Before Sunrise (63 page)

Kennedy exhaled. She reached over and took
his hand and put it to her breast. “Let’s get something straight.
If I’m angry, disappointed, sad, none of it means I’ll give up.
I’ll never give up on you either. I never have.”

Liam leaned over and captured her lips. This
kiss was full of promises. just like the ones he’d made on their
wedding night. “Does it hurt?” she asked, tilting her mouth away,
and touching his split upper lip gently with her index finger.

“
Only when we kiss,” he
smirked.

“
Then let me give you your
punishment,” she said, kissing him deeply.

***

April 1995

“
Come closer, Mrs.
Flanagan. Mmmm, yes. Right here, babe.”

Liam dragged her to the center of the bed.
She was worn out. But the heat of his body flush against her back
felt so arousing she wouldn’t deny him. Both his arms around her
kept her locked to him. He held her by the waist with his left hand
and used the other to cup her breast under the covers. For several
long minutes he fondled her nipple while his erection pressed hard
against her backside. Kennedy couldn’t stand it a minute longer.
She stretched and rolled so they could be face to face, nose to
nose. She threw her thigh over his, tangling their bodies together
and he smacked her lightly on the ass.

“
I thought you would let me
get some sleep.” She half-yawned.

To her delight, he surprised her with a roll
to her back. Her thighs parted and she cinched them tightly around
his waist. He hovered above her. “I need to say my vows.”

“
Vows? We already did.”
Kennedy frowned.

Liam moved his hips and his erection rubbed
against her sensitive bud. Her eyes nearly fluttered shut. She
gripped his nape and lifted her pelvis, wanting him to do her
again. It was too soon. His erection was mild compared to what
would happen when he was fully aroused. They’d already had sex
twice that morning.

“
You listening, babe?” He
asked.

“
Mmm….” She
moaned.

“
I, Liam Henry Flanagan,
take thee Kennedy Michelle….”

Her lids parted and her breath hitched in
her throat under the intense stare he fixed upon her. With a
serious, determined look on his face, he continued. “To be my
lawful wedded wife. This is my vow. I promise to love you when
things get tough. I promise to love you when things are easy. I
promise that you will never regret being my wife. Never. I vow to
be the faithful and good husband you deserve.”

“
That is so beautiful,”
Kennedy said in awe.

Liam smiled. “It was, wasn’t it?”

Kennedy pushed him off and flipped over on
top of his chest, straddling him. Liam put his arms behind his
head. “It’s my turn,” she said.

“
Go ahead, babe. I’m
listening.”

She sucked in a deep breath that made her
breasts heave. Liam licked his lips instead of the tips of her
nipples, as she would have preferred. “I, Kennedy ‘Kay’ Michelle
Flanagan, vow from this day forth to be the best wife, best mother,
best friend and um, lover to the most wonderful man that God has
sent me. I promise to not get all bratty when you go to school and
through training. And oh, I promise to always make sure you
remember what’s waiting for you whenever you come home.”

“
That’s beautiful,
babe.”

“
Stop, Liam, don’t mess
with my nipples. I’m not done.” She knocked his hands from her
breasts.

“
Kay, you’ll be saying
these vows forever. Come here.” He pulled her down to him. “Give me
a kiss, a final promise, and we will be together.”

“
Forever, Liam?”

“
Forever.”

Kennedy kissed him softly. She felt the
strength of that promise on his lips. It tasted sweet, and hopeful.
It tasted like a new life. Hers and his.

“
I want a baby,” she
announced, lifting her head. “A little girl. We can name her
Mackenzie, after your sister.”

“
Yes. We’ll call her Mac.”
Liam ran his hand down her spine as she rested her face on his
chest.

“
She’ll have your smarts
and my smile.”

“
She’ll be beautiful and
talented just like you, babe.”

“
Let’s make a baby tonight.
On our wedding night.” She looked hopefully into his
eyes.

“
Not yet. You know the
promise I made to your dad. School first. Then we’ll start our
family.” He cupped her face. “But soon. Our own family.”

