The Long Way Home (Corps Security #6)(36)

We stand there, both of us breathing a little quicker than we should be after just walking a few feet. His gaze searches mine, and mine searches his. We don’t close the distance as our hearts do the silent talking.

He moves first. His hands frame my face, eyes still dancing with questions. I reach up and place my hands on his waist.

Still, we don’t speak.

I’m not even sure how we moved without me noticing it, too wrapped up in what his eyes are trying to tell me. I don’t know that I’ve ever spent this much time just looking into his eyes, but it’s because of our intense stare down that I notice something else. That and maybe the overhead lights.

“You wear contacts?” I whisper lamely.

I wasn’t expecting the flash of panic to wash over his face, gone just as quickly as it was there.

He doesn’t speak.

“Drew?”

Panic bleeding into pain flashes.

“What’s wrong?” I try again.

“Why did you look like that when you were talking to him?” he says, not answering and changing the subject.

“Like what?” I ask sincerely, giving him that.

“Like you had just been punched in the gut.”

My hands trail up his hard chest, and we shift to get a little closer. My fingers dance across the skin on his neck, and I glance down just in time to see the goose bumps before they fade.

I look back up and don’t break eye contact again.

“It was nothing, honey. We were just chatting.”

“He didn’t look at me just then like it was nothing.”

I sigh, dropping my gaze to his chest.

“What?” he tries again. “I can’t fix it if you don’t talk to me.”

“Please don’t hurt me,” I mutter, and I feel those four words hit him, each one like a shot.

“Olivia, where is this coming from?” he asks, lifting my face up with a soft touch to my chin so he can look into my eyes.

“He’s protective of us. He’s also not stupid and can see there’s something big growing between us. With everything he’s done, lived, and survived, he was coming to me with his concerns and advice.”

“And …” He starts, then pauses, and swallows thickly. “What did he say?”

“That you’ll hurt me,” I answer, seeing the words as if they physically slammed into him. He doesn’t even try to keep how he’s feeling from me. “Though, he said it wouldn’t be intentional,” I add, as if that would make it better.

“He doesn’t know me well enough to be giving you those thoughts, Olivia.”

“He sees your pain, honey,” I mumble softly. “He thinks that I can ease that for you.”

“You do,” he answers immediately.

“He was coming from a good place. He’s a good man.”

“I have not one doubt about that, but it still wasn’t his place to put those doubts in your head.”

“He thinks I’m your person.”

My eyes round when that comes out of my mouth. His face relaxes quickly, and I get the gift of seeing it change to a boyish expression with not one ounce of pain making it look hard.

“He isn’t wrong.”

“Drew,” I breathe, blown away by his words and what he’s showing me by looking at me that softly.

“You know I have a past, but I don’t want you to doubt that I’m with you because of whatever was said. I’ve lived a long time alone, Liv. I’ve been a ghost. A shadow of myself that was hardly living. No sunlight has been able to touch me while I stayed living in those shadows. Just darkness and loneliness. You and Riley, though …” He stops, looks down at the floor, and shakes his head. “You have breathed life back in with the sunshine from both of you.”

“Honey,” I try again, my emotions crawling up my throat, making me blink back tears.

“Hurting you—hurting her—that is the last thing I ever want to do, babe. There will come a time that I unintentionally may and I …” He pauses, pulls me closer, and bends his head so I can see what’s working behind his gaze. “I can’t promise you that one day I might not hurt you, but it wouldn’t be because I want to or deliberate. You’ve given me a reason to breathe again, Liv … I won’t be stupid enough to give that up when I had stopped believing I would ever have the beauty of someone like you.”

“I’m having a hard time not falling in love with you,” I blurt out, telling him honestly what was in my heart after hearing his words.

He pulls me into his chest, arms wrapped around me, and I breathe in his scent. The comfort and safety I find within his arms tells me I’m full of crap … I’m already there.

“Ditto,” he softly responds.





“Feels Like This” by Maisie Peters



Something shifted during those moments back in my office.

Something big.

Something so huge, it was as if the earth had shifted.

Even now, hours later, I can feel it.

Dinner was quick. We enjoyed an easy conversation that Riley led. We’ve been sitting on the couch watching her play in comfortable silence since cleaning up the dinner mess together. She loves being here at his place. The stark white space dances with an explosion of color with her toys scattered about. Her favorite corner of the vast room housing a makeshift bedroom for her American Girl doll might be the most colorful spot, though. Drew even went so far as going to the store and getting her a doll bed that she could keep at his place when we’re here. Not just any bed, either. He must have spent a small fortune at the American Girl store because she’s got a bed, a small dresser, and even a tiny doll-sized nightstand. When he pulled out new outfits, Riley clutched them to her chest and thanked him while happy feet danced all over the room.