Page 75 of Lesson In Honesty
She swallowed, sucking her lip between her teeth. Whatever answer she gave, he was going to be mad. If she spoke the truth, he’d be madanddisappointed.
Hesitating cost her.
“Long enough for you to debate whether to lie about it or not,” he murmured, shaking his head. “Let me guess, it stems back to the usual issue?”
We can’t get pregnant because I’m a walking, talking flaw.
Yes, it stemmed back to that issue.
“I’d say we’ll talk about it later, but that’s not going to change anything.” He lifted his hand to cup her cheek; his gaze softened when she grasped his wrist, turning her face into his palm. “I’ll make an appointment with the doctor, okay? We’ll see if there’s something we’ve missed, an alternate route to try. I promised you we weren’t going to give up, didn’t I?”
He had, and he rarely failed to keep a promise once it was made.
Sierra nodded, her beard scratching his palm.
“I love you, Sierra. Five years of loving you and not once have you let me down. If we get another fifty, sixty years together, God willing, I can’t imagine you ever will.”
Where did he get the conviction from, the utter faith to believe in her so fiercely? It didn’t matter how far she fell into despair, how deep she disappeared into morose thoughts, he never stopped lifting her up, wrapping her fingers around the next rung on the ladder to drag herself free.
She crawled off the chair into his arms, knocking him off balance. She realized her mistake when he reached out for something to grab on to, snagging Evander’s arm, and the three of them sprawled in a heap on the new carpet.
“Bouncy castle!” Callie squealed, skipping over to drop on Evander, straddling him and bouncing lightly on his belly. “Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy!”
Evander grunted each time her butt landed on his stomach.
Sierra laid her head on Liam’s chest, his heartbeat steady beneath one ear while the other was filled with Callie’s giggles. She sighed contentedly when his arms folded around her, his lips caressing the top of her head.
Maybe they should christen the space…
She found herself craving slow and sweet, hands gliding over flesh instead of groping, lips light as they skimmed over skin. Soft whispers, the quickening beat of hearts, quiet sighs and moans.
Nuzzling at Liam’s throat, tasting the faint trace of salt on his skin, she let herself daydream for a minute… until Elias’s sharp British accent sliced through and tore it to ribbons.
Under no circumstances could she ever have sex fantasies about him—sure, he was gorgeous and British, had the same vein of sadism as Liam running under his nice-guy exterior, but he scared the ever-loving shit out of her.
Callie obviously didn’t have that same feeling toward her husband, as she giggled and squealed in delight when he scooped her up off Evander’s prone body and slung her over his shoulder where she couldn’t cause any more trouble.
Mack crouched down, smoothing Sierra’s hair with a light touch. “Need a hand up, pixie?”
She’d rather he came down to join her and Liam. There was a peace here that overrode her anxiety, her body siphoning strength and calmness from her big, blond Daddy. Lifting her hand, she twined her fingers with Mack’s larger ones, but tugged at him rather than letting him steal her from Liam.
“Ah…” Mercurial eyes asked several silent questions when she gave him a beseeching flutter of lashes. He dropped to one knee,then capitulated when she tugged harder. “This is kinda weird, but okay.”
“Sierra has her own methods of comfort when things get overwhelming,” Liam said lazily, stroking her back. “You learn to just go with it until she settles, or keep a stuffie at hand at all times.”
“Uh-huh.” With a grunt, Mack stretched out beside them on his back, his shoulder touching Liam’s. “Not a bad way to pass some time, I guess. Would pass faster if someone was wet and naked.”
Liam snorted a laugh; Sierra reached out and set her hand on Mack’s chest.
“She’s not passing time. She’s trying to reconnect what her anxiety’s damaged. Give her ten minutes and she’ll be on a level again.”
Oh, he knew her so well. More often than not, Liam understood the why of what she did better than she ever could. He stated it without impatience or judgement.
“Don’t forget to thank Evander and Elias for your gift, minx,” he added in an undertone. “Even if it makes you uncomfortable, they only thought of you and what would make you happy.”
She nodded because he was right. “I will, Liam.”
Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but when her unease passed and she found the words that summed up her feelings, she would go to the men who’d put time, thought, and money into what was actually a very thoughtful, meaningful present.