“You know our family history. We come from pirates and rumrunners and bootleggers. Your mother’s family were above my station. They saw me as a ne’er-do-well. They didn’t drink. Thought the rum was immoral. When I met your mother, I knew what I was up against. Her father literally threw me out of his house, threatened to run me out of town and forbade me from seeing his daughter. You know what I did then?”
“What?”
“I still went after her. We loved each other. And I didn’t give a goddamn what anyone thought of it. We had twenty-five good years before she was taken.” He trailed off. “But if you love this man, and you think you have a future, fight for it.”
“But Reid—”
“Will most likely be angry. He was hurt when Carolina left him and married Cain. But you have to be honest with him and give him a chance to get used to the idea.” He stopped. “If you two get married, Carolina will be your mother-in-law. Are you ready for that?”
Gemma screwed up her face and laughed. “Let’s not jump the gun on that. There aren’t exactly any wedding bells for me in the near future. Lila said I should invite him to the party next weekend.”
“That’s an excellent idea.”
“A public place will stop Reid from resorting to violence,” she reasoned.
“I think Lila’s mellowed your brother significantly. Maybe now he has love of his own, he’ll understand.”
“Maybe you’re right, but I don’t want to count on it.” She shivered a little—the night air was cold.
“You’re chilly. Let’s go in.”
“Okay. You’re really smart, you know.” She stepped up on her toes and kissed her father on the cheek.
“No, I’m just old,” he told her. “When you’re my age, you’ll be this smart, too.”
She followed her father back into the house. After telling him the truth about her relationship with Tom, she felt lighter than she had in weeks. She looked at Reid and Quin, wondering if they would respond just as well.