CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Not too long after returning from the bar—where he was pretty sure he’d been dumped—Ben sat around a poker table with the males in Lizzie’s family. Noah had introduced them all, and he thought he had a handle on the names. Edward was her dad. Adam was Kate’s husband. Jack was Lucy’s, and Dirk was Emma’s. Noah, the only person he actually knew, had just married in about a month ago and was Daisy’s other half.
Ben was still processing what had happened earlier, which left only half a brain to focus on the game. With barely a glance at his cards, he threw down a chip. They were playing Texas Hold ’em, and the face-up cards on the table were important to his bet. Or should have been important.
“You sure you wanna do that?” Noah asked.
Ben looked at his hand and then at the flop. “Oh. No. Probably not, but it’s too late.”
“Somethin’ you want to talk about?” Jack said, folding his cards together.
“Huh?” Ben said.
“This has Lizzie written all over it,” Dirk added, also collapsing his cards.
“I don’t know what happened,” Ben said. He barely knew these guys, but maybe that would make spilling his guts easier. “One second, things are great. She texts that she likes me, and then all of a sudden, I’m on my ass in the parking lot.”
“I pray you mean that figuratively,” Edward muttered.
Ben huffed out a laugh and nodded. “Yes.”
“Wait a second,” Jack said, laying his cards face down on the table. “Did you say Lizzie texted she liked you?”
At Ben’s nod, he pulled out his phone and began typing into it. So did Adam and Dirk. After Jack put his phone down, Ben raised an eyebrow, asking for an explanation.
“Oh,” Jack said. “If Lucy finds out I knew about this and sat on the information, she’ll kill me.”
“Kate would also want to know,” Adam said diplomatically.
“Emma will just be so happy Lizzie likes someone,” Dirk said.
Noah looked as confused as Ben felt. “I’m new here,” he said. “Should I be involved in this somehow?”
Edward laughed as Adam’s phone rang, a picture of Kate flashing on the screen. He stood and took a step away to answer it. “Well, sure I believe him.” He lowered his voice, but Ben still overheard him. “Why would he lie?” Pause. “No, I’m not gonna ask to see the text.”
Jack jumped in. “Lucy asked to see it too,” he said to Ben. “Any chance…”
Ben rolled his eyes, opened the messaging app on his phone, and showed them the text, still unsure why this was causing such a ruckus.
Adam turned away again. “It’s there. But he has her listed as Elizabeth in his contacts.” His tone made it clear that Kate would find the information significant and inappropriate.
“You know I can hear you, right?” Ben asked, clicking the button to edit the contact and changing Elizabeth to Lizzie. “Happy?”
Adam shrugged. “Sounds like it’s not me you need to make happy.”
“What. Is. Happening?” Ben said. “What’s the big deal?”
Everyone took that opportunity to shut up. They all looked at each other, clearly hoping the other would explain. Edward finally manned up.
“Lizzie plays her cards close to her chest. No pun intended. It’s unlike her to show much emotion or admit she has feelings for someone. I’d tread carefully, son.”
“Now that I think about it,” Adam said. “You’re the only boyfriend of Lizzie’s I’ve ever met. That should tell you something.”
“I feel like now’s a good time to warn you,” Dirk said, “that the Parkers come as a package. Date or marry one, and you get them all.” Everyone nodded in agreement.
“That’s…overwhelming.” Ben ran a hand through his hair.
“You get used to it,” Adam said.
“Oh, dear,” Jack said, looking at his phone. “Pretty sure I know why you got kicked to the curb.”
Ben stared and waited.
“Lizzie and Lucy were at the mall today. They saw you.”
“Saw me?” Ben asked.
“At the Pour House. Having lunch. With a woman?”
“Oof,” Dirk said.
“No wonder you’re in the doghouse,” Adam added.
Noah grimaced. “New or not, I know that’s bad.”
It took Ben a second to register what he was implying, but he got there. “Oh, shit.”
“So, to sum up,” Adam said. “Lizzie says she likes you—as far as we know, the only man she’s ever said that to—and then, a minute later, finds you on a date with someone else.”
“Okay, I see how this looks bad,” Ben said. “But we never said we were exclusive, and she had coffee with some guy a couple of days ago. Maya saw them yukking it up at The Drip.”
Jack texted the news and waited. A second later, his phone pinged. “Wednesday around three?” he said. “That was someone Lizzie was interviewing for a bartender spot.”
“Crap,” Ben said. “That woman I was with meant nothing. It was a date my daughter set up through an online dating site.”
“You’re on a dating site?” Dirk exclaimed, horrified. Jack texted furiously.
“This hole’s getting pretty deep,” Noah said.
“Technically, yes. But it’s not like I wanted to be on it. I didn’t even set it up,” Ben explained. “It was Maya’s idea, and she’s been running it. She’s terrified I’ll die of loneliness when she goes to college. Lizzie knew about it.”
“Huh,” Adam said.
“I didn’t want to go out with her,” Ben continued. “Maya talked me into it, saying Lizzie probably wasn’t serious about me, that she had a history of casual flings, and that I shouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket.”
