Page 17 of Single Mom's Navy Seals
Sitting next to him in the front passenger seat, I steal a sideways glance at his profile, the early morning light softening his features just a bit. His jaw is tense, his eyes focused intently on the road. He radiates calm, calculated authority, and while that should probably unsettle me, it somehow brings a strange sense of reassurance. Still, letting my guard down isn’t something I do easily—especially around men. And placing even a shred of faith in three of them at once? That feels like stepping off a ledge, no matter how much they’ve helped so far.
Beside me, Liam shifts in the driver’s seat, breaking the quiet that’s settled between us. His gaze remains steady on the road. “Can you tell me more about your ex-husband?”
The question takes me completely by surprise. “Why?”
“Because I believe in knowing my enemy to defeat my enemy. I know very little about him.”
I swallow, my throat tight. “Showing up to a mission unprepared? Not exactly inspiring confidence.”
Don’t ask me why I say that. I mean, I’ve never been on a mission in my life. But something about Liam just makes me want to be as bratty and uncooperative as possible.
“Well, it seemed quite important. Would you have rather I took more time to read or get to you quickly?”
That shuts me up.
“Fine, what do you want to know?” I say reluctantly, tension already knotting in my stomach.
Liam’s voice is calm, almost clinical. “His personality. How persistent is he? When he wants something, how far is he willing to go?”
My heart squeezes in my chest, a painful ache that I’ve managed to suppress for years, suddenly bursting free. I glance behind me to make sure Eli is distracted, his laughter still ringing clearly as Jax continues their ridiculous game.
“Persistent,” I whisper, voice tight. “Randy is incredibly persistent. When he sets his mind on something, he’s relentless.”
The word sounds bitter, tasting of fear and regret. Memories flash vividly in my mind, sharp and painful ones I’ve tried to bury. Randy’s cold eyes, his calculated threats, his absolute certainty that the world would bend to his will. The night I found out I was having a boy, he’d smiled cruelly, triumphant, knowing I’d lost any hope of escape.
“What about his resolve?” Liam continues evenly, unaware of the turmoil raging inside me.
My hands tremble, and I clasp them in my lap to still the shaking. “His resolve is absolute. He never changes his mind, never backs down. Ever.”
My voice cracks just a little on the last word, and I pray Liam doesn’t notice. But, of course, he does. He shifts in his seat, glancing briefly my way. His expression softens, the usual hard lines easing for just a moment. It seems like he might reachout, might offer something resembling comfort, but he doesn’t. Instead, he keeps his eyes forward, jaw tight again.
“What about retaliation?” he asks, as though aware of how close I am to breaking. “Is he vindictive?”
I nearly laugh out loud at the understatement of the century. “Yeah, Randy doesn’t do shit half-assed. If you cross him, he wants you broken, humiliated, and completely ruined. He won’t rest until he’s gotten his revenge.”
My throat closes painfully, forcing me to look away, blinking rapidly against the burning sting behind my eyes. Liam remains quiet for a long moment, the silence stretching taut between us. When he finally speaks again, his tone is different—still firm, but softer, carrying the slightest hint of apology.
“Look,” he says. “I’m not an easy guy to get along with, and I’m not here to make friends. But you should know that protecting you and your son is something I take seriously. I might be a dick, but I’ve been doing this kind of protection work for ten years now, and every innocent life matters to me. Yours included.”
I glance up, surprised by the sincerity in his words, even if his delivery is rough around the edges. Something twists inside me, gratitude mixed with caution, suspicion wrapped around hope. I’ve never had good luck with men. They always have hidden agendas and motives. But Liam’s quiet declaration feels strangely genuine, leaving me uncertain and off balance.
Three strangers. Three walking question marks. And yet…something about each of them was beginning to crack through my defenses. Not trust. Not yet. But interest. Awareness. And that scared the hell out of me more than anything Randy ever did.
“Your brothers,” I echo, focusing on the safer part of what he said, looking for any distraction from the heaviness pressing on my chest. “You’re close?”
“We’re not related,” he explains evenly, eyes still locked on the road. “But we might as well be. We served together. Now, we protect people together. It’s what we do.”
“What’s the catch?” I finally ask with a derisive laugh that falls short of being nonchalant, not looking at him. “Men like you don’t just risk their lives protecting strangers. Not without a reason.”
Liam is quiet for a long moment, the hum of tires filling the silence until I think he might not answer. Then he sighs, a deep sound heavy with things unsaid.
“No catch,” he says simply, voice low and steady. “Just doing the right thing.”
I don’t respond, words caught painfully in my throat. Because in my experience, men don’t do things without catches. And yet here I am, hoping that maybe Liam and his ‘brothers’ might be the exception to every bitter truth I’ve ever known.
8
LIAM
