Hold Me Forever: a feel-good romance (The Maxwell Brothers)

‘That went great,” Tyler said as we walked out of the building.

‘You were a hit. I don’t know anyone else who’s been so well received.’

‘Singing my praises. I like it.’ He winked.

The man was sex on a stick, no question, but I’d heard rumors about him that he was not a one-woman man.

I looked at him with narrowed eyes. ‘You have a reputation for being cocky and self-confident.”

Totally unfazed, he said, “You can add stubborn to that list. Doesn’t always get me what I want, but I can’t change who I am.’

Something told me Tyler Maxwell didn’t like to pretend to be anyone else other than who he was, and that was the part I thought was refreshing. But judging by his reply, the rumors were true. He was a tad full of himself.

Since I started this job, I’d met many people who were guests at the Chicago Sports Center volunteering for various reasons, and most did it for PR purposes, not because they cared about what they were doing. And to be completely honest, I’d expected the same from Tyler. I knew he came from a wealthy family. The Maxwells were a fixture in Chicago, and they’d owned the Maxwell Bookstores chain years ago before selling the business. I wasn’t sure what the rest of his family was doing, only that one brother was involved in the wine business. Maxwell Wines were my favorite.

Tyler was the hockey world’s darling, so I sort of jumped to conclusions about his intentions. Besides, the exact words of his team’s management were ‘He needs to clean up his image for the sponsors.’

But he’d been so open and fun with the kids. It was unexpected and made his hotness score skyrocket in my book, which was problematic for me. His smile was a little too sexy, and let’s not even talk about that body. It was so sinful and perfect that it was hard to look away.

Thank heavens he was cocky, because that was a turn-off for me.

Whew. I’m safe.

‘Okay, then, so what’s the schedule?’ he asked while we approached the Uber he’d ordered a few minutes ago. I tried not to focus on how sexy his ass was. The rest of him was just as delicious. He was really tall, and his muscles were so defined that I could see the contours through his shirt. The jacket he put on only highlighted how broad his shoulders were.

Oh, Kendra, get yourself together.

‘They have hockey training twice a week in the afternoon. Are you sure you’re going to be able to do it for the whole season?’ I asked warily.

His face darkened, and he looked away. ‘I’m not sure. It all depends on when I’m allowed back on the team. But I do want to be prepared if that happens. I want us to have a plan so I don’t leave the kids high and dry, okay? During the season, the training program is pretty much full time, so once I’m back on the team, we either have to move training to the mornings—”

I shook my head. I loved that he was trying to accommodate the kids, but mornings wouldn’t work. ‘That’s not possible. They have school.’

‘I thought you might say that. Anyway, we’re going to need a plan for that at some point.’

‘Sure, that’s no problem. Let me think about what might work and talk with the center’s staff.”

“I’m going to make this clear to them next time, so they’re prepared and aren’t disappointed further down the road.’

Aaaaand that’s my heart sighing. He could not possibly be sinfully hot and have a decent personality. He might have been a bit cocky—though in his line of work, it was probably a necessary evil—but to be sexy and caring? It should have been illegal to be both. ‘Thanks for coming here today.”

“Will you be here at every training?’ he asked, fixating his molten brown eyes on me as he opened the car door.

‘No, but I’ll be here next time just to make sure everything is going smoothly.’

‘I can’t wait.’

After he left, I went to my office. The headquarters of The Illinois Volunteer Society was in Bucktown. I was currently in the Ashburn neighborhood, so I got on a bus, planning to use the long ride to write some emails on my phone. My job mainly consisted of looking at each of our volunteers and finding an activity that would interest them, then, of course, setting up everything.

I was pleased that I’d been right in Tyler’s case. He looked genuinely thrilled after today’s meet and greet.

The office was empty when I arrived, but that was normal since most of us were out in the field most of the time. I knew my sister, Emma, was here somewhere, though. She’d promised to wait until I was done so we could grab dinner together. Our boss, Henrik, said we were two peas in a pod, and as soon as my sister joined the company, he put her in my small office for us to share.

