Chapter 20 #2
“They only left one time since I arrived,” she cried. “They took their families to Ireland to Victoria’s home. I covered for Kassie and Catherine. Next, you’ll be telling me they’re covert operatives.”
“Maybe you refused to see it,” he suggested, growing angrier. “You seem to shy away from things when they don’t fit into your fantasy world.”
“What the hell do you mean?” she said, glaring at him.
“You’d rather stay away from people who might force you back into the living.
Take a gander around you, Addy. You live in the middle of nowhere.
You have no neighbors except for Whiskey at the far end of the road.
You work close to where he does, yet you refused to bother him and walked to work,” Liam accused.
“I like walking,” she yelled at him. “I didn’t realize it’s a crime to live in the country.”
“You avoided me like the plague until the landslide caused you to spend time with me. Don’t bother denying it,” he spat.
“I have professional integrity and don’t date patients,” she shot back.
“Shall we go upstairs and check out Sam’s office?
The one where you snuck out of the bed after making love to me and slept on the couch,” he gritted out.
“What about the picture by the bed? Do you always keep it down when you have sex with another man, or am I special? I don’t recall seeing it last night. Did you perhaps put it in the drawer?”
“Why are you acting this way. You called him your brother-in-arms, but you’re mad because I can’t forget him.”
“No, Addy. Sam seemed like a nice man. His love for you showed in his actions. I never once suggested you take down his pictures, yet you have a whole damn room dedicated to him, like a shrine. You still drove his car because you didn’t want to make any decisions.
Remember our conversation about subs and Doms?
You played a submissive role in your relationship with him.
He made all the decisions, and you let him. ”
“You know nothing about my marriage. Sam loved me more than any other man in my life,” she insisted.
“No, he didn’t. He couldn’t possibly love you as much as I do.
For months, I sat in the hospital while they tended to my injuries and worked on my ear.
After each surgery, I saw your face hover above mine like an angel watching over me.
I loved how nervous you got when I walked by.
I saw the little shiver run down your spine. You filled my thoughts day and night.”
“If you love me, then stop hurting me like this,” she cried. “I can’t watch you go back to the desert.”
Cupping her face, Liam leaned down and kissed her deeply. He felt her body relax against him as their tongues tangled in a fevered kiss.
“I love you, Addy. I won’t ask you to wait for me.
I hope you’ll see what you’ve done. You’ve turned Sam into a saint.
You keep the house in natural colors and sparse because Sam didn’t like packing every time you moved.
He always picked the house, made friends, and you visited him.
I saw the sparkle in your eye when you bought the blue couch.
If I lay money down, I’d say Sam never wanted a recliner with a massage feature.
You don’t go out with any friends because your heart won’t allow you to get hurt again. ”
“You don’t know him as I did,” she blubbered. “Sam took care of me.”
“At what expense? You’re a grown woman with a damn good head on her shoulders. You run the hospital like you were born to the job. I don’t want to make every decision for you. I wanted to make them with you. You’re trying to keep his memory alive at the sacrifice of your own.”
Shaking her head, she denied his claim.
“I have no doubt Sam loved you, but I have to wonder how long after you retired you felt lost in a world where you didn’t get a say. How long until you cracked under the illusion of his perfection?”
“You’re wrong,” she argued. “I’ve moved on. I’m here, aren’t I? Sam didn’t tell me where to move or where to get a job. I chose them. He doesn’t have any influence over my life.”
Liam stepped back, letting his arms drop to his side. “Ask me how the flowers got in here, Addy.”
Her expression showed confusion, and then it dawned on her. Addy’s eyes widened as she realized she changed the code after Liam left.
“Yeah. No one knows your work login code but you. After you slept with me, you changed the code to his birthday. I guessed it when I came to surprise you with the flowers. They were meant to bring a smile to your face,” he said softly as he leaned in.
His hand wrapped around her neck, and he kissed her forehead.
“Goodbye, Addy. I can love you through the trauma of grieving your former husband, and I can listen to stories of your traveling because you shared a life with him. I’d never ask you to keep that part of you hidden.
I only wanted a fair shot to show you what a wonderful life we can have together, but I can’t compete against a ghost.”
Liam dropped his hand and headed for the door.