“
And don’t forget the
mini-van!” Kennedy exclaimed.

Liam laughed. “I won’t.”

Chapter Twenty-four

“
It’s getting late.” Kennedy
said against his lips, pressing hers gently, sweetly, against the
pair she couldn’t get enough of. The urge to slip him some more
tongue and recapture the passion he evoked in his apology was
strong, but she resisted. Her fingertips brushed his jaw in
remembrance. She freely admitted that making up with Liam was the
best kind of love. “We have a big day tomorrow.”

“
Christmas, Mac’s Party?” He
nodded.

She sat back, but kept her eyes on him. “You
need me tonight? I can um, go home with you.”

Liam smiled. He started the car, threw the
gearshift into reverse. “First I need to say something.”

“
We’ve said
enough.”

“
Hear me out.” He cleared
his throat. The GTO idled at the edge of the road. He exhaled
deeply and returned his gaze to her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry all the
way back to my calling you a bitch. I don’t even know who that man
was that said those things. I’m sorry for crashing through your
life and hurting you, for scaring Mac and Harper. I apologize for
leaving you on Christmas Eve to face the family without me. I’m
sorry for Phil. For not respecting…um, understanding what you two
share. I mean, I wasn’t here. And he um, he’s your friend. So yeah.
I’m sorry for not respecting that. I guess what I mean to say is I
want a do-over. I’m here, Kay. Underneath the anger and
disillusionment, I’m right here babe.”

“
I forgive you and you
forgive me. Now we’ll be okay.” She leaned over and hugged him. He
hugged her back. “Take me home. Let’s go back to our place and
sleep. Wake up and get to the house early so we can be there with
Mac on Christmas morning.”

He let her go. “How about we go back to your
place, Kay? I’ll sleep on the couch in the den and you take the
bedroom upstairs.”

Kennedy drew back confused. “Why?”

“
Mackenzie wakes up in her
bed on Christmas Day I want to be there. It’s where she feels safe,
so that works for me.”

Kennedy smiled. “Okay.”

“
One more thing. There’s
something I haven’t shared with you. I think I should.”

“
Something else?”

Liam wouldn’t look at her this time when he
spoke. He kept his eyes trained ahead. A cold sense of dread moved
over her elation and she almost asked him not to say it. They were
in a good place. She wanted to remain there for as long as
possible. He then lowered his head as if ashamed. He closed his
eyes and the strong muscle in his jawbone clenched.

“
You okay, baby?” she asked,
reaching and touching his hair.

“
Not sure.” He said, and it
was almost a wheeze.

“
Liam?”

“
I had an incident. The day
I took Mac to Fun World.”

“
What kind of
incident?”

“
I thought I saw
someone.”

His head slowly lifted and so did his gaze.
Kennedy felt a surge of desperation tighten her lungs. Was he
saying what she thought he was saying?

“
Then I had another incident
driving the other day. Thought I was being followed, ended up
chasing a car that…I don’t know…I’m not sure if it was
there.”

“
Oh, Liam.”

“
I’m not sure if it’s me or
if there is a threat, but I don’t want you and Mac traveling on the
roads until I work this out. I will speak to Eric and Alex
and…well, if it’s me, then I’ll get help. I just wanted to be
honest.”

Kennedy nodded. She knew how hard it was for
him to admit weakness. What he’d just shared took more courage than
even he was aware. “You’re okay, baby.” She soothed the back of his
head with her stroking. She could tell by the way he relaxed. “I’m
not sure what you saw or think you saw at Fun World, but I trust
you and your instincts. Okay?”

Liam blew out a deep breath. “Right. Let’s
go.”

The drive back to the house was quick. She
hummed through the Temptations’ rendition of Silent Night, and he
rubbed and caressed the top of her thigh. She set aside his
confession. Deep in her heart she did trust him, but Liam had been
through a lot and PTSD was something she knew little about. It was
unlikely that there really was a band of terrorists this close to
him. They’d been flanked by military since he returned. And the car
tailing him could be more of Alexa’s doing. Of that, she was
certain. After Christmas he’d get help and they’d sort through his
anxiety, night terrors, these visions of people stalking him that
didn’t exist. And then they’d heal. That was enough for her.

