The SEAL's Secret Heirs

“You were in love with her,” Liam repeated with surprise, as if saying it again was going to make it more real. “Still are.”

Well, duh. Of course he was! Why did Liam think Kyle was so pissed?

Wait. No, that wasn’t— Kyle shut his eyes for a beat, but the truth didn’t magically become something else. Of course he was still in love with Grace. That’s why her betrayal hurt so much.

“That’s not the point.” Nor was that up for discussion. It didn’t matter anyway. He and Grace were through, for real this time.

“No, the point is that this is all news to me. Probably news to Grace as well, assuming you actually got around to telling her.” More comprehension dawned in Liam’s expression. “You haven’t. You’re still just as much of a jackass now as you were then.”

Kyle was getting really tired of being so transparent. “Some things shouldn’t have to be said.”

Liam laughed so hard, Kyle thought he was going to bust something, and the longer it went on, the more Kyle wanted to be the one doing the busting. Like a couple of teeth in his brother’s mouth.

Finally, Liam wiped his eyes. “Get your checkbook because you need to buy a clue, my brother. No woman is going to let you get away with being such a clam, so keep on being the strong, silent type and sleep alone. See if I care.”

“Yeah, you’re the fount of wisdom when it comes to women, Mr. Revolving Door. Do you even know how many women you’ve slept with over the years?” Cheap shot. And Kyle knew it the moment it left his mouth, but Liam had him good and riled. He started to apologize but Liam waved it off.

“That doesn’t matter when you find the right one.” Liam glanced up the back stairs fondly, his mind clearly on his wife, who was still upstairs with the babies. “But guess what? You don’t get a woman like Hadley without knowing a few things about how to treat a woman. And keeping your thoughts to yourself ain’t it. Look what it’s cost you so far. You willing to spend the next ten years without the woman you love because of your man-of-few-words shtick?”

Yeah, he didn’t blather on about the stuff that was inside. So what? It was personal and he didn’t like to share it.

Keeping quiet was a defense mechanism he’d adopted when he was little to shelter him from constantly being in a place he didn’t fit into, lest anyone figure out his real feelings. Some wounds weren’t obvious but they went deep.

The old-fashioned clock on the wall ticked out the seconds as it had done since Kyle was old enough to know how to tell time. Back then, he’d marked each one on his heart, counting the ticks in hopes that when he reached a thousand, his mother would come back. When he reached ten thousand, she’d surely walk through the door. A hundred thousand. And then he’d lose count and start over.

She had never come back to rescue him from the ranch he didn’t like, didn’t comprehend. Nothing had ever fit right until Grace. She was still the only woman who ever had.

And maybe he’d messed up a little by not telling her what she meant to him. Okay, maybe he’d messed up a lot. If he’d told her, she probably wouldn’t have cooked up that scheme with Liam. Too little, too late.

“We good?” Liam asked, his gaze a lot more understanding than it should have been.

“Yeah.” Kyle sighed. “It was a long time ago.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Liam stuck his hand out and Kyle didn’t hesitate. They shook on it and did an awkward one-armed brotherly hug that probably looked more like two squirrels fighting over a walnut than anything. But it was enough to bury the hatchet, and not in Liam’s back, the way Kyle had planned when he’d stormed into the kitchen earlier.

“Listen.” Liam cleared his throat. “If we’re all done crying about your girlfriend, I’ve got something to tell you that’s been rubbing me the wrong way.”

“You need me to go underwear shopping with you so we can get you the right size?” When Liam elbowed him, Kyle knew they were on the way back to being brothers again instead of strangers. “Because you have a wife for that now.”

“Shut up. This is for serious. There’s an outfit called Samson Oil making noises around Royal and I don’t like it. They’re buying up properties. Even offered me a pretty penny for Wade Ranch. Wanted to make sure you’re on the same—”

“You said no, right?” Kyle shot back instantly. This was his home now. The place he planned to raise his daughters. No amount of money could compensate for a stable home life for his family.