Conviction (Consolation Duet #2) (2 page)

Liam’s hand lifts, and he tenderly cups my cheek. “I’m not walking away. I need a minute.”

Aaron clears his throat. “I missed a lot more than you filled me in on. I guess I understand why you’ve been so quiet now.”

The loss of Liam’s touch registers immediately.

Anger boils within as the hurt and betrayal at Aaron’s hand over the last few months comes flooding forward. “You should stop,” I demand.

“My wife?” he yells and steps forward. “You’ve been fucking my wife?”

“You were dead!” I scream, and my legs give out. I fall to the hard ground as the gravel scrapes my skin. Liam’s arms are around me in an instant.

“Get your hands off of her! You son of a bitch!” Aaron continues to raise his voice warning Liam. “I’ll kill you!”

I look up, and Jackson and Mark are holding on to Aaron, dragging him to the back of the house.

I turn into Liam’s embrace allowing his strong arms to hold me close. “Take me to Corolla. I’ll grab Aara, and we can go,” I plead. “Please, take me away.”

“Lee,” he says with regret laced in his voice. “I can’t. I wish we could, but we can’t.”

“No,” I reply defiantly. “You and I had plans.”

“And now your husband is home.”

“My cheating husband?”

Liam sighs while pushing me back slightly. “You both need to talk. I can’t be that man.”

We both stand looking at each other before I speak. “What man? The man I fell in love with? The man who told me he loved me? Because that’s the man I need.”

Liam wipes his hand down his face. “He’s your fucking husband, Lee! Not to mention he was my best friend. I saw the way you looked at him. It was clear in the second you saw him how much you love him. You ran to him, and I get it,” he says despondently. “I get why you would. You loved him. I mean, what the hell do you want me to do?”

“Fight!” I slap his chest and push. “Fight for me. Fight for us. So what, you’re going to walk away? Just hand me over like I mean nothing?” The question hangs in the air as I wait for the bomb to drop.

“You want me to fight?” he steps closer. “You think I’m not? You think this is what the hell I wanted? To deliver your husband back to you when I’m so fucking in love with you that I would’ve rather cut out my own heart? I hate that I brought him home to you.”

Anger stirs between us as the weight of the situation descends around us.

“I can’t believe this.”

Liam’s shoulders sag in defeat. “You both have a lot of things to work through. I should leave before this escalates. I won’t be that guy.”

I huff and look away. Unreal. “I can’t believe you think so little of us.”

With my pulse beating rapidly in my chest, Liam grips my shoulders pulling me close. Our noses touch while we both breathe heavily. “I would give my life for you. I would go in there and pummel his ass to a pulp if I thought that would help. But it won’t. You’re married to him. You’re his wife. Right this minute, I’m the other man. Do you understand that?”

“I belong to you.”

“No, you belong to him.”

I need him to understand me. My life changed when Liam came. He made me feel again, loved me like I’ve never known. I don’t know that I’ll survive if he leaves me. I close my eyes and press my lips to his. Gripping his shirt, I yank his body against mine.

Kiss me, dammit.

Claim me.

He stands unmoving as I pour myself into him. He doesn’t respond, and my anger grows.

Pulling back, I glare at him as his eyes shut. My hand rears back then I slap him across the face. I take pleasure in watching his eyes snap open, hoping this draws him back to me.

“What the hell was that for?”

I slap him again. I see the fight coming to life inside of him.

“Fuck you. If I mean this little to you, then go. Go. Run. Leave! Go be the man you’re not because of whatever bullshit you’ll feed yourself! Go!” I raise my hand again, but he grabs it.

Liam’s control snaps, he grips my arms tighter jerking me against him. I breathe one deep breath before his lips crash against mine. I savor the feel of his mouth pushing against mine. I get lost in the brute force of this kiss. His fingers are a vice around my arms, and I don’t care. I want him to bruise me. Leave his mark so I have proof of what we shared. My lips mold to his as I give him back all I am.

