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“Liam loves you, too,” Seth said quietly. “If you’re having trouble believing it, stop. I’ve known O’Neill a long time. It took me less than two minutes of seeing the man with you to know that you’re everything to him.”
Their words hit her squarely in the chest. Maybe they were right. Liam and Hammer wouldn’t talk out their strife and drop everything to help her if they didn’t more than care.
Raine released a shaky breath and closed her eyes. Tears threatened. “I don’t know why they would love me. I’ve made their lives really difficult. Hammer practically had to finish raising me, and Liam has tried so hard… I’ve fought. I’ve hidden. I’ve lied.”
“Stop beating yourself up.” Seth took her hand. “You’re doing the right thing now. That’s what matters.”
“I hope it’s not too little, too late. Up until today, I was convinced that I’d destroyed their friendship. But seeing them together like this…” Raine groped for the right words. “That’s what their bond should be.”
Seth nodded. “You’re right.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Beck added. “All that bickering bugged the shit out of me, especially since I think, deep down, they want the same fucking thing. You should have seen the kitchen after Thanksgiving.”
“I did. What the hell was that?”
“Language.” Seth raised a brow at her.
Raine dropped her gaze. “Sorry, Sir.”
“I think that was them beginning to work it out.” Beck shrugged. “Throwing dishes is for pussies, and if Hammer hadn’t been so wrenched, I would have told him that. But their friendship wasn’t right even before you came along, princess.”
“Hammer told me not to take all the responsibility on my shoulders, but he never explained. So—”
“You didn’t believe him,” Beck filled in.
“No,” she admitted. “But what I saw today… It stunned me. Before now, I would have said it was impossible for them to share a woman again. But their actions together are so seamless. One picks up where the other leaves off. They’re so in tune, it’s like they can read each other’s minds. They operate as if they’re two halves of a whole. Like…they were born to be together in this way. The guilt that I’ve somehow kept them at one another’s throats for so long—”
“Stop there,” Seth demanded. “That’s both their doing and their problem. Focus on you for a minute. How does being with both of them make you feel?”
“Centered for the first time in my life. Secure. Protected. Happy.” She shook her head, still looking for the right words to express herself. “Don’t get me wrong. Every look, touch, and whisper has me completely off-balance. But being with them is so perfect. I don’t ever want to give it up. Juliet must have felt like the luckiest woman in the world.”
“I don’t think so. She had issues.” Seth paused. Something bitter passed over his face. “Hell, she was an issue.”
“You didn’t like her?” That surprised Raine. Hammer had loved Juliet enough to grieve for years—in his way. Liam…she wasn’t sure exactly how he’d felt about the woman.
“Not much.” Seth didn’t hesitate. “She didn’t have a spine. Not like you.”
“Sometimes I have too much spine,” Raine grumbled and shot a guilty look Beck’s way.
The doctor just laughed. “That’s actually a good thing, princess. Trust me.”
“You’ll need it with these two,” Seth drawled. “What’s your end game here?”
“What do I want out of this?” At their nods, she sighed. “I started down this path just to grow, to learn how to be open with someone and not try to protect myself all the time.”
“You’re being pretty damn honest now,” he pointed out.
“Because I can’t go back to being miserable. And no offense, but I can talk to you because my heart isn’t on the line.”
“None taken.” Beck shrugged.
“Besides, I’m guessing they left you here as my sounding boards.”
“Smart girl,” Seth said.
“Yep.” Beck nodded. “If you need help, we’re here. And we’ll be happy to whack Hammer and Liam upside the head if they need it. But we’ll also talk you through anything you’re unsure of or hesitant to address with them.
“I’m really grateful for the help, guys. Thanks.”
“So your goal is simply to not be miserable?” Beck prodded. “You don’t want anything else out of your time with Liam and Hammer?”
“Yesterday, no. Today…I’m afraid what I want is a little more pie in the sky. I know you said it was possible, Beck, but I’m still thinking I should go buy a bridge from someone on a street corner.”
“It’s not farfetched. Say it, princess.”
“I want them. Always,” she admitted softly. “I still think it sounds crazy. But today, they seemed happy. I’m happy. Part of me insists that it can work. But they tried with Juliet and it didn’t.”
“Apples and oranges. You’re different than Juliet. They’re not the same men, either. Liam and Hammer are stronger and more in sync now.”
