Save Me (The Archer Brothers 3)

Ryley sets her hand on my shoulder and then I know. Evan was the one they found alive, not my Tucker.

“Finish the article, Penny.”

Nodding, I wipe away my tears with the back of my hand so I can see clearly.

“Is this some type of joke?”

“No,” he replies, shaking his head. “We’re alive and we’re home. We’ve been back for a little over six months. Shit’s bad, Penny. We had no idea what was going on back home.”

“And we had no idea Frannie was sending the guys care packages,” Ryley says. “They came home thinking we knew they were alive, that they were still on their mission.”

“This is unbelievable. This is the type of stuff that happens on television, not in real life,” I whisper, sitting down to re-read the article again, focusing on the word “four”. Ray heard one and that one could be Evan, if it’s the same story, but this four.

Four Navy SEALs dead, only to return home six years later.

There were four in Tucker’s deployment, Evan being one of them. My hopes soar as I try to form some sort of coherent sentence, but I can’t. My breathing picks up, my heart rate increases, and I feel dizzy.

Tucker …

Claire …

… Ray.

It’s only in that moment I realize what the article is telling me. “It says four. Are you telling me that Tucker is alive?” My voice breaks as I look at Evan, desperate for confirmation.

“Yes,” he, Ryley, and Cara all say at the same time.

“Where?” I stand on shaky legs and brush past Evan, toward the door. “Where is he?” I open the door and step out, only to hear another door open. Nate, Evan’s twin brother, steps out first and holds up his hands, stopping me from gaining entry into the other room.

“Move out of my way,” I demand, trying to push past him, but he’s much bigger than I am and doesn’t budge. Rask steps out next and nods toward me before stepping into the room I just left.

“He’s been looking for you since the day he got back.” I turn my head toward Evan, who’s standing in the doorway. “Every day. He hasn’t given up hope that he’d find you and Claire.”

Nate steps aside, no longer blocking me from the room where Tucker should be. I step hesitantly, until I’m in front of the door. I rest my hand against the cold wood as tears drip down my face. There’s no use wiping them away because I feel more and more coming. I swallow hard and take in a deep breath before pushing the door open.

My hand covers my mouth, but the gasp is loud enough to draw his attention toward me. He stands, unsure of himself … of us, and lets out a sob that breaks me on the inside. We both step to each other, the door behind me crashing closed, causing us both to jump.

Something is holding me back. Is it Ray? Or am I so unsure of myself right now I don’t know what to do?

“Is it you?”

“I should be asking you the same thing, Penelope. I’ve been waiting for this moment since the day I left.” Tucker reaches out and strokes my cheek. My face leans into his hand and it’s only a matter of seconds before I’m enveloped in his arms.

“Oh God, Penny, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do this.”

“I have a good guess,” I say, trying to lighten the mood, but nothing is going to lift the heavy clamor of reality. I grip his shirt in my fingers and breathe him in. My heart is telling me to remind him how much I love him, but I can’t.

“I dreamt about this day for so long, only to have my dreams shatter and change when I arrived home. I had this big long speech in my head all set and ready to go, and then you walked into the room. There’s an elephant in the room and we should talk about it before I lose my nerve or before I do something you’ll hate me for. I won’t be able to live knowing that you hate me, Penny,” he says, breaking my train of thought.

I nod against this chest, but am unwilling to leave his hold. What if he disappears on me?

“I don’t want to let you go.” I bring him closer, wrapping my arms around his waist. He’s lost weight since I saw him last.

“Believe me, I’m not letting you out of my sight, but we need to talk.” He pulls my arms away from his sides and leads me over to the bed, sitting across from me and never letting go of my hands. “I love you and Claire more than my life and I know you’re married,” he says as I feel my stomach and heart crash to the floor. “I also know you’re living a life under a different name and that you’ve paid for my storage unit this entire time.”

“Are you the one who took your bike?” I choke back a sob.

“I am. It’s staying with the Clarkes right now. Penny, so much as happened to us over the past six years I don’t even know how to start. I know about Lawson and what he did with Claire.”