Linked

by Barbara Huffert

  Tori was shaking. “Yes.”

  “I’m a horrible person. Much worse than I thought. All right, next question. After everyone went home and I calmed down enough to listen to what my husband wasn’t saying, I figured out he thinks you’re in love with Guy but are too afraid to let yourself give in to it. Is he right?” Tori nodded miserably. “Well, I’ll be damned,” Terese gasped in amazement. “I was all ready to dig in and badger you to get you to admit that.”

  “So what? Nothing’s changed. It doesn’t matter.”

  “Oh, honey, you have no idea.” Terese’s exuberance manifested as a hug. “It matters more than anything else you can think of and absolutely everything’s changed. Or it will once you tell Guy how you feel.”

  “Me? But I thought…”

  “That I’d tell him?” Terese chuckled. “That’s not for me to tell.”

  “Then why…”

  “Why did I insist on knowing? Simple. Contrary to how it seemed the other night, I do love my little brother. I don’t like to see him hurt and do what I can to protect him, not that he thinks he needs me to. Our other sisters will tell you the same thing. We’ve all been hoping he’d find someone special and settle down because he needs that to get rid of the restlessness he won’t admit he’s been feeling for some time now. I’m sure Guy and Todd warned you about our family and they probably gave you a watered-down version so we didn’t scare you off. We’re all loud and pushy whether we’re at each other’s throats or fawning all over each other. We’re bad enough when it’s just us. When we put aside our differences and gang up on someone else, well, let’s just say it’s not a pretty sight. I asked how you feel so I know what to do next.”

  “You mean you have different plans for whether I or not I figured out how I feel?”

  “Yep. And one for if you would have broken it off with Guy even if I’d been civilized and friendly to you.”

  “Oh God,” Tori groaned. “Look, Terese, I’m sure you mean well and please don’t think I don’t appreciate your coming to talk to me but—”

  “Un-un-un,” Terese cut her off. “Hormonal pregnant woman who has always butted in where she wasn’t wanted here, remember? You try to blow me off without hearing me out and I won’t be responsible for how I react.”

  Tori sputtered. “That is so not fair!”

  “I know.” Terese grinned. “Getting back to what I was saying, if you truly weren’t interested in Guy, I would have apologized and gone home. If you were interested but your feelings were undecided, I would have apologized and gotten you back to the point you were at before I tore you apart.”

  “How?” Tori was curious in spite of telling herself she didn’t want to know.

  “I would have arranged for the two of you to have dinner out somewhere with Todd and me. You would have come with us, to make you think you wouldn’t be alone with Guy and then our baby-sitter would have called, needing us to come home without delay shortly after we arrived at the restaurant but not before it was too late to cancel our order, leaving you and Guy on your own to work out the rest.”

  “Next?”

  “Hmm. Why don’t I save that one for last and give you the optimum now?”

  Tori gave her an exaggerated smile. “Why don’t you just get this over with however the hell you want since that’s exactly what you’re going to do anyway?” She scowled. “You are as bad as he is.”

  “Why thank you.” Terese beamed. “So nice of you to say so.”

  “Um, Terese, I was being sarcastic.”

  “Sure, Tori.” She patted her hand again. “If you say so. Personally, I think you want to believe you were insulting me to annoy me so I’d go away but I prefer to take it as a compliment. Now stop changing the subject and let me finish. It would be best all the way around if you accepted my apology, admitted how you felt and called Guy to come over as soon as possible and told him as soon as he walked in the door.”

  Tori shook her head violently and backed away. “No. I could never… I mean…”

  Terese stepped forward and grabbed Tori’s hand. “Hey, it was just a suggestion. I didn’t really think there was any chance of that happening so don’t go all weird on me.”

  “I can’t handle this.” Tori was so overwhelmed at the thought of actually calling Guy that she felt as if her head were spinning wildly out of control. If Terese didn’t stop, she’d lose her mind and get hysterical.

