by Meghan March
Travis wrapped his arm around Lia’s shoulders, leaned down, and kissed her. When he lifted his mouth, he added, “Whatever’s going on in that beautiful head of yours—you gotta share. That’s the only way this is going to work—a lot of communication.”
She nodded. “Okay. I won’t … do the morning disappearing act again.”
“You sure as hell won’t,” Cam agreed. “Because you’re moving all of your shit into our cabin today.
Lia’s eyes went wide.
Hell. Maybe he should’ve saved that little announcement?
“Wait, what?”
“It’s not like we’d be able to hide this, even if we wanted to. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to hide jack shit.”
Lia swallowed, then squared her shoulders and looked from him to Travis and back to him. “You’re right. I just … I just hadn’t thought that far yet. I guess … it makes sense.”
“Damn straight it makes sense. We’ll help you move your stuff.”
Lia lay propped up on the pillows of their bed while she waited for her men.
Their bed.
Her men.
Holy hell. Only a month ago she would’ve never believed this was possible.
But it was. And the last two weeks had been amazing. They’d developed their own routine, and she’d gotten to know their habits and quirks.
Like, for instance, that Travis loved it when she played with his balls while she sucked his dick, and Cam was a sucker for a little assplay of his own.
Speaking of assplay … that was exactly what she was waiting for. Because they’d been holding out on her. And that was going to stop tonight.
The door creaked open, and excitement bloomed inside her.
“Baby, you in here?” Travis yelled from the door.
“Mmmmhmmm … and I’m waiting for you,” Lia called back.
Footsteps sounded as he closed in on the bedroom. Travis’s head swiveled in a double take—probably because she was naked and laid out on the bed. “Hell, you have no idea how much I want to just climb in with you, but I can’t. Ro’s in labor. Baby’s on the way.”
“Oh, shit.” Lia pushed to her knees and scooted off the bed. She ran to grab a T-shirt and jeans. “What can I do? Is she okay?”
“I think she’s fine, but we’re all on high alert. Her dad’s pacing, her sister’s pacing, and Graham and Zach are pacing. It’s like this whole place is holding its breath.”
“Where’s Cam?”
“He just swapped out with Graham’s watch. Ro and Allison have known that the baby was coming for a few hours, but she didn’t want to get G and Zach fired up until it was a little closer in time. So now shit’s moving along real quick. I’m going to relieve Ryan because Zach was up next to cover him.”
“Okay. Well, I guess I’ll go … help? Pace? I don’t even know.”
“I think Ty is in the kitchen pulling together some food since Allison is with Rowan.”
“Yes. Food. I can do that.”
Travis held out his hand. “I’ll walk you over there.”
Lia smoothed her hair back into a ponytail and grabbed an elastic off the dresser to secure it. She crossed the room to where Travis stood and took his hand.
Looking up into his gorgeous face, she said, “You know you don’t need to walk me everywhere anymore, right? I’m … I’m good. I’m not going to freak.”
Travis reached up and stroked along her cheekbone with his thumb. “I know you’re good. I’ve been watching you come into your own for months, and the last couple weeks have just been the icing on the cake. You’ve always been stronger than you realize, Lia. I’m just glad you’re figuring that out.”
A rush of warmth fluttered through her. The conviction with which he said the words, the softness with which he touched her. They were just two of the many things she loved about him.
“Thank you.” They were the only words that came to mind. “Thank you for believing in me.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed the sweetest kiss to her knuckles. “Thank you for letting me be part of this with you and Cam. I know if you’d had to choose, you would’ve—”
Lia raised her finger and pressed it to her lips. “Don’t even say it. It’s the three of us against the world. Always. No matter what.”
His smile unfurled and lifted her heart. “Come on. Let’s get going.”
Travis had mixed feelings about manning the watch post at the front gate. It was the most interesting of the posts because of the location, but the action he saw up there usually broke his heart. Discouraging people from thinking about coming inside the fence line was tough. Usually the business end of an M-16 did the job, but there’d been a couple occasions where they’d had to show how serious they were about protecting their own. Thank God they’d never been faced with turning women or children away, because Travis wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it.
With remains of the government and the military rising again in the last few months, and the rumors of the New Hope for America Work Corps camps trickling in through a few of their outside radio contacts, things were more dangerous than ever. Which was why the man approaching the fence line, hands in the air, rubbed Travis the wrong fucking way. He was wearing a uniform. Given the state of the military, that uniform might mean nothing—could be a left over from the Corps or a deserter from the new regime.
The man came closer, and Travis rested his finger alongside the trigger and sighted him in, positioning the guy’s head in the crosshairs of his riflescope. His trigger finger froze when he recognized the guy’s face.
With his other hand, he reached for the radio. “Command, I got an update on the uniform at the gate … I think I know him from our last tour in the Sandbox. He was a Gunny. Fuck, can’t remember his name though. Just remember the way he yelled.”
Jonah, Allison’s husband, replied, “No shit? I’ve gotta let G know. He’s gonna want to hear this.”
