“Me neither.” He ran his hand through her glossy hair.
The tears against his neck surprised him. He tilted her chin up. “What’s wrong, Elena?” His chest tightened at the thought that he might have hurt her. “Are you okay? Did I hurt—”
“No, no, you didn’t hurt me, Baby.” She stroked his cheek. “You couldn’t, you’d never hurt me, not like that.”
“Then why the tears?” He brushed the newest one away.
“I know what I’m holding in my arms. I’m so fortunate to have you, to have a second chance.” She looked down.
“Elena, look at me. What else is going on?”
“I’m…I’ve been afraid to face something, but if I don’t I’ll be the one sabotaging our chances.” She looked back up and gazed into his eyes. “It’s selfish, considering what you do for a living. But, I’m afraid of losing you. Like I did Antonio.”
He pulled her in for a tight hug. “There is not a selfish bone in your sweet little body, Elena. I understand how you could feel that way.”
“No, you don’t. Not entirely. Even though you lost your wife, she wasn’t….” Elena shook her head. “It’s different.”
“Talk to me, Baby. Why is it different?”
“After I married Antonio, I thought, this is my happily ever after. He was a fourth-generation cowboy. We had a home at the ranch. Friends who were like family. Then things changed. The economy went south. There was a drought. And the ranch owner sold out to a developer. It broke our hearts.”
“Your life was so different than it is today.”
“Very different. After the sale, Antonio couldn’t find work on another ranch, so we literally followed the herd along the highway north to Deal’s meatpacking plant in Nebraska. He got on there and I took a job at the local diner at first, then at the plant too after Tina was born.”
Elena took a deep breath. “That job…thatman.” Elena shuddered in his arms and he held her tighter. “They took my husband’s life.”
“He died in an accident there, you’d said. I’m so sorry. That must have been devastating.” Camden came to a realization. “You’re worried you’re going to lose me to my job, too, aren’t you?”
Elena nodded silently and buried her face in his neck.
“Baby, I’m not going to insult you by telling you that you have nothing to worry about. Damn straight, what I do is sometimes dangerous. But I’m trained for it. I’m a former SEAL who served his country in some of the most dangerous places on earth. You’ve seen my scars. Thing is, I made it through all that. Nothing I face here is nearly as deadly.”
Her voice cracked and her eyes watered. “There’s more you don’t know. That I didn’t know until recently. About Antonio’s death.”
“What is it, Baby?”
“It…wasn’t an accident. Antonio learned some things about Deal, things he didn’t even tell me, and Deal had him killed to keep him quiet. It all came out during the trial.”
“Oh, Baby. I’m so sorry.”
“Rachael was just as devastated as me when we found out. She was afraid I’d hate her, or even blame her just because she’s his daughter.”
“Of course you wouldn’t.”
“Never. She’s the sister of my heart. And I made sure she knows that. But, Camden, do you see why I’m afraid? The first man I ever loved was taken from me by violent men. I’m so, so afraid I’ll lose you the same way.” Her tears fell. “I don’t know if I can survive that a second time.”
Please, I can’t lose her now. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Camden sat them up and cradled her. “Like I said, I’ve been trained to anticipate and fight damn near anything. Life is full of risk, Gorgeous. What it’s not as full of is love. Unless you get really, really lucky. So, when you find real love, it’s worth every risk to hold on to it. I know you, Elena Martinez. I know how brave and strong you are. Don’t let this last thing scare you away from me. Because love’s too rare and important for the ‘what-ifs’ to kill it off.”
He took her face in his hands. “As long as I know you and Tina are in the world and waiting for me back home, do you think I’m gonna let anyone or anything stop me from coming back to you?”
Elena shook her head. “Looking into those eyes, I know you mean every word you say.”
“Hell yes, I do. If you have faith in me, then I’ve got this. You let me protect you and Tina. You let me worry about taking out the bad guys. Besides,” he gave her a wicked grin, “in SEAL school, they taught me how to blow shit up.”
That got him a giggle.
“You think any asshole stands a chance against me and a little C4?”
