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“Listen, these are private matters between Tiffany and me. You’re just gonna have to believe me when I say that I love your sister and I would go to my grave to keep her happy and safe. That needs to be good enough.”
It was her dad who piped in next. “You’ll never be good enough for my Tiffy.”
Chapter Sixteen
Tiffany
After the shocking conversation with her mom, the afternoon dragged on for Tiffany. In all, they’d been gone for three hours by the time the women were pulling back into the driveway. Tiffany had tried to call Lukus several more times with no answer. She even resorted to calling Aiden’s cell—but it, too, was going straight to voicemail. She had shared her concerns with her mom and sisters, and all the women found none of the men were answering their phones. All occupants of the van were silent, each anxious to find out what the men had been up to while they were gone.
The young girls bounded out of the van first, running to the house. By the time Tiffany, her mom, and sisters made it to the back door, the girls were returning.
“No one’s in there.”
Tiffany’s panic took hold. “What do you mean, Jill? No one is in the kitchen?”
“Nope. I called out, too, and no one answered.”
Just then, a shout could be heard from down by the lake. Tiffany and the rest of the women rushed around the end of the house to search the area. In the distance, down by the boat dock, Tiff saw all of the men standing in a semi-circle. She couldn’t see what they were looking at, but the shouts of, “Knock it off you two,” gave her a hint.
She took off running and heard her mom shouting behind her. “Stay calm, Tiffany.”
She wanted to scream at her mother for her naiveté. She never should have left Lukus alone with Aiden.
As she neared the beach, her high heels sunk into the sand. She stopped long enough to whip off her shoes, running the rest of the way to the dock barefoot. The shouts of the men got louder as she got closer, and she wasn’t happy with the snippets she was hearing.
“For the last time, just get in your car and get the hell out of here. I’ll drive Tiffany home.”
“Over my dead body.” She heard the strain in Lukus’s voice.
“Don’t push me. That can be arranged.” Aiden’s voice was full of fury.
Her other brothers were trying to break it up, but she heard her dad weigh in and her heart sank. “I’m not going to let some hoodlum with a record corrupt my baby girl.”
Tiffany was relieved to hear Colin, a voice of reason. “Dad, you need to settle. The criminal and civil cases were dismissed. That means he’s innocent.”
“Don’t spout your legal mumbo-jumbo at me, Colin.”
“It’s not mumbo-jumbo. It’s the law. I think everyone needs to calm down.”
None of the men had noticed the women’s return before Tiffany ran into the middle of the group to push Aiden back away from Lukus, standing in front of him as a mother bear might to protect her cub. She was relieved to feel Lukus hugging her from behind, claiming her visibly for all to see. She could feel him trembling as he hugged her tight against his chest, struggling to remain calm.
He really does love me… because he’s working so hard not to let things escalate out of control with my family.
Tiffany faced Aiden and her father. She was both relieved and saddened to see the rest of the family lining up behind her and Lukus. It was turning out exactly as she had feared. The two men she had loved the most in her life up until meeting Lukus were going to fight the hardest against letting her go.
It was then that she realized it didn’t matter who she brought home. They’d be fighting against letting her go no matter who was holding her, because they still felt like they were her protectors. They weren’t ready to give up their positions in her life to another man. She even remembered times where Aiden and her father had butted heads, vying for the number one spot in Tiffany’s heart.
The clarity of the moment helped Tiff know the path forward. The wives and kids had all arrived at the beach. She glanced up to see a confused Liam and Lisa joining them. Every single member of her family was there now, with the exception of Declan. A pang of sadness at his absence hit her, but she had to ignore it to deal with the crisis of the moment.
“Daddy and Aiden. I know you think you’re helping to protect me, but you aren’t. The only thing that can hurt me right now is if you make me choose between you and Lukus. I love you both, and I know this is going to be hard for you to hear, but I love Lukus, too. I need him.”
Aiden retorted, “You deserve someone so much better, Tiff.”
“Really? And just who would that be, Aiden? I’ve dated lots of guys, and let me tell you, none of them—not one—made me feel like Lukus does. I don’t just love him. I’min lovewith him. If you love me, you’re going to accept that, and welcome him into the family.”
Her father joined the fray. “The last time I checked, he wasn’t asking to be part of our family. He’s just taking advantage of my little girl, and plans on using you, and tossing you aside when he’s done with you.”
Surprisingly, it was Tiff’s mom who stomped forward to confront her father. The entire family watched in stunned silence as Isabella dressed down her husband. “Patrick O’Sullivan, that’s enough.” When he looked to argue back, she raised her hand to shush him. “Not another word. I’m ashamed of you.” She stopped to glance at her son next. “And I’m even more ashamed of you, Aiden.”