And she had a point. Lizzie’s mankiller reputation didn’t exactly scream, successful, long-term relationship. Did Ben really think he would be the one to tame her roaming ways? Be the one guy to make her want to settle down? Maybe. Why not him?
Every time Ben spoke, Jack texted. He could only guess it was a verbatim relay of his excuses. Finally, he stopped and set the phone down.
“It’s bad, but surely not a death blow,” Dirk said.
“Lizzie is complicated,” Edward said. “She’s different from the rest of my girls, but just as special. She might take a little figuring out, but I’m positive she’d be worth it.”
“Lizzie only dates boys,” Jack said. “What she needs is a man.”
Ben looked up, dumbfounded. “What do you mean?”
“She goes out with these loser guys from the bar and then wonders why things never work out,” Jack said. “Truth is, I don’t think she wants it to. She keeps her distance from everyone, but men especially. And it seems like she does it intentionally to avoid getting too serious.”
“You might be the first guy who’s given her a run for her money,” Adam said. “And by that, I mean she’s not in total control, and that scares her.”
“If Lizzie found out we were talking about her like this, she’d be mortified,” Jack said.
“And we’d be dead,” Adam added.
“We need to take a vow of silence,” Dirk said.
They all nodded, which was apparently all it took to solidify the pledge.
“I think she needs someone to stand up to her and not let her get away with her pushing-everyone-aside routine,” Dirk said. “I’m not a shrink or anything, but I have studied what makes people tick, and from what I can tell, Adam’s right. Lizzie has control issues and always wants to be in the driver’s seat. But I think she’s tired of it. And that she’d gladly let go. For the right man.”
“You wanna be that man, Ben?” Jack asked.
“No pressure, eh?” Noah raised his eyebrows.
Ben sighed. Did he? “You guys are giving me a lot to think about, that’s for sure,” he said. “Sorry I hijacked the game with my lady problems.”
Everyone chuckled. “Well, one thing we all have in common is winning over a Parker,” Noah said.
“You should have seen how I had to grovel,” Jack said.
“Don’t suppose you’re a secret millionaire and can buy her affection?” Adam said.
“No,” Dirk said. “That’s not Lizzie’s style. It’s got to be something that wins her heart.”
“I don’t know,” Ben said. “I work a fireman’s salary and support an expensive teenage daughter. What have I got to offer?”
“You mean after you win back her trust?” Adam said. “Stability.”
“Maturity,” Dirk said.
“Security,” Noah added.
“That’s a lot of ’ities,” Jack said. “But you seem capable.”
“I’m also good at word games,” Ben mumbled.
“Um, does anyone else feel like a teenage girl right now?” Noah said.
They all froze.
“I have a teenage girl,” Ben said. “We seem worse.”
Edward stood. “All right, I’m taking a page out of Sophie’s playbook. Give me your phones.” They reluctantly handed over their phones, and Edward put them in a pile on the counter away from the poker table. “Another round of beers?”
Everyone gave a manly grunt and returned their focus to the game.
Ben realized he was on his own now. After making such a big fuss, they’d hung up their concern, content to abandon him. They acted calm and cool, like his love life wasn’t in ruins.
Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer. “If it means turning in my man card, fine. But I really like Lizzie. And I need help. Any thoughts on how to proceed?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Jack said, dismissively waving a hand and glancing back to his cards. “I’m sure a plan is already in motion.”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s the upside of the Parker package,” Dirk said with a peppy smile. “Get ’em on your side, and you’ll have ideas and helpers coming out the wazoo.”
“Are you saying Lizzie’s sisters will help me?”
“And mom. And grandma. And cousin,” Adam said. “Hundred bucks says they’re on their way already.”
“Here? Now? To help me?” Ben asked hopefully.
Dirk shook his head. “To grill you.”
“Oh,” Ben said, his hands suddenly sweaty.
“I’ve been where you are,” Jack said, slapping him on the back. “It will be uncomfortable as hell, but worth it in the long run.”
The pep talk and things-to-know about Lizzie seminar from the guys had been nice, but everything they told him, he instinctively already knew. Lizzie might be complex—bold but vulnerable, tough yet empathetic—but that didn’t scare him. He did want to be the man she needed. He was up for the challenge and ready to fight for her.
Sure, there was plenty more to discover about her. Sure, there would be obstacles and issues they disagreed on, but they could tackle those things throughout their life together. He just had to figure out a way to make the “life together” part happen.
“We should put away the chips and dip,” Edward said.
“You mean hide them?” Adam said, ribbing his father-in-law. “Don’t think we weren’t all given strict instructions to keep you away from that stuff.”
“Shut up,” Edward said. “And put those carrot and celery sticks back out.”
“Don’t worry,” Dirk said, putting the chip bag under the bar. “We won’t tell Sophie.”
Within fifteen minutes, the cards had been abandoned, the beer left to go warm, and the room filled with the scent of perfume and cooing babies—the calvary had arrived.
Overwhelmed and outnumbered, Ben sat back and prepared to take his lumps, ready to do whatever it took to win them—and then Lizzie—over.