Warrior (First to Fight #1)(55)

“Closed on it today,” I say quietly. “It’s mine. I wanted to share it with you. I know how much he meant to you and I wanted to spend the night with you here. I wanted Cole to have the same memories you had, and even those that you didn’t, when you grew up here. I had a great childhood, so I can’t imagine not having one filled with the people you love. I know giving him a family, roots, is important to you. Whatever happens between us, I want you to know he’ll always have that.”

When she doesn’t say anything, I get out of the truck and rub my hand on my neck. Maybe it was too much. Fuck, I’ve probably gone and upset her. I move around the truck to the passenger side door and open it up to let her out and apologize. I’m barely able to get a word out before she vaults herself into my arms, her hands wrapped tight around my neck.

“Thank you,” she whispers brokenly. “Thank you so much, Ben.”

The knot in my stomach eases and I wrap my arms around her waist. “You’re welcome.”

She sniffles and pulls back, wiping her eyes. “That’s some surprise.”

“I just thought you’d like it.”

“It’s perfect.” She takes my hand in hers and drags me to the entrance of her dad’s old lake house.

“Now don’t expect much from the inside. I haven’t had time to furnish it, so it’s pretty bare bones right now.”

“I’ve learned that it’s not the things inside the house that makes it a home. It’s the people and the love they share.” She stops inside the doorway and turns to face me. “That’s what you’ve given me here. I don’t know how to thank you for it.”

I step closer and pull her to me. “You don’t have to do a thing. Just enjoy it with me.”

Her hands cup my neck and bring my mouth to hers. She brushes against me all heat and softness. I linger on the sweet taste of her until I remember that I didn’t bring her here for this and break away.

She looks disoriented. “What’s wrong?”

I rub a finger over her lips. “Nothing, I just didn’t bring you here for this.”

Her face falls. “You didn’t?”

That surprises a laugh out of me and I smile. “No, but don’t think I won’t take care of you later.”

Instead of biting back at me like she normally does, she melts into me with a breathy, “’Kay.” A part of me likes that even more than her attitude, that she trusts me to lead her anywhere.

I lead her through the empty, shadowed house and to the backyard where the overgrown path leads down to the lake. Her hand is clasped firmly in mine as we make our way down the dock, where I’ve set up a blanket on the sand. Haloes of light from the torches surround the spot and she gasps when she sees the setup.

“I thought it was the least I could do for missing out on so much. I know it doesn’t make up for the past year, but I thought I’d try.”

“I don’t know what to say. It’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like it.” I tug on her hand and lead her down to the blanket. “I figure since we haven’t actually been on a real date that we’re long overdue.”

She glances at me with a smile that makes me forget my earlier resolution to keep my hands to myself. “Are you saying that this is a date?”

“We’ve done everything else out of order, I didn’t want you to miss out on this, too.”

That adorable pink shade tinges her cheeks. “You’re being ridiculously sweet right now. Quick, do something possessive or arrogant.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I save that for the second date.”

She stretches out on the blanket and my eyes catch on her skirt riding dangerously up her thighs. “Are you saying you want to go out on a second date with me?”

“Let’s just put it this way,” I nip at her lips and deepen the kiss until she’s breathless, “consider yourself unavailable, just in case any other guys come sniffing around you. I won’t go as quietly as little Chad did.”

“No talk about Chad tonight. Rule number one. No talk about shootings, or burglaries, or surgeries. No talk about me at all,” she declares.

“Sounds like a plan.” I ease back on the blanket, draping her over me so that we can look up at the stars. For the first time in a long time, the anxiety that buzzes under my skin is as quiet as the night around us.

“We can talk about you instead.”

I groan. “Let’s not ruin the night, Liv.”

“Oh, uh-uh,” she retorts, all sass again. “I’ve put up with you butting your nose into my life since you got home. I want to know what you’ve been doing. Where you’re going. I know you’re sensitive about it, but I want to know about your hearing. You don’t have to tell me about what happened, but I just want you to know that you can talk to me.”

I fight the urge to put some distance between us. “It doesn’t make for good first date conversation.”

“It does for us. I want to be here for you, like you’ve been for me. I know you try to be the big, strong man, but there is obviously something bothering you. You can lean on me, too, you know. I’m stronger than I look.”

“I know you are, Spitfire, but there are a lot of things you can’t know. A lot of things that I will never tell you.” Her hand finds mine and pulls it to rest on my stomach. “We were clearing a hill, trying to gain some territory. A lot of political bullshit that doesn’t matter. Anyway, our guys were getting smoked and we got called out. Our convoy was ambushed by rocket fire. I managed to save one of the guys before I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up with the worst headache of my life, they told me I’d never hear out of my right ear again and that, aside from the guy I pulled out, I was the only survivor. And I don’t even know if he made it. He was in critical condition last I heard, while I was in the hospital. It was crazy over-crowded so I couldn’t find out much else.”