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Once they were out of earshot, I turned to him. “Sir—”
He held up a hand, stopping me there. “A diamond.”
“Excuse me?”
“My girl.” He stared me down hard. “That’s what she is.”
I immediately thought of the sparkling brilliance of the gem and opened my mouth to agree, but he shook his head, cutting me off again.
“Just like a diamond, my Olivia is beautiful. Any man with eyes can see that. And it’s a fact that besides its beauty, a diamond is one of the hardest materials on earth.”
“Yes, sir. Olivia is one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.”
“Do you know how much force it takes to shatter a diamond, son?”
I shook my head, not sure where he was going with all this.
“Just about three pounds.” His gaze narrowed as he took in my reaction like a hawk. “Three pounds of pressure to shatter one of the hardest things of beauty this earth creates. Can you believe that?”
“Sir, I don’t—”
“Just because something is hard doesn’t make it strong, Justin.” His words thundered through the silent kitchen a moment as he allowed that to settle in. “I’m glad you make my girl happy, I really am. And her safety is my number one priority. As long as you’re seeing to both of those things, we won’t have a problem.” His gray brows lifted. “But I want to make one thing perfectly clear here. I’m fully aware that Olivia is a grown woman who can make her own life decisions, but she will always be my little girl—my only daughter—and that baby is my granddaughter.”
“I understand.”
“Do you?” He began to tear up, though he quickly blinked it back. It was obvious we’d sprung a lot on them today. “I was there when she was born. I taught her how to fish, how to ride a bike, and how to throw a punch if need be. Above all, we’ve strived to teach all our kids to be true to their faith, their family, and themselves. It nearly broke me when she came home from Italy a shell of the girl we sent over there, but we watched her pick herself back up and build a career and become one hell of a mother.” He leaned in. “All that to say, I hope you are a man worthy of all that... one who knows what he wants and has the integrity to be honest about it. And if it’s not my girls—who are a package deal, obviously—then please have the decency to walk away before you break her again, because I won’t sit by silently again.”
“I do understand, Mr. Creed. And I respect you being upfront with me. Let me do the same for you.” At his nod, I continued. “This started as a job for me. I did not see any of this coming, and honestly, I didn’t want it. I was married before, and my wife cheated on me with a good friend. So, I have an idea what it’s like to be broken and need to rebuild.” I ran a hand over my head, not sure how to explain something that was so unexplainable. “I’ve been lost since the military. Just working on autopilot. No real relationships or attachments. And I’ve always maintained professional boundaries... until Olivia. She just brings something alive in me.” His expression softened at my words, so I hoped I was getting through. “I have no idea what’s going to happen between us, but I can promise you two things right now. First, I will put her and Elizabeth’s safety above my own—above everything—until the situation I was hired for is resolved. And second, I will always be honest with her.” It was the best I had to offer him in that moment.
He was quiet for a long moment, then he nodded once, seemingly satisfied. “Fair enough.” He clapped a hand to my shoulder. “Should we go join everyone else before they send in the search party?”
“Good plan.”
We made our way into the living area, and I was greeted by a sea of faces. The hubbub quieted when we entered as everyone took in the new guy. I automatically sought out Olivia’s face and she gave me a soft smile as she rose from the couch to come to me.
She laced her fingers through mine in a tight, reassuring grip. “Everyone, this is Justin Ashford. Justin... everyone.”
She laughed and tugged me around the room, introducing me to everybody. I already knew her parents and Camden, who had brought his family. Now I met some of her cousins—Asher, Levi, and Silas, and their respective wives and children. So many children. I also didn’t think it was lost on anyone how Elizabeth clung to my other hand as we made our way around.
“So, this is your boyfriend?” a bubbly blonde she’d introduced as Harper asked with a smile.
“Oh . . . well . . .” Olivia shot me a questioning look.
It was complicated and we’d never labeled things. If we were being honest, I guess I was her hired security turned booty call, and somewhere along the way we had grown some feelings. But what that equaled, I had no damn clue, and apparently, neither did she.
“We’re seeing each other, yes,” I said, stepping in to save her, and I could literally feel the heat of Camden’s stare on the side of my face, as this was news to him. I just couldn’t tell if he was okay with it or if I was about to get my ass fired.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound—of flesh. I squeezed Olivia’s fingers, then excused myself to walk over to him. “Got a second?”
He nodded. “Sure.” He kissed his wife on the cheek, then extricated himself from the love seat, leaving her with the sleeping baby to follow me back to the kitchen.
When I turned, he had planted himself near the threshold with his hands in his pockets, his gaze speculative.
“You and my sister, huh?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Depends.”