  “Oh, please.” Terese rolled her eyes. “Todd told me about some of your dreams and Ned showed me the sketches of our house and I listened to the recording of that night. You managed all that without any problems so this should be a piece of cake.”

  “No chance you’ll leave if I asked you to?”

  “As if,” Terese giggled. “You’re going to be fun to have around. I can’t wait to see what you do when Guy gives you an order. Anyway.” Her expression dared Tori to interrupt. “Here’s what we’re going to do.” Terese proceeded to outline the rest of Tori’s evening. She ignored Tori’s protests as if she hadn’t spoken and steamrolled her to go along with her plans.

  * * * * *

  Guy sat in front of his parents’ home and wished he could leave without going in. Correction. Leave without going in and without hurting his family. It was still early enough to call Tori. Once he went in, he knew he wouldn’t have an opportunity to sneak off for a few minutes of privacy until it was too late for her to still be awake. She already had bad memories of the night. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb her with his own selfish needs and have her add him to her reasons for disliking the holiday.

  Pulling his mind from his depressing thoughts, Guy mentally prepared himself for the long evening ahead. He had cut short his visit on Christmas because he was anxious to spend as much time as he could with Tori at Barry’s. No way would they let him bail early tonight. No, he was stuck for the duration so he might as well just suck it up and get over it because no amount of self-pity was going to change a damn thing.

  “Finally.” Guy’s mother latched on to him as soon as he opened the door. “It’s about time you got here.”

  “Hey, Mom.” He kissed her check. “I’m not that late, am I? You always told us eight and it’s only ten after. Did you ask me to come earlier? I’m sorry but I don’t remember if you did.”

  “No.” She tugged him through the living room without letting him greet anyone and briefly wondered why none of them seemed surprised. “Can’t a mother just want to see her baby boy without any specific reason?”

  “Sure.” Guy’s instincts kicked his mind to high alert when he realized they were alone in the kitchen. There were always people spread all over the house on holidays. There had to be something wrong for everyone to gather in one room when it wasn’t time to eat. “Everything okay?”

  “Why yes,” she assured him cheerfully. “Unless there’s something you haven’t told me.”

  “No, I’m fine. Things seem a little off but I’m probably just imagining it.”

  “Hmm.” She continued to watch him with her unreadable expression. “Why don’t you take a minute and say hi to your father. He’s out in the garage. Maybe things will seem better to you when you come back in.”

  Guy frowned. It wasn’t like his dad to not be in the center of things when they all gathered. If he had isolated himself in the garage, there had to be trouble.

  “Yo, Dad,” Guy called before he had the door completely open. “What are you doing out here all by yourself instead stirring things up inside?”

  “I’m not alone,” his father replied from the partially enclosed area where he kept his tools.

  “Oh. Sorry. Mom didn’t tell me when she sent me out to say hi. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll see you inside.”

  “Hustle your butt on in here,” his dad ordered playfully. “This isn’t a private conversation.”

  “Hey, Todd. Terese.” Guy almost collided with the pair when he walked behind the wall. He was even more confused when their expressions matched his
mother’s. “If you’re not talking about anything private, why are you standing around out here?”

  “I said it wasn’t private in regards you.” His father stepped to the side. “I didn’t say it wasn’t private in regards to everyone.”

  Guy was frozen to the spot as he stared at Tori. He was afraid to blink in case it would make her disappear.

  “Hi,” Tori whispered, sounding as terrified as she looked.

  “Stop gawking and say hello,” his father broke the expanding silence. He slid his arm protectively around Tori’s shoulders when he noticed she was trembling. “Mind your manners before you scare our guest of honor.”

  “Tori? What… Why… I don’t understand. Dad?” His mind deserted him.

  “Start over from the beginning, Todd. Maybe Guy will remember how to speak by the time his turn comes around.” The older man winked at Tori as he made his suggestion.

