“Bea thinks Charley’s strong because she keeps getting back up,” he said. “And she is. But I think Charley’s strong because she’s still kind.” His voice caught slightly on the last word. “Even now. Even after today. She’s worried about a man she barely knows. That’s who she is.”
Pierce nodded once. “I know.”
Glen’s gaze sharpened. “And that’s what worries me.”
Pierce frowned. “Because it makes her a target?”
“Because it makes her walk toward danger when she should run,” Glen said bluntly. “Charley sees someone hurting, and she steps in. She doesn’t think about herself until later.”
Pierce’s hands curled loosely at his sides. “Yeah. I’ve noticed.”
Glen held his stare. “So I’m asking you, Pierce—man to man—are you prepared to stand between her and whatever comes next?”
The question wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t a threat. It was protective clarity.
Pierce answered without hesitation. “Yes.”
Glen watched his face like he was looking for cracks.
Pierce didn’t give him any. “Whatever is happening right now, it’s not over,” Pierce said, his voice turning colder. “I know that. And I’m not letting her face it without backup.”
Glen’s shoulders eased just a fraction. “Good.”
Another pause. Then Glen asked the question Pierce knew was coming, the one underneath all the others.
“And what about her heart?” Glen said quietly. “Because you’re military. You’re active duty. That means risk. She already lost her father and her brother to this life.” His gaze was steady, but the grief behind it was unmistakable. “I won’t watch her lose someone else because he made promises he couldn’t keep.”
Pierce felt that land straight in his chest.
He didn’t get defensive. He didn’t bristle because Glen wasn’t wrong to ask.
“I can’t promise I’ll never deploy,” Pierce said honestly. “I told her that. But I can promise I won’t run from her because it’s hard. I won’t disappear. I won’t play games with her feelings. And I won’t treat what she’s been through like baggage.”
Glen’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And if she asks you to leave?”
Pierce exhaled slowly. “Then I’ll listen,” he said. “I will do whatever I have to do to ensure I have a future with your niece.”
Glen’s mouth tightened, like he was fighting emotion and losing.
“You’re already deep,” he muttered.
Pierce’s lips twitched despite the heaviness. “Yeah. I am.”
Glen’s gaze shifted, and for the first time, his tone softened, just a little. “She’s a good kid.”
“I know,” Pierce said, the words coming out rough.”
Glen leaned back against the railing, studying him. “She looks at you like you’re safe,” he said. “Don’t take that lightly.”
Pierce held his stare. “I won’t.”
For a beat, the porch was quiet again.
Then Glen’s mouth twitched into something that might’ve been humor if it wasn’t coated in fatigue. “If you break her,” he said, voice flat, “you won’t have to answer to me.”
Pierce’s brows lifted slightly.
Glen nodded toward the kitchen window. “You’ll have to answer to Bea.”