I escape the moment we’re both drowning in when our tongues touch. His grip loosens as his hands glide to my neck until they cradle my head. The mood shifts to sadness. My fingers thread in his hair as I try to hold him against me. Liam’s hands tighten, and he breaks us apart.

“I need a minute. I need a few of them. I love you, but I have to go.”

My heart shatters all over again. I’ve lost him.

“If you leave me, I don’t think you’re coming back,” I say, hoping he’ll refute me and give the comfort I’m desperate for.

Liam rests his forehead against mine. “I’m never far. You need to get through this without worrying about me.”

“You think I can do that? You think right now as happy as I am he’s alive. That I’m not distraught? That I’m not worried about how the hell you and I will survive this? I’ll worry every day about you and us.” I beg him to stay. I need him to stay.

“Aaron and you had a whole life together. We had a few months.”

“Don’t you dare downplay what we have!” I fight the urge to slap him again.

Liam runs his fingers the length of my arm. “I need you to see this from my side. I never knew if you’d have chosen him, but now I don’t know if you should choose me. I need to get my fucking head on straight. Right now, you have to let me go.” Liam’s eyes mirror mine with the agony of this moment.

I fight the tears that build. As much as I know he’s right, I wish he were wrong. I don’t know how to navigate this. It’s too much. My heart had healed, and instantly I’m raw all over again. There was a time that Aaron was everything I wanted. Now that he’s back in my life, I no longer want him. If any prayer I wish went unanswered, it was this one, only because now I have to endure the pain of breaking a man I love. But my life doesn’t work that way.

“I want you to know something before you walk away from me. I need you to know that I want you. You are the man I’m in love with. Yes, he’s my husband and Aarabelle’s father, but I love you, Liam. I love you so much more than I want to, but God, I love you. Please, hear me. I love you.”

“I love you too, but I have to do what’s right.”

“Right for who?” I scoff.

Liam leans back and waits until I look at him. His blue eyes shimmer with unshed tears. “For you. For Aarabelle. For all of us. I can’t be the man who destroys a marriage, and sure as fuck not yours and Aaron’s.”

There’s no convincing him, and all I can hope for at this moment is that he heard me.

Before I can respond, I hear someone approach from behind. Liam looks up, and by the flash in his eyes, I know it’s Aaron.

“I hate to break up this touching scene, but I’ve been gone more than a year and this isn’t exactly the reunion I anticipated.” Aaron’s voice is on the edge. “If I could have my wife, brother.”

I don’t miss the way he enunciates “wife” or “brother.”

Liam doesn’t say anything, but his arms fall, as does my heart.

He walks away without a word. I face my husband, my first love, with tears in my eyes as the man I love more than anything leaves me behind.

I want to die.

Aaron and I walk toward the back of the house where Jackson and Mark are standing. Jackson shifts, and I smother the urge to punch him in the face. “No one thought a heads up would be a good idea?” I spit the words. “No one thought I should know this? Did your cell phones all die? Because I can’t think of any reason why you all wouldn’t want to tell me.”

“Natalie,” Mark steps toward me. “First of all, none of us knew if it was definitely Aaron. Secondly, we couldn’t compromise the mission. This all had to happen very secretly and very covertly. And what, did you want us to call on the way over? No one knew how to handle this.”

Jackson takes a hesitant footstep. “I know you were getting your life together. I know you were happy, and for that, I’m sorry. No one here would want to hurt you. Least of all me.”

“Sure, you’re sorry.” Anger flows through me, tearing me apart.

His head bows then he turns to Aaron. “We should let you guys talk. Remember what I said about a lot changing in a year. But I’m glad you’re home.”

Aaron looks at me before turning back to Jackson. “I appreciate it. I’m happy to be back with my girls.”

The last few months rush back. I remember how I felt finding out about his transgressions. How he loved another woman. My mind starts to wonder if he means me and Aarabelle, or me and Brittany.

