by Jeffe Kennedy, Christine d’Abo, Elise Logan, Emily-Ryan Davis, Jodie Griffin
She slid the box of ornaments to the side, out of the way. First things first, then. They needed to sort the must have from the nice to have. Pushing up the cabled sleeves of her sweater, she shook her head at herself. No time like the present.
She’d made a reasonable dent in the boxes when Liam’s swearing caught her attention. Wincing, she left the box she was working on and started down the attic ladder. Liam met her in the second-story hallway. Lines of tension stamped the corners of his lips. He tried to erase them when he saw her, but she knew him too well to be fooled.
“Jen is a fucking idiot,” he said before she asked.
Kat grimaced. “Do I want to know?”
“No, you don’t.”
She might not need to know, but Liam needed to vent. “Tell me anyway,” Kat said.
“The guy she’s been living with hit her.” Liam pitched his voice to imitate Jen’s bad habit of making excuses. “He’s under a lot of stress.”
She didn’t have to ask why Jen called Liam with her problems. “I wondered when she would get around to asking you for money instead of hinting in emails to me.”
“He has her convinced everything would be fine if I’d just set them up.” Disgust colored his tone, along with something that was almost, but not quite, guilt.
Kat bit her lip. She’d long ago given up any attempt at convincing Liam he wasn’t responsible for Jen’s choices, which almost always became mistakes. Liam might never be prepared to let go of his sense of obligation to protect the younger woman from the harm she dealt herself. Ordinarily, Kat would join Liam in a session of sympathy bitching and give her okay to a loan she knew would never be repaid. Tonight, however, she shook her head.
“Liam, we can’t. You heard Hunter. He’s on a ninety-day assignment and will be receiving new orders in two months or less. We’re going to be juggling a mortgage and rent, at least for a little while. We just can’t.”
He didn’t deny the truth but he didn’t agree with her, either. “She’s my sister.”
“And she’s an adult,” Kat said gently.
Liam growled. “Why the hell does she have to be so damned gullible?”
Kat shrugged, then folded up the ladder and eased up the access panel. “She just is. You can’t manage her life forever. She doesn’t listen to you anyway.”
“God, that’s so true. She never listens. Okay, you’re right.” He dusted his hands together. “There, gone. We’ll deal with Jen later if we need to.” He forced a smile before heading into the bedroom. “You might want to wash the attic dirt off your face and get your agenda together before Hunter gets here.”
Wiping her hands on the seat of her jeans, Kat followed. “I don’t have an agenda. Is that how you think this meeting is going to go?”
Something in her tone must have clued Liam in to how little she appreciated his making light of the matter. He pulled a fresh shirt from the closet and shot her an apologetic glance. “Sorry, babe. Jen is getting to me.”
“It’s not just Jen, is it?”
Liam ran his hand over his face. “I wish Hunter was more accessible. I knew this was going to be reality but I didn’t know how much it would bother me.”
“I know. It bothers me, too. We’ll talk about it today. Talking about it should help.”
“As long as we don’t get so bogged down in talking that we don’t get to the action portion of the day.” He removed the paint-splattered T-shirt he’d put on that morning and pitched it into the hamper.
Kat curled her bare toes in the carpet. “Why don’t you meet him at the door by yourself? You two can catch up and take off a little of the edge. He’s probably feeling it too, even if he isn’t sexting us with cock shots.”
“God, K-K, that is exactly what I need. Are you sure you don’t want to join us?”
“Mmm.” She smiled wryly. “Of course I want to join you. I can wait, though. I’m not all balanced on a knife’s edge of repressed testosterone-y man needs like you are.”
He laughed. “The hell you aren’t.”
“Well, maybe I am a little. I’m a woman, though. I come from a long line of waiting my turn to come,” she teased.
With a snort, Liam pulled the clean thermal over his head. “The only waiting you do is for me to recover enough to put on a repeat performance.”
Kat leaned against the wall, unable to contain a grin. “You’re so quick to deliver the encore. I’m crazy spoiled, I admit it.”
“Damn right you are.” He closed the distance between them and palmed her hips, drawing her close enough that she could feel him against her lower belly. The simple yet suggestive contact melted her on the spot. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed his throat, rubbing her lips back and forth across the golden shadow of his morning beard.
If they weren’t expecting Hunter any minute—or if she’d remembered to give Hunter a key the last time he’d stopped by—she would back Liam up to the bed and remind him just how much he’d spoiled her. Instead, she contented herself with pushing her hands through Liam’s silky hair and fastening her mouth to his. Liam rubbed his tongue against hers and angled his hips so she couldn’t miss his growing erection. She was on the verge of unzipping his cargoes and wedging her hands into his shorts when his phone vibrated. The doorbell chimed a few seconds later.
“Hunter’s here,” she murmured against his lips.
Liam squeezed her ass one last time before releasing her. “You sure you don’t want to join us?”
“Yes. Go on. You can both make it up to me later.”
“I’ll be disappointed if you don’t hold me to that.” Liam kissed her again before leaving the room and heading downstairs.
