Love was worth fighting for. At least that’s what Carter Ashton told himself as his girlfriend’s father leapt on top of the round reception table covered in a white tablecloth at Layne and Walker’s wedding.

Crystal flutes filled with champagne tipped and rolled to the ground under the three-hundred-year-old oak tree lit up by tiny white lights where the reception was taking place on the Davies Family Farm. Some flutes smashed when they fell on the grass as Cy Davies launched himself through the air at Carter, which sent the table teetering. Carter shoved Reagan behind him and waited. It wouldn’t take long for Cy to get to him, and Carter was done running.

Carter knew this was coming the second he’d pulled Reagan into his arms and thoroughly kissed her in front of the whole party, including her very overprotective father. But he’d decided he’d given Reagan enough time to come to terms that their relationship was forever. It was time to become public. So he’d tossed back a couple of bourbons as he watched Reagan across the dance floor at yet another wedding that wasn’t his and decided that was the time to do it. He’d walked across the dance floor, held out his hand with his heart in his palm, and asked Reagan to dance. When she’d said yes, he knew she was ready to tell the world they were together and that made him so damn proud he’d kissed her right there in the middle of the dance floor.

There were screams, the loudest coming from Cy’s wife, Gemma, and Carter’s own parents, Will and Kenna. Reagan fought to get between Carter and her father, but Carter saw his hopefully soon-to-be brother-in-law, Matt Walz, swoop in and suddenly Carter couldn’t feel Reagan behind him anymore. He heard her, though. She was cussing up a storm at Matt for holding her back. In that instant, she sounded remarkably like her father.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing kissing my daughter?” Cy bellowed as he charged across the dance floor like a raging bull. The dance floor, filled with friends and the entire Davies and Faulkner families, parted like the Red Sea.

“I’m kissing my girlfriend, sir,” Carter spoke loudly and clearly a second before Cy’s fist connected with his chin.

“I’m so glad our parents moved to Florida,” Carter heard one of the Faulkner women say to her cousins, who were visiting from Shadows Landing, South Carolina, for the first time. Stars danced in front of Carter’s eyes. Or maybe they were the lights in the tree blurring as he fell to the ground.

Nope, Carter checked. He was still standing. That alone was a victory for him. In that instant, a strong arm wrapped around his shoulder as the groom, SEAL Team Six member Walker Greene, smiled at him and winked.

“Uncle Cy,” he said with his slow Charleston drawl to the man that had been his uncle for about one hour. “As the newest member of the family it’s my turn to catch up on welcoming the new beau.”

Carter wasn’t a slouch. He was over six feet tall and had grown up working on a farm. He had muscles, but he looked skinny next to Walker’s thick body, which was built to survive any condition known to man, including a week alone on the ocean after his team leader had tried to kill him. Carter also knew Walker regularly worked out with Cy, his father-in-law, Miles, and Ahmed, the biggest badass of them all even if he was retired from the Rahmi Security Forces.

Cy was breathing hard. Reagan was threatening bodily harm upon her father. Gemma was smiling, and his parents had taken a stand on Carter’s left side.

“Come on, Uncle Cy. It’s my right having survived your best try at cracking me, right?” Walker grinned. He didn’t wait for an answer, instead Carter just felt Walker tugging him away from the dance floor as they headed for the nearby barn.

“I’ve learned so many uses for a spoon. I can’t wait to show you,” Walker said loudly and Carter heard Miles chuckle. Carter didn’t know what he was in for, but as he looked back into the worried hazel eyes of the woman he’d fallen in love with over the course of their secret relationship, he was determined to face it head on. He’d do anything for Reagan, even go toe-to-toe with her family. A family he’d once considered almost as close to him as his own.

---

Reagan slammed her fist backward and heard Matt grunt as she hit her brother-in-law in the balls.

“You know your sister and I are trying to have kids, right?” he groaned as he loosened his hold on her.

