Page 153 of Liberating Lily

“Right, with some stranger who I haven’t even got to meet. Apparently, she’s too fragile to deal with our family. I mean, how fragile can she be? If she’s that delicate, then maybe she’s not the right woman for Harvey.”

Lily winced. Was that what Harvey was telling his family? That she was too delicate to meet them? But when she thought about it for a long moment, could she actually blame him for saying that?

Sure, she was doing a lot better. But learning the truth about what the doctor and her mother had done to her had definitely been a step back. And it felt like she still had a long way to go. This was the first time he’d felt comfortable enough to leave her for any length of time and get back to his office.

“Wow, your family is amazing,” Amanda said. “How can she be scared of them? Has she even met any of you?”

“She’s met my other brothers,” Fiadh said. “So there must be something scary about me and my sister. Maybe it’s because we’re protective of our brothers. Maybe she thinks we won’t think she’s good enough or something.”

Shoot. That hadn’t been in her mind. Only now that she heard Fiadh say it, it was suddenly all she could think about, that she wasn’t good enough for him, that she didn’t deserve him.

Those are negative thoughts. It doesn’t mean they’re true.

Harvey loves you. He tells you all the time. He takes care of you.

But she knew how much work she’d been over these last few weeks. He’d done nothing but take care of her.

Wouldn’t he get sick of that? Tired of looking after her all the time?

Just because you have a bad thought, doesn’t mean it’s true. Just because you have a bad thought, doesn’t mean it’s true.

“It’s a bummer because I was hoping the two of you would hit it off,” Fiadh said.

What were they even doing here? They had to know Harvey had moved back home now, right?

Unless he hadn’t told his family? But hadn’t the two women seen Trey outside?

Maybe they hadn’t, but that made her feel weird too. Was Trey not keeping an eye on the house? Wasn’t that his job?

“I must admit, I was hoping to see him more as well. Your brothers are all gorgeous, but Harvey is my favorite.”

“Yeah, I think you would have been so well-suited for him. You’re smart and independent. You wouldn’t have worried if he had to work late. You wouldn’t cling to him. You could both have your own lives, but still come together and make me some beautiful nieces and nephews.”

“Fiadh,” Amanda said, but the protest in her voice sounded false.

It was clear she would have liked that as well.

“But now he’s got some woman who’s too delicate to even meet his sisters. I don’t even know much about her other than her name.”

“What is her name?” Amanda asked.

“What was it? Wait a minute. Yeah. Lily St. Clary.”

“Oh my God, I think I’ve met her. Yes, that’s right. It was at some fundraising function. She’s engaged to Rick Sampson. Or she was. Did you know he’s broke? There are some rumors that she broke up with him because he’s no longer rich.”

Wow. Ouch.

“That’s so terrible. What did you think of her?” Fiadh asked.

“Cold, really cold. It seemed like she was barely paying attention to anyone. No smiles, no interaction. She clung to Rick’s arm and let him move her around the room.”

“Oh, no. Really? That sounds like the exact opposite of what Harvey needs. Well, I’m sure she won’t last long if she’s like that. He’ll soon come to his senses, and then I can set you two up on a date. It would be so awesome if we were sisters-in-law.”

“Wouldn’t it? Now, I’ve just got to find where I put my notebook. I know I left it around somewhere. Maybe it was in the kitchen?”

Shit, she needed to get out of here. The last thing she wanted was these two women finding her here.

Also, she was certain there was no notebook. She would have noticed something so out-of-place.