“Dude, he’s got a kid coming.”
Jonah replied, “From the way the screaming has quieted down to nothing, I’m thinking the kid’s here. He’ll fucking have my balls if I don’t tell him.”
“Fine, do what you gotta do. I’m going to get a closer look.”
“Your timing sucks ass, Richardson,” Graham said, as he met Travis and Jackson Richardson just inside the front gate.
“You know how fucking long I’ve been on the road to get here? I’m lucky I even fucking made it. They’re shooting deserters on sight these days,” Jackson growled.
“Still can’t believe you did it,” Travis said.
At Jackson’s sharp look, he raised a hand. “I’m not judging. I would’ve done the same thing. We’ve been hearing awful shit. Soldiers killing civilians who don’t go quietly into the camps. No fucking way I’d do it. Women and children? That shit ain’t right.”
“It’s way worse than you’ve heard, man. So much fucking worse. But that ain’t why I’m here. I’m here because I figured if anyone had news around here, it’d be you guys.”
“What kind of news you looking for?”
“I’m looking for a girl.”
“A girl?” Graham asked. “You lose someone?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s a long fucking story, but the gist of it is, she was snatched by some redneck fuckers about five miles away from here a few days after the shit hit the fan. I got shot, almost died. Would’ve died if the guy who’d found me hadn’t seen my dog tags and hauled my ass to the nearest military camp and handed me over. Took me all this time to recover and make my way back here. I’ve got nothing to go on, and no one in town has any clue what happened to her.”
Travis’s stomach churned at the story. He’d been shot. Five miles from here. The girl had been snatched by some redneck fuckers. Jesus.
“What’s her name?” Travis asked.
Jackson’s eyes shot to his, and the pain in them was real and vivid.
“Lia.”
Lia hummed as she set dinner o
n the table in the mess hall. The men were filing in. She was finally contributing to their little community—and it was gratifying.
The screen door cracked open, and Lia looked up. A smile stretched across her face instinctively at the sight of Travis, but faded when she couldn’t read whatever was reflected on his face.
“What’s wrong? Are Ro and the baby okay?” she asked.
“They’re fine. Little girl’s name is Mira. She’s healthy and beautiful.”
“Then what—?” Her words broke off when she saw the man standing behind him. Her legs turned to Jell-O, and she sank to her knees. “Oh my God,” she breathed.
“Lia, honey. Holy shit, you’re alive.”
“Jack. Omigod. Omigod.”
She pushed off the floor and stumbled to her feet.
They met in the center of the room, and he lifted her up and swung her around.
“Cannot believe you’re here. I’ve been looking for you, girl.”
“I thought you were dead. I thought…” Tears burst free and streamed down her cheeks.
For long moments, Cam stood beside Travis and watched as Lia bawled in her brother’s arms. He was happy as fuck the man wasn’t dead, but he wanted to dry her tears and make sure she never cried again. Screw the happy tears bullshit—no tears from Lia were good tears, in his opinion.
When Lia’s brother finally lowered her to the ground, she immediately threw herself at Travis. Cam didn’t even think, he stepped up and closed the circle around her, and they both held her while she laughed and cried some more.
The hard “What the fuck, man?” from Jackson had him lifting his head.
Lia turned in their arms and faced her brother. She tensed, and Cam knew it was because of the disapproval clearly branded on her brother’s features. Cam dropped his eyes to Lia’s face, and all of the joy that had been there was fading away.
Cam manned up. “She’s ours, man. I know it’s a little different arrangement from what you’re probably used to … but—”
Jack’s expression darkened. “What the fuck are you talking about? Lia, get over here.”
“I know she’s your sister, but even you don’t get to talk to her like that,” Travis bit out.
“Lia,” Jack growled again.
“Enough,” Lia said. “All of you.” She turned to Cam. “I think I need to have a word with my brother. In private.”
As much as he didn’t want to let her go, he knew he didn’t have a choice.
“We’ll be right here waiting when you’re done, sweetheart.” He didn’t bother to look at Jack as he pressed a kiss to her temple. A disapproving brother wasn’t going to change a damn thing between them. He wouldn’t let it.
He’s alive. The words chanted in Lia’s head on repeat as she led Jack toward the cabin she used to share with Erica. She wasn’t sure why she went there, but she did. Maybe because she didn’t want her brother in the space she shared with Cam and Travis.
She pushed open the door and was thankful to find it empty. She took a seat on her old twin bed and nodded to Erica’s. “Feel free to have a seat.”
There was a table and two chairs in one corner of the cabin, but they were covered in Erica’s clothes and other stuff.
They sat knee to knee, and Jack grabbed her hand and held it between his. “I didn’t come here to fight with you. Fuck, I’m not going to fight with you. I’ve spent the last nine months going crazy not knowing where you were and how you were doing. Or fuck, if you were even…” he trailed off, but Lia finished for him.
“If I was alive? I know the feeling. The last glimpse I got of you was you in a pool of blood. I thought you were dead. I didn’t think anyone could live through that … not without regularly functioning hospitals and surgeons.”
