“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say feeling awkward. I look down and move the sand with my toes.

“Hey,” he says and pulls my attention back to him.

I take a deep breath. Liam isn’t Aaron. There’s no guarantee he won’t suffer the same fate, but the bottom line is that he’s different. Our relationship is much different as well. I was a kid when I met Aaron, we grew up together, and in some ways, we grew apart. The losses in his life caused him to put me in a different place in his heart. Maybe he didn’t want to hurt anymore, so he chose to hurt me instead. I’ll never know that answer, but I have to move forward.

I never planned to love again. But Liam . . . I can’t fight him. I don’t want to fight it either.

“I love you.” I say the words and I see the joy reflected in his eyes. Tears fill my own eyes as I let the love free in my heart. “I do. I love you. You make me happy and you make me feel safe.”

Liam steps closer and cups my cheek, “I love you, Natalie. I’ll always keep you safe.” My face tilts into his hand and he wipes a tear that descends down my cheek. “Don’t cry, sweetheart.”

“I’m not sad. I just . . . there are things that scare me with loving you,” I admit.

“Like what?” Liam’s voice is tender and curious.

He must know the fears that I face. Or maybe he doesn’t. They immerse themselves in this world where they think they’re untouchable. Even though they live and breathe death.

“You’re an active duty Navy SEAL. I’m already a SEAL widow.” The words seep out and so does fear.

“I can’t make you promises. I’d be a liar and a fool to tell you it can’t happen to me. I know you know that. You knew when we started feeling more than friendship what it would mean. Deployments, training, dangerous things I can’t tell you about.” Liam’s words are measured, and his voice is strong and steady. He keeps his hand caressing my face, and my hand rests on his chest. “I can tell you all the bullshit you want to hear, but it’ll just be that. I want a life with you, Lee. I want to build something with you and Aarabelle. I want to spend my days thinking about coming home to you. I want to feel your body beneath me when I make love to you.”

I look up and my chest tightens.

“I want it all. I love you and Aarabelle, but it comes with a cost. I knew this was going to be something we have to work through. Loving me comes with the risk of knowing I might not come back home.”

A tear falls from my eye as the image flashes before me. Another knock on the door telling me he’s gone. Another flag on the mantel where I have to look at the only two men I loved taken from me. I can’t. I don’t think I could do it.

“I can’t lose you like that.”

“I can’t promise you won’t, but I can promise I’ll fight everything to make sure it doesn’t. I’ll do anything I can so you never have to feel that way. That’s the only promise I can make.”

Aarabelle sleeps soundly on Liam’s shoulder and I know the choice before me. Either I walk away from Liam now, save whatever is left of the heart I have left. Guard myself and be careful about who I let in, or give everything I have to him. Take the chance to end up with nothing or maybe the greatest love I’ve ever known. Liam and I have a chance to create a new love that I never had.

Aaron was easy and known. He was comfort and stability. I think even with his affair he wouldn’t have left me. We would’ve maybe found a way to get through it. It wouldn’t have been easy, but we have a kid, a life, a marriage together. I’ll never know those answers or whether it would’ve been true, but I loved him. Even now, as hurt as I am, Aaron holds an intangible piece of my heart and soul. It’ll always be his.

“If we do this,” I hesitate, “You’ll be careful?” It’s a stupid question, and that word is abhorrent to them. They don’t know how to be careful. It’s a hero complex, but he needs to know I need that.

“Natalie, I’ll do everything I can to come home to you.”

“Then let’s go back to the house. I’m ready for bed.”

I take his hand and we walk back to the car.

Nerves start to take hold as we get back to the house. I try to tell myself it’s only Liam, but then again—it’s Liam.

“I’m going to put her down.” My voice trembles. Smooth, Natalie.

“I’ll come with you,” he offers and places his hand on my back.

Great.

We climb the stairs and reach the spare bedroom where I’ve set up her portacrib. It faces the back of the house so the sun shouldn’t wake her first thing in the morning. I hold her a little longer than normal and kiss her forehead. I’m stalling.

Liam kisses her cheek, then kisses mine. He leaves the room and I let out a deep breath.

I need a fucking drink.

“Here goes nothing,” I say to myself and place her in her crib. “Sleep all night, my little princess.”

Mommy’s going to be busy.

Well, now where do I go? The bedroom? The bathroom? Do I have to slip into something? I feel like a dipshit.

I decide I really do need a drink and head to the kitchen. Liam is standing against the counter sipping a beer.

“Seems I’m not the only one,” I say with a laugh and grab the beer from his hand.

He grabs my waist and pulls me against him.

“You don’t have to be nervous. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want,” he says against my neck. His nose trails from my neck to my shoulder, and I place the bottle down on the counter behind him. Slowly his fingers dip into the fabric where my back isn’t exposed. He lingers there, grazing against my skin, while his tongue traces my neck up to my ear.

I shiver and heat pools in my core.

“I want to go slow. I want to savor every moment with you. I want to touch you, taste you, feel you, and then we’ll do it again.” His deep voice is rich and full of promise.

I melt in his arms.

“Liam, I’ve . . .” I stop speaking when his tongue traces the shell of my ear.

“You what, sweetheart?”

“I’ve . . .” I let out a shaky breath. “I’ve only ever been with Aaron,” I admit and tense. To some this might be a turn off. I don’t know. I only know how to do what Aaron liked and maybe I didn’t do it well. Maybe that’s why he sought another woman. “What if . . .”

Liam’s hands drift up my back and grip my shoulders from behind. He pulls me back so we’re eye to eye. “What if?”

“What if I suck?”

“I’m going to keep my first thought in check,” he replies with a smartass grin.

I stand waiting for him to be serious.

“Natalie, stop it. You’re perfect and we’ll talk. If you don’t like something, just tell me.” Liam’s eyes don’t waver. He waits until I nod.

Then he scoops me into his arms and pulls me against his chest.

“Put me down.”

“Hush.”

“I can—” I start to say, but he silences me with his lips.

Liam carries me with almost no effort up the stairs. We enter the bedroom and he carefully kicks it closed with his foot. He holds me and kisses me nonstop as he lays me on the bed.