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” Todd teased. “But we’ll give it a try anyway. I bumped into Lita in the hall today and found the missing piece of the puzzle. She asked when we’d be hearing wedding bells and was completely shocked to learn that you’d parted company. She had already gone before we realized that Tori was missing. Too bad too, since what she told me would have been a big help. Apparently, Tori was about to join us when Terese blasted you. She overheard all the horrible accusations and assumptions as well as her decision to exclude you from our lives. Unfortunately, Tori took off before I made Terese let me explain what really happened.”

  “When Todd told me, I felt lower than pond scum,” Terese took over. “I owed Tori an apology that couldn’t wait. I was thinking of how to word it and began to suspect that my big mouth had done even more damage than just hurting her feelings. I realized that what I said could have played a very big part in Tori’s decision to end it between you.”

  “Oh Christ.” Guy saw that Terese had been right by the expression on Tori’s face.

  It was his father’s turn again. “Your sister, being your sister, barged in on Tori and interrogated her until she confirmed Terese’s theory, after which she used her overly hormonal pregnancy to trump up her standard refusal to take no as an answer to entice Tori to join us this evening.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Guy kept his focus entirely on Tori.

  “Hush, son. I’m almost finished and then you can take over. Terese, in her less than subtle way, fully intended to sit Tori in the middle of the living room so everyone could see the look on your face when you spotted her. Todd, on the other hand, exercised his rarely used veto power and, with a minimal delay to make a quick request that your mother and I join them, snatched Tori right out from under Terese’s nose and whisked her straight through the house and out here where he held back the flood of curiosity-seekers that followed in our wake. Once your mother got the gist of things, she raced back inside to wait for you and, if she’s still the same woman I married, spill her guts to the assembly. I, however, much preferred to stay put and have a moment with this spectacular woman.” He grinned down at Tori’s pink cheeks.

  “Just one more thing and we’ll leave you to talk.” He returned his attention to Guy. “Son, your sister was horribly wrong but everyone involved has forgiven her due to the extenuating circumstances. I must admit that the only reason for what I’m about to say is my own need to hear the words that have been bouncing around my head spoken out loud and your eyes show me that we’re in complete agreement on this, Guy.” He paused for effect before facing Tori. “Please let me express my extreme gratitude for single-handedly standing up to those men to save my granddaughter.”

  “I didn’t… I mean… It wasn’t me,” Tori protested.

  “Yes, yes, I know there were plenty of other people involved. But you, young lady, were the only one in the room with Sarah at the crucial moment. And, as I understand it, you were the only one to recognize the house from your dream. As my son-in-law freely admits, without you, our Sarah would have been taken from us. Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, as does the rest of my family.”

  “You’re welcome,” Tori responded, blushing hotly.

  “My point, son, is that any woman brave enough to put herself in the direct line of fire as Tori did is reason enough to keep her by your side. Add in the fact that she loves you enough to—”

  “No. Wait,” Tori gasped as she tried to shrink away.

  “Sh.” He tightened the fingers on her shoulder to hold her in place. “Let an old man finish.”

  “You’re hardly old,” Tori declared, surprising them all.

  After a pleased chuckle, he continued. “As I was saying, the added fact that this utterly charming woman loves you enough to selflessly sacrifice her own heart so that you’re not forced to chose between her and the family that you hold dear makes her someone you should devote your life to making feel as special as you know she is.”

  “That’s been part of my plan from the beginning, Dad,” Guy stated.

  “Never doubted it for a minute.” He grinned. “I’m sure Guy can handle the rest without us.” He waved Terese and Todd from the room. “Tori, life is too short and precious to waste any of it hiding from fear of the unknown. Yes, sometimes you get the wrong directions and end up far away from your intended destination. Sometimes smooth roads become so rocky it seems like you’re being bounced into a million pieces and every bit of you aches so painfully you would almost prefer to die than live like that for one more second. But sometimes a detour will take you exactly where you always wanted to be and then you’ll realize that the rest of the journey isn’t worth remembering.”

