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I swallow hard. “He was upset. He didn’t want me to go.”
Oliver turns on me then, eyes blazing. “Don’t you dare defend him,” he snaps. “Don’t you dare.”
My bottom lip quivers, and Elizabeth touches his arm. “Steady,” she murmurs.
He glances at her, then runs a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I feel terrible, that’s all. I knew what he was like, we all did. You tried to tell me it was worse for you, and I should have listened. I should have gotten you out earlier.”
Tears have sprung into Chrissie’s eyes. “I know you said sometimes that he was hard on you, but I thought you were exaggerating. Oh my God, Heidi, I’m so sorry.”
“I can’t believe it,” Abigail says, “I never thought he’d do that to you, of all people, Heidi. That’s awful.”
“It’s okay.” My voice comes out as a squeak. “He was just so different when you all left and we were alone.”
I look over as someone comes through the door, feeling a rush of relief when I see it’s Titus. He comes over, and obviously realizes what we’re talking about by the looks on our faces.
“Are you okay?” he asks immediately, coming up to me.
I nod and bury my face in his shirt. He wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry I told Hux,” he murmurs. “But I had to do something.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “I’m glad.”
He blows out a relieved breath—he was worried I’d resent him getting involved. He has no idea how much it means to me that he did that.
“He’s gone,” he says to Oliver.
“Did he say anything else?” Oliver asks. Oh, so Titus was in the room? I lift my head, but he doesn’t let me go.
“Yes,” he says. He doesn’t elaborate.
“Was it about me?” I ask.
He just looks at me. Then he kisses my forehead.
“What happened?” Chrissie asks.
“I adapted a line fromThe Fate of the Furious,” Titus says.
Mack and Oliver both give a short laugh. “What was it?” I ask.
Titus tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I told him if he came within a mile of you without your permission, he’d have to answer to me.”
I’m shocked that he was able to speak to my father like that. Christ, Dad must have said something terrible to provoke that reaction. “What did he say about me?” I ask.
He just shakes his head. He won’t tell me. It must have been bad. Resentment wells inside me that my father would put me down in front of him.
But even more overwhelming is an internal glow that Titus stood up for me.
Oliver clears his throat. “Heidi’s home for a while, so we’ve got plenty of time to talk about this more. But tonight’s supposed to be a celebration. It’s great to have you home, Heidi, and I’m also thrilled that you and Titus are an item. Let’s raise our glasses and toast—Heidi and Titus.”
“Heidi and Titus,” everyone echoes. I look up at Titus, and he grins and kisses me, as they all raise their glasses.
*
It doesn’t turn out to be a bad evening in the end. I can see my sisters are upset, and at one point Huxley takes them aside, and I discover he’s arranged for us all to meet up to talk about it tomorrow.
It is upsetting, but I’m also glad that everyone knows now—it makes me feel less alone. It’s also a huge relief to know I’m not going to have to see Dad. It’s not until now that I realize just how terrified I was of him. I know how much courage it must have taken Oliver to ask him to leave, and to uninvite him to the wedding, and I’m touched that he did for me.
But I’m even more touched about what Titus did.