Reagan didn’t know where to go or what to do first. Go after Walker with Carter or tackle her father to the ground and tell him he was ruining her life. In the end, she didn’t have to make the decision because her father made it for her as her twin sister, Riley, and their cousins, along with their very pregnant cousin-in-law, who also happened to be Carter’s sister, Sienna, stepped up to have her back.

Sienna rubbed her belly, which was cutely rounded with her and Ryan’s first baby, who was due in four months. Ryan, bless his torn heart, stood looking back and forth between his wife and his uncle as Sienna stepped around Reagan and stood patiently as Cy blustered about hiding a boyfriend from him.

“Are you done?” Sienna asked him calmly. Reagan looked to her sister, Riley, questioningly. Riley shrugged, indicating she didn’t know what Sienna was up to either.

“She lied to me. She lied to all of us. She’s been sneaking around like a teenager. And any man who isn’t brave enough to date my daughter in public doesn’t deserve her!” Cy yelled over Sienna’s head in the direction Walker had dragged Carter. Reagan felt the hit as if her father had been standing in front of her.

“Carter has wanted to from the very beginning. I’m the one who told him to keep it secret because of you. You ruin everything!” Reagan yelled back as anger and tears battled within her. She loved her father. Loved him with all her heart. But this overprotectiveness had to stop. He’d run off every boy she and Riley had brought home, until Matt.

“Now are you done?” Sienna asked Cy again.

“Don’t you dare try to give me that mumbo-jumbo you give to your football players,” Cy growled.

Sienna shook her head. She was the sports psychologist for the local professional football team. “My brother is a kind and compassionate man who has too much respect for his friends to fight you. That’s what makes you the luckiest man here. Your daughter will be loved, respected, and cherished. But nooooo, you have to be all big and bad over the fact that your thirty-year-old daughter is having sex with my brother. Out of everyone Reagan could have brought home, I think she made one hell of a good decision.” Sienna took a deep breath and smiled a threatening smile that had Reagan taking a step back from her. “I married into the Davies family, right?” she asked, smiling over at Ryan whose mom was Cy’s sister.

Reagan’s father nodded slowly in agreement, dumbfounded that the lovely and sweet Sienna has raised her voice at him.

“So, I thought I’d settle this as a Davies instead of as an Ashton. I love my brother with all my heart, and while he has too much respect to fight back, I don’t. And you’ve gone and pissed me off. You should know by now to never, and I mean never, piss off a pregnant lady.”

Reagan gasped as Sienna pulled back her hand and slammed her fist into Cy’s nose.

“Ow!” Sienna cried as she clutched her hand. Reagan looked to her father who absorbed the hit as if it were nothing. Instead, his face was locked in surprise. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes wide as Will and Ryan raced to Sienna’s side and wrapped their arms protectively around her.

“You hit me,” Cy sputtered in shock.

“Someone needed to,” Sienna said with a huff as she shook her hand.

“If she hadn’t, then I would have,” Will Ashton said, standing eye to eye with Cy. “You’re my friend, Cy. You’re practically a brother to me. How could you think so little of my son?” Shaking his head, Will turned to Layne and gave her a strained smile. “Congratulations, Layne. I’m sorry we’ve ruined your wedding.”

Layne smiled kindly as she hurried forward and grabbed Will’s hands. “It’s not a party until a punch is thrown.” The band took the hint and began to play a fast song.

“I’m going to find my son and then head home. We’ll stop by when you get back from your honeymoon to see you both,” Will told her as he reached for his wife and daughter.

“I look forward to it. You’ll find them behind the barn. I’m sure Walker hasn’t taken him far,” Layne said before kissing Kenna’s cheek.

Sienna looked unsure of herself as she stopped in front of Reagan. “I’m sorry I hit your dad. Please don’t hate me.”

All the steam went out of Reagan. If only she’d been braver and told the truth sooner, all of this could have been avoided. And now her cousin Ryan was also stuck in the middle. Stuck between his family and his own wife and in-laws. Sienna looked to her husband who stood in the middle of them as she reached for her father’s hand.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Cy, but I agree with my wife on this one.” Ryan turned and followed after his wife and in-laws.