I can’t listen to this. I need to get a grip on what the hell is festering inside of me. There are so many things I’m feeling all at once. I walk down onto the beach, the sand burning my feet, and I welcome the pain. I stand still, lifting my head to the sky.
Why?
I ask the clouds. This should be a happy moment. One filled with hugs and tears of joy, but I’m left feeling as if a gaping hole was punched through my chest. Just when I thought my life was on track—boom.

My mind drifts to Liam and how devastated he was. His eyes lost the spark I loved to see. I don’t know where my life will go—once again. There are no easy answers in this situation. I have a husband, a baby, a boyfriend, and suddenly a shitload of problems. But I need him to see that I meant what I said. I want him beside me.

“Are we going to talk?” I hear Aaron ask from behind me. The raspy voice that once made me long for him now makes me want to cry.

I turn as he stands still, waiting for something from me. “No, I’d rather not. I feel like I’m about to wake up any moment, so I’m just waiting for it to happen. All of this is so confusing,” I reply and wish I could slap myself.

Aaron steps forward. “Lee,” his voice trembles, “I’m here.”

“You keep saying that. But how? How is this happening?” I take a moment to look over his face. His brown eyes are dull and lifeless, there’s a large gash on the side of his neck. My eyes travel down his arms where there are a few scars from what look like burns, and he’s missing a finger on his left hand. He looks broken and alone, but then he smiles at me and I try to stop my heart from swelling a little.

“All I could think about was seeing my girls,” he steps closer. “I fought to be here for you.”

“For me? Really?” I question, not actually wanting an answer. Aaron looks at me with confusion.
Well, I’ll be happy to clue him in.
“Are you sure it’s me you want, Aaron, or do you want me to call Brittany?” I ask, shooting daggers at him. I stand watching his reactions. I catalog the way he shifts to the side and the way he grips the back of his neck.

I see the fear flare in his eyes, and if I hadn’t known him for most of my life, I’d have missed it.

“It’s not—”

“Not what I think?”

Aaron takes another step closer as his face pales. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

“You love me?” I scoff. “That’s rich. You have a funny way of showing it. God, this whole situation is so insane,” I say in disbelief. “I mean, you were dead. I buried you. I stood and wept for you. Then I go through hell finding a way to put myself back together. Only to find out you cheated on me for months! Months, Aaron!” I move forward this time allowing him to see the anger on my face. “You betrayed me. The man I married wouldn’t have done that. But the man who held my hand and told me he’d die before touching another woman did exactly that.”

“And you fucked Liam!” he bellows before sinking into the sand. On his knees in front of me, I see the hurt all over him.

“You have no clue.”

Aaron looks at me and tears form in my eyes. “We have a lot to work through, Lee. I know I fucked up. I know I made mistakes and I wish you’d never found out about them. Can we please give ourselves a few days?”

A tear falls and my heart breaks. “And then what?”

“I don’t know,” he admits. “But I’ve thought about you every day that I was gone. Every fucking minute of the day, I fought death to come home to you. All I wanted was to see you and the baby.” His eyes flood with tears and every part of me aches.

I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t want to cause him pain. That’s not who I am. This is the man I thought I’d spend every day of my life with. The man I struggled to have children with. Agonizing months of shots and treatments because I wanted to give him a child. A part of me is pulled to him, but I don’t trust myself. He represents every memory of our twelve years together, and we have a child. It’s taking everything inside of me not to collapse.

I sink in the sand beside him. “I’m in love with Liam.” My voice is a whisper. The way his hands clench tells me he heard.

Aaron tenderly lifts my chin. “I’m begging you, Lee. I’m on my knees begging you to give us some time. Let’s wait a few days before we decide anything. There are a lot of things we have to discuss regardless.”

The words catch in my throat as I think of Liam. I don’t know how to feel in this moment. Who am I loyal to? Aaron was . . . is . . . my husband. But Liam has my heart. He brought me to life in a way Aaron never did. He’s good to me, loyal and faithful. There’s no mistrust between us. It’s not Aaron’s fault he’s been gone a year, but it’s not Liam’s either. Now, all of us have to pay the price.