Tame Me: The Macintyre Brothers: Book Three

by S. E. Lund

  Both Ella's parents seemed pleased with their gifts from me, but it was the look in Ella's eyes when she saw my gift that made my night.

  "Oh, Josh, you shouldn't have," she said and stared at the necklace. "The diamond is so huge."

  "It was my mother's," I said softly. "She would have wanted you to wear it."

  Ella held her hand over her heart. "Oh, Josh..."

  We kissed and I saw Mrs. Carlson smile, while Governor Carlson kept an impassive expression on his face.

  It looked like our two days stay in Concord might turn out all right.

  3

  Ella

  Our stay in Concord turned out better than I expected. Besides the initial moment when my father behaved badly towards Josh, bringing up the past with his father, they got along quite well. Christmas morning, we opened the rest of our gifts and had a nice brunch, and then did nothing but watch old movies for the rest of the day until it was time for Christmas Dinner. My father had invited some of his friends over for dinner and so we all got dressed up in our best clothes and spent an hour before dinner having cocktails with the invited guests, and then a very delicious meal of roast turkey and all the trimmings.

  Josh and I sat beside each other so I could talk to him when the conversation lagged, just in case, but he didn't need much help. He had quite an animated discussion with one of my father's best friends about the military, even getting down to the nitty gritty about troop deployments in the Middle East, and America's role as the police force for the world. At times, I worried that the discussion would get too political, but luckily, they were all on the same page politically and about the military and so it was a good discussion instead of one that devolved into a battle.

  After the guests finally left close to midnight, we all went up to bed and I kissed Josh at his door, winking at him that I'd try to sneak in during the middle of the night if I was able to wake up enough.

  "Don't worry," he said and ran his thumb over my cheek. "We'll be together at David's place. Have a good sleep. I'll see you in the morning. We have to drive back to New York and catch our plane."

  "Okay," I said and kissed him again.

  Then I went to bed and slept like a proverbial log.

  * * *

  In the morning, after I had a shower and dressed, I bumped into Josh on the stairs as he was coming up from the main floor.

  "You up already?" I said and gave him a kiss.

  "I went for a run," he replied and pulled me against him. "I thought you were going to sneak into my room last night," he said under his breath.

  "But you said to wait until California," I protested.

  "I didn't think you really meant that. I said it just in case your father was listening in."

  "His room is on the other side of the building," I replied. "How could he listen in?"

  Josh shrugged and squeezed me. "I don't know. The walls have ears? Haven't you heard that before? I was lying awake at 3 AM, hoping you'd sneak in for a quickie. I was crushed with disappointment when you never showed." He pushed his bottom lip out in a pout.

  I frowned, for he really sounded like he meant it the previous night.

  Then I saw the gleam in his eyes, and he laughed out loud. "Gotcha! Seriously, I meant it. I don't want to do anything to give your father an excuse not to like me. I'm going to be his only son-in-law, so I'll be a good boy, even if it means I don't get to indulge in you the way I want. I can wait until we're married to sleep in the same bed with you when we're here."

  I leaned into his arms and kissed him. "And that's part of what makes me love you so much."

  We kissed again and then he let go. "Now, I need to go for a shower. I'll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast. It smells good whatever your mom is cooking."

  "Oh, it's not Mom cooking. It's dad. He said he wanted to fix breakfast for us since we're leaving early. He usually cooks brunch every day after Christmas. Gives Mom a break. He does Eggs Benedict, fried potatoes, sausage, toast, the works."

  "Good," Josh said. "I need the fuel to keep me going today."

  He went upstairs and had a shower and I went down to the kitchen and watched my father fixing the Hollandaise sauce.

  "So, this young man of yours," my father said as he whisked the sauce over the double boiler. "You love him?"

  "Of course, I do," I said, watching his face. "I wouldn't be marrying him if I didn't. After what I went through with Derek, I'm once bitten twice shy, but Josh is such a good man. He's really good, Father."

  "I think so," my father replied. "My friends were impressed with him, and that counts for a lot in my books. Sorry that I was a bit harsh when we first met."

  "That's okay," I said and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "I know that you're really sensitive about it."

  "We'll just put it all behind us and move on," he replied. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

  "I am very happy."

  "Then I am, too." He smiled and then turned back to his sauce, which was done. "There," he said, holding up the whisk to show how nicely thick the sauce was. "Perfection."

  We had breakfast, and it went just as well as had the previous day and night, so when it came time to leave, I really wished we could stay longer.

  At the door, as we got on our coats and boots and prepared to leave, I felt all teary-eyed that I wouldn't see my parents again for a while. My hopes for the time spent with them were more than met, and even exceeded because I had feared that Josh and my father would get into an argument over the past.

  Luckily, both Mom and I worked on my father enough for him to leave it all behind.

  "Take care of my only girl," my father said to Josh as they shook hands goodbye.

  "You can rest assured I will, Sir," he said to my father. Using the formal "Sir" was just the right choice, showing my father due respect and deference, plus letting him know he needed to "take care" of me. I knew it was all man-speak that they had to get through before they could be at ease with each other. Hopefully, one day after we were married and settled down, Josh and my father would actually become closer.