His heart felt tight as he walked to his truck, feeling like it’d burst at any moment.
The pain grew stronger as he climbed inside his truck and backed down the driveway.
His chest shuddered as he tried to breathe through the grief of losing her. At least now, he knew where he stood.
* * *
Leo turned into the hospital parking lot and gripped the steering wheel.
He didn’t want to leave any more than the other guys.
Deciding he’d tell Kit Kat tonight, he asked Saint to bring the kids home in two hours.
He needed to talk to Doc and Kassie before he left.
Grabbing the manila envelope beside him, he entered the hospital.
He knocked on Doc’s office door. A minute later, he answered the door. His gaze swept over Leo’s face, and he stepped back, letting him come in.
“Did something happen to Catherine?” Doc asked.
“No, no, she’s fine. I came to talk to you and Kassie. If you can give me a moment, then call PITA down?”
Doc’s eyes furrowed as he pointed to the couch and chairs. “Yeah, whatever you need.”
Leo sat on the couch while he took the chair beside it.
“We’re spinning up in the morning. I didn’t plan to leave this early. I’m worried about Kit Kat and the kids.”
“I know Kassie talked to her today and then drove her home. She saw Dr. Greene, but I didn’t get the sense anything seemed wrong,” he informed Leo.
Scratching along his scruff, he peered at his friend with watery eyes. “I fucked up, Doc. She doesn’t want this baby. I put her in this position because I put everything before her. I didn’t even realize it.”
Doc leaned over, putting a hand on Leo’s arm.
“It came as a shock. She still has a few weeks to think about it and it doesn’t help she has morning sickness, and anemia,” he explained. “You know we’ll support her.”
“She let me come home last night. I got to hold her in my arms, and it felt like heaven. Tonight, I want my family under my roof before I leave. I came to ask you for a promise. If something happens to me, you’ll make sure they don’t go without anything.”
Doc stared at him for a moment. “You don’t even have to ask, brother. They’re part of my family, too.”
Leo handed him the envelope. “I left instructions, a life insurance policy, and letters to my kids, even this new little one. Remind her every day how much I love her,” he said, his voice catching.
“What’s going on, Leo?” Doc demanded. “You never talk like this. It’s like jinxing the mission.”
“We always think we’ll have time to fix things, to tell people how much we love them.
After Victoria and Kassie’s brush with death, I should’ve learned.
Maybe it’s because we’ve always left on good terms, but something’s telling me I need to have my affairs in order.
I’ll feel better if I know I can count on you to follow through.
You’d feel no differently if you left your kids right now. ”
“I give you my word. Catherine and your children will always be cared for, no matter what,” Doc said with conviction. “Your ass better come home and do it yourself.”
“Will do, brother. Can you call Kassie? I want to spend some time with Kit Kat before Saint drops the kids off,” Leo asked.
Doc picked up his phone. “Hey, Princess, can you come to my office?”
Leo waited as Kassie said something to Doc.
“I’ll see you in a minute,” Doc said, hanging up. “Kassie will be here in a minute.” He picked up the paperwork, took it to his filing cabinet, and locked it up.
“Take care of yourself out there,” Doc said while they waited for Kassie.
“Do me another favor. Can you check on Whiskey? He’s gotten a bit scatterbrained lately.
I keep having to redo paperwork. I already took Stormy aside and asked her to double-check everything.
Hopefully, I’ll be home before he signs up to guard a flock of emus.
I’m not kidding. A man wanted to hire us to follow them across the country. ”
Doc chuckled as his wife entered the room.
“Why didn’t you tell me Leo kept you in here? I hoped you rang me for a booty call,” she teased.
“Gahh, PITA,” Leo said, holding his ears. “I don’t need to picture that.”
Kassie giggled as she sat beside him.
“If you came to get your wife, I already drove her home. She ate lunch, and I filled her water bottle before I left and left two snacks on the table.”
“Thanks. I came to beg a favor from you,” he said.
“Anything,” she said, gazing at him with concerned eyes.
“I need you to take care of Kit Kat for me. Make sure she goes to the doctor, she’s eating right, and call in a helper for the kids. I’ll cover the cost,” he said, rubbing his chin.
“You don’t even have to ask. Of course, I’ll take good care of her,” she assured him. “Did something happen? Are you spinning up?”