Page 18 of In the Arms of a Hero

“I have no idea how to make it all work, even with a woman as great as Belinda.”

Belinda felt the lash of each sentence flaying across her skin. She and Ivy had sat in the living room, enjoying getting to know each other as the men had gone outside to chop wood. They’d laughed and talked about their careers, growing up on the shore, as well as the Bergstrom men. She’d even confessed how much she liked Aaron. “He’s the first man I feel completely comfortable with in a long time.”

“Oh,” Ivy had squealed, clapping her hands. “He deserves someone like you. I’m so glad he has you in his life!”

When Ivy went to refill their wineglasses, Belinda excused herself to go to the powder room. Located at the back of the house, it had a small window covered by blinds. She hadn’tmeant to eavesdrop, but Aaron’s and Andy’s voices carried easily as they stood on the back deck so close to where she was.

It didn’t matter that Andy had said he thought she was different or that it would be difficult for Aaron to walk away. What had really struck her was how she’d thought meeting his family was special. It appeared Aaron had a habit of bringing women to family gatherings, even if he was going to break up with them soon.Is that what he plans for me?

She’d never believed in insta-love, but she definitely believed in love and knew it could strike at any time when the right one was near. She was already falling for Aaron, feeling the building blocks of emotions cement together.

And now, after overhearing that conversation, they came crumbling down. Quickly washing her hands, she darted out of the powder room and back into the living room before the men returned. By the time Aaron and Andy walked into the room with an armload of wood and set about starting a fire, her forced smile was firmly on her face.

She shoved her turbulent emotions into the mental box where she could hopefully slam the lid. She listened intently to the conversation around her in a way that she hoped no one suspected she understood her position in the gathering.I’m simply the one who he’s with now. By next season, he’ll have someone else.

Her heart ached, and she felt anger build—not so much toward Aaron but more toward herself. She’d allowed herself to think that a man she’d had a crush on since she was in high school had finally noticed her all these years later. How stupid am I? That could be any number of Hallmark movies! Only now did she know there wouldn’t be a happy ending.

She had no idea why he usually broke things off before the relationship had a chance, but as the evening came to a close,she was determined not to wait around to be the one who got dumped.

When it was time to leave, she hugged Ivy with heartfelt sincerity, thrilled that she had a chance to get to know her better. Even though Andy’s overheard words had hurt, she enjoyed getting to meet him, too. After all, it wasn’t his fault—he was simply speaking the truth to Aaron.

Once in the car, she finally let the pain of holding on to a fake smile ease as she blew out a long breath. Staring out the windshield, she felt Aaron’s gaze on the side of her head as they drove back to her apartment.

“Are you okay?” he asked, and she heard the concern in his tone.

She twisted her head and could see the worry in his eyes. “Yes, I’m fine. I was just thinking about how lovely your family is. It was nice not to be alone for Thanksgiving, so thank you for inviting me.”

He reached over and placed his hand on hers. “I loved having you there with me and my family. You fit right in.”

A tiny scoff puffed from her lips.How many times have you said those words as you left a family event with your seasonal girlfriend?Another moment of silence passed.

“You seem very quiet. I wasn’t sure if you had a good time. Or… um… maybe somebody said something that upset you?”

“What on earth could anyone say that would’ve upset me?” She gently shook her head, then sighed heavily. “I’m exhausted, and wine makes me sleepy.”

He nodded slowly, and she hoped he bought her excuses because she wasn’t ready to face the fallout from what she’d overheard. Soon, they were at her apartment, and as much as she wanted the day to be over, he walked her upstairs, and she forced another smile on her lips as he entered her apartment.

It hurt to know that if she hadn’t overheard their conversation, she would have invited him to come in, sit for a while, and have a drink. They’d watch some TV, then make out on the couch while she hoped it would lead to her bed and sex that she knew was amazing. But now, she just wanted to go to bed, give in to the inner turmoil, and have a good cry.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She rested her cheek against his heartbeat, giving in to the desire to feel what she had wanted and what she thought could be. Closing her eyes, she tried to block out everything she’d heard and just relax into the moment. Inhaling deeply, she memorized the fresh-air scent that she’d come to associate with him. Leaning her head back, she stared into the face of the man who, in just a couple of weeks, she had already developed feelings for. It felt so right to be in his arms.

As he leaned down to kiss her, she didn’t move away. She wanted the kiss. If it was going to be her last kiss with Aaron Bergstrom, she wanted to remember it. So blanking her mind, she gave herself over to his lips, the taste of chocolate and beer on his tongue, the feel of his leather jacket underneath her fingers as she clutched him tight, and the scent of the outdoors that surrounded her.

When the kiss finally ended, he leaned back and breathed heavily. “You make it so hard to walk away.”

She blinked, a bucket of ice-cold water pouring over her head. It took a moment, but she realized he just meant to walk awaythisevening. She was glad that they hadn’t planned on him spending the night. Having already had sex made it so much more challenging to watch him leave. She assumed the women he’d dated in the past would’ve been sexual partners before they broke up. A knife twisted in her gut—not from the thought of him being with other women before her since everyone had apast, but that it seemed as though it was easy for him to have that intimacy in a relationship and then walk away.

“Drive safely,” she whispered. Lifting on her toes, she placed a barely-there kiss on the edge of his mouth before lowering her heels to the floor. “Be well.”

His brow furrowed for a second. Then he nuzzled his nose against her face until his lips were at her ear. “Lock up behind me, sweetheart.” He then kissed the side of her cheek.

She nodded, knowing it was the last time he would call her sweetheart… knowing she would need to lock up her heart.

“What the hell? Who brings a girl to a family gathering, and then that’s it? Dumps them before they have a chance to walk away from him? That’s nuts! And it’s bullshit!” Bess yelled.

Belinda couldn’t disagree with her sister but didn’t have a good answer for her. “I have no idea.”

It was now Sunday evening, and Belinda had spent Friday and Saturday working on family events that she’d been hired to photograph. Bess had flown back to the Eastern Shore to open her shop the following morning.

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