Kat waited until she heard their masculine voices mingling, and then she pulled the attic access down again. She might as well sort through a few more boxes.
* * *
Less than an hour later, Kat joined Liam and Hunter in the kitchen, where Liam had brewed and poured coffee for three. Hunter and Liam stood side by side in front of the sliding doors that overlooked their tiny deck. She paused on the threshold so she could watch the two of them together. Over the course of the past week, Hunter had shed some of his instinctive evasion of casual touches. He had even become more generous with handing them out. While Kat watched, Hunter brushed his fingertips across Liam’s lower back for no apparent reason besides touching. The gesture warmed her in more ways than one.
“Coffee smells great,” she said, stepping into the kitchen. “It was freezing up in the attic.”
Liam turned around, his smile relaxed and easy. “I thought you were going to shower off some of that attic dirt.”
“I went back up, so I didn’t see the point in getting cleaned up just to get all dusty again.” She crossed to Hunter and turned her face up for a kiss, which he gave without a moment’s hesitation.
“Happy New Year,” she murmured against his lips.
Hunter stroked her nape. “I think it’ll be a good one, yeah.”
Kat slid her arms around his waist and squeezed. The puddle of warmth in her belly spread, not stopping until Liam spoke again.
“Why’d you do that? I thought you’d already gotten the last of the Christmas stuff.”
His tone was casual but Kat winced anyway. This wasn’t a topic she wanted to just leap into, especially not while the topic of relationship limits loomed. But she couldn’t ignore him. She reluctantly released Hunter and faced Liam. “I did. I was sorting through some boxes so we can start making decisions about what to keep and what to ditch.”
“What? Why are we ditching stuff?” Liam’s voice had lost all mellowness.
Hunter settled his hand on her shoulder, keeping her from sidling away from the mounting tension. “Yes, why are you ditching stuff?”
She looked between the two of them,
settling her gaze on Hunter. “If this is going to work long term, we’re going to have to follow you to your postings. We’ll need to sell the house, be able to move to go with you. At the very least we’ll need to pare down our possessions so we’re not hauling the same unopened boxes from state to state.”
Hunter stared at her. “Sell the house?”
The choked sound from Liam forced her to look at him. He was ashen, the stricken expression both confusing and troubling.
“You can’t sell the house,” Hunter said flatly.
She frowned. “Of course we can. We’ll likely make a decent profit.”
“No,” Liam interrupted. “No getting rid of stuff, no selling the house.”
Kat wrapped her arms around her ribs. She didn’t understand them. Selling the house made sense. “But—”
Hunter cut her off. “I agree with Liam. What if things don’t work out? What if something happens to me? What if I’m flushed from the Corps because of us? There’s too much uncertainty to do something as permanent as selling your house.”
“But we can’t both stay and go,” Kat protested. “I thought this was already decided. We’re going with you. Liam, I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“We’ll find another way,” Liam said. “Maybe rent the house. God knows there are enough people who want to rent in this area.”
“That’s a possibility. Whatever, I think we shouldn’t made impulsive decisions,” Hunter pointed out.
The pleasant warmth of a few minutes ago became a harsh chill. Shaking off Hunter’s hand, Kat turned away and grabbed the third mug of coffee. Were neither of them as ready to commit as she was?
She drew a calming breath and set her cup on the counter without taking a drink. She spoke without looking at either of them. “I can understand not wanting to sell the house, but we still need to lighten our load. There’s a lot of stuff we can get rid of, which will make moving around easier.”
“I’m not getting rid of stuff. You can get rid of your things if you want, but not mine.”
Liam’s flat statement left no doubt that he meant what he said, but Kat was baffled. What did it matter if they got rid of the box of college papers he’d stashed in the attic?
Whatever the issue, it was very clear she was outvoted and outgunned.
“Fine.” But it wasn’t fine. Not fine at all. She wasn’t angry, exactly. They were entitled to their opinion and input. That wasn’t what had happened here, though. They’d combined forces to shut her down. Disconcerted by being ganged up on, she changed the subject. “We’re supposed to be having a relationship meeting. So where do we stand?”
Liam and Hunter exchanged a look before Liam shrugged. “We’re good.”
Kat bit back a sharp response. She needed to get it together. Her annoyance wasn’t helpful. “Not what I mean.” She took a deliberate breath, giving herself a moment to settle. “We agreed to give it a week and revisit, to really talk about what we see as hard limits and what we want from this.”
“Ah. Right.” Liam pulled out a chair and sat, gesturing across the table for Hunter.
“Who starts?” Kat asked
Hunter lifted a brow. “You called the meeting, you run the meeting.”
“Military rules?” She tried to make a joke of it, but it fell flat. Evidently she hadn’t pushed her irritation back far enough. The seats Liam and Hunter took, side by side and across from her, didn’t help alleviate her unease.
“Just seems right,” Hunter said.
“That makes the topic of meetings first up, then,” she decided.
“Fine with me.” Liam settled back in his chair. The relaxed look was back, a reminder of why this was worth working to accomplish.
