Know Me Well (Wishful 3)

Inconsequential small talk got them through being seated and placing their drink orders.

As the waiter scurried away, Liam sat back and sent her a smile that he hoped came off as friendly rather than I am the Big Bad Wolf, and I want to eat you up. “You look really amazing, by the way.”

Her cheeks pinked. “Thanks. I spend most of my time in a lab coat or yoga pants, so it seemed a shame not to take advantage of the ambiance to wear something more fun.” She went back to hiding behind the menu.

Liam didn’t think she meant the kind of fun he’d been imagining.

Once they’d placed their orders, he picked up his beer and opted for a full frontal assault of the elephant in the room. “I owe you an apology.”

Distress flickered across that beautiful face. She shook her head. “You don’t owe me anything, Liam.”

When she began to pluck at a tiny, loose thread in the tablecloth, he covered her hand with his. He said nothing, waiting until she lifted her gaze to his. “I abandoned you, and I’m sorry.”

At the faint jerk of her fingers, Liam tightened his hold. In twelve years, neither of them had ever spoken of the letter she’d left in his bag the day he left for boot camp. But he was tired of having the past lingering like some noxious smoke between them

Riley ducked her head and winced. “I’m ashamed of the things I said.”

“You weren’t wrong. I didn’t think about you when I made the decision to enlist.”

“And you shouldn’t have. One noble act didn’t make me your responsibility for life, and it wasn’t fair of me to say anything to you that implied that I was. It wasn’t fair of me to try and make you feel guilty just because I was afraid. I’m the one who should apologize.”

Liam frowned. “You said you hadn’t had cause to pull out that self defense since then.”

“I haven’t. I wasn’t afraid for me. I was afraid for you. I was furious that you’d chosen a path that was going to put you in constant danger and terrified that you’d be killed in action like my father. I barely remember him, but I remember life was good and stable when he was alive. I didn’t have a lot of stability after that. Not until you, anyway. I knew I could count on you, and that was an exceptionally rare thing in my world.”

Had he realized that at eighteen? His motivations for protecting her had nothing to do with providing stability. She’d been so self-contained, so together. It never occurred to him that she’d looked to him for more than physical protection. Or maybe he hadn’t wanted to believe she needed more than that because it made his decision to walk away easier.

“All the more reason I should’ve at least talked to you about it before I enlisted.”

“Why did you enlist? I’ve never asked. Why the Marines?” She sat back and he regretted the loss of her touch.

“I wanted to be selfish.”

Riley blinked. “I don’t think anyone would ever think that joining the military is a selfish act, so you’ll have to explain that one.”

He’d never talked about this. “Did Wynne ever tell you how Jack and I came to the family?”

“Other than the fact that all four of you are adopted and that you and Jack are actual blood brothers, no.”

“I was eight when we came to Molly and John. Jack was six. They were our tenth foster home. We’d been in the system for three years by then, and it was a damned miracle we hadn’t been split up. I was what they euphemistically referred to as a ‘difficult child,’ which really meant that I was a smart ass little punk with no respect for authority.” Liam jerked a shoulder. “None of the so-called authority figures we were exposed to deserved any respect, as far as I could see. I learned quick that nobody was going to watch out for us but us. So I had one mission: Protect my brother—no matter what.”

“From what?”

“Anything. Everything. Bullies. Negligence. Abusers. Child predators.”

“That’s how you knew about Cliff,” she said softly.

“Yeah. That’s how I knew. We didn’t have a pretty life before we got to John and Molly. But I was the big brother, so it was my job to take care of him.”

Riley sipped at her wine. “That didn’t change once you became a Montgomery.”

“No. We were some of the lucky ones. Our parents are amazing. But I could never just turn that part of me off. So the mission expanded to cover Wynne and Cruz. Then you.”

“I imagine that was a heavy responsibility.”

“That’s just it. It wasn’t. Life here was good. It wasn’t like I had the same level of danger to look out for here as I did when Jack and I were in the system on our own. But I’d been in this constant state of threat assessment since I was five. Having that…a

wareness of the world and not doing anything with it was driving me slowly nuts. I didn’t talk about it. Mom would’ve worried that she’d done something wrong, and it wasn’t anything to do with her or Dad. It’s just how how I was built.”