Page 6 of Montana Silence

“I’ll walk you out,” I said, not fully ready to leave her presence and equally happy I didn’t have to say goodbye to her with an interested audience.

She got her small bag from the coat check and found the keys to the ranch truck she’d used to get here. “Are you okay to drive?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

The sound of her voice, away from the chaos of the crowd, was beautiful. Lower than you might imagine, and rich. Every word she spoke was precious, and I would love to hear her speak the whole day, every day.

“Have a good night,” I told her. “I’ll see you soon?”

She nodded, fiddling with her keys as she looked at me. For long moments, the air between us went tight again. I didn’t look away. After tonight, I didn’t want to hide it anymore. I wasn’t in a rush, and if she told me she wasn’t interested, then that would be that.

But until then…

“Goodnight, Liam.”

She got in the truck, and I watched her drive away. Something about the engine didn’t sound quite right. I made a mental note to take a look at it since that truck was the one Mara used most often.

I reentered the reception and went straight to the bar. “A beer, please.”

The bartender passed me the bottle, and I took a long sip. I needed some time to breathe. What probably looked like nothing more than a dance on the outside had been the most intense few minutes of my life.

A hand fell on my shoulder, and I jumped. Lucas stood beside me, and he ordered a drink as well. “So?” he asked.

“So what?”

“You and Mara?”

I looked over at him. “You going dad at the prom on me?”

He chuckled. “No, just curious. That’s all.”

“We both wanted to dance,” I said. “So we did.”

I wasn’t going to tell anyone else she’d had a panic attack. That was her business and her trauma. I was fucking honored that she’d let me help her in such a vulnerable moment. No way in hell I would break that trust.

“Sure it’s not more than that?”

Letting a smirk cover my face, I took another sip of beer. “Avery’s going to have a hell of a time with you.”

“Damn right she is.” Lucas looked back at Evie where she stood gently rocking their infant daughter. “If you need anything, let me know.”

“I will,” I said with a laugh.

Lucas went back to his wife, and a stab of jealousy shot through me, seeing the three of them as a unit. I wanted that. I wanted a family and a home, and I would protect both of those things until my last breath.

“How you doing?” Harlan leaned against the bar.

“Still doing pretty well from when Lucas checked in with me thirty seconds ago. How are you?”

“Is it that transparent?”

Turning, I leaned against the bar too. “No more transparent than all of you staring at us while we danced. I’ll tell you the same thing I told Lucas. We wanted to dance, so we did.”

“It’s just, Mara—”

I raised both my eyebrows. “Is an adult and a friend. That’s what you were going to say?”

“Yes, exactly that,” he chuckled.

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