Before Sunrise (67 page)

“
What is it?” he
demanded.

“
It’s you. I’m worried about
you. Everyone wants to coddle you, treat you like less than a man,
fearing you’ll break. But I know better, Liam. I know how strong
you are. Let me help.” She moved in closer.

“
I don’t need your help,
Alex. Never did.”

“
I think you might. Take,
for instance, your wife.” She turned her gaze to the front of the
room and Liam followed her line of vision. Kennedy and Phil walked
out of the front door—together. “She’s not being honest with
you.”

“
What did you say?” He
grabbed Alex’s arm and snatched her away from listening
ears.

“
I said she’s not being
honest with you.” She shook off his grip.

He released her when he saw the look Eric
and Angelina gave him.

“
What are you talking
about?” he seethed.

“
She’s pregnant with Phil’s
child.”

Liam took the news hard and fast. He froze,
feeling the blood drain from his face and rush to his wounded
heart. Alex shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry to be the only one
brave enough to tell you the truth.”

“
I am not pregnant!” Kennedy
hissed.

“
I just want the damn truth
for once!” Phil shouted in her face.

She was furious. Her pulse pounded
erratically in her temples and her throat grew dry and tight. “I’m
sick of this. It’s Christmas day. Your step daughter’s birthday,
and you come here with this? All day you’ve been baiting me into a
fight, trying to get a rise out of me, saying snide things to my
family and our neighbors. Why? To provoke Liam? That’s it, isn’t
it? You want some big confrontation.”

“
Deal with me. Not Liam. I’m
angry too, and I have a right to be!”

“
You and I could have
discussed mama’s lies rationally. But no! You chose to handle it
like this. Well, it’s over. I’m done trying to reason with any of
you. I want you and Alexa to leave now!”

“
Answer the question. Why
the hell would your mother think you had an abortion? Why would she
say that to me if it weren’t true?”

Kennedy threw her hands up. “Because like
you, she never truly knew or understood me. She wanted to get a
rise out of you. Thought she could force us to remain together when
we both agree that’s not going to happen!”

“
No, you were the one that
decided we had no future. I had no say it in it,
Kennedy.”

“
Oh please. We talked, we
agreed. I know I hurt you, but to go this far is ridiculous. I
would never lie to you about something as important as a baby. The
fact that you would think me capable of it means you never knew me
at all.”

“
Don’t you dare!” Phil
seethed. “I’ve spent five years proving my faith in you, putting
you first, trying to heal you, and none of it mattered when your
broken hero husband returned. I’m sick of pretending that I don’t
have feelings! Do you hear me?”

Kennedy stepped back. She bit back the sob
rising in her throat. The raw hurt in Phil’s eyes reopened all the
buried guilt she carried in her barely healed heart. He was honest
with her, committed to her, and she’d failed him. She didn’t know
how to repair what had become of their friendship and part of her,
the part that owed him, desperately wanted to.

“
I loved you, dammit.” This
time tears glistened in his eyes, threatening to spill.

The door opened behind Phil’s back and Liam
limped out on his cane. Kennedy felt her heart arrest by the
accusation in his. Alexa followed him.

Phil turned on Liam. “You want to tell him?
Or should I!”

“
Stop yelling at my wife.”
Liam pointed his cane threateningly at Phil. “I know what this is
about.”

Kennedy immediately got between Phil and
Liam. To her relief, Liam lowered his cane. “I can explain…calm
down.”

Liam put his hand up and she immediately
went silent. She bit hard on her bottom lip and shivered. The hurt
and pain in Liam’s eyes cut her to the bone. What had Alexa and
Phil done? How could she keep it from exploding in her face?

“
Answer one question for me,
babe. Are you pregnant?”

Everyone looked to Kennedy. She wanted to
scream and scream. She didn’t. She fought back her desperation and
panic and faced her husband. “No, Liam. I’m not. Not pregnant.”

Phil dropped his head, shaking it. “It’s a
lie.”

“
Why does he think you’re
lying?” Liam asked. “Did you think you were pregnant when I
returned?”

