Courage (Heroes of Big Sky 1)

So, until he pulls into the driveway, I’m not getting my hopes up at all.

“Why do we have to go to school?” Kevin asks. “Uncle Sam is coming home today, and I want to see him.”

“You’ll get to see him after school,” I reply. “And all evening. He’s going to be here for ten days, so there will be lots of time with him, I promise.”

Suddenly, the front door opens, and Sam walks in, surprising all of us.

“Uncle Sam!” the kids exclaim and run to him, flinging themselves into his arms. “You’re here!”

“Thank goodness I’m here.” He kisses their faces and smiles at me. “Hey, baby.”

“Hi.” I need to talk to him. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and he and I need to sit down and have a heart-to-heart.

Today.

“We don’t have to go to school, right?” Kevin asks hopefully.

“Unfortunately, you do. You were out too long from being sick, and you can’t miss any more time.”

“Wait, he was sick?” Sam scowls at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’d rather not deck you just after you arrived home.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Come on, guys, let’s walk to school.”

“Why are you walking? It’s snowing out there.”

“My car isn’t running,” I remind him. “It’s not far.”

“I’ll take them.” He shakes his head and pulls his keys out of his pocket. “Come on, guys.”

“When you get back, we need to talk,” I inform him.

“Sure, sounds good. I just have to run up on the mountain really fast to help Liam with something, and then I’ll be back. Okay?”

No. No, it’s not okay.

It’s not fucking fine.

But I just smile thinly. “Sure.”

“Okay, see you in a bit.” He kisses my cheek and then herds the kids out to the truck.

He didn’t even kiss me properly when he saw me.

He’s a fucking stranger.

This is not what I signed on for.

Chapter 20

~Sam~

“Sorry it took longer than I thought,” Liam says with a cringe. “I know you just got back. This could have waited.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I shake my head as we walk out to my truck. “Are we on for the big game this weekend?”

“Hell, yes,” he says with a grin. “Why do you think Ellie and I came back to town? They don’t exactly celebrate this sacred holiday in England the way we do here.”

“Imagine that.” I laugh and clap him on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you. It’s good to be home.”

“How are things in Spokane?”

“It’s been interesting.” I rub my hand over the back of my neck. “It sucked at first. I was damn homesick for Tash and the kids, but I found a rhythm there. A routine. The job is great, and I’m learning a lot. So, I think I’m finally over the hardest part. And Tash has been a superstar. She just has everything under control and assures me that everything’s fine.”

“That’s awesome,” Liam replies. “I’m damn happy for you.”

“Thanks. I’d better get back to the house and spend some time with her.”

“I’ll see you on Sunday.” He taps the hood of the truck and turns back to the house as I pull out of the driveway and make my way down the mountain and back to town.

I’m so fucking proud of Natasha. I know it can’t be easy taking care of everything on her own, but she never complains. I’m going to strip her naked and thank her in a thousand, sexy-as-hell ways.

I pull into the driveway and get out of the truck, then walk through the front door and pause at the sight of several bags sitting in the middle of the living room.

“Are you going somewhere?” I ask Tash with a raised brow.

“No.” She clears her throat. Her eyes are flat as she stares at me. “You are. That’s all of your stuff. I’m sure there are at least a half-dozen different places you can stay if you don’t want to just head back to Spokane.”

“Hold up.” I raise a hand and narrow my eyes at her. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t do this,” she says softly and rubs her hands over her face. “None of what’s happened in the past month is what I signed on for.”

My stomach knots up and my heart starts to race. “I remember someone telling me that we’d be fine as long as we were together.”

“We’re not together.” She stares at me as if I’ve grown a second head. “If you consider everything that’s gone down in the past month as together, you’re delusional.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My car is dead, so I can’t drive anywhere. I walk the kids to school. I have groceries delivered.”

“I told you to get a different car.”

“Right.” She nods and starts pacing the living room. “Because it’s just that easy, right? That’s not even the worst part. The kids are doing horribly. They’re angry and moody and sad. They’re acting out at school again, and I get called at least three times a week. They miss you and ask for you. And you always manage to call when they’ve just gone to bed. What the hell is that about?