Page 117 of The Defiant Curse

Unfortunately, it started earlier, when they’d left her to get ready.

When she’d come down from the upstairs tower, ready to go in the borrowed long skirt and pretty wool sweater, it was clear she was lost in thought.

And likely not good thought.

When she said she was carrying a lot, it hadn’t been an exaggeration.

And that worried both men.

Elizabeth was off, and Michael wasn’t sure it was because of the things that had happened, or if she was just off from being far from the people she loved.

Yeah, he and Graham were family, but they knew it wasn’t the same. She likely missed her husbands and kids. You didn’t ‘marry’ that many men and not miss them when you were apart.

So, it was time to mitigate this mess.

“Want to talk about it?” Michael asked, as he drove them down the mountain.

In the back, she was staring out the windows and trying to enjoy the whole process.

Only, she felt…empty.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she admitted.

When a person said that, the opposite was generally true. You’d have to be blind not to see that she was struggling with something—and that something was probably men-related.

It always was when a woman was this stirred up. As two gay men, they were in the same boat—or had been.

At her response, Graham turned in his seat and touched her knee. What he wanted to do was help Elizabeth find herself, so her time here was special.

Ravensmire was a good place, and she needed that.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said. “You’re not even here a full day. Give it some time. We’ll work through it together, and when you find you, you’ll heal.”

She shrugged.

“This morning, I watched you two cuddled up together, and I felt…so alone. I haven’t felt that for a long time. The last time was when Ethan kicked me out of his life, and before that, when Chris broke my heart. I don’t do well when I feel like this. Everyone sees Elizabeth Blackhawk, and sees that she’s tough, but under it, I have my weaknesses, too.”

Oh, boy.

It appeared they’d miscalculated.

Honestly, they’d never considered sleeping in there together as a couple would hurt her, but now, they could see that it was definitely throwing her off.

Then again, that made sense.

She was never alone, and now…she was.

“I’m sorry,” Michael said. “I didn’t think about it. Had I, I would have been in there alone.”

She reassured him.

“Don’t worry, Saint Michael. I’ll adjust. I’m just so accustomed to being surrounded by husbands, security, and kids, that I’m off when I’m not. I know it was my idea to get some space and find me, but even that takes adjustment. I’m flying without a net here.”

He was worried about her.

“What can we do to help you?” he asked. “Because all you need to do is ask. If there’s something that either Graham or I can do to help with this transition, we will.”

That was sweet, and unsurprising.