The question threw her. She didn’t expect
his directness. His fury, yes. But he had a steely calm to him she
couldn’t trust. Which answer of hers would break him? What could
she do to turn things around? Was this the moment when he lost all
faith in her? She switched her gaze to Alexa. She nearly charged
the woman. Somehow this had been her fault. She orchestrated this
moment, Kennedy was almost certain of it.

“
Answer me,” Liam
seethed.

She swallowed hard. “I can explain.”

“
I want an answer. Dammit,
Kay. Did you think you were pregnant? Is that why you…is it what
you’ve been keeping from me? I’ve felt it, Kay. You holding back. I
thought…. Never mind what I thought. Tell me the truth.
Now.”

“
Yes. I thought I was
pregnant when you returned. It’s what I was trying to work out when
I said I needed space. I didn’t tell anyone but Phil. Now it seems
that everyone knows. Thing is, none of you know the truth. I went
to the doctor and he said I wasn’t.” She turned on Phil. “I didn’t
have an abortion. I would never do that to you, to our child. There
never was a baby. If there had been a baby, nothing and no one
would make me get rid of my own child. It’s not the woman I am. I’m
sick of you, sick of mama, and you….” she glared at Alexa.
“Spreading rumors about something as painfully private at this. Who
the hell do you think you are, coming here and making these
accusations when none of this has anything to do with
you!”

“
I’m Liam’s friend.” Alexa
smiled.

“
No, you’re his stalker!”
she lunged at Alexa, but Liam caught her. Alexa, however, didn’t
move. She didn’t even blink. In fact something in her sneer
revealed her desire for things to get physical. “Get the hell away
from my house, you bitch! Get the hell out of our
lives!”

“
Stop it, Kay.” Liam shook
her by one arm.

Kennedy looked up at him
hurt. She shoved her way out of his hold. Did he just
defend
that tarantula?
The glare he fixed on Phil said otherwise. She had to remember
where they were, what was at stake. She couldn’t lose control and
expect Liam to keep his. “Liam?” She grabbed his face and forced
him to look at her. “I’m sorry. I should have told you. I should
have trusted you and what we share to know I could tell you. I’m
sorry. Okay?”

“
I know. But you don’t know
everything, Kay. Does she, Phil?”

“
Huh?” Kennedy blinked away
her tears. She released his face and looked around at them all.
“What’s going on? What don’t I know?”

Liam released her. He took a step toward
Phil. “Since we’re being honest. Alexa tells me that you knew about
my return. That she warned you a week prior to my coming home.”

Phil’s eyes went wide. He looked at Alexa,
who smirked behind Liam. Kennedy snatched him by the arm and forced
him to address her only. “Is that true? Did you know Liam was
alive?”

Phil didn’t answer.

“
You knew? And you said
nothing?”

“
I did. But I wanted a
family with you before then. I always did. You know this. I’m
sorry.”

Kennedy slapped him. Though the blow was
swift and direct, neither she nor he were shocked by it. Liam
grabbed her by the arm and snatched her back. “Kay. Enough!”

“
No!” she shouted back
through her tears. “How dare all of you keep this from me? Liam,
you were out there for three months, and you said nothing. Phil,
you, you betrayed my trust. You should have told me. You made me
think I had failed you when all along you were manipulating me? And
you!” she seethed at Alexa. “You evil bitch! You did this. Tried to
break us apart after everything we’ve been through! You could have
reunited my family months ago, but you chose not to. Now you come
here on my daughter’s day and try to destroy it. For what? For this
country, for some sick bond you think you two have? No. Because
you’re a miserable, insufferable bitch who can’t stand anyone’s
happiness since you’ll never have your own!”

“
Kay! Listen to me,” Liam
said.

She turned, shocked. Where was his anger? He
should be trying to kill Phil. Hell, she wanted to kill him and
Alexa both.

He touched her face. “It’s okay, babe. Look
at me. I understand. You hear me? I understand.”

She put her hands to her eyes and tried to
calm herself, expelling deep breaths into her palms. He pulled her
to his chest and hugged her. She was so angry, but she didn’t know
at who, them or herself.

