AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He stopped abruptly, his legs giving way. Crashing to his knees, Wyatt realized he was near the edge of the lake, the water threatening to surround and caress him. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily, trying desperately to suck some air into his lungs. Guilt at still being alive was crushing him.
Eighteen months and countless sessions of therapy had told him why he’d survived and nobody else had: he’d been at the back of the team, the farthest away from the blast. He hadn’t escaped unscathed, of course. He’d lost hearing in his right ear for months and doctors hadn’t been sure it would ever come back, although it eventually did. He’d been hit with shrapnel, some of which had managed to penetrate the protective clothing he’d been wearing.
He still sported the physical scars, but the emotional ones were so much deeper.
When he felt something wet and cold against the side of his face, he opened his eyes again and put his arms around Freya. The German shepherd always knew when he needed comfort, and she soothed him immensely.
Wyatt had contacted the families of his teammates when he’d gotten back to the States. Talked to parents who’d lost their son. Wives who’d become widows, children who’d become fatherless. They’d all wanted to know the same thing—what had happened? How had their loved ones died?
He hadn’t been able to answer that. He wasn’t permitted to discuss any part of a mission with civilians, but he did assure them the men didn’t suffer. All had died instantly. Which hadn’t been the truth in every case, but Wyatt knew it would ease the minds of their families to think his teammates felt nothing. He wished it was the truth, because he was haunted by the memories of watching two of his teammates die in his arms.
He hadn’t realized tears had been rolling down his cheeks until Freya licked his face, nuzzling him affectionately. “I’m okay, girl.” Another lie, but he’d get through this moment of grief as he had every other time over the last three years.
Too many times to count, yet he welcomed it. Welcomed the pain. It reminded him he was still breathing and that his teammates would not have wanted him to disappear into his grief.
They’d want him to live his life as fully as possible because they couldn’t. And he was trying. God knows, he was trying. But some days, some weeks, some moments, it was fucking hard to breathe. He kept going though. He’d made lists of everything he wanted to accomplish in life. Had taken the steps to find a new life for himself, one which brought him as much peace as possible.
The nightmares had eased. He’d managed to get weeks of sleep where he wasn’t woken by the nightmares which plagued him. And he suspected the reason as of late was because of a certain woman. One who’d literally come into his life on the side of the road.
The woman with the face of an angel and curves that made his heart race, his mouth water, and his dick get hard.
Wyatt hadn’t met a woman like Beth in a very long time. Sure, he’d had sex a bunch of times since settling in Silverbell Shore, with women he’d driven out of town to pick up in a bar. He’d never brought one to his home, because the cabin was his sanctuary. A place he’d worked hard to build with his own hands. And yet, he hadn’t hesitated to invite Beth Adams into his home. Into his life.
Into his heart.
And he didn’t know how to process that. He wasn’t sure what it meant. He constantly ached to strip her naked and kiss every single inch of her beautiful body. Run his lips over her bare skin, hear the sounds of pleasure he elicited from her. Make her feel wanted. Desired. Cherished. Emotions he was sure she hadn’t felt for some time.
But it reminded him of his brothers who could no longer do that with their women. Women who’d been left alone to raise their young children.
He wasn’t sure how long he remained on the ground, but it was Freya’s wet snout which had him shaking his head and getting up from where he was perched on the lake’s edge. “Sorry, girl.” He patted her head lovingly. “You ready to go home?”
The dog barked and raced ahead, daring her master to keep up with her. Wyatt eased out slowly, but picked up the pace until he was once again pushing his body to the limit.
ChapterFifteen
When they made it back to the cabin, all he wanted was a shower. But to his surprise, the front step had a person sitting on it. The one person who never seemed to be out of his thoughts as of late.
“Hi.”
Beth stood up, brushing the back of her cute, flowery dress. “Hi! Did you guys have a good run?”
He gave her a smile, and the one she beamed back at him made him warm all over. “We did! Freya made me run fast.” The dog in question barked happily and bounded up to accept some love from Beth, who bestowed it freely. “Is everything okay, honey?”
She looked up and nodded. “Everything’s fine, promise. I’m thinking of going to the farmers’ market and picking up some food so maybe we could have a picnic lunch today.”
“I’d love that.” Wyatt didn’t even need to think about it.
“Awesome. Do you mind if I borrow the truck?”
He stepped toward her, meeting her halfway as she headed to him with a soft kiss. “Not at all. You know where the keys are. Want me to come with?”
“Nope. I want to surprise you.” He was pleased when she got up on her toes and kissed him again before turning on her heel and heading inside. He watched her go ahead, his gaze focused on her incredible ass. One he longed to touch.
Fuck. What was this woman doing to him?
He showered and changed into knee-length cargo shorts and a light gray tee. Now it was officially summer, the weather was warm enough to dress lightly, and he was enjoying the sun on his face. The colder months were always harder for Wyatt, and he was glad the warmer weather was back.
He watched some television while Beth and Freya were gone, then they relaxed on the sofa and kissed a lot when she returned. Once it was time for their picnic, he grabbed his sunglasses and followed Beth over to the guest cabin, where she’d decided to stash her purchases.
