Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
CHLOE
“Is this normal, or should I be concerned?”
At Hawk’s question, I released a long, frustrated breath. “I honestly don’t know how to answer that, baby.”
Today was the Fourth of July, and my parents had decided to have everyone over to celebrate the holiday.
When my mom called me about a week ago to tell me about the plans, I shared the news that I’d be bringing a guy with me.
She was immediately intrigued, asking lots of questions and wanting to know all about him.
I didn’t tell her much, but I gave her enough to satisfy her curiosity.
And of course, she was more than excited for me to bring him along so the rest of the family could meet him.
That family included her, my dad, and my brother, as well as my aunts, uncles, and their children.
A lot of us were here today. And while I thought it could make things overwhelming for Hawk, I also believed it was a good thing. Because there’d be enough going on that he might not be as heavily scrutinized if it was just my immediate family.
But where my mom, her best friends, and my best friends were all welcoming and pleasant with Hawk, the men were another story. For now, it didn’t seem that my dad, brother, or uncles were thrilled with Hawk’s presence.
“You don’t know if this is normal?” Hawk pressed, looking for clarification.
I curled my fingers around his forearm and squeezed. “Yes. The problem is, I’ve never brought a guy home. That doesn’t mean I’ve never dated. I did. But bringing anyone here to meet my family never crossed my mind.”
Hawk’s eyes shot to the opposite side of the yard, where my dad and my uncles—Wes Stone, Luke, Levi, and Cruz—were gathered around, looking less than thrilled about the festivities. “They look unhappy. Are they always unhappy?”
My guy. I hated that he was feeling so uneasy about this. He’d gotten formal introductions when we arrived earlier, and the men had been cordial enough. But their current moods were a stark contrast to the exuberance displayed by the women.
“When all of us are together like this, they’re always laughing and having a good time,” I confessed.
“But I don’t want you to think this is all about you.
I mean, Tessa brought her boyfriend Ryan today, which is the first time any of the parents have met him, and her dad looks about ready to blow a gasket. ”
At that declaration, Tessa chimed in. “It’s honestly unreasonable for them to be upset. We’re happy. Shouldn’t that be all that matters?”
With his attention on Hawk, Ryan said, “Solidarity, brother. The men might take longer to accept us, but at least we’ve got the women on our side.”
Hawk forced a smile on his face. I didn’t doubt he was thinking that there was so much more to the response the men were having toward him.
And I hated it.
It wasn’t fair.
Because when I’d gone with him to Gus’s party, they’d all welcomed me with open arms.
Sure, I understood that dads were protective over their daughters, but this felt a little too harsh. How could Hawk prove he was a good man without my dad giving him the chance?
Olivia added, “This just seems so strange to me, because when I got involved with Taj not much more than six months ago, everyone was so sweet and welcoming. This shouldn’t be any different.”
“Maybe my brother needs to be the one who finds a way to make this go smoother,” Savanna reasoned. “We should talk to him.”
“Food’s ready!” my mom declared.
The need to fill our bellies took precedence, so the conversation took a backseat. For the next ten minutes or so, everyone moved around the backyard, piling their plates high. I put extra on mine, having noticed that Hawk was holding himself back.
Since the tables were all gathered together, there was no option but for everyone to eat together. That meant the men couldn’t go off to brood on one side of the yard while the women—and two new guys to the group—were on another.
I thought it might be good, might help ease everyone into a better place. There were enough of us around that it should’ve been that easy.
It wasn’t.
“So, like we were saying,” Lark announced, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “We have a bone to pick with you, Taj.”
Seemingly caught off guard, Taj replied, “Me? What did I do? And who’s we?”
“We is the women,” Savanna said.
“Particularly the unmarried women,” Harper clarified.
“You’re all mad at me?” he asked, disbelief in his tone.
“Not mad, Taj,” Mia assured him.
“Just disappointed,” Tessa explained.
My mom and my aunts were all pressing their lips together, attempting to stifle their laughter. My dad, my uncles, and the rest of the guys, with the exception of Hawk and Ryan, were exchanging confused looks.
“What’s going on?” Taj pressed.
“We supported you,” I informed him.
Harper added, “Without missing a beat, we took Olivia right into the fold.”
“And we love her,” Lark assured him. “But we’re wondering how you would’ve felt if we made things difficult for her.”
“Difficult for Olivia? Why would you do that?”
