Page 164 of Nowhere to Hide

I hadn’t been back heresince the day Milligan died.

Cilla’s fingers were laced with mine as I walked into Milligan’s small bungalow house in the Juniper Cove area of Salem. He’d been so damn proud of this place.

“I’m pretty sure Milligan used magic to get this place.”

She looked around in the bright foyer. “I can see that. It’s beautiful.”

All I could see was the happiness that had been stolen from my best friend. He and Alyssa may not have technically died in here, but their lives had been cut short before they could start.

“He bought this house for Alyssa. He wanted to prove to her that he was ready to settle down. He told me he was going to come in off the road—that’s what he called it since we were always on the move for our personal security jobs.”

“Were you mad about that?”

I shook my head. “No, I knew he was ready to do the dad deal. He had stars in his eyes the minute he met Alyssa.” I wrapped my arm around Cilla, drawing her back against me so I could tuck my chin into her shoulder.

The living room was still move-in ready gray. The kind of colors a real estate agent used to sell it more easily.

The only furniture in the room was a sectional couch that Milligan had bought so they’d have somewhere to sit on their first night in the house.

It was his wedding present to her.

“She never even got to see the house.”

Cilla wrapped her hands around my forearm and nestled herself into my arms. “I’m so sorry, Locke.”

“She was very sweet. They would have made a good life.”

She twisted in my arms. “The house is yours now isn’t it?”

I laughed. “I’ve been avoiding coming in here since they died. I’m going to tell you something and I hope you don’t think I’m crazy.”

She flattened her palms against my chest. “I won’t think you’re crazy.”

“I’ve been hearing Milligan’s voice in my head ever since you got hurt.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “He told me to man up and take care of you.”

“And you did. More than anyone in my life ever has.”

“I think I loved you ever since the day you fought off the judge in the hospital. I knew you were something special and that scared the hell out of me. For me, loving was pain.”

Tears sparkled in her eyes as her fingers slid up to my shoulders.

“Not anymore,” I said and touched my forehead to hers. “Loving you has made me realize I can’t hide away. Iwon’thide away anymore. If you’ll have me.”

“You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.” She scraped her fingers lightly through the hair of my beard to my scalp in that way that made me want to drag her off to the nearest bed to let her use the rest of my body in the same way.

My Cilla was tactile, and I loved that about her.

I went from a void of emotion to so many that some days I was afraid to let them in.

“I want to sell this place, as well as my small townhouse in Boston. Between the two of them it should be enough to buy something that’s just ours. Fresh.”

Those deep espresso eyes of hers went shiny with tears. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “This isn’t us. I want maybe a wraparound porch and a dog.”