  “Dad.” Guy feared that he’d drift into metaphor after metaphor now that he’d gotten started. “Please.”

  “Ah, yes.” He grinned sheepishly. “I’ll leave you to it. Everyone will understand if you don’t join us, so please do what’s best for the two of you but, if you decide to leave, just call your mother so she doesn’t worry.”

  “Okay,” Guy agreed without taking his eyes off Tori. “And, Dad, in case you start to worry, I haven’t forgotten any of the wisdom you shared with me over the years in this very room.”

  “That’s my boy.” He chuckled all the way out of the garage.

  “Hey,” Guy said softly when Tori fidgeted without looking at him. “You okay?”

  “Honestly,” she raised her gaze to his, “I don’t have a clue. One minute, I was standing in my kitchen and the next, I was the main attraction of a three-ring circus and I have no idea of how I got there.”

  Guy couldn’t contain his laughter. “I did tell you that I was the mellow one.”

  “Understatement of the century,” Tori announced. “Here I thought you were the Ultra Mega Alpha. Ha! You’re a cowering little weakling compared to that sister of yours. I mean, really! No wonder Todd doesn’t bat an eyelash at the thought of coming face-to-face with the meanest son of a bitch in the universe. But let me tell you, if she thinks she’s going to get away with any of her bullshit with me again, she’ll get the biggest surprise of her life because it ain’t gonna happen. Un-uh. No way. No how. Today was a one time and one time only deal and any negotiators who attempt to renew it will be shot on sight with a silver bullet before they are burned at the stake and have their ashes scattered across all the continents,” she paused to draw in a much-needed breath and noticed that Guy was laughing. “Oh, you think this is funny, do you? You think you’re going to get away with standing there and laughing like some damn hyena, well, you got another think coming too.”

  “Stop. Tori. Please. No more. Wait,” he pleaded, snagging her arm when she tried to walk away from him. “Sorry.” He took a deep breath to eliminate the remaining chuckles. “I’m not laughing at you. Well, I am but not the way you think I am.”

  “Gee, that makes it so much better,” she said sarcastically. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going.”

  Guy released her arm but whispered, “Please don’t.”

  “Why shouldn’t I?”

 
“For whatever reason you let yourself come here in the first place. I know my sister’s over the top but I know you too. Nothing she said or did would have gotten you here if you were determined not to come on an ordinary night. You’d throw yourself out of a moving car before you’d let her drag you here on tonight of all nights.”

  Tori pondered his comments. “Yeah, so why were you laughing?”

  “At first, I was imagining how impressed Dad would be if he’d heard you. Then, I pictured Todd trying to keep his face blank while you said all that to Terese. He’d be so proud of you for standing up for yourself that he’d want to cheer but trying to hide it from Terese so he didn’t get caught by the backlash. I was also trying to figure out the look Terese would have on her face but I’m sure I’m not even close because no one’s ever had the guts to fight back like you’re going to. You sure are the fiercest tiger cub. You growl like that once and you won’t have to again because we’ll all still be shaking in our boots.”

  Tori shut her eyes and shook her head. “Would you just give it a rest already? I didn’t grab my boots.”

  Guy rested his hands lightly on her shoulders. “Seriously, Tori. Are you okay? I would have stopped them if I’d known.”

  “Yeah, I know that. I’m not entirely sure that I didn’t fall through a cosmic hole into an alternate dimension but I’m okay. Thanks for letting me vent like that.”

  “Anytime.” One finger hovered under her chin so she couldn’t dip her head. “Will you please tell me why you’re here?”

  “Do I have to?”

  “No. You always have a choice, remember? But you’d make me very happy if you decided you wanted to tell me.”

  “I…well, um…” she groaned and spun away because she couldn’t face him. “Damn, I suck at this, big-time.”

  Guy moved to press his chest to her back and wrapped his arms around her waist. “No you don’t.” He kissed the top of her head. “You never had the right inspiration before. Now that you do, you’re going to be great. Give it a try. You’ll see.”