The girls and I nodded, but it was Tessa who said, “That’s an excellent question, Taj. What would ever make us do such a thing before we got to know her?”
“Oh, I love this,” Aunt Nikki murmured.
“Tell me about it,” Aunt Monroe agreed. “Our girls are doing exactly what they should to make their point clear.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Phoenix said. “Why’s everyone giving Taj a hard time?”
“That’s just it, little brother,” Harper said. “Nobody gave Taj a hard time.”
“What would you call what you’re doing right now?” Ace asked.
“Yeah,” Uncle Luke chimed in, looking toward the moms. “Why are you all encouraging this?”
Aunt Charley smiled. “Because the girls have a right to point out the hypocrisy.”
“Exactly. We’re pointing out that we didn’t give Taj a hard time,” Lark explained. “When he introduced Olivia to us, we accepted her. We got to know her.”
“And we treated her with respect,” Savanna added.
“Hawk and Ryan deserve the same,” Mia said.
Olivia placed her hand on Taj’s leg and leaned her weight into him. “They’re right, you know? If I only had you, it would’ve been enough. But you know what you gave me when you gave me all of them.”
With my eyes on the men, I added, “And it’s not right that you’re all unwilling to give us the same in return.”
My brother advised, “It’s different, Chloe.”
“What is?”
Archer said, “Our job is to look out for all of you.”
“And what is the goal in doing so?” Tessa pressed him.
“To make sure you’re safe.”
“From who?”
“Whoever you end up dating.”
With a piece of watermelon on her fork, Lark held it up in the air as she twirled her hand around and said, “And how would not getting to know Hawk or Ryan help you keep Chloe and Tessa safe? All you’re doing is alienating them and their guys. Do you think it helps the cause?”
“Yeah, Dad,” Savanna said, turning her attention to Wes. “Wouldn’t you say that to be a good dad, you’d have to get to know the guy I’m dating?”
His face paled. “You’re dating someone?”
She let out a frustrated sigh, but Mia explained, “Savanna’s not dating anyone. But Chloe is. Tessa is. And both Hawk and Ryan are here.”
“Mia, your sister and you are my number one priority.”
“So, wouldn’t that be more of a reason to get to know the guy your daughter is spending time with?”
I flicked my gaze to Hawk, expecting to see him slightly uncomfortable about what was happening now.
But much to my surprise, he seemed amused.
And I loved that. I loved that he wasn’t taking any of this the wrong way, that he understood my dad and the rest of the men in my life were merely just looking out for me, even if their methods were terrible.
“Oh, I’m so mortified,” my mom said.
That caught my dad’s attention. “Why, Emme?”
“Because we’re hosting our friends and family today. You’re supposed to be welcoming to everyone.”
Some of the hardness that had been in my dad’s features evaporated. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s just that… you know how I feel about my girls. I want to protect them from everything.”
I didn’t know what came over me—whether it was my mom’s frustration, the girls getting me riled up, or my fierce need to defend Hawk—but I didn’t think twice when I said what I said next.
“But you can’t, Dad. You’re not always there. And that’s okay, because at least Hawk was there when I needed someone to protect me from a crazy man outside my cake shop.”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, tension settled over the group. I could feel everyone’s disbelieving eyes on me, but it was my dad who looked at me, utterly horrified. “What did you just say?”
I bit my lip, glanced at Hawk, and returned my attention to my dad. “I had a situation a few weeks ago.”
“A situation?”
Nodding, I said, “Long story short, I was leaving for the day, and some guy was walking past the shop at the same time. He tried being friendly at first, but when I declined his advances, he wouldn’t take no for an answer and pinned me against the shop window.”
My dad was clenching his jaw, and my brother asked, “Why didn’t you tell us about this?”
“What was I going to tell you? It’s not like there was anything you could do about it.”
“I put cameras up outside your shop, Chloe,” Uncle Levi said. He was my dad’s brother, and he looked as furious as him. “We could’ve looked at the footage, figured out who the guy was, and handled it.”
I sighed. “Well, Hawk took care of it. He happened to be walking down the block at that moment, saw what was happening, and pulled the guy off me after I’d tried shoving and shouting at him to leave me alone.
Hawk told the guy to think wisely about his next move, because if he didn’t choose properly, that guy was going to have to deal with Hawk.
And once that jerk realized who he’d have to contend with, he backed off.
Hawk promised him he wouldn’t get that option the next time. ”