Page 79 of Claiming Ours
My grin slowly slipped, and tears filled my lower lids.
It still felt a little like cheating, feeling this way about someone other than Dean, but even more than that, I felt guilty knowing I never felt this deeply for him—ever. Maybe it was because we were so young when we met and were just shallow in life. But how Liam and Memphis made me feel loved and wanted and needed, it was overwhelming.
How many times had I wished I had that with Dean when he would leave me to hang out with his friends after I said I wanted to go? The times I wished he would’ve shown care or concern when a wicked storm blew through College Station, and he didn’t even check in to make sure I was safe. Sometimes he was deployed, but those weren’t the times that stood out in my mind.
It was the nights I knew he was stateside, and he ended our call early, despite not even asking how I was or how my day went, so he could go out with his friends. Toward the end, it was all just so damn superficial.
And now I was in deep with Memphis and Liam.
Deep feelings.
Deep emotions.
Deep everything.
And I never ever wanted to lose it.
The bell over the door ringing had me shaking out those thoughts of the guys and pushing out of the chair. An alert Elvis and Hank stayed at my side as I walked toward the front. I frowned, not understanding why I needed the security escort, until I rounded the corner and stumbled to a stop.
“Can I help you?” I asked, voice strained with tension.
“Sorry to surprise you like this, but I knew this was my one chance to get you alone. We need to talk.”
I swallowed hard, my heart racing with the growing panic. Both dogs inched forward, their dangerous growls filling the waiting room, clearly sensing my rising fear.
Damnit.
This was not good.
Not good at all.
26
LIAM
Pain radiated from every taut muscle as I stretched out my aching lower back. Between the all-day chainsaw work and making the ride from Caper to Anchor Bay in one day, it felt like I would never move again without groaning. The last scoop of enriched grain fell into the feed bucket as I smoothed thankful strokes along the mare’s neck. With a final pat, I exited the stall, letting her eat in peace.
As I secured the lock, I caught Memphis out of the corner of my eye sitting on a bale of straw while staring off into space, his shoulders slumped, looking as exhausted as I felt. We pushed our bodies to the limit in an effort to return as quickly as possible, both of us hating being so far from Baylee after what we found on the way to Caper.
Well, we would feel that insistent pull no matter what, but the dead woman added to the overall stress of being away from our girl.
“You ready?” I asked, voice like gravel from the shit sleep the last three nights and stressing my forty-plus-year-old body to the max.
Memphis grunted a noncommittal response and stood, stretching both arms over his head. Our combined sluggish steps barely sounded over the animals eating as we headed to the open barn doors.
“That was fucking brutal,” Memphis groaned as he twisted side to side, stretching out his back, “but worth the exhaustion. The whole extended family appreciated what we did, us being there to help them. It was a nice change of pace, being thanked.”
I waved at Dax as he hurried past us, almost too distracted to notice. “Do you not get that often in your job back in Florida?”
He snorted and ran a hand through his dirty hair. “Fuck no. A handful of times maybe, but it’s a high-stress, thankless job most days.”
“Your compassion and skills deserve to be appreciated by those you’re helping. Maybe somewhere that could use someone dedicated and knowledgeable of trauma care and would know they were lucky to have you.”
He cut his green eyes my way with a slow nod. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that since Amy’s not-so-subtle conversation after West’s accident.”
Good. I hoped it had made him really consider the ways he could affect not only our community but everyone in Anchor Bay.
At the base of the steps to Baylee’s cabin, we limped up to the porch.
