“The man I married would never have gone away and left me with a monster like Daniel Henson.”
Raul’s black eyes glistened with unshed tears. “That is not what happened. I would die before I would do that to you. I almost did.” His gaze ran over her rounded belly. “Mi querida . . .you carry my child?”
Lila stiffened. “You abandoned your child when you left me in that terrible place. The child I carry is mine alone.”
Raul reached out to touch her cheek, but Lila turned her face away. Raul brushed a tear from her cheek. “The night I left, I went to work, as I had been doing since we arrived. I had already made up my mind to find a way for the two of us to leave. I never should have brought you there. I was a fool to take the job in the first place.”
Lila’s features didn’t soften.
“Daniel must have suspected,” Raul continued. “That night, two of his men forced me to go with them at gunpoint. Cisco Ramirez and Klaus Mahler drove me into the desert. They beat me, then they shot me and left me for dead.”
He pulled up his T-shirt. There was a healed bullet wound on his side and a web of scars covering a portion of his chest and shoulder.
Lila’s hand flew up to stifle a gasp.
“It was God’s miracle I survived. Thinking of you is all that kept me going. I dragged myself to the highway—I don’t know how far it was. Twice I thought I would not make it, but there you were—in my mind and in my heart—telling me to come home to you. Telling me how much you needed me. Telling me I could not let you down.”
Lila made a sound in her throat but didn’t move.
“Finally, I reached the highway. A family stopped when they saw a man lying on the side of the road.”
Lila began to tremble. “Raul . . .”
“I was unconscious for three weeks. When I finally woke up, I began to remember what happened. I told the police about Daniel Henson and what he was doing at Blancha Springs. I begged them to let me go so that I could return and get you out of there.”
He sank back down on his knees, his black eyes filled with tears. “I love you so much,querida.You and our baby. Please forgive me.”
Tears washed down Lila’s cheeks. Her throat worked, but no words came out. More tears fell. Reaching for Raul’s hand, she drew him to his feet.
“I’ve missed you so much, Raul. I love you so much.” Raul pulled her into his arms, and Lila clung to him, sobbing against his shoulder.
Skye realized her own eyes were filled. Skye looked at Callie, who was also crying, and both of them slipped quietly back into the kitchen.
She could hear Raul telling Lila the rest of what had happened, how the police had turned him over to the DEA and he had agreed to help them. Then both of them were crying.
It was going to work out. Skye was happy for the woman who had become her friend, but seeing Lila with her husband made Skye think of Edge, and her heartache deepened. She had known the risks, but the pain of losing him was so much worse than she had imagined.
She prayed he was happy enough for both of them.
CHAPTER FORTY
THREE WEEKS PASSED BEFORE ALL THE QUESTIONS ABOUTMAJORBradley Markham had been asked and answered. Edge’s good name had been restored, along with his rank and his position in his old Green Beret unit.
Three weeks to think about his life, his priorities, and the kind of future he really wanted.
Three weeks to get his fucking head on straight and go after Skye.
He prayed it wasn’t already too late. She worked in an office full of good-looking, capable men. Edge hadn’t phoned her in the last two weeks. He couldn’t handle it. Just the sound of her voice sent him into a downward spiral.
He missed her, ached for her. Wanted her endlessly. She was his. They belonged together. He knew that now, without the slightest doubt.
But how did she feel about him? He had never told Skye he loved her. The way he’d seen his life at the time, it wouldn’t have been fair. He was going back into Special Forces. He’d be gone a good part of the year. Skye deserved better than a part-time husband. She wanted a family; she deserved a man who would be there for her and the children they would raise.
It had taken him all this time to realize he wanted that, too, wanted a home, a wife and a family. But only if the woman by his side was Skye Delaney.
He prayed he could make her understand, convince her this wasn’t just some whim because he was lonely. This was real. Skye was what he wanted. The life she wanted was the life he wanted, too. He loved her with everything inside him.
He flew back to Denver the week before he’d planned to reenlist. Everything was set. He’d be deploying shortly after his return to Fort Campbell.