I headed straight to my chair and sat down. Our office consisted of two long glass desks, leather chairs, and a small shelf for extra paperwork. Emma had hung a brightly colored painting on her wall. I just had a calendar. It seemed practical, though I could admit it was a bit boring.

My mind immediately flew to Tyler, and I started fanning myself, wondering how exactly I was going to handle working with him.

I had met my fair share of celebrities, but he was the only one who made this kind of an impact on me.

Emma burst into the room the next second, giving me a start. My sister looked nothing like me. She took after Mom, with long blonde hair and green eyes. She was also creative, like Mom used to be. I didn’t remember much about Daddy, but Mom always said he had a practical side, so I guess I took after him.

I loved my sister to bits. She was my best friend, though she often said I took my big sister role too seriously. I had to constantly remind myself that we were both adults now. She didn’t need me helping her anymore.

“Tell me everything. Is Tyler Maxwell even hotter in person? He seems like a bad boy.”

“I’ve never seen him on TV. You know I don’t watch hockey.”

She waved her hand, tapping her foot impatiently before leaning against the edge of my desk. “We’re getting off the point. Is he hot?”

“Very.”

“Whew. You noticed. I was afraid you were going to just let that slide, as usual.”

I grinned. ‘I’m not letting things slide. I usually don’t notice, but… well, Tyler Maxwell is in a league of his own. I couldn’t help but notice. And besides, he’s very funny and seems to genuinely like kids.”

Emma blinked. “Hmm. Clearly he’s made an impression. So, what are you going to do about it?’

I frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, you know.’ She wiggled her eyebrows.

I chuckled. ‘I’m going to do absolutely nothing. He’s going to coach the kids, and that’s it. Besides, he’s a bit cocky.’

‘Oh, I know how you feel about that. But… you’re not even a teeny, tiny bit tempted by him?’

‘He would tempt any red-blooded woman. The man is practically walking temptation. But I know better.’

‘Yes, yes. But where’s the fun in knowing better?’

‘I agree,’ I said, ‘but it’s not like I even have time to think about stuff like that.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘You can find time if you want to.’

That was probably true, but I really had my hands full. I loved my job, but the schedule was quite intensive. When I wasn’t searching for volunteer placements, I was busy introducing our volunteers and setting up a plan and whatnot. And most of my free time was dedicated to finishing my house. I’d bought a small bungalow just outside the city, a two-bedroom house that a couple started building last year. They both got jobs in Arizona, though, so they had to relocate and sold the house before they could finish it.

I got the keys already but couldn’t move in. I still had to get the floors and the bathrooms done. So far, I hadn’t had much time to search for construction crews. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how I’d handle it financially. I was still renting my apartment, and I’d already started paying the mortgage. Those two charges ate up most of my paycheck, so I’d probably try to do some of the stuff myself.

I couldn’t believe I was a homeowner at twenty-nine! Ever since I was a kid, I used to daydream about the house I’d own one day. I was sure my parents were smiling from somewhere above us, feeling proud.

‘So, you’re definitely not interested in Tyler?’ Emma asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

‘Nope.” Besides, even if he wanted to go out, I was sure he had plenty of puck bunnies to keep him occupied.

‘Hmm. Okay. Do you mind if I ask him out?’

My eyes widened with shock. “You’d do that? Just outright ask him?” I didn’t think anyone could say I was shy, but I had to admit I wouldn’t just up and ask someone I barely knew on a date.

‘I don’t know. He certainly looks hot.’

‘No, I don’t mind,’ I said. But I felt a funny twist in my stomach as I spoke.

‘Ha.’ She pointed at me, smiling triumphantly.

‘What?’

‘You look like a sad puppy. You totally would mind.’

‘No, I just think it’s… Okay, fine. I would. I don’t know why, but I would.’

She grinned from ear to ear. ‘I guess that answers my question.’

‘Which was?’

‘I’m going to leave you guessing for now. Come on, let’s grab something to eat.’

I shook my head, laughing as I stood from my chair. Tyler Maxwell was a superstar. I was 100 percent sure he’d perfected that charm by using it very often. I wouldn’t fall for that smile. But that smoldering look? That might be a bit harder to resist, but I was going to do my best.