Page 37 of Tactical Lies

“You going to bring the pipsqueak in to see us or not?” Cooper demanded with a grin. All his brothers had loved Becca. She’d been part of their childhood, and they’d all assumed she would be part of the rest of their lives. None of them understood how he’d managed to mess up a sure thing, and honestly, he wasn't either.

“Coop!” A genuine smile lit Becca’s face as his twin brother came down the porch steps and swung her into his arms, making her giggle.

“Missed you, pip,” he said, kissing her cheek.

Sadness tugged the edges of her smile down. “Missed you, too. I'm sorry. I should have made an effort to keep in touch. With all of you,” she added, looking over to where Cole, Cade, Jake, and Jax were still on the porch. Even though his stepbrothers had entered the picture once they were all teens, they’d come to love Becca as much as his biological brothers had and they all considered her family.

“No need to be sorry, pipsqueak,” Cooper assured her as he set her down on her feet, and Becca reached out to grab the crutches he’d automatically grabbed when his brother swept her off her feet.

Something he might have been tempted to be jealous about if he didn't know Cooper was madly in love with his new girlfriend, Willow.

“You know I hate that nickname, Coop,” Becca grumbled as she shot him a glare.

“I know, that’s what makes it a fun name,” Coop teased, ignoring her frown and ruffling her silky black locks.

“We all understood why you needed space, Becca,” Cade assured her as she hopped up the porch steps using her crutches.

“Thank you, Cade,” she said, reaching out to rest a hand on his forearm. Unlike when most people touched him, his oldest brother didn't pull away. “Still, I missed out on a lot. I heard about your wife, I’m so sorry for your loss. I understand what it feels like. I’d love to meet your little girl one day, if you're comfortable with that, of course.”

Surprisingly, Cade reached out and covered Becca’s small hand, which still sat on his arm with one of his own. “I appreciate that, Becca, and I’m sorry for whatever loss you had. If anyone deserves happiness it’s you, and I hope you find it one day.”

As he said the words, Cade looked directly at him, but Connor was still stuck on the engaged part.

Pressure in his chest made it almost impossible to breathe.

He’d waited too long, and Becca had moved on.

It seemed like maybe her fiancé had passed away from what she said to Cade but knowing that she’d pledged her life to another man meant that she’d left the past behind her.

Left him behind.

Too late.

He’d come for her too late.

“Come on in,” Cooper urged her after she’d greeted Cole, Jake, and Jax.

“You’ll meet Essie today, she’s right inside,” Cade told Becca as they all headed into his house.

Connor trailed along behind, watching as the tiny tornado that was his little niece barreled over to Becca.

“Hi, I’m Essie, who are you?”

“I'm Becca. Nice to meet you, Essie.” Becca held out her hand, and the little girl preened as she shook it, Essie loved anything that made her feel grown up.

“What happened to your foot? Why do you gots only one?” Essie asked.

“Esther,” Gabriella Sadler, who was Essie’s nanny, rebuked. “That’s not polite to ask when you just met someone. Sorry,” the woman said to Becca who brushed off the apology.

“It’s okay, I'm fine with talking about it. I actually prefer questions rather than stares and whispers behind my back.” Becca sat in the chair at the table that Jax pulled out for her and turned back to the little girl. “A long time ago somebody tried to hurt me. They pushed me out of a car, but my foot got all tangled in the seatbelt, and it got broken when they drove the car away. The doctors did everything they could, but my foot was too badly hurt so they had to take it off.”

Essie gasped. “Doctors took away your foot.”

“Not something you have to worry about happening to you,” Becca assured the child. “But yes. They had to or I could have gotten very sick and died.”

“I'm glad you didn't died,” Essie said seriously.

“We all are,” Cole said, placing his hand on Becca’s shoulder and squeezing.

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