Page 37 of Under Fire in Big Sky

“No, you don’t.” She dropped the scone on the plate. “How do imagine this would work? We get hitched and you move to Colorado?”

He flinched. Colorado?

“Because that’s where my family is,” she said.

“I’d be your family.” The word struck a chord in him, resonating deeply. After he saved her from the fire, the EMTs wouldn’t let him ride in the ambulance with her. Worry and panic had clawed through him as he followed behind them, with the fierce need to be at her side only growing more intense. Then at the hospital, they refused to give him any information about her condition because he wasn’t a relative. It bothered him, far more than he cared to admit, and in ways he still didn’t fully grasp. He considered the IPS team his family. But that word fit Liv better than anyone else. He wanted to be her emergency contact and for her to be his.

“Family doesn’t walk away. They don’t bail on you,” she said, and the wobble in her voice twisted something in his chest. “Before you knew I was pregnant, you were prepared to let me go, and be with someone else, without a single complaint. Remember?”

“That’s not fair. We had a deal. Remember? I did the right thing for you. No matter how hard it was for me.”

“Seemed pretty easy.” She huffed a heavy breath. “You haven’t thought this through. Do you envision me and a baby living in your one-bedroom house, getting into your stuff, seeing us every morning and night? Babies are loud and messy, and they don’t make deals.”

Okay, he was a guy who enjoyed living alone. Enjoyed his privacy. Enjoyed his space and things organized a certain way. Changes would have to be made.

“It’s a three-bedroom house.” Although he used one room as an office and another he’d converted into a gym, and he had no clue what he’d do with his stuff. “And no, I hadn’t worked out details.”

“There’s no space in your life for me. That’s the way you’ve designed it. The way you like it. I’ve been to your house plenty of times and you gave me one drawer. A small one in the bathroom for toiletries. I can’t even leave clothes in a spare closet. You aren’t willing to sacrifice for me by moving to Colorado either. Are you?” she asked with a hopeful expression, but he didn’t have a response, and she sighed. “The basis for a good marriage isn’t that it simply makes sense. It’s love, E.” Running her hand through her hair, she pulled her legs up to her chest. “The truth is this thing between us was never going to work. We both chose someone who was off-limits, someone disposable, because we only wanted something fun and temporary. It only lasted this long because it continued to be fun. Seeing me makes you feel less lonely. And the sex is off the charts.”

Off the charts was better than great, but he couldn’t take any pleasure in the compliment. “I’ve never thought of you, or treated you, as disposable.” Goodness, was that how she’d thought of him in the beginning? “The relationship may have started out wrong, but it doesn’t mean we’re wrong together.”

Maybe he shouldn’t be with anyone. It was safer alone. But if he could choose one person in the world to be with, one person he could somehow protect from anything, it’d be Liv.

“It’s always been wrong,” she said. “The wrong time. The wrong circumstances. Now, you’re asking me to marry you for the wrong reason.”

Her words knocked the wind out of him. Left him breathless and his head spinning.

“Marriage isn’t a necessity. This is the twenty-first century. I earn good money. I’ve made smart investments. My family will help with the baby. You’re welcome to be involved in this child’s life as much or as little as you want. No strings.”

For the first time, those two little words stung.

But he had no response.

“I’d like you to be listed on the birth certificate,” she said. “But legally you’ll have to sign a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity.”

Wow. She’d given this serious consideration. “Of course I’d sign it.”

“Good. Then she or he will be an Easton.”

“But you wouldn’t be.”

Olivia lowered her head. “No, I wouldn’t, but I don’t want to get married for the sake of convenience or to simply have your name. I won’t do it if it doesn’t feel right.” Her phone rang. She grabbed it from the nightstand and answered. “Yes.” She listened for a minute or two. “Okay. Send me your location.” She was quiet for another moment before passing along the details of where they were staying. “We’ll be there as quickly as possible.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Odin’s Eye got a hit.”

“On Audrey?”

“Kevin. The facial recognition program picked him up, along with another guy, on a surveillance camera late last night in a grocery store. A WinCo.”

Those stores were open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, only closing for part of the day on select holidays. “But he’s long gone by now.”

“CCTV caught them taking a main road. Trujillo cross-referenced the area with the list of addresses Maben gave us. He thinks he pinpointed them. If we want to be a part of the raid, we’ve got to hurry.”

Chapter Nine

At the rally point, located on a hilltop at the southern end of High Country County, Agent Trujillo handed Olivia and Eli bulletproof vests to strap on.