Izzy hummed as she bused the last of his tables. She had given in her resignation form a few weeks earlier. As happy as she was to have found the job at the café, she was equally glad to leave it.
Glancing down at her left hand, she felt all giddy as she looked at the engagement ring. She couldn't believe she was getting married. It just didn't make any sense. Al her life she had dreamed of having her work published. That's all that she had cared about. She had worked so hard to get to where she was and still had nothing to show for it. Publishers had turned her down because she didn't have a stable address. She could have rented a P.O. Box but that would have been almost as expensive as an apartment.
Upon meeting Derek and Dayton, her world had been turned upside down. Both had helped her in many different ways. Derek had given her a home until she was able to save up enough money to move into her own place. He had also given her odd jobs, such as keeping an eye on his wife while he was away. He paid her to keep his house, cook, and take care of the dog. Plus she was friends with Tophyr who had also paid her for working at the gallery when they did big name events. Without them, she'd be living on the streets.
Dayton had helped in a different way. He had made her feel beautiful again. He had pursued her until she ended up allowing him into her life. He loved her work and he wanted to help her reach her dream. His uncanny proposal had been very endearing and a little awkward but he had been honest. She had said yes after a while and had been happy ever since then.
She moved through the café humming a happy song. Everyone around her could feel the happiness just oozing off her.
"Izzy!" She turned as Tophyr came in and wove her way through the room. She sat at one of the clean tables and waited until her friend came over. "My mom decided she was going to give you this. It's a wedding planner. She gave each of us girls one when we got married. It helped us out a lot."
"Don't you mean it helped you out a lot?" she asked as she sat down for a few moments. Tophyr smiled in return. "How are you feeling?"
The younger woman's smile widened so much her friend though it would split her face. "I feel well. The doctor says the baby's healthy."
"Why don't you want to know what it is?"
"My mom was never told what gender we were. She was told how many she was having but never the gender. She was really surprised when she was told she was having twins. They had to get creative with our names. How they came up with Percival
I will never know."
Izzy laughed. "Your name's not that common either."
"Nope, but my dad had a friend named Christopher and they called him Topher. They just changed the spelling so instead of an 'e', my name has a 'y'. My middle name is Grace because it was only by the grace of God that she pushed us out in natural labor."
Both girls dissolved into laughter at the thought of Tophyr's mother saying that. Lucille Hurst was the epitome of a New York socialite. She was well-groomed from head to toe and didn't curse unless it was important.
She had raised six fine children and without a nanny. She had stood by her husband in the toughest of times and made sure their home was well-kept. It had been her idea to give one-third of their income to charity which in turn had fueled Tophyr's passion for charities as well. She had received the Woman of the Year Award four years in a row and could win the Nobel Peace Prize if she set her mind to it.
Sobering up, she rubbed her eyes. "So, have you picked out any names for the child when it's born?"
Tophyr nodded. "If it's a boy, the name will be Erik Lee Stark. The first and middle names are after our late grandfathers. If it's a girl, the name will be Madeline Marie Hurst."
"Pretty name. I think your families will be proud that you would name your son after your grandfathers. But why Madeline?"
"It was one of my favorite books. Marie was Derek's great-great-grandmother's name. She had seven children and only one survived, a girl. It's a great homage either way we go."
"You're a good woman, Tophyr. Can I get you anything?"
"A hot, herbal tea would be lovely."
Izzy nodded and jumped up from the table. She hurried to the counter to make her friend a tea. When it was done she carefully carried it back to her and set on the table. Turning around when her friend smiled her thanks, she ran right into someone.
"Easy, Iz. We don't want you getting hurt before your fiancé has time to say I do."
Izzy's lip curled as she jerked her arm away from her brother. "What do you want, Drake?"
Her brother's smile was easygoing and sly at the same time. "Well since you've asked so nicely, I need ten thousand dollars."
Her mouth fell. "I don't have that kind of money so I can't give it to you."
"Well, isn't that a catch, considering your soon-to-be-husband makes more money than you do. He could easily give me the money."