  Until then, a friendly detente was good enough for me.

  I kissed and hugged my mom and so did Josh, and we left.

  After we got into the car and drove off, Josh turned to me, a smile on his face.

  "That went well, I think," he said. "There were no pistols at dawn, so I'd say the stay was a success."

  "A clear success," I said and squeezed his hand. "Now, I hope I can impress your brothers as much as you impressed my parents."

  "Just be your sweet smart self and they'll be eating out of your hand."

  * * *

  Our trip to California was unremarkable, except for the crowds at the airports both at JFK and LAX. Our drive to the mansion was quite emotional as Josh talked about the accident and how David was doing. David managed to get the EP finished and ready for mixing, so that was good. David had been able to overcome his sadness over the death of his friend, and they'd lucked into finding a new band member to replace Terry.

  By the time we arrived, it was late, and we were both tired. I was excited, however, and a bit anxious to meet all the brothers. Hopefully, most of them would be in bed and I'd get away with just meeting David.

  No such luck. Everyone was still up and standing around in the kitchen when we pulled up. David must have been waiting for us because he was there, waiting at the door for us, even coming down to open my door for me before I could get my seat belt off.

  "There you are, future sis-in-law!" he said and grabbed me when I got out of the car. "Give me a big hug."

  I laughed and we hugged, then he pulled back and looked me over. "You're as pretty as the picture Josh showed me. You have to come inside and meet everyone else. We're all dying to meet you, see who snagged our big brother."

  "Hey, give the poor woman a chance to get her coat off."

  David led me inside and helped me get my coat off while Josh brought in our suitcases. The house was out of th
is world. The circular entry was a full two stories high and as big as my entire dorm room back in New Hampshire. It was marble and glass with a beautiful water treatment by the door, the water falling and making a pleasant sound.

  "Wow," I said and glanced around, waiting for Josh to join me. "This is amazing."

  "It's a bit ostentatious, but that's what LA is all about, isn't it?" David said and gave Josh a big hug, the two men looking in each other's eyes meaningfully. "How are you, bro?"

  "I'm fine," Josh replied. "The question is, how are you?"

  The way Josh said it suggested he was worried about David and by the expression on his face, I knew he was.

  "I'm great," David said, his tone dismissive of Josh's obvious concern. "Couldn't be better, in fact. We finished up the EP, and my manager is busy working on a schedule for our world tour starting in July. It's going to be a great year."

  He patted Josh on the back as if to assuage Josh's fears for him, and then grabbed each of us by one arm, escorting us into the mansion. I could hear sound coming from a distant part of the building, and we emerged into a large living room, with three different sitting areas, and huge glass doors leading out onto a massive patio with large lights and a pool.

  "Here they are!" David said, his voice ebullient. "The happy bride-and-groom-t0-be!"

  We went over to the small group of whom I assumed were Josh's siblings and they were a very handsome and well-turned out group. I felt a bit self-conscious as the only woman there, but I took in a deep breath and smiled, preparing to meet each one.

  I was still a bit in awe of David, for he was perhaps the best known of the brothers because of his success as the singer for the metal band Ranger. Tall, longish dark hair and blue eyes, a goatee and tattoos all down his arms, he was handsome in a dangerous way. There was a gleam in his eye, and you expected that he'd tease you at any moment. He was also muscular in contrast to what I usually expected from musicians, who I tended to think were lean instead of built. But everything else was what I expected for a metal front man -- leather jeans, a tight black t-shirt with the logo for Ranger on it and the figure of a tall man in a long coat — the symbol for the band.

  Named after Aragorn, in Lord of the Rings, who was a Ranger, the band was a mix of prog rock and metal and influenced by the classic prog rock bands from the 70s and beyond as well as Metallica and classic metal bands. It wasn't my cup of tea when it came to music, but I could recognize that they were good -- very good -- at what they did. They had a big fan base.

  "Hey, brother," one of the men said and embraced Josh. "Good to see you."

  He hugged each brother in turn and then when he was finished, he turned to me, smiling.

  "And this," Josh said and pulled me closer to him, one arm going around my shoulder. "This is the love of my life, my wife-to-be, Ella Carlson. Ella, I present to you my brothers."

  Then he introduced the other brothers to me, and there wasn't a better-looking group of men around. Each one was handsome in his own right, from Nash, the former fighter pilot who now ran a small airline with his dark hair and amber-brown eyes, to Christian, whose hair was lighter and who looked like a model on some Armani runway, to Michael, who had very stylish short black hair and intense blue eyes, a well-trimmed beard. All were tall, and all were well-built, dressed in expensive but casual clothes.

  It could have been a meeting of male models, instead of a family get together.

  By the time introductions were over, I felt a need to escape but instead, I spent the next hour sitting in the middle of them all on the patio, the lights of LA spread out beneath us, and listened to them talk. They kept asking me questions and ribbing Josh about him always being the first to do everything -- to join the military, to graduate with a degree, to be engaged -- twice.