“Sweet pea,” her father said softly, stopping Reagan in her tracks.

“No, Dad. This time you went too far.”

“Honey,” her mother called out. “Bring Carter for dinner this week. I promise your father will welcome him to our house.” By the death glare her mother gave her father, Reagan believed she’d certainly try. But she also felt that her father would never change.

“I can’t. I leave in two days for Ocala. Goodbye.” With a heavy heart, Reagan turned her back on her parents and walked quickly to catch up with the Ashtons. How would they ever accept her now? She’d been selfish during her relationship with Carter. She’d only thought about herself. She never thought about Carter or his parents. How was she ever going to face herself for causing such pain to those she loved? And she did love him. She had all along.

---

As they neared the back of the barn, Reagan could hear Walker and Carter talking. At least there wasn’t the sound of a fight. Reagan fell back, knowing Will and Kenna took precedent over her to reach their son. Reagan felt her heart breaking. She’d put Carter in this position. She’d hurt him and their relationship.

“Cool your jets. Reagan can handle herself. This is something she needs to do. You did your part, now let her do hers,” Reagan heard Walker say as they came around the corner of the barn. Walker’s back was to them and blocked Carter from her sight.

“Carter!” Kenna cried as she sent Walker a grateful smile. “Oh, look at your chin. Are you hurt?”

Reagan’s heart broke further at the sight of the nasty bruise forming on Carter’s square jaw. He wasn’t looking at his mother, though. He was looking right at her. His brown eyes were filled with worry. And that was when Reagan broke down. A sob ripped from her throat as Carter pushed past Walker and wrapped her in his arms.

“Shh. It’s okay, sweetie. I’m so sorry. I should have told you what I had planned. I knew your father wouldn’t handle it well. I thought in public he would have been a little better—”

Reagan shook her head. “No, it’s all my fault. I should have listened to you from the start and not hidden this.”

“Exactly how long has this been going on?” Sienna asked, pointing to the two of them.

“Sixteen months,” Reagan said shyly.

“Sixteen months!” Will said with shock. “You’re a better spy than your father.”

“I shouldn’t have left you to your father’s anger,” Carter whispered to her as he ignored his parents.

“Don’t worry. Your sister defended your honor.”

Carter looked to where Sienna stood serenely. “What did you do?”

“I put him in his place. No one picks on my baby brother,” Sienna said as she rubbed her belly.

“Your sister punched Cy in the nose,” Ryan said with pride.

“You did?” Carter asked with surprise.

“Yes. And I’d do it all over again too. But now I’m tired. And I’m sure you want to talk to Reagan alone. Call if you need anything,” Sienna told them before leaning forward and kissing them each on the cheek.

“Mrs. Ashton,” Reagan started, but Kenna cut her off.

“I know what you’re going to say. You only called me Mrs. Ashton when you did something wrong as a child. You’re not a child and you did nothing wrong. This is between your father and us, and you and your father, and we’ll handle it as such. You two go home. We’ll see you after you get back from Florida.”

Reagan fought the tears, but the tears won.

“It’ll be okay,” Kenna said as she cupped Reagan’s cheek with her hand. “Every relationship has hard times. It matters how you handle those times. Are you going to run away or are you going to fight? That will tell you more about what kind of relationship you have than anything else. We’ll love you either way.”

The music from the band picked up as people began to cheer in the distance. The party was back in full swing as Kenna, Will, Ryan, and Sienna left. “Come on. Let’s go home. We don’t have to hide anymore,” Carter said to her as he reached for her hand. With Kenna’s advice still ringing in her ears, Reagan looked back at the party briefly. Her heart ached. No matter what move she made, she’d be alienating a man she loved—her father or her boyfriend.

“I’m ready,” Reagan said, placing her hand in Carter’s.