She's not with me. She's under my protection.
Keep telling yourself that, Marshall.
The main room is already full when we enter. Deck stands by the fireplace, one arm around Vivian's waist. She's five months along now, her pregnancy visible beneath the soft sweater she's wearing. Mace is sprawled in an armchair, feet up on an ottoman. Wolfe lurks in the corner with Sadie pressed against his side, her constant stream of chatter the only sound in the room until we walk in.
Then everyone goes quiet. Every pair of eyes lands on Natalie.
She freezes beside me, and I feel the tension lock through her body.
"Everyone, this is Natalie." I keep my voice casual. "Natalie, this is everyone."
Vivian is the first to move. She crosses the room with a warm smile and takes both of Natalie's hands in hers.
"I'm so glad you came. Cade's been stingy with the details, and I've been dying to meet you properly." She shoots me a look that promises interrogation later. "The clothes fit okay?"
"Perfectly." Natalie's voice is steadier than I expected. "Thank you so much for sending them."
"Please. I remember what it's like to show up in these mountains with little to nothing." Vivian squeezes her hands. "Come sit with me. Let the boys talk shop while we get to know each other."
She leads Natalie to a sofa near the window, and I watch them go with a strange mix of relief and reluctance. Vivian will take care of her. Vivian understands.
But part of me wants to be the one sitting beside her. Wants to be the one making her feel safe.
Deck appears at my shoulder. "She looks better than I expected."
"She's tougher than she looks."
"Mace ran the husband." Deck's voice drops low enough that only I can hear. "Kevin Pierce. Corporate lawyer out of Reno. Clean record officially, but there are rumors. Dismissed assault charges, witnesses who recanted, the usual pattern."
My jaw tightens. "He connected?"
"Connected enough. But not like us." Deck's green eyes are hard. "He finds his way here, he'll learn the difference between bought loyalty and the real thing."
I nod, some of the tension in my chest easing. Deck doesn't make promises he can't keep.
"There's something else." He hesitates, which is unlike him. "The way you're looking at her."
"What way?"
"Like she's already yours."
I don't have an answer for that. Don't have a denial that would sound convincing.
Deck's hand lands heavy on my shoulder. "Just be careful. She's fragile right now. And you're not exactly whole yourself."
He walks away before I can respond, leaving me to stew in words I don't want to hear.
He's right. I know he's right.
But when Natalie looks up from her conversation with Vivian and catches my eye across the room, when she smiles at me like I'm the only solid thing in her shaky world, I know being careful isn't going to be possible.
I'm already falling.
And I don't know how to stop.
CHAPTER FOUR
NATALIE