  "We hope this one sticks," David said and smiled at Josh. Beside him, Nash punched David's shoulder.

  "David," he said. "For God's sake. Don't mention it."

  "Aw come on," David said with a laugh. "I was just lightening the mood. I know Josh is in love. I could tell back when he talked to me on the phone about coming out here to open the new office of MBS."

  David smiled at me. "Glad to have you here sis. Welcome to the family."

  I smiled, because I could tell there was a lot of love between the brothers and that had to be a good thing. I turned and squeezed Josh's hand, glad that while I had been an only child growing up, I would finally have four brothers.

  At that moment, despite being a bit overwhelmed by all the attention, and feeling like I needed to catch my breath, I couldn't be happier.

  4

  Josh

  "Hey, guys, hold up," I said when my brothers eagerly crowded around Ella and peppered her with praise and questions about me and our relationship. She looked overwhelmed for a moment and I wanted to give her some breathing space. "Let Ella have a few moments to catch her breath, okay?"

  They laughed and stepped back, and I pulled Ella into my arms.

  "I was an only child," Ella said, "so I'm so happy to be getting a bunch of brothers in the deal."

  That was the perfect thing for her to say, and I knew it would endear her with them.

  "We all wanted a sister when we were young but each time my mother gave birth, it was another brother," Christian said.

  "You were disappointed in me?" Michael said, giving Nash a playful punch on the shoulder.

  "Naw," Nash replied, squeezing Michael's shoulder. "I had someone to push around for a change, instead of being pushed around by Josh."

  "So that's how it was with all of you," Ella said, smiling. She turned to David. "You were the youngest. Who did you push around?"

  "Our dog Charlie," David said with a laugh.

  "It's true," Nash said. "Charlie was the best-trained dog we ever had. We all thought David would become a vet, but he picked up a guitar and that was it. He forgot about veterinary college and went after the money for nothing and the free chicks."

  "You got it," David said and laughed.

  I turned to Ella. "Let's go take our suitcases upstairs and then we can come down and have a drink with the brothers."

  "Sounds good," Ella said, her expression telling me she was glad to have a moment's break from the inquisition.

  I grabbed both our suitcases and Ella followed me upstairs to the second-floor wing where the guest bedrooms were located.

  "This is ours," I said and opened the door to our room.

  The bedroom David had prepared for us was huge and had a magnificent four poster king sized bed in the center. Behind it was a pair of patio doors that led to a balcony looking out over the LA vista. Ella checked the place out, including a huge en suite bathroom with a jet tub and stand-up two-person shower.

  "The view is amazing!" Ella said and went to open the patio doors while I laid the suitcases on the bench at the foot of the bed.

  I followed her out and put my arms around her from behind, resting my chin on the top of her head.

  "It is nice," I said. "It's so quiet out here. There's no city noise and I like it, but I can still see the city."

  "I could get used to it," Ella said, squeezing my arms around her waist. "But I'd feel so far away from everyone."

  "I know what you mean," I said. "But the flight is only a few hours. We could fly here and back easily if we wanted. We could live here in the winter, and in Manhattan in the summer."

  "That would be nice," she replied and turned around in my arms. We kissed, the kiss starting out soft but deepening.

  "Mmm," I murmured against her throat when the kiss broke. "You're going to get me all randy and I won't want us to go back and socialize with my brothers..."

  "We can't do that," she replied with a coy look in her eyes. "I want to talk to them, get all the dirt on you when you were growing up."

  "There's no dirt to get, I'm afraid," I said in mock sadness. "I was the good brother who did the right thing. I never broke the rules."

  I glanced down at her to see if s
he believed me, but she narrowed her eyes.

  I laughed, and that ended my attempt to appear serious.

  "I highly doubt you were a saint when you were growing up. You have bedroom eyes, so I bet you got a lot of girls into your bed with them."

  "Bedroom eyes?" I said, innocently. "What could you mean, Ms. Carlson? What would your father think of you talking like that?"

  She leaned up on her tip-toes and kissed me quickly. "He'd threaten to wash my mouth out with soap, that's what he'd do."

  "Really?"

  "I'd be grounded and forced to do the grunt work for the week."

  "Grunt work? Your father was in the military, right?"

  "Briefly," she replied.

  "What grunt work would you do?"

  "Take out the garbage, rake leaves, vacuum. That kind of thing. Once, I called him a sonofabitch when we had a fight and he said that if I was going to swear like a trooper, I'd have to work like one."

  I laughed at that, imagining Governor Carlson frowning at a younger Ella after she swore at him. "You called the Governor a sonofabitch?"

  "I did," she replied and smiled. "He wouldn't let me go out to a party on a Saturday night because I was late getting home the night before. I felt he was being unreasonable and too strict."

  I nodded, understanding that Ella had been a bit rebellious as a girl.

  "You had to do all his chores for the week?"

  She nodded. "I used to come home from school and read what I had to do on the chalkboard in the kitchen. Every day for a week, he'd have a grunt-work chore for me to complete. You can be sure I didn’t call him a swear word again. But I did learn how to rake and mow a lawn, how to take out the trash and do other things around the house that he usually did."