Jack squeezed her hand. “I almost died. More than once. Hell. Infections, dehydration—you name it, it almost killed me. But I’m a stubborn son of a bitch, and I wasn’t going to let anything take me out. And I never lost hope of finding you. Saving you.”
She squeezed his hand back. “I don’t need saving anymore. I’ve got real heroes right here. Without them … I would’ve died. Either the men who kidnapped me would’ve done it, or I would’ve finished the job for them.”
Jack’s eyes slammed closed, and his features creased.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you. I should’ve—”
“You didn’t even have a gun. There was nothing you could do.”
He dropped her hand and jammed his fingers into his thick, dark hair. “I’m a fucking Marine, shit was going down. I shouldn’t have stepped away from the house without a gun. I was just in such a fucking hurry that day. I didn’t even fucking think.” He shook his head. “I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” Lia swallowed, unable to believe she was about to say what was on the tip of her tongue. But it was the truth. “Besides, if things hadn’t happened the way they did, I would’ve never met Cam and Travis, and that...”
Jack looked up at her. “Lia, I know this world is crazy, but two—”
“I’m in love with them. Both of them. And yes, this world is crazy, and maybe that craziness gave me the courage to follow my heart, but I wouldn’t change a thing. You don’t understand how happy they make me. How safe they make me feel.” She reached back out and grabbed his hand. “I never thought I’d feel safe again after what happened to me, but … I do. And it’s because of them. Instead of growling about the oddity of our relationship, you should be thanking them.”
Jack’s brown eyes—so much like her own—met hers. “I know. But I’m still your big brother, and today has been a hell of a shock for both of us. I just … need some time to get used to the idea, okay?”
“Speaking of time, do you have plans? How long can you stay?” Lia started to panic. “I don’t want to lose you when I just found you again. That would be too much to handle. I can’t—”
“Hey, hey. No reason to get excited about it. I’ll talk to the guys and see if they can put me to work in exchange for letting me stay. I don’t want to be a drain on resources. I’ve got skills to offer up.”
Lia hadn’t even thought of that. “They’ll let you stay, I know they will. I won’t let them make you leave.” She didn’t have any pull, but Cam and Travis did, and she wasn’t above begging. In creative ways.
“We’ve got a lot to catch up on. You want to go first, or do you want me to?” The question was the last one Lia really wanted to answer, but this was her brother. She could tell him most of it. Okay, maybe not most, but a little. Very little, when it came to Cam and Travis.
“How about you go first?”
He nodded. “Well, I woke up not knowing where the fuck I was…”
Cam sat stiffly in his chair in the mess hall, waiting for Lia to come back. A glance at Travis revealed his similar posture. They’d both pushed around the venison chili and cornbread that Lia had made.
Fuck, Jack Richardson’s little sister. He hardly knew the guy, but he’d respected what little he’d known. A good Marine. Solid leader. Liked and respected by his own men. And now he was probably trying to talk Lia into leaving with him.
Won’t fucking happen. He wasn’t letting her go.
But what if she wants to go? A voice in his head taunted. You can’t make her stay.
But she wouldn’t want to leave, would she? And fuck, even beyond the fact that losing her would shred his heart, the safest place for her was inside the walls of this compound. That just meant one thing: they had to talk Jack into staying. There was no other choice.
Being an only child of parents who’d died within months of each other when he was in his early twenties, Cam could only imagine what it’d be like to think he’d lost a sibling and then gotten him back. He wouldn’t want to let him out of his sight.
That meant they’d also have to get Jack on board with the relationship they had. His approval mattered, because it would be important to Lia.
“Wh
at the fuck are we going to do if he tries to get her to leave with him?” Travis asked.
“Ain’t happening.” Cam laid out his plan, and Travis nodded.
“Agreed. Him staying is a good idea. I mean, another mouth to feed, but he’s built like us, would protect this place to the death with Lia inside, and if the new military comes knocking on our door, not only does he know how they operate, but he’s not going to hesitate to choose sides. You want to talk to Graham, or want me to?”
Since Graham was the leader of the crew and had been the catalyst behind the ranch and compound, his approval was necessary.
“I’ll talk to G. No problem.”
“And how do we handle the protective big brother angle?” Travis asked.
“We let Lia take the lead. He’s her family. We back her up however she needs.”
“Sounds good.”
As soon as the words had come out of Travis’s mouth, the door to the mess hall opened, and Lia and Jack stepped inside.
Lia walked directly to them, a smile on her face. She stopped in front of Cam, and he hesitated. He wanted to pull her into his lap, but her brother watched, not looking like he wanted to ram his fist through any vital organs. Cam wasn’t sure he wanted to change that particular attitude by crossing what big brother might consider a line. At least not right now. If Jack stayed, he was going to have to get used to it.
Instead, Cam caught one of Lia’s hands and brought her palm to his mouth and kissed it. “Everything good?”
She nodded. “Everything’s really good. Or … it will be when you tell me that Jack will be able to stay.”