“I shouldn’t have left Monday night. Hell, I shouldn’t have stayed away four years ago.”
“Oh, Mr. Santa’s helper, sir.” Reanna tugged on his arm. “You said a bad word and I don’t think Santa would like it.”
Despite the hurt in her heart, Stacy smiled, and her heart cracked open a little further when Liam squatted down to look Reanna in the eyes.
“You’re right. I’m going to have to clean out a few extra reindeer stalls to make up for it.”
Her niece nodded and her gaze kept straying to Trident, who was sticking to Liam like glue. This rocked her heart because for the dog to be that close to Liam meant he was sensing his master was upset. About her.
“This is Trident,” he said. “You want to pet him?”
Reanna’s eyes rounded. “Can I?”
“Yes, do it like this,” he said, then went on to patiently explain the correct way to pet a stranger’s dog.
Stacy inhaled a ragged breath and decided she was strong enough to hear him out. He’d gone through a lot of trouble, and was sweet to Reanna.
“Think you can pet him while I talk to your aunt Stacy?”
Reanna nodded. “Yes. I’ll pet him just like you showed me and maybe you can tell Santa that I did a good job.”
He nodded. “I will. “
The smile returned to her niece’s face, who was slowly and methodically stroking Trident who had the look of adoration shining in his doggy eyes.
Liam rose to his feet and faced Stacy. “What I’m trying to say is that you deserved to know the reason I was worried about karma.”
She blinked. “Was?”
He nodded. “I’ve recently come to realize karma has its own agenda that I don’t influence.”
Shock rippled through her, but she didn’t have time to respond because he continued to speak.
“Breaking that code with you wasn’t my first time.”
She blinked as his meaning sunk it.
“I first broke it fifteen years ago when I started to date the sister of one of my SEAL buddies. Her name was Marisol. We were young, barely out of our teens when we got married. She was killed two weeks later when a drunk driver’s car jumped the curb.”
Her gasp echoed her sister’s. Their uncle, bless him, picked up Reanna and carried her to the sleigh, where they could hear her giggling.
Stacy wasn’t sure what she’d expected him to tell her but hearing that he had broken the code a prior time with another woman…he married then lost, was not it. Her heart squeezed tight and her throat attempted to cut off her air.
That explained a lot.
“And her brother was one of the men who died on that mission four years ago.”
Oh, God. She placed a hand over her heart and blinked back tears that had already been threatening.
Okay. Now, she understood why this code thing made him nervous, but she didn’t believe it was the reason those two died.
“I’m sorry, Liam. That’s truly awful, and I can see why you’re superstitious, but I can’t fight superstition. No matter how much I want to.”
He nodded. “I realized how wrong I was once my head cleared and was set straight by the peanut gallery over there.”
He nodded to his right—her left—and when Stacy glanced that way, she noted Finn and Cammie, Brett and Trisha, and Terry and Rose all standing in her uncle’s driveway, grinning at them. The sheriff was there, too. Smiling.
How had she not heard them? Or noticed them? And how the heck had they gotten there? She saw no cars. Nothing.
“Sometimes Finn gets like that,” Cammie said.
“Brett, too.”
“And Terry,” Rose added as the men grumbled and women smiled.
She got that it was an alpha thing. But she was worried that if she took him back, he’d relapse as soon as the next ominous event occurred.
“How can you guarantee you won’t leave as soon as something bad happens?”
“Because you own my heart,” he said. “You reached in and breathed life into it after I’d buried it down deep for more than a decade. Your sweetness. Your sincerity. The amazing way you gave without asking anything in return. God, I realized I was so damn lucky that you shared all that with me. You shared you with me.”
Damn, that was good. She sniffed. “I liked sharing with you.”
A small smile tugged the corner of his mouth. “And I thought I was sharing me with you, until I realized I’d withheld my past from you. Not because I didn’t want you to know, but because I thought it might put you in harm’s way.” He blew out a breath and shook his head. “Hearing me say it out loud helped me realize that was foolish thinking and I hope you believe me when I say that is all history. I want to be completely open and honest with you. An open book. You can ask me anything.” He placed a hand over his heart. “I’m here, begging your forgiveness and want you to know I’d never leave you.”
She blinked as tears filled her eyes. God, she wanted to believe him so badly she shook.
“How can I be sure?”
“Because you’re my anchor, Stacy,” he said, stepping close to cup her face, and her heart about tripped out of her chest at the tenderness in his tone and eyes. “And I’m hooked on you. And tethered to you. I have been for four years now. Floundering, existing in a sea of pain, and guilt, and nothingness, until we docked at the same shore.”
Well, hell. She blinked. That was really good.
She sniffed. “Royal Pines?”
He nodded. “Royal Pines.”
“So, if you’ll give me another chance, I swear it will be the last chance you’ll need to give me because I’m not going anywhere that you aren’t, Stacy. Never again. Not three weeks and six days from now. Not three decades and six years from now. Never.”
She inhaled and the tears dripped down her cheek. “That was really, really good.” She lifted her hands to set her palms on his chest. “What about Fort Worth?”
He shook his head. “I sent Roger.”
She shifted closer. “You really think I’m your anchor?”
“Stacy.” He brushed her cheek with his thumb, and his gaze softened with so much emotion that she trembled. “I know you are. You’re my everything, and by God, I’ll never let you go again. I swear.”
The last vestige of pain disappeared under the sincerity in his eyes and touch and those wonderful words. He’d opened his heart and bared his soul for her, in front of everyone.
In front of the universe.
And karma.
He had fought for her. Showed her that he had her back.
“I love you, Stacy,” he said, and gently kissed away her tears that fell in earnest at his admission. “So damn much.”
“I love you, too, Liam. So much I can’t see straight.”
