“I’ve always wanted to protect Lola the same way I protected her when she was little,” he went on. “But as she grew older, and especially once she was a teenager, she pushed back on me and her mom. And why wouldn’t she, when she had become her own person, no longer simply Ethan Sullivan’s daughter or Turner Sullivan’s sister? I love all of my kids equally, but I can also see each of their unique gifts and challenges. Lola is very talented, very creative, and very beautiful. So beautiful that other women have often been terribly jealous. And when it comes to men…” Ethan’s frown carved deep ridges in his forehead. “Though my daughter has never come to cry on my shoulder or complain, I know dating and relationships have been difficult for her. I sure as hell haven’t been a fan of anyone she’s gone out with. No one has ever treated Lola with the same respect for her brain and her talent as they do for her beauty. And as one worthless guy after another has come through her life, Beth and I have worried that there might never be a man worthy of her. A man able to see beneath her outward beauty to truly appreciate the beauty inside.” Ethan pinned Duncan with his sharp gaze. “I have to say, on paper, every single thing about you looks bad. Worse than all the guys she’s dated put together.”
“If I had a daughter,” Duncan said, his voice resonant with emotions he couldn’t keep in check, “I would want me out of her life. As far out as possible.”
But instead of agreeing with Duncan, Lola’s father did the strangest thing. He smiled. “Strangely, I find it comforting to have your past laid out in front of me, warts and all. With every other guy in Lola’s life, I always had the sense they were trying to hide something. Putting on a pleasant veneer that would disappear the moment I turned my back. But with you, there’s no veneer. Not now that your name is splashed all over the news. And yet, my daughter just walked into our family’s café holding your hand and looking at you with love in her eyes.” Ethan paused, his eyebrows rising. “That’s where things don’t add up. If you’re such a bad guy, why would she let her guard down to let you in again? And why have several of my nieces and nephews texted me to let me know that they’re working to help clear your name?”
Duncan wasn’t surprised that Lola’s father was already in the loop. He guessed Ethan Sullivan was aware of far more about his children’s lives than they realized. “Lola recruited your family to help,” Duncan explained. “Despite my voicing concern about drawing them into my mess, your daughter and your nieces and nephews have impressively strong wills.”
“Lola would never turn her back on someone she loves,” Ethan agreed, “especially if they’re in trouble. And I’m not at all surprised that my nieces and nephews also insist on doing whatever they can to clear your name, despite your reservations about involving them.” Ethan’s determined expression reminded Duncan of Lola’s. “I’d like you to tell me exactly what’s happened—and why I should trust you within a hundred feet of my daughter ever again.”
After five years of holding back the truth from everyone but his traitorous lawyer, Duncan was now able to cull it down to the essentials. “My parents passed away when I was six, and I was raised by my brother, Alastair, who is ten years my senior. We were close when I was younger, but as we grew up and he changed into someone I barely recognized, I wanted to believe he was a better man than he is. I joined Lyman Ventures, the family firm, after business school and worked with him until five years ago. That was when I discovered that several client accounts attached to the subsidiary company Brilliant Funds had had massive reverses in fortune. After doing some digging, I uncovered a trail of fraudulent activity, all of which pointed to my brother. Unfortunately, as the startup incubator was his pet project, I wasn’t directly involved. And after I confronted Alastair with proof of his embezzlement scheme, he had all of my company records and contacts destroyed, which is why I was unable to find Moira to make things right.”
“I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you to accept your brother’s perfidy,” Ethan said. “In addition to Beth and the children, my three brothers have been the most important people in my life. I’ve mourned my late brother Jack every day since he died unexpectedly at forty-two.”
“I’m sorry about your brother,” Duncan said first. But while he appreciated Ethan’s empathy, he wouldn’t leverage it to let himself off the hook. “I should have seen what was happening at Brilliant Funds, and I should have stopped Alastair from stealing from the people who signed up to work with the company. During the past five years, without the evidence to give to the feds, I worked instead to make personal amends to the owners of the other companies that I could trace from memory. But now that Alastair has made it clear that absolutely nothing is off limits in his quest to come out on top—” Renewed fury rose inside of Duncan as he thought about what Alastair had said about Lola’s being every man’s wet dream. “No matter the cost, I need to stop my brother from hurting anyone else.”
“The more you tell me about the situation, the more sense it makes that Lola has offered to help you. My daughter has a keen sense of right and wrong, and she can’t stand to see evil win.”
“Lola is an incredible woman,” Duncan agreed, “and I can’t tell you how sorry I am to have brought her and the rest of your family into this, as well as Moira, who has been through so much.”
“Moira is from strong Irish stock, just like my Beth,” Ethan told him. “Though I don’t wish another rough patch on Moira, I guarantee she’ll make it through with her head held high.”
Duncan was glad to hear it. But there was something else he needed to say to Ethan. “There’s no doubt that Lola would be better off without me. Better off without being drawn into my knock-down, drag-out fight with Alastair. Better off without worrying that I might end up in jail. But I’ve never loved anyone the way I love her. With all my heart and soul. With everything I am. And no matter what happens, even if she decides to push me out of her life again, I will always love her and only her. Forever.”
There was nothing more Duncan could possibly say to convince Lola’s father that he was good enough for her. In fact, it would be perfectly reasonable if Ethan tried to tear him apart with his bare hands for daring to hold on to Lola’s heart rather than relinquish it for a better man to claim.
Duncan was braced for the knockout punch when Ethan said, “Thank you for sharing all of that with me. That took guts. And if anyone knows just how much guts, it’s me.” For the second time in their conversation, he smiled. “I once gave a very similar speech to Beth’s father to convince him that I would do whatever it took to make his daughter happy. Luckily for me, he gave me the chance of a lifetime to be with Beth. So I’ll give you the same chance now. And if there’s a way you can utilize my time and skills, I’d like to be a part of the fight.”
Duncan was floored. His only experience with fathers, and father figures, had been with men who always put themselves first, even if they had to lie, cheat, or steal to get there. But Lola’s father was risking so much on his daughter’s behalf, with a man who, as he had said just minutes before, couldn’t look worse on paper.