“No fucking way, Lacey Arielle! Are you crazy?” Her father’s voice boomed.

“No, I love him and he loves me,” she declared, but she doubted they even heard her.

“No, Lacey, you’re not thinking clearly,” Rachel insisted.

“He is a worthless piece of shit, Lacey. He doesn’t deserve someone like you!” Grady yelled. “He broke your heart once! How can you trust him again?”

“He is after your money, your business!” Nate declared, causing Karson to scoff.

“Not that I need to defend myself, but my money is yours, Lacey,” he whispered in her ear. “Everything and anything is yours.”

She met his gaze and smiled. She never once thought he was after her business or money; it had never crossed her mind. She trusted him. “That’s not true. He loves me.”

“He left before. He’ll leave again!” Rachel cried into the phone. “Please, Lacey, you are making such a mistake.”

“He left because of Dad and Grady. He told me what happened,” she said, her own eyes burning with tears at the betrayal. She should be mad at them, not ashamed of her marriage, but her family was making it seem like it was the worst thing possible, like she was an idiot or something. Didn’t they understand how much she loved him? How he was the only person she had ever truly loved and needed?

“You two are supposed to love me. Who does this to someone they love?”

“What is she talking about?” Grady asked, causing Lacey’s heart to pound harder in her chest.

“Don’t act like you didn’t know that Dad threatened Karson’s career so he’d leave. That you two have kept him away from me all these years!”

“What is she talking about?” Grady asked.

“He’s lying,” Nate said calmly. “I wouldn’t hurt you, princess. I love you.”

Lacey shook her head. “If you loved me, you would support me. I love Karson, and I’m moving to Nashville to be with him.”

“What?” Rachel and Grady yelled.

“No! I swear to God, we will fix this. Just come home. We can talk this over. I promise, Lacey, I did it for you,” Nate begged. “Don’t make any more mistakes. Just come home. To your family.”

“I don’t want that, Dad. I am happy.”

“Lacey, no, I swear to God, your mother is probably rolling over in her grave! You are throwing your life away. Come home so I can fix this,” he begged, making her blood boil.

“My mother would be proud and happy that I am doing something to make myself happy.”

“Lacey, stop. This is insane. You don’t even know this douche. He’s a whorebag, sleeps around everywhere,” Grady yelled. “He’ll probably cheat on you in a week. Don’t trust him.”

Karson rolled his eyes as Lacey said, “I trust him. We love each other.”

“No! You are making a bad decision! Come home, I’ll call and get it fixed.”

“Dad, I don’t know if you realize this, but I’m not a scared eighteen-year-old girl any longer. I am twenty-eight years old and can make my own decisions now. I choose Karson.”

“You are making the wrong choice, Lacey Arielle. This is insane. We need to talk this through.”

“No, it’s not. I love Karson; we are husband and wife. I am going to start my life with him. I just wanted to let you guys know I am okay. I love you all, and when you are ready to support us then I will be more than happy to talk to you, but I refuse to sit here and let you bash my husband.”

“Well, when you marry shit, then it’s bound to get bashed,” Grady sneered.

“This is insane. He didn’t love you enough to stay. Why do you think he does now?” her father bit out and that stung, but she ignored him because she forgave Karson for that.

“Lacey, please,” Rachel begged. “Come home.”

“I’ll be back in Chicago on Wednesday to tie up any loose ends that we can’t take care of over the phone. I also want to say bye to the boys, and I guess, figure out how we are going to run the business with me in Nashville. We’ll figure it out, but my husband will be with me, and I expect you all to treat him with respect.”

“I wouldn’t piss on that asshole if he were on fire,” Grady growled. “He stole you from us.”

“No one stole anyone. I went willingly. I love him, Grady,” Lacey answered, running her nose along her husband’s.

“You are making such a mistake, Lacey. We can’t run a business long-distance; we need to be together,” Rachel cried. “Please don’t do this.”

“It’s done and I don’t regret it one bit. For once, I am actually happy, and I hope that you guys will respect that.”

“He is going to hurt you, Lacey,” Nate said, but before she could say anything, Karson took the phone from her.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Mr. Martin, but I can promise you that I will never hurt her again. I did that, and there isn’t a day that passes that I don’t regret what I did. I’m not going anywhere without her, I love her too much, and we would really like your blessing,” he said and then paused. “Again, I am sorry that you wish me to the fiery depths of hell, but I’m not going anywhere. I have your daughter, my wife, to make happy.”

With a grin on his face, he hung up the phone and laid it on the counter before gathering her in his arms. “That last part was more a jab and completely disrespectful on my part. Sorry about that.”