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He forced himself to look at her. This was the hard part. The part he didn’t talk about with anyone else. “I left on a deployment with the navy, and my fiancée fell in love with my younger brother and they ended up getting married.”
“No!” Her eyes got wide and fierce. “She cheated on you with your brother while you were off serving your country?”
“Afraid so.” He should’ve known. He should’ve picked up on something in their sparse phone calls. “She’d said it was too hard. That she worried about me constantly.” As if that made the news any easier to take. “And my brother was there. He didn’t have to take off for months at a time.”
Lyric seemed to let the words sink in. “Are they still married?” she finally asked.
“Yeah. I haven’t seen them much since the wedding.” They hadn’t talked much either. There’d been the occasional awkward holiday dinner that his mom had guilted him into attending, but for the most part, he’d steered clear.
She stared at him in disbelief. “You went to the wedding?”
“I had to.” Showing up that day was one of the most difficult things he’d ever done. “He was my best friend at one time.” And Liam had begged him to be there. “Being in the military, I had it ingrained into me that you never want to have any regrets. Life is too short.” He’d always hoped he and Liam could get past the awkwardness that had plagued their relationship after Thatch found out, but so far that hadn’t happened. Not that he’d made as much of an effort as he could’ve. Holding on to bitterness had been easier than letting go.
“Are the two of you in touch now?” Lyric asked, still intently focused on him.
“Not really.” He was tempted to look away but continued to stare into the woman’s eyes, holding on to the compassion he saw there. “I think he feels guilty. It’s hard for him to talk to me, and I was pretty angry with him. I didn’t go easy on him.” He’d been humiliated. Everyone knew—all of their friends and family—before Thatch had found out because they hadn’t wanted to tell him while he was gone. “I keep thinking maybe someday we’ll get past it all.”
Lyric rested her hand over his. “That kind of a betrayal is hard to leave behind.”
“Any kind of a betrayal is hard to leave behind.” He turned his hand and fit their palms together. “But I guess you can’t let the past hold you back forever.”
“No. You can’t.” Lyric moved closer to him. “At some point you have to move on. Move forward,” she whispered. Her fingers weaved between his, holding his hand tighter.
Thatch wanted to lean forward and kiss her. He could’ve. She was right there. But he held his ground. She had towanthim to kiss her. She had to be the one in control here. He wouldn’t take any initiative without her consent.
“You’re a good man,” she murmured, shifting to her knees on the seat so their faces were level. “I’ve known some pretty bad ones.”
“I’m sorry you had to know any bad ones.” He would erase all of those memories for her if he could.
She said nothing more, only smiled while she brought her face to his, grazing his lips with hers, unlocking his chest. Something must’ve unlocked in her too, since she melted against him, kissing him with the same sudden urgency that flooded him.
“Ugh, this stupid console,” Lyric muttered, climbing over the barrier between them and straddling his lap. “That’s better.” She clasped her hands together behind his neck.
“Way better,” he managed before touching his lips to hers again. They were so soft and seductive. All of her was. He kissed along her jaw to her neck, her hands clawing at his back. How did her skin taste so—?
A loud knock at the window diverted his attention.
What the hell was Natalie doing standing outside of his truck?
“Well, this is awkward,” Lyric whispered, her head bowed like she was embarrassed. But Thatch wasn’t. No.He was annoyed. Reaching around Lyric, he turned the key so he could roll down the window. “Do you mind?”
The police officer draped her arms over the window frame and leaned in. “So you decided to make out in the truck instead of in the studio this time?” she teased. “You could’ve at least taken her to one of the secluded mountain make-out spots, Hearst.”
“Trust me. If I’d known you were going to interrupt, I would’ve.” Or he would’ve taken Lyric home to his house. Yes, his house, so they could be alone with no interruptions at all. Frustration rumbled through him. “Since you’re spying on my truck, I assume you have some news about the break-in.”
“Um… let me just…” Lyric shifted and squirmed to climb back over the console and into her own seat.
What a shame.
Natalie’s expression evened out into her officialpolice businesslook. “One of the neighbors down the block said they were out with the dog that night and a car sped by. She thought it might’ve been a dark-colored older-model Dodge Charger, but she couldn’t be sure because it all happened so fast.”
Well, shit. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Thatch rubbed at the headache starting in his temples.
“An older-model Dodge?” Lyric elbowed him. “Isn’t that what Franco drives?”
“Yeah.” He’d become pretty familiar with the kid’s car at the job site. “It’s a navy-blue color.”
“Franco?” Natalie straightened as though surprised. “You think he’d break into the clinic?”
