"I don't care about most of the people in this town. I'm not asking for anyone's approval, and neither is Connie."
Dad's head whips to me. "So it's like this. You have men talking for you now. Where's your backbone?"
"Crumpled somewhere under your shoe," I mutter too quietly for him to hear. Kane shakes his head, and Karter reaches for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Between them, I suddenly feel stronger, like I could say what I need to say without fear of the consequences. They're rooting for me to be strong. They're willing me to stick up for myself, and I want to, more than anything. "What I do with my life isn't going to be determined by you. I'm grateful you cared for me when I was a child, and I'm disappointed if my life choices are causing you anger, but I'm happy, and I..."
"Happy? You seriously think that this is going to make you happy. When your friends and family find out, they're going to think you're a slut. No one is ever going to take you seriously. You can't marry these men. You can't raise a family with them. Your kids will be ridiculed..."
Holden puts his hand out again. "I told you to keep it respectful. You don't get to use derogatory language toward your daughter. You don't get to undermine our relationship and make it into something it isn't. We love Connie. We love her, and we're going to make her happy. Whatever it takes, we will do it. And if you can't accept it, if you can't see that we are good men who can take care of your daughter, then I'm sorry about that. But look around. Look at the home we've given her. Does she not look happy? Does she not look healthy? Does she not seem fulfilled?"
Dad looks around, maybe taking in his surroundings more clearly. Our home is beautiful, and if he really looked, he'd see how defensive all the boys are of me. He'd listen to Holden and how protective he is, even about the way I'm spoken to. I get that this setup isn't for everyone, and maybe my dad would want something different for me, but he can't insinuate that these men aren't good enough. I've hit the jackpot here. Even one of them would have been a lottery win. Four of them is a gift from a higher power!
"She looks like she's scared to breathe. Is that your plan? You've taken my daughter from her whole life and got her into this house and stopped her from leaving."
"DAD!" I put my hands up so quickly that I jar my shoulder. "You can't say things like that. I love these men. I'm happy here. I have a great job that they helped me to find. They only want the best for me. And if I look scared to breathe, it's because you've marched into this house throwing around accusations and full of aggression, and it's not okay. I understand that you might be worried about me, but you should have approached this very differently."
It's at that point that there is another knock on the door. Harris, who is now the nearest, opens it, and Natalie strides inside.
"Connie," she says, walking right past my dad and coming to stand by my side. She slides her hand into mine and squeezes it firmly.
"There she is. The one who started this whole fiasco."
"Mr. Franks, I'm going to speak plainly here because that's what seems to be called for here. This is not a fiasco. This is a loving relationship. This is a woman who has found men who want the best for her. Men who found her a job that they knew would bring her complete satisfaction and pushed her forward so that she could be more fulfilled. These are men who have had to stand up to their own father to fight for their relationship, who have invited your daughter into their home and expected nothing in return. So no, this isn't a fiasco. This is love. This is life. And if it doesn't meet with your approval, maybe you need to change your expectations."
Harris nods, his lips pursing. "Everything she said." Holden gives his twin a death stare, but I think Harris is right. Now is the time to make things lighter. It's time to show my dad that his doom and gloom won't cut it in this house.
"This isn't the daughter I raised," he says.
"Well, maybe you should be happy about that," Harris continues. "Maybe you should take a really good look at your daughter, at the beautiful, confident, intelligent, kind, and passionate woman she has become and be proud that she's stepped up to be more than just someone who does what you say."
Fuck.
If we weren't in the middle of a blazing row, I'd want to throw my arms around Harris and hug the breath from his body. My dad's chest expands, and I don't know whether he's reacting with anger or frustration. Natalie squeezes my hand again, and just as I'm hoping things are going to start to defuse, there is movement by the open door. Holden and Harris are the first to notice that Summer has walked into the middle of this shit show. I wasn't sure that it was Blake who orchestrated this whole thing before, but I am now.