s all.”

“If you tell me you’re thinking about work I’m not going to be happy.  You know that, right?”

Mac nodded. 
“So how was your trip?”

“Nice change of subject,” h
is father chuckled.  “Listen I was thinking, I hate for Gina to spend so much of her time at the hospital and then home alone.  I know that she’s only here for a short time but I’m thinking of setting her up with…”

“I told you not to play matchmaker with us, Dad,” Mac growled lowly so that only his father could hear.

William looked at his son with annoyance.  “And I already told you that I wouldn’t do that.  No, I was thinking of asking Todd from Operations to take her out.  I think he’s a great guy and I trust him and maybe I’ll set them up with tickets to a show or something.  You’ve spent some time with Gina; do you think she’d be open to something like that?”

Mac stared at his father with disbelief.  Was he crazy?  Setting Gina up with a total stranger?  What was the matter with him?  “Don’t you think you’re being a little presumptuous?  I mean, wouldn’t it make more sense for you to maybe get Emma or Maggie to go out with her for one of those ‘girls night’ things?”

William wasn’t fooled for a minute but he kept his game-face on as he considered Mac’s suggestion.  “I suppose I could plant the idea with the girls and see what happens but I think Gina would appreciate a night out with a nice guy; I think Arthur would approve.”

Unable to speak freely in the middle of the kitchen, Mac pulled his father into the living room before responding.  When they were alone, however, he let it all out.  “Don’t you think it’s a little rude to be pimping Gina out?  I mean, who put you in charge of her social life?  If she wanted to go out on a date, she is more than capable of doing that on her own!  She’s had her mother making all of her decisions for her and her father sitting back letting it happen, she certainly doesn’t need you joining in on it!”  His tone was low but harsh and by the look on his father’s face, Mac knew he sounded a bit unreasonable.

“First of all, I don’t think I’m ‘pimping’ Gina out.  Secondly, I was just trying to make sure that she didn’t spend all of her time sitting vigil by her father’s bed.  I know that her mother is a control freak; I didn’t think that what I was doing was the same thing.”

“Well it is,” Mac snapped.  “Let Gina be the one to decide when and where and
who
she wants to go out with.  She doesn’t need any more people controlling her social life.”

Interesting, William thought to himself.  It wasn’t that Mac was being defensive
as much as the fact that he was defending Gina.  He wanted to smile and pat his son on the back because for the first time in what seemed like forever, Mac was putting someone else’s feeling
s
ahead of his own and standing up for them.  While he couldn’t be sure that something had happened between Mac and Gina, it was certainly starting to.

“I still think that Todd would be a good choice,” he said flippantly, enjoying watching the play of emotions that crossed his son’s face. 

“Todd is a kiss-ass and a complete tech-geek; Gina would have nothing in common with him.”

“Opposites attract,” William countered.  “I’ll talk to her about it but leave the decision completely up to her.”  And with that he turned and strode away to rejoin his family, leaving Mac fuming.

When Mac joined them several minutes later, his anger had simmered down to a low-boil.  Everyone was laughing and smiling and Lucas was taking a platter piled with steaks out to the barbecue and Jason was following.  Rather than get sucked into another awkward conversation with his father, who was now cooing at Lily, he decided to join his brothers out on the deck.

“Everything okay?” Lucas asked as he opened the massive grill and began placing the steaks on it.  “You and dad looked pretty intense in there.”

Mac took the beer Jason was holding out to him.  “Yeah, sure; everything’s fine.  He want
s to set Gina up with Todd in Operations.”  Lucas and Jason exchanged looks and then smiled.  “What?  What was that about?” he asked, gesturing between the two of them.

“What’s it to you if he sets Gina up with Todd?  He seems to be a decent guy,” Jason said.

Lucas nodded in agreement.  “Plus I’m sure it might be nice for her to go out a bit while she’s here.  It can’t be easy being away from home and spending all of her time at the hospital watching her father’s health deteriorate.”

Mac huffed impatiently. “She doesn’t spend all of her time at the hospital,” he said with exasperation.  “She’s painting and playing guitar and learning about photography!”  He explained to his brothers about the room that Arthur had set up for his daughter.  “So you see, she’s not sitting around bored; there’s no reason for dad to be setting her up on dates.”

Jason took a long pull from his beer and then, with a straight face, turned to Mac.  “You look real pretty when you pout like that.  Anyone ever tell you that?”  Lucas burst out laughing and Jason took a step back as Mac lunged for him.  “What?” Jason said, leaping just out of Mac’s grip.  “It was a compliment!”