He chuckled against her cheek, then brushed her mouth with his. “I’m never letting you go.”
“And I’m never going to go. You’re stuck with me now.”
A growl emanated in his throat a second before his kiss deepened, heated, grew hot enough to incite shouts and cheers from the peanut gallery in the driveway.
When they finally broke for air, he set his forehead to hers and kissed her nose. “I have a surprise for you.”
She drew back to smile at him. “You already gave me all I’ll ever want.”
A wicked gleam entered his eyes. “You sure about that?”
Heat shot through her body, warming her from within. “Well, since it’s you that I want, yeah, I’m sure.”
“You have me. Always.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her to the sleigh, where Uncle Clayton stood holding her smiling niece. “Stick around, sweetheart,” he told Reanna. “When we come back, we’ll give you a ride.”
Her niece’s eyes nearly popped out of her face. “Okay! I’ll stay right here by Trident.”
“Thank you,” he said before he turned to Stacy, put his hands on her waist and hoisted her up into the sleigh like she weighed two ounces.
Then, when the s
heriff and Brennan men motioned that the street was clear, Liam clicked his tongue and the horse began to move, taking her on her first sleigh ride since her childhood.
Those had been with a very special man and now this one was with another special man. The most important man in her life. Her world. Liam was her world.
But all too soon he reined in the horse and stopped the sleigh.
“What’s wrong?” she frowned.”
“Nothing.” He smiled. “We’re here. At your surprise.”
Her heart dropped to her ribs then raced in her suddenly too tight chest. “The Victorian? You’re the one who made the offer?”
“Yes.” He frowned. “How’d you know there was an offer?”
“Because I’d called today to make an appointment to see it so I could put in an offer.”
“Well, now you don’t have to. It’s yours.” He smiled. “I mean, ours. And just so you know, I have enough money to purchase this place and to restore it properly. But I’ll understand if you want to contribute. It’s totally up to you.”
Stacy nodded, barely holding it together. “I’d like to. And to help with the restoring.”
No one had ever done anything like this for her. Ever. She pinched her arm to see if she was dreaming because, God, she’d dreamt about having sleigh rides and a life with Liam and a Victorian so many times. Maybe not all together, but this…yeah, this was the best part.
Her tears returned to flow freely down her face. “Just an hour ago I was in misery and now, God, now I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my life.”
Liam caught her chin between his finger and thumb. “Me, too, Stacy. And I’m so grateful. So damn grateful for your trust. I swear I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t, Liam.” She smiled. “Remember before when you said I’m your anchor?”
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“Well, you’re my reason.”
His brow lifted. “Your reason for what?”
“For living. For loving. For wanting to feel. Wanting to trust. To take chances. To smile, but most of all, Liam, you’re my reason for breathing.”
All the unhappiness in her life used to take up so much space in her chest it was sometimes hard to carry around. But not anymore because that was all gone. Evicted to make room for all the joy and happiness that filled her heart and overflowed into her soul.
“God, I love you, Stacy.”
She cupped his face with both hands and tugged his mouth close to kiss the man she loved in the sleigh from her daydreams in front of the house of her dreams—their house—and Stacy knew that dreaming was no longer necessary because she had the reality. She had everything she’d ever want or need. She had Liam’s trust. Liam’s love. Liam’s heart.
He was her everything, and she was his anchor.
If you enjoyed Liam’s Anchor, please consider leaving a review. Thank you.
There will be more Royal Pines novels coming soon! Keep an eye out for Caleb’s book in 2021!
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Also by Donna Michaels
~Royal Pines Series~
Finn’s Surprise
Brett’s Payback
Liam’s Anchor
Caleb’s- (official title and rel. date tba)
~HC Heroes Series~
(Harland County Spinoff Series)
Mac
Carter
Dex
Gabe
Cooper
Dean
RJ
Hunter (Rel. 01/26/21)
~Harland County Series~
Harland County Christmas (Prequel)
Her Fated Cowboy
Her Unbridled Cowboy
Her Uniform Cowboy
Her Forever Cowboy
Her Healing Cowboy
Her Volunteer Cowboy
Her Indulgent Cowboy
Her Hell Yeah Cowboy
Her Troubled Cowboy (Citizen Soldier Crossover)
Her Hell No Cowboy
Her Doggone Cowboy
Harland County Epilogue
~The Citizen Soldier Series~
(Harland County Spinoff Series)
Wyne and Dine
Wyne and Chocolate
Wyne and Song
Wine and Her New Year Cowboy
Whine and Rescue
Wine and Hot Shoes
Wine and Scenery
~The Men of At Ease Ranch Series~
~Entangled Publications~
In An Army Ranger’s Arms
Her Secret Army Ranger
The Right Army Ranger
Army Ranger with Benefits
The Army Ranger’s Surprise
~Dangerous Curves Series~
Knight’s SEAL
Locke and Load
A DAYE with a SEAL
Cowboy LAWE
Connected to Dangerous Curves:
Elite Protector (Elle James’ Brotherhood Protectors)
Grinch Reaper (Sleeper SEALs Series)
SEAL in Charge (Silver SEALs Series)
~Novels~
She Does Know Jack
Royally Unleashed
DonnaMichaelsAuthor.com
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About the Author
Donna Michaels is an award winning, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Romaginative fiction. Her hot, humorous, and heartwarming stories include cowboys, men in uniform, and some sexy primal alphas who are equally matched by their heroines. With a husband recently retired from the military, a household of seven and several rescued cats, she never runs out of material. From short to epic, her books entertain readers across a variety of sub-genres, one was even hand-drawn into a Japanese translation…if only she could read it…
Bringing you HEAs-One Hot Alpha Hero at a Time
Thanks for reading,
~Donna
www.DonnaMichaelsAuthor.com
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