Page 72 of Long Lost Winter

“Better get out there,” he muttered, finally pushing out of his side of the truck.Sam followed suit.She didn’t say anything, but she wound her arm around his waist, leaned against him as they walked.A unit.

“If we survive this,” she said.“I’ll make dinner tonight and we can see if we survive that.”

He smiled in spite of himself.He knew she wasn’t kicking him out of her place every now and again because of everything that was going on.Sometimes, he thought he should offer.Give her space one of these nights.

But he never did.And she never insisted.Maybe it was better to just ride that until thiswasover.Someday it would be, no matter how interminable it felt.

Landon had texted that he was already inside with Cal and Aly, so Nate led Sam toward the courtroom, but before they could enter, someone called Sam’s name.

Hayes came up from behind them.He held a piece of paper out to Sam.“I got an ID on your guy.”

“Anybody we know?”Sam asked, taking the paper Hayes offered her.

“Not to my knowledge.He’s a PI out of Wisconsin.Explains the following you, maybe even the breaking in.”

“Good PIs don’t break and enter, Jake,” Sam said a little irritably.

But Nate’s focus was on the paper in her hand, because while there was nothing particularly interesting on the background of this guy, there was one very concerning piece of information.

He was from Wisconsin.

Bo Lake was from Wisconsin.

“He hasn’t been following me lately,” Sam said to Hayes.“We’ve been watching.”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen him.Maybe it was a one-off.”

But with Wisconsin?Nate didn’t think so.

“Thanks for the update, Jake.You need this back?”

“Keep it.Let me know if you see him again though.”

“I will.”

Jake strode into the courtroom, but Sam stayed where she was so Nate did too.She was frowning at the paper.

“I couldn’t find any connection between the cousin and Ben.But… what if I find a connection between the PI and the cousin?Since we already know the PI has a connection to Ben’s lawyer.”

“It’s worth looking into.”

Sam nodded and sighed, then she folded the paper in half and shoved it into her purse.“I guess that has to wait.”She lifted her gaze to his.

She reached out and straightened his tie, brushed lint off his lapels, then cupped his face with her hands.“You’re going to do great.”

“Thanks, Coach.”

She reached up on her toes, pulled his head down, pressed a firm kiss to his mouth, then rubbed off any lipstick she smudged off on him.Then she took his hand and led him inside.

He knew, even if he hadn’t crossed that friendship line, Sam would have been here for him.But he also knew, something about whatever they wereseeing where it wentadded a steadiness to his ability to handle this he wouldn’t have felt otherwise.She was like an anchor or a foundation.When he felt unsteady, or like he’d float away, maybe even run away like he had fifteen years ago, she was there to hold him in place.To remind him it wasn’tallbad, even if it felt that way in the interim.

They took the seats Landon had saved for them.A unit.A family.Maybe there were always new secrets lurking in the shadows, and God, it was fucking exhausting, but it hadn’t stopped them from… living.

It didn’t take long for Nate to be called up to the stand, to be sworn in.

He answered Vanderbilt’s questions with ease.Nate had no trouble remembering that day.It lived in his brain, perfectly detailed.He could picture it all, feel it all—both physical and emotional pain.

For years, he’d cursed that perfect memory.Today, he was going to be proud of it.