Still, Daniel wasn’t sure what to make of Theresa Collins. Her life had been hard, and the years had taken their toll. She was his mom’s age, but she looked five years older. Evan had forgiven her for leaving him, but Daniel wondered when he’d get there himself.
He’d seen the bruises Evan’s dad had left on him. Sometimes it was harder to forgive the things done to your friends than it was the things people did to you. Especially when Daniel had grown up with the best parents possible. He simply couldn’t understand beating your kid or ditching him to save yourself. But his mother counseled forgiveness, so Daniel was working on that.
“Here’s to finding family and discovering the love of your life in the process,” his mother toasted.
She wore a beautiful smile for the happy reunion, but there was also a special gleam in her eye, as if she’d known all along that Evan would come to his senses and finally recognize the woman of his dreams had been right beside him all along.
Hell, they’d all known Paige was the sister Evan should have married long before he figured it out. He was a wiz with numbers, investments, and cash flow—but the guy was definitely slow on the uptake where matters of the heart were concerned.
At least he got there eventually. Just like Will and Sebastian and Matt had. It was about time that Evan found happiness. He’d never looked more relaxed, less serious, even close to carefree. And Paige had never looked more beautiful. She wore a celebratory red dress, and Evan had matching hearts in his eyes.
Yeah, his friend had found a jewel, which was a rarity in this world when the majority of women Daniel met wanted his money first and him second. Or third, after his connections.
But not Paige.
Evan had paid cash for the house so they could make the move in time to host a Valentine’s party. Daniel, though he had no Valentine sweetheart—and didn’t need one, thank you very much—had come stag, as usual.
After the toasts, everyone explored the house and property. The house itself, located in the Los Altos Hills—was far more modest than the Atherton behemoth, not more than five thousand square feet. But it had home offices for both Paige and Evan, a couple of extra bedrooms for family to stay, and a granny suite over the garage for the Mortimers, who of course, had come to the new place. There was also a garden out back and a yard that would easily fit the playsets and soccer games for the children Daniel hoped his friends would soon have.
The home suited Paige perfectly. And Paige suited Evan. He’d never laughed as hard, never smiled as big.
Daniel’s parents had flown in from Chicago—though Lyssa hadn’t been able to make it, due to the job she still needed to dump. Jeremy had come with Harper and Will, but Noah had commandeered him, along with Jorge, the son of Ari’s friend Rosie, dragging them both into the dining room, where they were seated around the table building some mysterious creation out of Lego blocks.
Ari’s brother, Gideon, had sent his regrets. He was a quiet one and difficult to know. But Daniel had found him to be a hard worker since he’d started at Top-Notch. Ari’s friends Rosie and Chi were welcomed too. They were fast becoming extended family, right along with Rosie’s dynamo kid, Jorge.
The Mavericks were expanding exponentially. Pretty soon, he thought with a grin, they’d have to find his parents a bigger house in Chicago just to handle the holiday parties.
Francine Ballard accompanied Sebastian and Charlie. Daniel loved Charlie’s mom, and he plopped down on the sofa beside her while Charlie was off getting the elderly woman a plate of food.
“How’s my favorite lady doing?” He took one of her arthritic hands in his.
“Oh, I’m in good shape for the shape I’m in.” She laughed, giving his fingers a squeeze, at least as much as she could. Charlie’s mom was a doll, pushing her walker a mile a day, never giving up, always offering a smile, no matter how much pain her arthritis caused.
She looked at Evan with his arm around Paige. “They’re glowing, aren’t they?”
“They are.”
“And Evan’s new brother and sister are darling.”
“Darling is exactly the right word for it.” Daniel smiled at her charming expression.
“They certainly take care of their mother. Such good children.” Then she leaned close to whisper, “I wonder how the other wife would have handled it all.” The other wife. What a diplomatic way of referring to Whitney. “I met her once, you know, at Charlie’s opening. She ran for the hills.” She laughed again. “Beautiful people who are as vain as she is are terribly afraid of old bags like me. They see their future in the lines on my face.”
“Promise me you’ll never again call yourself an old bag,” he admonished, raising her hand to his lips. “You’re a lovely lady. We’re so glad you’ve become a Maverick right along with Charlie.”
“Did I hear my name?” Charlie arrived carrying a plate laden with appetizers—meatballs, spring rolls, chicken skewers.
“Hey, you brought enough for me.” He gave her his most devilish smile. “Thank you.”
“Get your own,” Charlie chided him, handing her mom the plate and a napkin.
“Thank you, dear. Daniel’s a growing boy. He can share. I can’t eat all this.”
He was already reaching for a spring roll when Charlie said, “You are so bad.”
“I am. Totally.” Daniel’s grin widened. “That’s why no woman will have me.”