Atticus couldn’t claim he knew Oliver inside and out, but he definitely knew what the guy was capable of.
To Atticus, Patricia was still just a kid. But Oliver? Oliver was a wolf, and now that wolf had his eyes on Atticus’s own niece. There was no way Atticus could just sit back and not worry.
“Uncle, I know exactly what I want,” Patricia said, her voice strong and unwavering.
She looked Atticus right in the eye, not backing down for a second. The tension in the room was so thick it was hard to breathe.
Atticus’s worried glare slowly faded into silence. The whole thing twisted him up inside.
Grandma, not wanting the family to fall apart over this—especially not during the holidays—jumped in to break the ice.
“All right, that’s enough. Let’s sit down and actually talk,” she said firmly. “Chelsea, make some tea.”
Chelsea had been frozen in place, but Grandma’s words snapped her out of it and she hurried off to the kitchen.
Maggie followed close behind, grabbing Chelsea’s arm and whispering, “Did you already know about this?”
“I… sort of,” Chelsea admitted, nodding.
“But Dad’s reaction is way too much. Wasn’t he just saying the six-year age gap doesn’t matter? Now he’s ready to throw down.”
Maggie shot her a look. “You don’t get it. The Padilla family is on a whole other level. Dad’s just scared Pattie’s going to get hurt.”
“What kind of family are they anyway?” Chelsea asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
Maggie started to say something, then thought better of it and clammed up.

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