“Skylar broke my heart, not Markus. Don’t blame him for this. It wasn’t his fault she did what she did, and he blames himself enough,” she stressed, her eyes never leaving her aunt’s. “And I will forever be grateful for everything you’ve done for me, Libby, but I have to follow my heart.”

“You’re rushing into something you have no clue will work.”

“Nothing is promised in this life, Libby. We both know I hate it in Florida. I don’t have friends, I don’t have anything but you and Mr. Right there. I’m lonely and I miss my home. At least this way, if I get the job, I’ll travel like I want, and I’ll be with him, which is something I really want. Please understand that I need this. I need to be happy.”

Laughing, Libby gave her an incredulous look. “Mekena, nothing ever works out like that. You don’t get the dream job, the dream boy, and the dream life. Be real here. Something is going to go wrong, and then what?”

She hated how cynical her aunt was. How much Libby didn’t trust that Mekena could be happy if she wanted to be. She was sure Libby thought it was going to be her and Mekena for the rest of their unhappy lives, but Mekena wanted more. “Then I’ll pick myself up and try again. I’ve spent two years living the way you do. Unhappy and not looking for a way out. I came to Nashville with no plan even to try to find my happiness. I was going to do my job, ignore Markus, and that was it. But God had a different plan. He showed me what I could have. He gave me the truth I so desperately needed, Libby. And now he gave me this man who loves me, and I love him. I know I do, and I know you can’t understand that,” she said once Libby rolled her eyes in frustration. “But you can be happy too. You just have to want it.”

Shaking her head, Libby looked past her niece. “Okay, Mekena. Come on, we have to work.”

Which was Libby’s way of saying she was done. “You’re still mad?”

“Livid,” she said, walking past her, and Mekena’s heart ached. She didn’t want to hurt Libby. She loved her aunt. But she had to follow her dreams, didn’t she? She felt Markus looking at her, and when she looked over at him, his face was twisted in worry.

“You okay?” he mouthed, and she nodded. She wasn’t, but she wouldn’t ruin this dinner for him.

Following behind Libby, she started to click her camera when the doors opened and Lucy and Benji entered. Benji looked dashing in a nice black suit and a light purple bow tie, while Lucy looked stunning in an ivory lace dress, lined with big pearls along the neckline. The dress was cut in a perfect V, showing off Lucy’s body in an elegantly revealing way. Her hair was down in big, beautiful curls with a pearl-studded barrette holding some of the strands back at the top. They looked amazing and even better on the camera as Mekena clicked away.

She tried to push away everything her aunt said and work, but it was hard. Libby’s words played over and over again in her head, and she hated that. Mekena was so confident in the two of them. So ready to do this. And now the doubt was there. It wasn’t fair. Why did the world do this to her? Why couldn’t she just enjoy being happy? She had been so excited all day. Looking at apartments, making sure she could find one that would take Mr. Right. She was ecstatic. She was going to see if Markus wanted to live together, which she was sure he would want to, but what if she was rushing into this?

Stupid, cynical Aunt Libby.

Libby steered clear of Mekena most of the night, shooting one side of the room while Mekena did the other. It was usually how they worked, but that night it felt like Libby was avoiding her. Mekena hated how much that hurt her and also how much she was thinking about it. She just wanted her aunt’s support, her love, but she was starting to think she wouldn’t get it. Looking down, she fought back her tears. She had been so happy, and she really hadn’t thought Libby would act like that. Maybe she was just mad? She’d get over it and be her supportive self…with a touch of man-hater in her, but that was Libby. Mekena could handle that, but not this angry, “How could you leave me?” Libby. That Libby was mean.

When the clinking of a wineglass sounded, Mekena looked up, drawing in a deep breath and putting a smile on her face. She refused to make Markus worry, though he had been watching her all night. When her eyes fell on an older, very good-looking man who was starting to stand, she recognized him as Lucy’s father. He was smiling, his whole face joining the motion as he held his wineglass in his hand.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I know we have some toasts coming our way from the boys, but I wanted to say something. Though mine is not scripted at all.” Everyone smiled, which was surprising since Mekena was told no one really liked Mark Sinclair. Maybe things had changed, though, because everyone was looking up at him, grins on their faces as he spoke. She wondered if part of their happiness was because his new, young wife had been unable to attend the festivities. “I still remember the day Lucy was born. She came out of her mother screaming her ass off, and Lord knows she hasn’t stopped since.” Lucy grinned as all her brothers nodded in playful fun. “She has always been my headstrong one. The boys, they were persistent and tenacious when it came to hockey, but Lucy was downright stubborn about life. Nothing holds her down. She may bitch and whine about it, but she’ll get it done and she’ll do it with complete and beautiful grace.” He swallowed hard, his emotions apparent on his face as his eyes met Lucy’s. “I’ve watched you grow into a beautiful young lady and then into a young mother. I remember staying up at night during your pregnancy, crying with Autumn because we were so scared. Our precious baby, how was she going to be a mother? And without us since she had moved in with…well…with that man. And then one night, I looked at Autumn and I said, she’s gonna be great. It’s Lucy, she won’t give up, and boy, was I right. During a shitty divorce and then an even shittier custody battle, my baby stood tall through the fire and never faltered.”

Everyone nodded as Benji kissed the side of Lucy’s head, his eyes full of pure adoration for her.

“Thanks, Dad,” Lucy said and he smiled.

“As much as I want to say that her mother, I, or even her brothers were her biggest strength through the last year, I can’t. Because it wasn’t us. It was that man right there sitting beside her, Benji Paxton.” Lucy looked at Benji as Jayden slapped him on the back, nodding his head. “When I met him, I felt good. I didn’t get that ‘who’s this fucker’ kind of vibe. I got a good feeling because that’s Benji. He’s a good dude, and God, the love he has for not only Lucy but Angie too radiates off him. He stood right in the middle of the fire with Lucy, and he helped put out the flames, protecting her and loving her through it all. Because of that, I owe Benji everything. I owe him for loving my grandbaby and my baby girl, but also for giving them the life they deserve. So while I want to toast to my lovely daughter for all her accomplishments, this is mainly for Benji because, let’s all be honest, loving my daughter is not easy, but he does it better than anyone else.”