Page 46 of Montana Silence

Liam smiled sadly and squeezed my hip where his hand rested, moving it to dance slowly up and down my spine. “I’m not anymore. Being married to someone in the military is hard, and a SEAL? Even harder. But we were happy for a while. Still, I deployed, and it was difficult for her.”

He swallowed and looked away. “When I came back, injured and discharged, she wasn’t there. There were divorce papers on the kitchen counter.”

“What?”

“I don’t blame her. She didn’t know what she was signing up for.”

Anger grew under my skin. “That doesn’t make it okay, and I don’t buy it. It’s not like you hid your career from her.”

“No, I guess not,” he said with a shrug. “But it was a long time ago.”

As we sat, I put things together. He protected his home because he’d never had one. Sought out a brotherhood he could rely on, but it still wasn’t a permanentplace. Then the one person he thought he could count on—who was with him for life—abandoned him when it mattered the most.

Just like his family had.

No wonder this place was so important to him. The care and love he put into it was everywhere. You couldfeelit in the air.

“I understand,” I said, whispering, so I didn’t break the spell in the darkening quiet. “I never had a real home either until the cabin at the ranch. Before that, I was moving around, trying to find somewhere I felt safe. And with The Family…nothing really belonged tome.”

He held me closer, and I breathed him in. Cedar and spices. Slowly, Liam’s hand moved all the way up my spine until it was buried in my hair. This was the first moment since this morning when everything was still and nothing was between us.

“I’m sorry,” I finally said, barely a breath. Where my head rested on his shoulder, I was glad he couldn’t see my face. “I know you told me it’s not my fault, and I understand. But you were still there for me. You got hurt because you were with me.”

“I got hurt because assholes decided it was a good idea to attack me. Nothing more and nothing less. If you need to hear me say I forgive you, I’ll say it freely, but Mara—” he turned my face up to his “—you didn’t do this.”

“What if it doesn’t stop? What if it really was them and they find you or me again? Someone knows I live at the ranch. What if—”

Liam kissed me, short-circuiting all the words I had in my head. This time, it wasn’t because I couldn’t bear to speak. They were just gone, evaporated in the heat between our bodies.

When he pulled away, I felt like I’d run a mile. My heart pounded in my ears, and my breath came in gasps.

“The guys are digging deeper to see what they can find. And if what you said happens? We’ll deal with it. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

Leaning in until our foreheads touched, Liam met my gaze. “I would take today’s injuries a hundred times, or worse, to make sure you’re safe. All I thought about was getting back to you and making sureyouwere safe. I’ve had much worse.” He kissed my cheek.

“Telling me you’ve had worse doesn’t make me feel better.”

He laughed. “Sorry. Are you hungry?” Lifting us up together, he set me on my feet and began to turn on the lights. Just like everything else, the lamps and lights made the place cozy and comfortable.

“Yes,” I said, and my stomach grumbled like he’d asked it the question.

The airport was the last time I ate, and suddenly, being home and away from everything hanging over our heads unlocked my appetite.

“We can order in, or I can poke around and see what I have in the kitchen.”

“Let’s cook something,” I said with a smile. My secret motivation was I desperately wanted to see Liam at home in his own environment.

A high bar sat behind one counter with stools, and Liam parked me there. “Something to drink?”

“I can help.”

“Stay there.” He pointed, and I let myself fall back onto the stool. “My house, my treat.”

The face I made had him grinning. This, I loved. This was comfortable and easy. This was what lifeshouldbe. Not worrying about the past or rehashing things you couldn’t change.

Easier said than done.

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