Scott and Eric Maxwell were nothing like I’d imagined. I thought they’d be similar to James, both in looks and behavior. When I finally got to meet them, however, I was pleasantly surprised they weren’t. Sure, they had that elite aura about them like James, which awed anyone who happened to encounter them. And physically, they were tall and muscular like James too, but that was where the resemblance ended.

Scott was a hunky, blond-haired, light brown-eyed charming man that screamed sex appeal like a lion on testosterone. I had to do a double take because he was so gorgeous—as in drop-dead gorgeous—even I found it hard to tear my gaze from him. He was the type that could make a girl come in ecstasy with just a cheeky smile or wink. The moment I saw him, I knew he was both the easiest to get along with yet the hardest to get close to of all three brothers.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but my instincts told me Scott had many layers and much depth in terms of his personality, just like an onion. I knew he was the kind that kept his trump card hidden and would only reveal it when he needed it most.

When he saw me, he walked straight up to me and greeted me affectionately as if I were his long-lost relative.

“Mia. I finally get to meet you, darling,” he said, pulling me into his arms and hugging me tight.

I blushed bright red and was more than a little flustered by the intimate embrace.

James pulled Scott off me and snapped, “Behave yourself, Scott.”

Then I was introduced to Eric, who, to my surprise, was actually half-Asian, and he was just simply hot and delicious to look at. He had dark hair, warm honey skin, and smoky eyes that’d make any woman drool for days on end. Where Scott was easy, outgoing, and friendly, Eric was the total opposite. He was quiet, aloof, and looked as though he were suspicious of everyone, including me. I could say he was the introvert and kept anyone who wasn’t part of his family or circle of friends at arm’s length.

When he saw me, he cocked his head to one side and said, “So you’re Mia?”

I nodded uncertainly, feeling as if I were being assessed or something. “Yes. Nice to meet you.”

Of all the things he had to do on our first meeting, he had to go and give out a sigh, as if I were such a disappointment. Then he turned to James and snapped, “Fuck you, James!”

I sucked in my breath at his cold outburst while both James and Scott laughed, which confused me.

Eric stormed off into the living area and slumped on the sofa as if his world had just ended or something.

Scott wrapped his arm around my shoulder and said, “Don’t mind him, Mia. He’s in a foul mood at the moment and is sickly jealous of James.”

“Why would he be jealous of James?” I asked as we headed into the living area.

Scott said, “Do you know, Mia? We brothers always ended up liking the same things. We have very similar taste in almost everything. Food, clothes, cars, women…”

I still didn’t get it and was about to tell him so when Aria came rushing in behind us. I assumed she must have just finished her piano lesson with Mrs. West.

Scott let go of me and turned his attention to his beloved niece. He picked her up into his arms, hugged her tight, and kissed her repeatedly.

He said, “My darling Aria. Did you miss Uncle Scott? Now see, you have to give Uncle Scott the right answer, because otherwise, you won’t get any presents.”

I smiled and thought it sounded like blackmail.

“Yay! Presents!” Aria shouted excitedly. “Oh, and I missed you lots, Uncle Scott. Like lots and lots.” Then before she could hurt anyone’s feelings, she turned to Eric and said, “And I missed you too, Uncle Eric.”

Eric came forward and kissed the little girl on the cheek. “Love you too, sweetheart.”

“Uncle Eric, are you all right?” Aria asked in concern. “Are you sick?”

Scott laughed. “Yeah, he’s sick all right. In the head and in the heart.”

Aria looked worried. “If it’s in the head, it must be a headache, right? If it’s in the heart, it’s a heartache, right? Do you need some medicine, Uncle Eric?”

Scott burst out laughing. “Don’t worry about him, Aria. He’s manly enough to handle a little heartache.”

Eric glared at Scott. “Shut your trap, Scott.”

James said loudly, “Language, Eric.”

Eric managed to look guilty. “Sorry.” He turned to Aria and gave her a weak smile. “How about the presents?”

Without further ado, the younger brothers went away with Aria to retrieve the presents from Scott’s sports car. When they returned, I was astonished because there wasn’t just one. There were at least five different types of soft toys.

Aria laughed excitedly and said, “I love them all.”

Sometime later, we settled down for dinner in the formal dining room. Of course, the meal could have been better if Scott were to stop pestering me with question after question about my life, which wasn’t something I wanted to brag about, especially things to do with my dark past. It wasn’t pleasant as dinner conversation; that was for sure.

James must have understood my feelings, because he said, “Stop being such a nuisance, Scott.”

Scott took it all in stride and said, “Sorry, Mia,” before turning his attention to his niece once again and asking her about school.

Aria enthusiastically told the brothers about what she’d done today and even showed them her painting, which was of Aria, James, me, and the two dogs at the park on Sunday.

Scott was trying to make sense of the picture but couldn’t because they were just sticks and a lot of green lines of grass and trees everywhere.

Eric said, “I can kind of make it out.”

“See? This is me. This is Daddy, and this is Mia. This one with four legs is Alfie, and this one is Sammy. We had so much fun at the park on Sunday. We cried a bit too, but it was fun crying, you know? And we felt better after.”

Scott burst out laughing again. “Maybe Uncle Eric should cry because that’d make him feel better.”

Eric looked as if he wanted to punch Scott in the face.

Once we had finished dinner, James and his brothers went off to the living room. Because I didn’t want to bother them since I knew they were going to be talking about business, I decided it was a good time to help put Aria to bed.

“James, I’ll put Aria to bed for you,” I said, taking the yawning Aria by the hand.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

I grinned and said, “Yeah. You enjoy your time with your brothers. I’ll take care of Aria for you tonight.”

He smiled, and I didn’t miss the twinkle in his eyes, which pleased me.

“All right. Thanks.”

After Aria had kissed her dad and two uncles good night, I led her up the stairs to get ready for bed.

Halfway, I heard Scott say, “Looks like a keeper to me.”

“Yeah,” Eric echoed.

I couldn’t help but smile at their comments.

In Aria’s room, I helped her bathe quickly and then dressed her in her favorite pajamas. Once done, I settled in her bed beside her and read her a book. Some fifteen minutes later, I noted her eyes were drooping and knew it wasn’t long before she was fast asleep.

I wasn’t wrong. A few moments later, her breathing became deep and even. I gently moved out of her bed and then tucked her in. I leaned forward, kissed her on the forehead, and said, “Good night, Aria.”

The little girl groaned softly and mumbled, “Good night, Mia. I love you.”

Instantly I felt my heart glow with delight and my eyes tearing up. Gosh. First it was the father who had said those wonderful words to me, and now it was his daughter too. Life was indeed magnificent for me at the moment.

I said softly, “I love you too, Aria.”

I stayed there and gazed at her for a moment, feeling my heart filled to the brim with love. Then a little later, I got up and returned to my room. There I checked my phone and noted it was nearly time to meet up with Sophie as indicated in her note. Suddenly I dreaded the appointment and thought about changing my mind. Then she’d think I was a coward and couldn’t face her, which wasn’t at all true.

I hardened myself against that urge. I was determined to clear things up between us as soon as possible. After all, James loved me and chose me. The sooner I let this woman know, the better, so she could stop barking up the wrong tree.