Page 27 of Claiming Ours (Anchor Bay #2)

“Yes, I understand. I’ll only show you my tongue if I plan to use it.”

“Good girl,” he praised.

With a goofy sigh, like I was made of wax and he was the blistering sun, I melted against him.

Movement out of the corner of my eye drew my attention to Memphis helping Elvis out of the truck bed, his lips moving like he was talking to himself or the dog.

“Come on.” Liam interlaced our fingers and lifted my hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to each knuckle. “If it’s okay, I’ll head to the barn while you show him around. I put off some chores earlier to come see you at lunch.”

My cheeks burned with the wide, genuine smile I angled up at the considerate man. “See, you’re the sweetest.” Pushing up to my tiptoes, I wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him down to me. “Thank you for being cool about this, about him being here.”

His gaze scanned my face. “He seems to make you happy. Does he, or do I need to kill him?”

Rolling my eyes at that last part, I gave myself a moment to come up with the right response.

“At first, I was shocked that he was here and looked so, so different. I’ll have to find pictures of him from high school.

You’ll be surprised at the difference. Then I was confused why he was here, then excited and confused.

I guess that’s where I am still, confused but loving that my old friend is here meshing with my present. ”

“What’s your take on his explanation of coming to Alaska to see you? Did you two talk about that before I got there earlier?”

I pressed my cheek against his hard chest, allowing his steady heartbeat to soothe my nerves.

“Yeah, I honestly think he’s lonely and needs a friend.

Lost may be a better word. I don’t think he came with malicious intent.

And, Liam.” I pulled back to gaze up at him so he could see my sincerity.

“Nothing will happen with him, between him and me. I know what happened with your late wife is a trigger, so I want you to know and be reassured that I wouldn’t do that to you. Go behind your back, I mean.”

His lids fluttered closed, and he released a heavy sigh.

“Thank you, Baylee.” A slow smile pulled at his lips.

“And yeah, he doesn’t have any malicious intent.

I would’ve made him disappear if I sensed that,” he remarked offhandedly.

“I’m just not buying his being here for just a friendship.

” I angled my head to the side in confusion.

“Based on what I’ve heard from those stories of you three, I think he wanted you back then and is here to see if there could be an opportunity now. ”

“Really?” I breathed. “Well, that’s… something.”

Liam’s chest vibrated with a chuckle. With a soft kiss to the top of my head, he stepped out of my hold but kept an arm draped over my shoulders.

“Just know one thing, Little Bit. I’m yours as long as you’ll have me.

While you’re trying to figure out how you feel about him being here and him in general, I’ll support whatever you want.

I know you won’t go behind my back and keep anything hidden like she did.

” He looked at the sky. “What I’m trying to say is, if you find you have mutual feelings for him and want me, too, I’m here. ”

“Whatever I want?” I mused, tapping a single finger against my chin.

“That’s a lot of things after this morning.

” I waggled my brows, then pulled them in tight.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Liam, but you seem a little—” I bit my lip as I searched for the right word. “—possessive for an open relationship.”

“I am, but I’ll also do anything to keep you in my life, and I want you happy. Being around the others here has taught me that as long as it’s a good fit for everyone, it makes sense. It’s difficult because this guy is an unknown to me, but for you, Little Bit, I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

“How did I get so lucky?” I whispered, meaning every word.

A wet tongue swiped along my palm, drawing my focus down to the panting Elvis. Memphis hovered by the back of the truck doing something on his phone, giving us a bit of privacy.

“All right. You go do your chores, and we’ll see you back at my place later for dinner. Not sure what we’ll eat, but I’ll figure something out,” I said.

“I can cook.” Memphis sauntered over, hands tucked into the front pockets of his dark jeans.

“Depending on what you have at your place, I’m sure I can figure something out.

” Blush stained his cheeks. “While in rehab, I became obsessed with cooking shows. It gave me something to do and kept me out of places that served alcohol once I was out on my own.”

“Works for me.” With a quick kiss to the top of my head, Liam raised a hand at Memphis and started toward the barn. I didn’t hide the way I ogled his fine ass as he walked away.

“Damn, you have it bad,” Memphis chuckled, leaning against the truck beside me.

“You would, too, if you appreciated a fine ass like Liam’s.

We can come back for your bags. They’re safe in the truck while we walk around.

” Shaking my head, I looped my arm through his and started toward the main road.

Gravel crunched under our shoes as we walked.

“It’s crazy that I’d be attracted to someone like him, right? Dean was such a….”

“Scrawny fucker,” Memphis finished for me with a laugh. “Yeah, those two couldn’t be more different physically.”

