“Well, that was the best fucking Skype of my life,” he smiles, and I flip onto my stomach hiding myself.

“It was interesting for sure,” I blush.

“Hold on, someone’s knocking,” he says and gets dressed quickly.

I suddenly feel very naked. I grab my robe and throw it over me. I hear him arguing with Quinn for a few minutes before the door slams.

“Hey,” he looks irritated. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries. Kind of glad he didn’t come knock a little earlier,” I giggle.

Liam doesn’t respond right away. He wipes his hand down his face, “I don’t even know how to tell you this, but I have to go back out. I’m going to be gone a few days or more, again.”

“I thought you guys were on a short break.”

I know he has no control. But these missions are killing me. I worry and wonder when I don’t hear from him. So far, I’ve been able to keep my mind from running rampant, but at the same time, the fear can come out of nowhere.

“We were supposed to be, but Quinn just came here to let me know we needed to start gearing up. This isn’t like me.” He looks off and lets out a deep sigh.

I’m not sure what the hell he means. “What’s not like you?”

“This stressed out, pissed off, ready to go home guy. You broke me,” he laughs. “I worry about you and Aarabelle. I wonder if you’re okay and if you need anything. It consumes me. You consume my world. I don’t know how these married guys do this.”

He seems so forlorn I wish I could take it from him. I give him my best shot. “I know the job you have. I have a very small advantage than some new SEAL wife. I’ve walked in these shoes. You have to remember who you are when you’re there. You’re not Liam Dempsey. You’re Dreamboat. If you don’t do your job, you don’t come home to me. So do your job and do it well. Then when you come home you can suck up.”

“How did I ever get so fucking lucky?”

“You loved me at my lowest. You healed me by being the man you are. I’m the lucky one.”

“I’ll call you when I’m back and we can start planning another Skype before homecoming,” he grins and leans in close. “And I mean a repeat of today, sweetheart.”

“You better earn it,” I smile and scoot forward. “Or next time I’ll point the camera at the ceiling.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I?”

“I’ll be seeing all of you very soon,” Liam smirks.

“We’ll see about that.”

“Kiss Aarabelle for me and get her potty trained,” he smiles.

“I will. I love you.”

“Love you more. We’ll talk soon.”

I nod as my throat becomes thick with emotion. I miss him and I don’t want to hang up. But I know he has to go and I need to be strong for him. Liam disconnects the call, and I hold my stomach and start counting down until I can talk to him again.

“Aaron, it’s fine,” I say to him for the tenth time. He’s upset that I’ve decided to work solely from home. But this was the best choice. I don’t want to work side by side with him every day, and this gives me a chance to stay home with Aarabelle and the new baby. I’m now nineteen weeks and starting to feel self-conscious around everyone.

“Something’s going on with you.” He walks over to where I am and looks at me.

Shit. He’s going to know. I’ve been extra careful about dressing in baggy clothes and keeping everything hidden.

This is Aaron, the SEAL interrogator. The one who knows every trick in the book. He and Liam are cut from the same cloth. The last two weeks, Aaron and I have gotten along really well. Our divorce is now final and we’re both free to move on. We’ve promised each other, for Aarabelle’s sake, to not be hateful. He knows where my heart lies, and I know he needs to find his.

He’s not a bad guy and he never was. He was a confused man who made some bad decisions. Unfortunately, for him, it cost him greatly. Cost all of us. Even with us not being together, he’s proven to be a phenomenal father to Aarabelle. Each week he comes and has dinner with us, and every other weekend he takes her.

“Please don’t Jedi mind trick me. I just have a lot on my mind.” I try to brush him off.

“No, that’s not it.”

“I need you to stop, please,” I implore him. I don’t want him to know before Liam. I don’t want him to know at all, but there’s no avoiding that. I’m starting to show a more defined bump, but today I have a sweatshirt on. There’s no way he can see my stomach.

“I’m just worried.” Aaron stops and waits.

My cell phone rings, stopping this awkward and very uncomfortable conversation. I look at the number and I don’t recognize it.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Natalie?” A man’s voice I don’t recognize asks.

“Yes, who is this?”

“This is Aidan Dempsey, Liam’s father. I have your number from Liam’s emergency file he sent before he left.”

“Oh, hello, Mr. Dempsey.” Concern sweeps in. “Is everything okay?”

Liam’s father sighs and takes a long pause. “I’m sorry to call like this,” he stops again and sniffs, “I just—I don’t know what to do,” he says and my heart plummets.

I clutch my throat and Aaron is at my side in a moment. “What’s wrong?” I barely get the words out.

“My wife,” he stops and catches his breath. “She was in an accident. And the doctors . . . they aren’t saying anything yet. But the accident was bad.” The pain is evident in his voice and I feel both relief and tension. It’s not Liam, but this won’t be any easier.

“I’m so sorry.”

“I need him to come home.” He begins to cry and my heart splinters into a million shards. My legs start to shake. I need to sit. “She’s not going to make it, and they said to get the family here, but it’s just me and Liam left.” His Irish brogue grows thick as his emotions swell.

“Is he?” Aaron says, and I shake my head.

“I can help. I need some information from you. He’s out on a mission, but I’ll do everything I can.” Tears well in my eyes as I think of how badly this is going to wreck Liam. His sister died and that was horrible, now his mother is barely hanging on.

Liam’s father gives me all the information about his mother’s condition and where she is. I write everything down, and Aaron rests his hand on my shoulder in silent support.

His father lets out a deep breath, “I can’t tell him.”

“It’s okay, Mr. Dempsey, I’ll get Liam home.”

We disconnect and Aaron looks at me with empathy. It gives me a tiny amount of hope that we can all find a way to get along. “This is going to break him, Lee. When Krissy died, he almost lost his mind. I was there.” Aaron reminds me.

He went with Liam to his sister’s funeral. Aaron told me when he got back from Ohio how bad he took it. How the guy who would laugh and joke could barely smile. Even now, it’s difficult for him to talk about her. She developed a blood clot that killed her in her sleep.