Page 61 of I'll Be There
Kyle raised his chin. “Liza—”
“This is not a hardened criminal. This is the man I love. Let. Me.In.”
Kyle pursed his lips, but in a moment, Liza found herself walking into the moderately smelly arms of her fiancé.
Conner pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m okay.”
“Good. Because I’m mildly freaking out here.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaned against the firmness of his chest, aware of his heartbeat against her ear. Solid, real. She took a moment to press her lips to the well of his neck, breathing in the male fragrance of his skin. Then she stepped away.
Caught his hands. Met his eyes. “Start at the beginning.”
He actually looked pained, as if she’d put her fist into the middle of his chest. “I should have told you from the beginning.”
“Mmmhmm.”
“Okay, so...” He blew out a breath. “Sit down.”
The story he told her started in a McDonald’s, traveled to the Evergreen resort, then up to Fort William, included a high-speed chase, a hospital visit, an eerie voicemail— “It was really your brother?”
A solemn nod, so much emotion in his eyes she took his hands, squeezed.
Then, his story led her back to Deep Haven, and—
“I think P.T. Blankenship is headed up here. And I don’t know why exactly he’s looking for me but...it’s my chance to get answers, Liza.”
She touched his cheek, running her fingers into his beard. “Of course it is. And you should.”
He sighed, then caught her hand. “I’m not sure what I was thinking, but...I just so wanted this weekend to be perfect for you. No drama. And now I’ve brought a potential murderer into town, just in time for our wedding.”
“It was hardly your fault.” She squeezed his hand. “You’ll get answers. And then it’ll be over.”
Conner took a breath. “Remember I told you that the last time I saw my brother, we fought?”
She nodded.
“He worried about me—told me that he didn’t need another family member dying. And I told him the same thing. But neither one of us were willing to give up our careers.” He cupped her face. “I’m not that guy anymore, Liza. I’ve been sitting here all night thinking about it, and if you need me to walk away from smoke jumping—”
“What—no!”
He met her eyes. “Yes. I love what I do but...I love you more.”
“And what about your team? Conner—the reason I love you is that you show up. For everyone.”
“Now I get to show up for you.” He kissed her then, something thorough and perfect, and stole her argument.
And, oh, she wanted to let her heart sing, but...not like this.
“Ahem,” Kyle said, now standing outside the cell.
“Go away, Hueston,” Conner growled, leaning back.
“What should I do?” she whispered.
“Stay out of the way. Go somewhere safe. The Christiansens’, maybe.”
“Okay. But...what about you? I mean—how long are you going to be...here?” She glanced at Kyle. “Do I cancel the rehearsal dinner?”
“No.” Conner turned her back to himself. “Please, no. This will be over soon. Micah is still tracking him—and has the shooter’s phone, so—”