"Dayton wouldn't give you the time of day," Tophyr mumbled from her seat as she sipped her tea.
Drake snarled and yanked the young woman up by the shirt, forcing her to drop the cup in her hand. "What did you say to me, brat?"
Unafraid of the predicament she was suddenly in, Tophyr lifted her head and stared at him down her nose. That was the daughter of a socialite. "I said Dayton wouldn't give you the time of day."
"Drake!" Izzy exclaimed when her brother shoved the other woman away so forcefully she went through the table behind her.
"Hey!" Drake turned around just as a fist came flying at his face. Percy recoiled his hand after it connected with the other man's nose. "Don't lay your hand on my sister."
"Toph," Derek said as he walked over to his wife and pulled her into his arms. "Are you alright?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"And the baby?"
"Baby?" Drake asked as he pulled himself off the floor. "She's pregnant?"
Dayton was there hauling him the rest of the way. "You got that right. And that's not all. She's my sister-in-law and if you've hurt that baby, I will slap an attempted murder on a fetus and you will never get out. Do you hear me? Don't come near my family ever again, and that includes your sister. Now get out of here and don't let me see your face again."
He shoved him hard towards the door.
"What was that all about?" Percy asked as he let his sister go from the bear hug he had pulled her in to.
"Drake is my brother and a drug addict. He came to me for money because he heard I am marrying Dayton," Izzy replied as she unfolded herself from Dayton.
"How much did he want?" Dayton questioned.
"Ten thousand dollars. I suspected it was for a drug payment he hasn't paid. I told him no."
She jerked on Dayton's upper arms as his body stiffened. "Dayton, leave it alone."
"He tried to hurt Tophyr and he threatened you. I won't leave it alone. He's been getting away with it for far too long and I'm going to put a stop to it."
"Day, there's nothing you can do if there isn't any evidence on him," Derek stated quietly.
"Uh-oh," Percy murmured. He was looking at his sister. "I know that face. What are you thinking, Toph?"
"Dad might have some information on him. I remember him talking about a drug ring going on in Manhattan," the youngest in the group replied.
"Drake's from Brooklyn," Izzy answered.
"The ring may be in Manhattan but I'm pretty sure it was started in Brooklyn. You'd have to ask my dad."
"Just say that his youngest daughter was attacked and you'll have him on your side," Derek added. Tophyr punched him playfully in the kidneys. "Nobody messes with Daddy's little girl and gets away with it. That's exactly what he told me before I married Toph. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take my wife to the hospital to make sure everything is fine."
They argued all the way out the door. Tophyr didn't want to go but Derek wanted to make sure everything was fine and by everything, he meant the baby. Percy followed them making sure they knew how he felt about the whole thing.
Izzy forced Dayton to look at her. "Dayton, please don't do anything. It will only get worse before it gets better and you will receive the most backlash. I don't want that for you."
"Iz, he tried to extort money out of you. That's illegal. I don't care if he's your brother. Not to mention he could have seriously hurt Tophyr by shoving her into a table. He's lucky all Percy did was punch him in the nose. If he had hurt that woman, I wouldn't be the only one going after him. You haven't seen the Hurst family, immediate and extended, get into a tizzy. Percy and Jim aren't the only ones your brother would have to worry about," he replied.
He sighed and gripped her shoulders. "You're going to be my wife, Izzy. I don't want anything to happen to you. You have to understand where I'm coming from."
She took his face in her hands. "I understand where you are coming from but this is my family."
"And this is my family. They may not be blood but I picked them and they are important to me."
"They're important to me as well. I just don't want to start out my marriage with an argument."
Dayton shifted from foot to foot and yet he knew she was serious. He didn't want to start out with an argument but this was something he wouldn't budge on. He couldn't
have her brother messing with them and trying to extort money.
He gripped her hands and pulled them in between them. "I don't want to fight either, but your brother has gotten away with this for far too long. I won't allow it to go on any longer. You may be mad at me, but I am going to defend my family."
He turned on his heel and strode out the door, leaving her feeling raw and exposed.