“Okay. I think that because of the potential for crossed wires and confusion, we should have regular meetings. That way we can be more proactive and get ahead of any problems. And we should mix up who is in charge of the meetings.” She had no desire to be the only one running them. This was a responsibility they should all share.
Hunter nodded slowly. “It’s a good idea. I can’t guarantee regular meetings, though. I don’t always know my schedule, and when I do it could change. And I might not always be here.”
“Reasonable,” Liam agreed. “A general schedule and a way to work rescheduling is probably best. Sometimes I might be the one out of the loop.”
Kat managed a smile. “This is exactly why we need these meetings. How often do you think would be good?”
Liam drummed his fingers on the edge of the table. “Monthly?”
Tension crept up her neck at the suggestion. “That seems like a long time. I was thinking weekly.”
Hunter leaned forward. “It makes sense to have longer between meetings to let things settle. Split the difference and say every other week.”
“That seems reasonable,” Liam agreed.
She could work with every other week. “Okay. Saturday mornings seem good?”
Both men agreed.
“So what if someone isn’t available?”
Hunter cleared his throat. “I’d think it would depend on why and how long they were gone. I don’t think you two should skip meetings if I’m in the field for a month. Or more. But if it’s just a couple of days flex, just move the meeting.”
Liam cocked his head. “Meet without whoever is missing if they’re gone for more than a few days, and catch up when they get back.”
“Why not?”
They looked at Kat. She considered. “What if you’re deployed? That would be months, maybe a year.”
“Yeah,” Hunter agreed. “I could maybe Skype a little, but there’s no privacy, so no relationship stuff.”
Nothing? The idea of it hit Kat in the chest and reverberated with painful truth. She didn’t know if she could handle that level of impersonal interaction for that long. She was almost certain she knew the answer, but she had to ask. “What about mail, or phone, or email?”
“Phone and mail are definitely the same rules. Which was one of the things I wanted to talk about.”
“The rules? Yeah, we got those. No PDA or whatever,” Liam confirmed. His tone edged toward irritated. Kat wondered if he was irked with the rules or having to talk about them. It gave her some level of satisfaction that she wasn’t alone in her ire.
Hunter leveled a look at Liam. “That, too. But right now I mean the texts and email.”
Liam crossed his arms over his chest. Kat blinked, realizing she’d done the same. Uncrossing her arms, she put her hands back onto the table.
“What about them?” Liam demanded.
“While I’m at HQ, I’m more available than pretty much any other duty. Even so, I can’t keep up with the level of texts and crap you two send. And not all of it is appropriate.”
Kat winced. She might have crossed a line there with some of her texts.
“What are you getting at?” The flat tone of Liam’s voice caught her attention and reminded her of his earlier frustration with Jen.
“Just that the two of you text all the time. I can’t do that, not even in the best of circumstances—which is now. In the field, you won’t hear from me for days or weeks at a time. Even on base, I’ll be on the firing range or doing weapons testing or training. I don’t have an office job, and you both need to cut back on what you send.”
Kat dropped her hands to her lap and twisted her fingers together. She lived and breathed communication, it was the one thing she’d found when she’d searched over the last week. And that meant she needed to speak up now.
“That may be an...issue.”
Liam whipped his head around and Hunter leaned forward, looking at her in that focused, singular way he had.
“How?”
“You asked for a week to think about hard stops, and you told me
to think, too. I did. The one thing I kept coming back to was that I need to know what’s going on.”
She raised a hand to forestall Hunter’s objection. “I don’t mean I need to know everything you’re doing every minute of the day. I mean I need to know what’s going on in your head and in Liam’s head and what that means for us. I had no idea what was going on with you and Liam and me before, and that screwed everything up. I don’t want to be in that place again, and the only way I know to avoid it is communication.”
Liam sighed. “I agree there. At the time I didn’t realize how hard it would hit you, so I fucked up.”
Hunter sat back. “I don’t mean we can’t talk or text, but you can’t expect the level of engagement from me that the two of you have.”
“How can we work as a relationship if you aren’t engaged?” Panic started to rise in her throat, and she deliberately pushed it down. No reason to panic.
“I won’t be able to respond most of the time, and even if I can, I have to be careful. And just the amount of stuff you two send distracts me from what I need to be doing.”
“Fine,” Liam muttered. “We won’t text you while you’re at work unless it’s important.”
“Good. That works for me.”
Kat made a noise in her throat.
“Problem?” Hunter asked carefully.
“It’s not necessarily fine with me.”
“What, exactly, is the sticking point, Kat?”
She thought for a moment, lining up her words. “Part of what Liam and I have, what we are as a couple, is the communication. The little texts and the back and forth which kind of connects us through the day. Liam keeping your note from me shook that, made me question whether what I thought we had was somehow different from what Liam thought we had.”
Liam shifted, reaching over to grip her hand. “God, K-K. I’m so sorry.”
Kat squeezed his hand before releasing him. “I know. Part of the issue was that you didn’t realize how much I needed you to tell me something like that. That’s my point here. If we aren’t clear about our expectations and where we are emotionally, this can’t work. I can’t deal with either of you keeping things from me. Which means I need you both to talk to me, to touch base so that I know where everyone is.”