He sealed his lips shut like he had more to say but didn’t know how. Not wanting to push him if he wasn’t ready to share just yet, I shifted topics.

“So, this community was built by the owner of Uplift Adventure and Rescue. Brandon and his two partners, Amy and Carl, started this place from the ground up. They all worked for some shady excursion place in Montana before they moved here.”

We strolled down the center lane that separated the cabins. As we passed Miles, Aspen, and Aiden’s place, the sound of laughter poured out of the open windows, making me smile.

“We’re a tight-knit family here, all with our own responsibilities.

Almost everyone here works for Uplift in some capacity.

While I don’t take clients out on hikes, ATV rides, fishing excursions, or helicopter tours, I take care of the animals.

We have goats, chickens, and horses—all have some purpose.

Then in my off time, I run the vet clinic in town, and I also make house calls to those who don’t want to come into town or can’t. ”

Memphis nodded along as I spoke, his assessing gaze roaming over the well-built cottages, animals running amok, and gorgeous backdrop. A flash of white followed by a massive dog darted across the street several feet in front of us.

Elvis barked and raced off to join the fun with happy yips. Memphis cursed and started after him, but I tugged him to a stop.

“He’ll be okay. Jubie is a great dog. She’s just chasing after BamBam. Those two are friends, I guess.” I shrugged, not sure how to explain the dog and ermine’s relationship. “We’re very animal friendly here if you can’t tell.”

“I’m sure you had something to do with that,” Memphis murmured as he leaned forward to see where Elvis had run off to.

“Yes and no. Me being a vet makes it easy for everyone who wants an animal to get the proper care for their furry family members, but most here love animals just as much as I do. And dogs like Jubie are crucial for rescue missions.” I paused.

“Well, if BamBam is out playing, then we don’t have to go to my cabin, since you’ll see that later.

How about I show you the greenhouse and then the barn? ”

Memphis slowly nodded, seeming a little taken aback by it all, and reached inside his jacket pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “Cool if I have one on our way?”

With my nod, he lit the end and inhaled deeply. I suddenly found myself fascinated by the way the smoke swirled out of his pursed lips, or maybe it was just his lips in general.

“Sorry. Smoking is a bad habit, I know, but it’s the one addiction I just can’t kick. The lesser of all the evils and all that, I guess.”

Watching him smoke was just one more reminder that the man beside me was no longer that boy I knew and now very much a man. The tattoos on his throat moved as he stretched out his neck.

“How are you doing, Baylee?” His question jolted me out of my daze. “Dean’s death was a shock to everyone, but you’re the one whose future was just gone one day.”

I swallowed down the emotions attempting to clog my throat.

“It’s been difficult, and I’m not over it, honestly.

The people here, my friends and Liam, are patient with me, helping me understand that I don’t have to heal alone.

I miss him every day, but it also gets a little easier each day to breathe when he crosses my mind.

I’ve struggled with a lot of guilt, which has made the healing process tough. ”

“Guilt?” he questioned after taking a long drag. “About what?”

“That I made us wait for me to graduate to be together, that I put school before him, that I stopped going to see him as much when he wasn’t deployed. The list could go on and on. I know I had nothing to do with his death, but what if I would’ve asked him to move to Texas with me? What if?—”

He slowed to a stop and grabbed my hand.

“You’ll drive yourself crazy with all the what-ifs.

We all could. You know Dean. He wouldn’t have messed with your dream of becoming a veterinarian even if you had asked him to move to Texas.

You both did what you needed to do separately for your future.

” He searched my face. “Dean really never told you we had a falling-out?” I slowly shook my head. “That’s… surprising.”

“Why? What was it all about anyway?”

Memphis dropped the cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath the heel of his black boot. “That’s a conversation for another time, Bay. Right now, I want to remember all the good times we had with him, not the one moment I wish like fuck I could take back.”

Despite my curiosity begging me to push him on the topic, I smiled and gave his hand a slight squeeze.

“Remember that time he wanted to see if he could outrun a bull?” Memphis’s lips curled upward, and a spark shone in his green eyes. “And found out real quick that he couldn’t.”

His deep rumbled laughter had my heart swelling with joy and hope.

This.

This was exactly what I needed. To remember Dean and all the good times we had without immediately falling into mourning for him in the same breath.

As Memphis recalled another idiotic idea Dean had in high school, I tipped my face up to the low gray clouds and said a silent thank-you. I’d asked Dean for a sign that it was okay to move on, to let go of a future that would never happen the way I’d imagined.

The man from my past who’d walked into my present was just the sign I needed.

It was officially time to move on.