He pushes up and presses a searing kiss to my lips that’s far too intense and inappropriate for the setting—maybe intentionally to try to get my mind off what I have to do.
It works.
The McBride Lumber office melts away.
All that exists in this moment is his mouth moving over mine, his hands sliding into my hair and tugging me to him.
When he finally pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine. “I promise, it’ll be okay, Bluebell. Killian knows him and has used him for multiple things in the past. His firm is incredibly reputable. If anyone can help us figure this out, it’ll be him.”
I release a shaky breath and nod. “Okay.”
It’s the same thing he’s been saying to me for the past several weeks, since I came clean with him and confessed everything, since he relayed the information to his brothers so that I wouldn’t have to look them in the eye and tell the story again.
Which is exactly what I’m going to have to do today.
The McBrides would love to believe they can control everything, that they can snap their fingers and throw around their name and any threat just vanishes instantly. But this isn’t something simple that can be solved overnight, nor can it be “fixed” by them alone.
That’s frustrating as hell for all three of them, but it’s nothing compared to the spine-tingling sense of dread settling over me now as we wait for the man who is supposedly going to save my ass with some sort of elaborate legal maneuvering.
Footsteps sound on the porch outside, and Liam turns toward the door. When it opens, Killian walks into the office, his jaw locked so tightly that a muscle there jumps, followed by a man in an impeccable dark suit carrying a briefcase. Connor trails behind him, closing the door once they’re all inside and offering Liam a hard look I can’t quite decipher.
What’s wrong?
The man in the suit gives me a smile that makes my skin crawl slightly. When Killian described working with Attorney Truman in the past, I had imagined an older man, more of a fatherly figure. This guy is younger, maybe in his early thirties, and his slick style immediately puts me on edge.
He steps forward and extends a hand to Liam first. “Hi. I’m Attorney Julian Snow.”
Liam’s back stiffens along with mine, and his gaze cuts to Killian, who gives a slight shake of his head.
“Umm, hi. Liam McBride.” Liam shakes his hand, then glances at me with as much confusion in his gaze as everyone seems to be sharing. “This is Lucky. We were expecting Attorney Bill Truman.”
Attorney Snow gives us another smile, then steps over to offer his hand to me. “Nice to meet you, Lucky. I do apologize, but Bill couldn’t be here. I’ve worked with him for several years, and he sent me instead of cancelling the meeting or having to reschedule. He said it was time sensitive and filled me in on the basics.”
I swallow thickly, unease tightening my chest.
This isn’t the man Killian knows and has worked with.
I’d prepared myself mentally for that—not for this.
Liam turns back to me and squats again, offering me a reassuring smile that can’t quite hide the uncertainty in his mossy eyes. “You can do this. He can help. It’ll be okay.”
This man works with Truman.
He came to help me.
The only way he can do that is if we have a very difficult conversation.
I have to keep reminding myself of that.
Because we can’t go on like this.
Constantly looking over my shoulder is exhausting.
Secluding myself away from everyone up on the mountain and making the McBrides live on the razor’s edge wondering when my past might show up isn’t fair to them.
This isn’t really living.
It’s barely surviving.