“Screw you,” Mac muttered as he turned and pulled out a chair from the large redwood set on the deck.

“What is your problem?” Jason asked. 

“Right now?  You!”

Jason turned to Lucas and shrugged.  Lucas lowered the flame on the grill and picked up his beer and joined his brother at the table.  “Clearly something is bugging you.  Now, you can simply tell us what it is or I can guarantee that we’re going to spend the entire day ragging on you.  It’s your choice, bro.”

Mac threw his head ba
ck and sighed.  “Look, I’ve spent some time with Gina at dad’s insistence and I just know that having people setting her up or making decisions for her is a real sore point.”

“So you’re concerned about Gina,” Jason said diplomatically and Mac nodded.

“Or,” Lucas said, dragging the word out, “are you concerned that dad is playing matchmaker again and you don’t approve of who he’s setting her up with?”

For a moment Mac considered his answer.  “Look, I’m not saying that Todd’s not a nice guy; I’m sure he is.  I’m just saying that it’s not dad’s place to set Gina up.  Hell, Gina doesn’t
need
to be set up!”

“Because she has you,” Jason said quickly.

“Exactly,” Mac said without thinking and then cursed.  His brothers high-fived each other before returning their expectant gazes toward him.  “This is none of your business.”

“Oh, really?” Lucas said with a smirk.  “And why not?”

“Did I get involved when you were on-again and off-again with Emma?” he sneered before turning to his other brother.  “Or how about with you and Maggie?”

“Well,” Jason countered, “you did sort of badger me about my time at the office.”

“That’s different and you damn-well know it!  I didn’t ask for any details of your relationship and I would appreciate it if you showed me the same respect.”  He leaned back in his chair and slouched a bit.  Taking another long drink from the iced bottle of beer in his hand, Mac thought that the discussion was over.

“Here’s the thing,” Lucas said, leaning forward with his elbows braced on the
table; “Emma and Maggie weren’t close family friends.  If you are just having your usual three-date fling, that could make things awkward.  I mean, she’s staying at mom and dad’s!  What are you thinking?”

“Emma and Maggie were both employees of Montgomerys or have you both forgotten that?”  He felt vindicated when they both had the grace to look a bit sheepish.  “I know that Gina and her father have been part of our lives for
what seems like forever but,” he paused, “I can’t explain it.  I saw her in the airport and before I even knew it was her, I was drawn to her.”

“And you don’t think this is dad playing at matchmaker with the two of you?” Jason asked.

Mac shrugged.  “I doubt it.  He told me from the get-go that he didn’t think I was right for Gina because I don’t have staying power.  I mean, what the hell does he know?”

“He knows that he’s been married to mom for almost forty years,” Lucas responded.  “He’s not blind, Mac; he knows that you don’t date long-term and that your position with the company is your whole life.  Why?  Are you pissed that he’s not matching you up with anyone like he did with me and Jace?”

“Hell, no!  I don’t want him interfering in my life.  As it is he’s been on my case because I work too much.  He’s been threatening me with a forced leave of absence.  I think if he’s going to play matchmaker he probably feels like he’s got to get me out of the office first.”

“Maybe,” Jason said, unconvinced.  “He’s sneaky.  I mean with Lucas and Emma it was just a matter of giving them a little nudge but with me and Maggie?  I was blindsided.”

“Well, he’s not going to blindside me,” Mac said confidently.  “I watched the both of you fall and now I know what to look for.  Dad’s not going to snag me a wife; I’ll find her myself without anyone’s help, thank you very much.”

His brothers laughed and although Mac joined
them, he suddenly felt like the joke was on him.

****

Gina helped Maggie and Emma set the large dining room table and found that she felt really at ease with them; as if they could be good friends.  “So how is Arthur feeling?” Emma asked as they worked together folding napkins and putting out plates and silverware.

“He has good days and bad,” Gina said, trying to not
get choked up.  “His doctors have all been wonderful and they seem pleased with how he’s been responding to his treatments.”

“Will he get to come home any time soon?” Maggie asked.

Gina shook her head.  “It’s not likely.  I talked to one of his doctors yesterday and he said that they may allow him to go home at the end with a trained, live-in staff if that’s what dad wants but I haven’t discussed it with him yet.  I’m trying very hard to not think about the end and just focus on the time we have together now.”  As much as she tried to stop them, the tears began to fall and she suddenly found herself embraced by the two women.