One More Storm (Mistletoe Matchmakers of Clearwater County #6) - Bonnie R. Paulson Page 0,74

through to her that she was the most important person to him? Even more than his Grams and that was saying something.

“You love her, don’t you?” Taylor’s knowing smile seemed to echo in the some of the other expressions, but not everyone’s.

Not ashamed, Tommy nodded. “You bet I do. I would do anything for her. Even tell the truth about what I did.”

“Hey, that’s my sister you’re talking so cavalier about.” Roman leaned forward, thrusting a finger in the air Tommy’s direction. “You might not be good enough for her.”

“He’s not.” Levi spoke up, cut off by Flynne.

“Nope, he’s definitely not good enough.”

“Roman, how could you even suggest that he might be good enough? You know he’s not.” Brock growled from beside the oldest brother.

“Wow, look at how fast you boys rallied around your half-sister. Now, maybe you understand why we’re not willing to give her up.” Lily folded her arms over her growing stomach.

“Well, Amanda as our sister is better than most of you lot. She’s nice and helps people. Lily, you’re just rude.” Roman jerked back as Taylor tried swatting at his bicep. He grinned and winked at Lily. “Just kidding, but we do like Amanda. She’s a good fit for our family.” He glanced back at Tommy. “And, like I said, you’re not good enough for our sister.”

“Hey, I said that. You said he might not be. You get to deal with being wishy washy.” Brock rolled his eyes and then narrowed them at Tommy. “Like I was saying, you’re not good enough for her. Go sniff somewhere else.”

“I completely agree with you, but I need to fix some things and see if I can earn back her trust and her love. You don’t have to like me to help me make her happy.” Tommy clenched his hands into fists and dropped them in his lap. He needed their help, as much as he didn’t want to accept it or ask for it.

“Let us talk it over. As it is, we also need to talk about your strategy and how we’re going to deal with the Jennifer situation. I’m sure you can understand why we want to do that without you in the room.” David motioned toward the door. “I’m not kicking you out, we just have to protect our holdings the best we can. Until you prove to Amanda that she can trust you, we’re going to have to standby her decision not to trust you.”

“I completely understand. I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Tommy stood from his chair, nodding. He stepped from the room and sighed in relief that he hadn’t been tied up and pulled on his back behind a wild stallion.

As long as he was alive, he could try to save Amanda and the way she felt about him. He had to try.

His phone buzzed. Was it Amanda? Tommy pulled his cell out and stared at the text on the screen.

Check your account. I’m giving you some added incentive. Get me what I need and you can go back home and never look back.

Roman stepped outside the door of the office at that moment and waited for Tommy to look his direction. “We’re going to pay for the fees associated with doing what Jennifer paid you to do. We want you to return the money to Jennifer so we know you’re not beholden to her in any way. If you do that, then that’s one step closer to Amanda for you and for us.”

“I can’t let you do that. It’s a lot of money and I didn’t earn it with your families.” Tommy had barely earned it with Ms. Halliwell.

“It’s only a million-five. That’s not much actually. Text me your account and routing number for your bank and I’ll have that done in the next five minutes.” Roman pulled out a business card with his cell number on it and passed it over to Tommy.

Taking it with a haze across his gaze, Tommy nodded slowly. “Thank you. I…” He didn’t have the words and it made him feel worse than he couldn’t do for Amanda what he needed to without help from someone else.

“Hey, you might not be a real therapist, but that was the first time any of us have seen the real Amanda. She was honest and bold and she said what she wanted. Consider it payment for services rendered. Then you need to go after her and fix her emotional issues. Not something I want to do as a brother.” Roman