When they entered the house, she hurried
ahead of him. She went to the shelves in the den and took down
every picture of her life before his return. He came into the den a
little surprised by her efforts but said nothing. She wanted him to
feel comfortable. “I can sleep on the sofa with you. If you want.”
She tossed the suggestion at him casually, hoping he didn’t pick up
on her eagerness. Sleeping in his arms was a tradition she wanted
to maintain.

“
I’d like that, Kay,” he
replied. “It’s the only way I can sleep.”

He said. She pretended not to notice. If she
were honest, she’d admit the same thing.

He eased the heavy leather jacket off his
broad shoulders. He was picking up weight. Slowly. When he looked
up at her, she winced at the bruising over his left eye. There were
times when he and Eric would return from a mission and have
unexplained bruises. She hated those days. The idea of someone
hurting him haunted her each and every time he was deployed. But in
all of her naïveté, she never once envisioned a day when he
wouldn’t return. Reality came hard and fast. She left the porch
light on for most of a year. For five years, someone had abused
him, hurt him, and tormented him beyond any thing she could
imagine.

“
You okay?” Liam
asked.

“
I am now.”

To resist the urge to explain her thoughts
further, she turned away and went to the closet. There she located
blankets for them both. When she returned, she saw him ease his
belt off. But he kept his pants on before he dropped wearily on the
sofa. Kennedy tossed the blankets to his side and pulled a sweater
up and over her head, then another, leaving her with a camisole top
and bra. The den had a door that when closed, shut the back room
off from the rest of the house. She made sure to lock it.

He watched her in the dark. She felt his
eyes on her with everything she did. Undoing the top button of her
jeans, she eased them down her hips and stepped out of them. Liam
studied her a moment before extending his hand.

Kennedy accepted and came over him, resting
between his legs. She kissed his chest, moving her lips over his
Wolfpack tattoo.

“
Kay?”

“
Yes,” she purred, easing
his zipper down.

“
I want another
baby.”

Kennedy froze. She jerked up, deer in the
headlights. He stared down the line of his chest into her eyes.
“When you’re ready. I just want you to know that.”

“
I understand. I’m not
ready, Liam. Not yet. Let’s focus on us first, then we can talk
about making our son.”

Liam smiled. He stroked the top of her head.
She rested on him and closed her eyes.

“
So it will be a boy?” he
asked.

“
I’m almost
positive.”

“
I can’t wait,” he
said.

“
Liam?”

“
Yes?”

“
Merry
Christmas.”

“
Merry Christmas,
Kay.

Chapter Twenty-five

Liam woke to the sounds of the heater
kicking on. A warm moist breeze of heat blew over him. The sofa
cushion had compressed and molded to the contour of his back and
long frame, and he was alone. The pain in his knee shot straight to
his hip when he tried to stretch out his leg.

“
Urgh,” he wheezed. The pain
soon eased and the rich fragrance of coffee drifted under his nose.
His head felt as if it had been hit with a sledgehammer. Those
beers and the bar fight had caught up with him.

“
Morning,
sweetie.”

He glanced up.

Kennedy brought in a mug of coffee. She was
dressed differently. She wore a gray oversized shirt with the Navy
SEAL trident on the front and a black pair of cutoff shorts. Her
locks were groomed back into a neat ponytail. And her face was
freshly scrubbed, free of makeup. For a minute he was stunned at
how young and vibrant she appeared. Sometimes he kicked himself
over how lucky he was to have her heart. “Here. You need this.” She
passed him the warm mug.

“
Where is she?” Liam heard a
scratchy voice he was surprised to find was his own. He sat upright
and stretched his leg out in front of him. Though the pain hit him
again and his eyes watered, he made no mention of it.