Page 78 of The Stone Family Warrior

Chapter 25

ANavy SEAL didn’t just get startled awake. A Navy SEAL got startled and reached for his piece, then rolled to a shooting position.

Trent took in his surroundings. He was still in the library. The sound of the doorbell going off made him take pause. He glanced at his watch. It was a little past three, so he hadn’t been nodding off for long, because he’d done a perimeter search of her house.

He rushed out of the library and down the hall with his gun strapped to his side. He pulled his phone out as he went down the stairs, tapping on the camera app. Liberty. Happiness pierced the center of his heart, and everything else melted away. She had come.

He thought of a million ways to tease her about it. You couldn’t stay away from me? You missed the guns? No, no, no. All he wanted to do was hold her and protect her and keep her forever. Gosh, he thought of the pumpkin fairy tale with the shoe and the old lady. Why was he thinking all of this?

He unlocked the front door and threw it back. Liberty stood there with a smile on her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her blond curly hair fell all around her like she was a goddess. Which she was.

“Sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have come so late or … early.”

He grabbed her and pulled her against him; the feel of her in his arms gave him instant relief. “Are you okay?”

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She held him tightly.

Unsure of what exactly she was talking about, he just relished her being in his arms.

“I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you for wanting to stay and protect me. And I should have explained the kiss with Shane. His wife had cancer and passed two years ago, and … I told you he proposed.”

He was so relieved she was here. “It’s okay. It’s fine.” And it was fine, now that she was here with him.

“I want you to know that I was looking at the pictures of us. I realized that …”

Trent could tell they were on the precipice of something, but she seemed a bit unstable. Not that she didn’t have a reason for it. He had felt very unstable for the last twenty-four hours himself. “What do you want to say, Lib?”

“I don’t know how it happened, and it scares me to even think about it, but I was staring at that picture of us at the gun range and I realized what Grandma had been trying to tell me. Be happy where you are. She wasn’t telling me to leave my job or sell the house or go hike the Appalachian Trail or find myself.”

She was rambling, and his mind was spinning. “O-kay.”

“Sorry.” Exhaling slowly, she said, “I just … I think Grandma was telling me that with God, I have a fortress. That I am unstoppable.”

Her words pierced something inside of him. “I believe that.”

“You do?” she asked, gazing up at him.

He took her hands into his. “I do.”

“But, I kind of feel like you are my fortress, too.”

Trent didn’t know how to handle this, but he thought it might be good for them. She had said she loved him. “I would love to be your fortress.”

“I love you.”

“You love me?” It was a strange feeling, being vulnerable and exposed in your soul. Trent took a chance and put his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. “I … love you, too.”

She leaned up and brushed her lips to his. “I was hoping.”

He squeezed her against his chest. “I love you. I love you. I love you.” It felt so incredible to say those words.

She let out a giggle. “Good, because I think I just found a piece to your whole family puzzle thing with the treasure, but I don’t know for sure and I want to figure it out with you.”

That got his attention. He pulled back and gave her a serious look. “You’d better not be teasing me about finding my treasure.”

She laughed and moved to go up the stairs, keeping his hand inside hers. “Come on, babe slayer. I’ll show you what I found.”

He let himself be dragged with her. “You have to tell me.”

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