“
This is my fault, babe. I
screwed this up from the beginning. I wish I had handled things
differently.” Liam whispered into her hair.

“
Liam?” Alexa said to his
confession.

He ignored Alexa and continued to hug and
soothe her. She relaxed in his hold. Eventually he did release her
and she too had to let go. He addressed Phil. “You loved her,” he
said in a dry tone.

Kennedy looked back at Phil, who stood
tense, still not trusting Liam’s calm demeanor. She held Liam by
the waist and prayed that what her husband said next wasn’t the
catalyst for more drama. He spoke in the same even tone.

“
I’ll admit it kills me,
man. It does. You and Alexa both know what she means to me. Still,
I can see why you feel the way you do. If I lost her,
I….”

Liam choked back the words and Kennedy felt
her heart sink. She wanted to say that she would never leave him.
But she held her tongue. Instinctively she knew to let Liam finish
whatever it was he had to say to them.

He lifted her chin and forced a half-smile
to his face. “Nothing could stop me from loving you, babe. I made
you afraid of me when I came back and accused you of abandoning our
love. If I had been able to listen to you, things would’ve been
different. You thought you were pregnant. That must have torn you
apart. Being caught between him and me. I get it now.”

“
I’m not pregnant, Liam. I
wasn’t. I swear it.”

“
I know, babe. Thing is, if
you were pregnant it wouldn’t matter. I wouldn’t love you any less.
I wouldn’t love any child of yours any less. You’re my heart Kay.
My rib. Do you understand?”

Liam kissed her.

Phil and Alexa looked on in angry
silence.

Kennedy felt her heart turn over under the
soft press of his lips and his sweet vow that erased all doubt. She
could question the mysteries around this miracle transformation
from anger to acceptance in her husband later. Liam’s faith in her
was the best Christmas gift he could give her. The kindness in him
that made her ache for others to understand him. He was still her
husband, her lover, her best friend. “I just want it all to be over
Liam.”

“
Me too babe.”

Kennedy eased out of his embrace. Liam
adjusted his weight on his cane. He narrowed his blue eyes on
Alexa. “I want you to leave. But before you do I want you to
understand something. If you do one more thing to hurt my family or
manipulate my life, I will deal with you, Alexa, directly, in the
way that you understand best. Look at me. You say you know me. Then
you know I don’t make threats.”

“
Sounds like you’re out of
your head, soldier. Threatening a ranking officer?”

“
Our friendship came during
a time when we both needed it. I know it’s hard for you to trust
people. I remember the stories you told me of your childhood, of
your parents. I know what it takes to become who you’ve become. But
that’s not my issue, Alexa. It’s yours.”

“
Spare me.” She snorted in
disgust.

“
After all we shared, it
boiled down to nothing more than friendship. I never wanted more,
never asked you for more. What you did today helped me see what’s
important. My family. Let go. The man you knew is gone. I’m not a
soldier anymore. I’m just Liam, and I came for one reason. To get
my life back.”

“
I just opened your eyes to
the mess of a life you have. Things are different now, Liam. You
heard her, and him…. This is not where you belong.”

“
Did you not hear him?”
Kennedy asked. “I never understood why you obsessed so much over a
man who clearly didn’t want you. Are you that damn pathetic, that
even now you can’t let go?”

Alexa released a deep sigh. She addressed
Liam. “There are boys, men, even heroes in the world, Liam. But
there’s no one like you. You didn’t survive five years in a desert
because you’re weak. You’re what we need in this war, what I need
to finish our mission. The battle isn’t over. Do you want all your
fallen brothers to die in vain?” She returned her gaze to Kennedy.
“You don’t know him. Not really. You haven’t seen what we have,
been through what we have. If he told you he was yours, he lied.
Liam made vows your marriage can never compete with.”

“
He didn’t lie to me. He
sacrificed for me. You said it yourself. Liam didn’t need the
SEALs, you needed him. Now he’s done. Trust me, I know my husband
better than any of you. I don’t care what your so-called cause is
about. He came home to be with his family. His real family. And
he’s mine, Alexa. Do you hear me? He’s mine.”