Full Exposure (Independence Falls 1)

“I’m in. But I don’t think we’ll need both beds. Unless . . .” She shrugged. “You never know what might happen.”

“Georgia—”

“I’ll go find Nate and help him pack.”

Her face lit with excitement and daring as she danced out of the kitchen to find Nate. Eric closed his eyes, grinding his teeth. He had a bad feeling that one night with Georgia would never be enough.

“TRUTH OR DARE.” Georgia sprinkled crackers into her piping-hot bowl of chowder. Sitting across from her in a pale blue leather booth that looked like something from 1960—it probably was, given how long the Clam Shack had been around—Eric laughed.

“What are we, sixteen?” he said. “I haven’t played that game in years.”

“Me neither. But if I recall correctly, you and my brother once drove out here on a dare. Without permission.”

He nodded. “I was grounded for weeks. Same with Liam.”

“Pretty wild for a pair of choirboys,” she teased.

“We were never choirboys, Georgia. We all have our secrets.” He set his spoon down and reached for a pack of crackers. “Even your brother.”

“Liam can keep his,” she said firmly. “Right now, I think it’s time for us to get a little reckless, have some fun.”

The Eric she’d grown up with followed a strong moral code, always keeping him on the straight and narrow. But he’d still had fun. Over the years, he’d changed. She suspected running a multimillion-dollar business had something to do with it. So did losing his sister and becoming a guardian/father to a little boy overnight. Commitment and obligation framed his life. But tonight, she wanted him to break free from the stiff walls he’d built around his day-to-day existence.

Georgia swallowed a spoonful of chowder, savoring the rich and creamy taste. She’d come here countless times growing up, with her family and with Eric and Liam. This food tasted like her best memories of home. The ones that had kept her going while deployed, and now that she was back, offered a sense of safety. She’d been happy here, and nothing had tainted that since she’d returned. On the coast, she could be strong, courageous, and maybe a little wild.

“Truth or dare,” she repeated.

He shook his head. “You’re relentless.”

“I’ve learned to never give up.” She dropped a few more crackers into her bowl.

He took a long drink from his beer. “Truth.”

She held her spoon to her lips, searching for a question. Her emotions might be off the table. But his were fair game. “What are you afraid of?”

Eric looked out the window at the waves crashing against the shore. “A lot of things, Georgia.”

“When it comes to us,” she clarified.

“That’s a long list,” he said slowly.

“Start at the top.”

“Hurting Nate.”

Her brow furrowed. “Why?”

“I sat by his side at the hospital. After the accident. I wanted to be there when he woke up. I told him what had happened. About his parents. He didn’t understand. How could he?” Eric shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, as if the memory was too much. She knew that feeling and wanted to offer comfort, but knew it wouldn’t help.

“I told him it was just us now,” he continued. “I promised we’d be a family.”

“I’m not trying to change that. To take away what you have with Nate. And I’d never walk away from him.”

Finally, Eric looked at her. “I know, Georgia. But after my parents divorced, I hated riding their relationship roller coaster. They passed my sister and me back and forth. We were always in the way of their latest relationship. And every time we met one of my dad’s girlfriends and started to like her, she left or my dad ditched her. My mom wasn’t much better. She traded boyfriends the way most women switch shoes. Nate has already lost his parents. As long as he is with me, I don’t want him wondering if everyone in his life might vanish.”

“You’re worried I’m too unstable to maintain a place in Nate’s life,” she said quietly.