Page 24 of Homecoming

Black couldn’t look away from the intensity in Aiden’s expression, and for the first time in a long time, he felt… on edge. Excited. A little scared. He never dared think about opening himself up to someone like that. He wondered if he even could.

Aiden pushed up from his chair. “I just wanted you to think about it. Angela and I talked, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to have a relationship. You are actually the ideal candidate to be the first to jump into the pool. We have enough guys that can read the civilians and watch for leaks. And if something happens, we can go in andfinessethe problem. We’re kind of a national security secret, and we’ve already been told to stay hidden. We’ve been given permission to do that in any way we have to.”

Yes, they had.

“I’ll think about it,” he said eventually.

Aiden bundled up, put on his ridiculous and obviously-warm cap, and gave him a smile. “I’ll tell Ang you’ll be over to take her down the mountain soon.”

Then, with a wave, Aiden was gone.

Black didn’t know what to think. For so long, he had lived and worked to breathe life into the Foxhole. For the past year, a little longer even, he’d given himself to creating a space for themen that had been tested upon. A place to recover and grow, and remember the men they used to be. Some days there had been so much work he’d gone to bed only when he could no longer walk or talk, then gotten up hours later to finish a job. He’d given them everything. And he was building a community, a home, they could be proud of.

Was it so wrong to think about finding a little piece of companionship for himself? He loved the men here, but he missed the softness of a woman and female companionship. It had been a long time since he’d let himself go with a female. Years, actually. Before he’d been forcibly enrolled into the program and given the drug.

There was a nervous feeling in his stomach as he thought about Grace. It was ridiculous. He felt like a boy trying to process a crush on a girl.

And would she even want to be with him if she knew exactly what she was getting into? They were a damaged bunch. A few of the guys had found love, but the women that loved them were extraordinary.

He thought Grace was extraordinary, but he barely knew her. Maybe he needed to get to know her more before he dumped anything big on her.

Watching Aiden and his family this past week had been hard. He was normally a solitary guy. He was comfortable being alone and never ran out of things to do. But seeing the little family playing in the snow and especially seeing the other men watching them, it made him realize how lonely he was. How lonely they all were. Yes, the men got together for dinner every night in the Den, and of course they were friends, but there was no replacement for an actual family or romantic connection.

If he needed to justify seeing Grace to himself, maybe he could think of it as a social experiment. The men here couldn’tand wouldn’t stay on the mountain forever, and maybe they needed some kind of framework for relationships.

Who was he kidding? He just wanted to see her. With that thought in mind, he headed toward his room to take a shower.

NINE

Grace knew something was different as soon as she saw Owen. There was an intensity to his dark gaze that she hadn’t felt before.

She and Angela wandered along the street, going from store to store. She’d been thrilled when Angela had contacted her about coming down the mountain to finish up her Christmas shopping. Grace had good friends in town, but Angela was different. There was a depth to her, and an experience in her expression that Grace understood. Maybe simply because they’d both lived in cities before moving to small towns. She didn’t know what it was, but she really enjoyed hanging with her. And she enjoyed helping her spend money.

“I don’t need something for everyone in the sanctuary, but I do have several people I want to buy for. What do you think Black needs?”

That one took her back. “I don’t think I know him well enough to tell you what to get him.”

She didn’t tell Angela that she’d already used the single idea she’d had.

Angela gave her a look, then quirked a brow over her shoulder. Owen was standing on the street outside the store,leaning against the lamppost. He wore his black hat, and it was tipped down right now, like he was looking at his phone. As Grace watched, he lifted his head and looked directly at her, as if he’d felt her staring. Their eyes held for a long moment before she forced herself to look away.

Owen Black was a temptation to her, and she needed to figure out how to shut it off. He had no interest in getting to know her. “I’m just not sure, Angela. He keeps it pretty businesslike between us.”

“But you want more?” Angela asked.

Grace winced. “I would love more, but I already made a pass at him and he very definitively turned me down.”

Angela seemed to ponder that for a minute, before she sighed. “I don’t know him well, but Owen Black has a sense of responsibility stronger than most of the male population I know. He was sent down here with a very vague plan, and he’s managed to build a life for all of the men on the mountain. That sense of responsibility is to a fault, though. He hasn’t given himself permission to be happy because he’s working so hard, and he’s lost sight of that. I will say, though, he smiles more than he used to.”

“He doesn’t laugh very much though,” Grace murmured. She cocked her head. “Actually, I’ve never seen him laugh.”

“No, I haven’t either,” Angela agreed.

They wandered down the next aisle as Grace thought about her words. She could definitely see that sense of responsibility in him.

“Plus,” Angela said, “the men on the mountain are not normal men. They’ve come from a horrendous situation, and he feels it’s his job to protect them.”

“From me,” she asked incredulously.

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